The D Spot

I was in Beijing in 2000, from July to December–that was the time when Beijing was planning its bid for the 2008 Olympics. Imagine! THE DRIED GRASS WAS PAINTED GREEN, large pots of flowers, fresh and natural were placed in strategic place all over the parks and streets, and the city was decorated (the likes of Bay Walk) as if it were Christmas.

How amazed I was to listen week after week (was it every hour, by the hour?), one Chinese word or phrase and its translation to English aired at the public announcement systems installed in the streets and inside the malls, with the objective of teaching the non-speaking Chinese to speak basic English. Makes sense, one English word a week for the next 400 or so weeks would spell at least the basic words that could build up a conversation. Say, the taxi driver or the sales clerk saying, “How are you?”, “Thank you”, “Good morning”, “Where is the hotel?”, etc. Had I stayed longer I would have perhaps learnt their language, the other way round, by just hanging around, at least in the evening on the way back from the office to the hotel. My vocabulary was limited to “Ni Hao” (hello) and “xie xie” (thank you).

I wonder how it is now in Beijing, with the 2008 Summer Olympics coming very soon. It must be very exciting!

Every morning, while walking from the hotel to the subway, I would witness the workers from the malls and offices gather in the streets for their 30-minute exercise in their office gear. I still remember how the Chinese would glide in their bikes, males and females alike going to work. The Chinese have perfected the art of biking even in mini skirts, long skirts, or pants, come rain or shine.

In Beijing, I felt I was the only one among the hundred millions who drank Coke! Oh well, maybe a few hundreds. It was tea, tea, and tea for them, a different kind of tea anytime–lunch, dinner, headache, sinusitis, colds, pains, diabetes, etc.

Beijing in 2000 was a business trip-cum-cultural trip-cum-holiday for me. It was also one great learning experience. Imagine living a leisurely life in 5-star hotels, moving from one hotel to another at my whim and fancy, building up airline and hotel mileage, having the weekends free for exploring the sights of Beijing (the Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the zoos, malls, etc), its nightlife,  and its neighboring towns, taking the train (Beijing’s station is one of the largest in the world), the subway, the taxi, walking, or even the bus to the different entry points of the Great Wall.

How daring was I to take a horse ride, instead of the cable car, from the hilly sides of this summer capital (forgot the name)–I will never never take that challenge again. How daring was I to eat the food that I was not used to eat. When in a restaurant, I would just look around and point to the waiter what the other diners are eating. No need to speak English, when I got tired speaking English, I would either speak in Tagalog (they would not understand just the same), or would not speak at all.

I had handy a calling card with my Chinese name, had a notebook handy, where the names of KFC, McDonald’s (in Beijing alone at that time there were about 100 McDonald’s), Starbucks, Dairy Queen, and their locations, are all written in Chinese, courtesy of one of the local staff. I had the directions in going to church, to malls, to parks, both in English and in Chinese, so that when I got lost, I could easily go back to the hotel or the place that I was going to.

Back in Beijing I was an arts enthusiast, on weekends I would go to museums, arts shops, galleries, theaters and concerts. And yes, I had friends, locals, Filipinos, mostly managers of 5-star hotels and managers and supervisors in garments factories, and other nationalities alike.

It was in Beijing where I experienced my first winter and living on my own for the longest time, as I had only 2 vacations back home in between. In Beijing I shopped till I dropped, not for myself but for family and friends who sent their long lists everytime an officemate would come for a short official trip. I would go to high-end shops, take a photo of the branded bags and shoes, get the feel of the leather and the insides, and then go directly to the Silk Market or the other street shops and look for the replica, almost the same, except for a stitch or two or a small flaw here and there. Finding them, their prices way way below the originals and the unflawed, even without buying gave me a degree of satisfaction.

There was no problem communicating with my family, thanks to the leased telephones connecting the office to the headquarters in Manila, and the cell phones that were just starting to become popular at that time. As long as I had my laptop, my cellphone, the leased phone lines, and yes, my dollars and chocolates (kinda difficult finding chocolates there), I was able to take care of my homesickness.

It was also in Beijing where I accompanied friend, Paul Chang (bless his soul), who asked me to bring him to the Great Wall of China. He wanted to trace his roots (symbolically perhaps), at least have a feel of his ancestors before he died. He was in Beijing for a few hours, while in transit to Mongolia. Yes–I was able to fulfill his wish, we took a public bus, went straight to the Great Wall, risking being stranded late in the evening. The Great Wall seemed so eerie at 10 in the evening, amidst its peace and quiet. I have been to the Great Wall countless times, at different times–morning, noon, night, winter, summer and fall (not spring, though). Sad, I was also in Beijing when I got news that my father died. I felt lost, went to the hotel, took my passport and ticket, and headed straight to the airport.

In 2000, not many Chinese that I had contact with knew about the Philippines. They would always guess that I came from countries other than ours, not even second guess. I remember one who was able to guess that I was Filipino, because of my eyes described as something like dancing grapes (?), or whatever.

Who knows, now in 2008, some of them Chinese might have an idea about our country, at least the proponents of the NBN-ZTE deal (LOL). Anyway, given the chance, I would go back to Beijing and its surrounding cities. If they ask where I come from, I will proudly say, I come from the Philippines, and that I am proud to be a Filipina.

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