Before we left for our trip, Drew taught me how to say two things in Chinese: hello and thank you. It didn’t take me long to learn a third phrase: I don’t speak Chinese. We are quite a sight- a white guy with elementary Chinese language skills and an Asian girl who speaks absolutely none of the language. Everywhere we go, Drew handles any transactions but when it is realized that he doesn’t speak much of the language, store clerks start speaking to me instead. Even though I look at them helplessly, they continue to talk to me, as if at some point, I will realize that, indeed I do speak and understand the Chinese language. Maybe this ability is hidden somewhere in my Asian genes.
I realize that it is probably irresponsible to travel to China and fail to learn any common phrases. But there is a reason that I’m averse to learning any Asian language. It is because I know that there is an expectation for me to speak an Asian language, and so I refuse to learn. Think about it: if someone is of, say, German heritage, we don’t expect that person to speak German. However, when people are Korean or Mexican, we think that they should know how to speak Korean or Spanish, respectively. This is absurd. My parents are Irish and German, but nobody expects them to speak Gaelic, eat potatoes, or wear lederhosen. I am Korean and even though I was raised in the U.S., people ask if I speak Korean (this happens less frequently since living in California, but not much). I’m supposed to know about Asian food, culture, and heritage, and many people (Asians and whites) are surprised to learn that I do not. When people are white, they get to just be American and it’s okay if they speak only English. When people are non-white, their identification as an American citizen is questioned. They can’t possibly be truly American; surely they speak another language. So, this is a very long of way of articulating why I refuse to learn to speak an Asian language.
Drew and I are staying in the Haidian district, which is in the city, but off the beaten tourist track. Beijing is huge and there are a lot of people living here. It’s like if LA and New York City had a baby and then it outgrew both of them, then you would have Beijing. It’s sprawling like LA, crowded like the both of them, but it has the public transportation system of New York. Although car sales are increasing in Beijing, I bet you could get along just fine without one.
We lost a day traveling to Beijing, so we arrived on the 4th. Here of course, the 4th of July is just the 4th of July. There are no bbqs, no red, white, and blue, and no fireworks. We spent the day exploring the area, and we ate our first meal in a little mom-and-pop restaurant. 
It was an interesting experience. Somehow we were able to communicate that we didn’t want meat, and so we were served this delicious soup with noodles, bok choy, tomatoes, and eggs. We spent the afternoon walking around, and it was incredibly hot. I think the temperature was in the 90s, and we certainly are not used to this. Hopefully, we will adjust to the heat and humidity. We were exhausted when we got home, a result of the heat and the jet lag. I think we went to bed around 7pm.
Chris with a 'K' 