Life in Beijing- two weeks in...and finally somewhat settled

On Beijing...and Identity
My first impression of Beijing wasn't exactly warm and welcoming- it was COLD (previously only come in the summer), HUGE (commuting/getting lost for hours every day)...and 陌生"mo sheng" - unfamiliar (knew few people my age). And it's really different traveling here as a tourist, even studying abroad, from actually living and working here...and also unlike my experiences in Africa, where I got there knowing I was leaving in 3 months, so no matter what I experienced or had to tolerate, it was just that, an experience. But here, I'm trying to start a new life and be "comfortable."

Language wasn't an issue, but not having a place to live and feeling unsettled in general was disorienting. I first stayed with relatives whom were my grandparents' age. They're great people, but the culture/age difference drove me nuts, and within 24 hours I relocated to the home of my dad's college friend, a 50 yr old divorcee who's daughter is in Chicago. She was kind enough to have me in her home, but also acted like my mother at times. I consider myself mature and enjoy hanging out with family friends one or two generations older, but if there's anything I realized about myself and my identity (here, at least)...it's that I'm *young*female*american. And throughout numerous housing visits and meeting potential roommates, I realized how *female* and *american* I am. I started off wanting to live with local Chinese people, and realized that, sadly, I needed to live with an expat, or someone with
expat tendencies/tolerance. So it's like those "identity" exercises you do - "what part of your identity means the most to you blah blah blah blah"...it certainly wasn't "young female single american" before.

On Work
Aside from an Australian working on UNFPA (United Nations Family Planning) programs, I'm the only non-Chinese local person in the office. However, if I don't tell people, they usually assume I'm local. Marie Stopes International is based in London, but has country offices in 40 countires worldwide which, unlike most other iNGOs, are locally run, operated, "owned" - impressive! Also unlike many iNGOs, they're much more frugal in their spending and, in my opinion, tied to the local culture, which is great. It's refreshing to see locals working for a cause and not for the excessive money that usually comes with foreign development aid...

I'm also the youngest person here, and, interesting, fall right the middle of the　youth age ranges we're targeting.

On Housing
So anyway, after a week and a half of stressful, unsuccessful apartment hunting, I came to find out that a friend, the only girl in Beijing I knew before, whom I had met three years ago through....a mutual friend, we'll say, had a free room! It was serendipitous - the apartment was the nicest, coziest, most comfortable place I'd seen so far, and after visiting so many places, I DESPERATELY wanted to live with a girl (I swear by the fact that there are way more male expats than female), and am really happy that I actually know this person! The apt is located in the intellectual hub of Beijing ("oh! you can find a boyfriend there then," says my mother) with vibrant student life and a good mix of foreigners/chinese people, lots of activity (很热闹 hen re nao) and interesting things going on.

Ah, finally, a comfortable place with a cool roommate in a fun location. Hello Beijing : )

I still don't have a jacket...or adequate bag to use...or comfortable but work-appropriate shoes...but, hey, one step at a time, right?