A Better Beijing and the Amazing Race

Sometime in 2014, a friend of mine from high school asked me if I wanted to do the Great Wall Half Marathon since I'm now living in China. I think I've written of this before. He asked, I agreed somewhat reluctantly, then he backed out because of military duties and I was left to do the race alone. I asked a friend from work to join me and she, although not a runner, said yes. I started training in November, but because I was already running a decent amount, I didn't have to get too serious until February/March of this year. My friend Jackie hadn't really ever run (she's super fit because of her Acro interests), so she had to get proper shoes and test the waters, so to speak. We both trained in slightly different ways. I was good for distance, Jackie was prepared for the stairs. Last weekend, our hard work in both areas paid off.

On Thursday afternoon Jackie and I left school and had a driver take us to the bus station, also known as the Dongguan airport, where we then checked in for our flight. This place is in the downstairs of a big building in Dongguan and although called the "airport" has no airplane larger than a model toy. It's a strange place honestly. Once you've checked in, you take a bus to the airport in Guangzhou which is nearly two hours away from Dongguan. When we had arrived at the actual airport, we boarded our life size plane and headed on our way to Beijing.

We were both excited because neither of us had been to Beijing before. I expected the city to be extremely polluted and dirty. I think Jackie expected the same. To our pleasant surprise, after a good night's sleep at the Beijing International Hotel, Jackie and I set out Friday morning for a day of touring the city and found that Beijing was actually quite the opposite of what we thought it would be. Walking down the road from our hotel to the Forbidden Palace, we were in awe of the cool weather, the clear blue sky, and the lovely smell of roses. Everywhere there were roses. The grass was well manicured along the roadside, and the streets, although 8 lanes across and rather full of cars, were quiet. I couldn't get over it. I felt as if we were in the twilight zone.

We headed down a side street which we had been persuaded to travel by a local guy who just so happened to say he was going the same place we were. Before you jump to attention in worry, it wasn't a dark little alley way and the older gentleman's only sneaky plan was to get us to buy art. Jackie and I knew he was up to something when he began leading us off our path, but it was a great discovery actually, this little road we wandered. We found a few stalls of street food where we grabbed our breakfast, amazingly delicious steamed buns. I am reluctant to buy street food as I never know whether or not it will make me sick, but these were fantastic. Each of us got one vegetable and one meat.

Later, we stumbled upon a precious little poetry cafe. This is the kind of place Jackie and I both could hang out for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. Downstairs was set to look like someone's living room. There was a little table and chairs on the right side of the space and the left wall had shelves of books and trinkets. There was a guitar in the corner. Directly in front of you when you walked in was the kitchen and ordering counter. Tiny narrow stairs took you upstairs to what I thought would be someone's loft, but actually was more seating. These chairs were plush and more comfortable than the  options downstairs. More books lined the walls and art work from various places, mostly photographs, adorned the walls. We didn't have a coffee or anything, but rather bought postcards and headed back on our journey towards the Forbidden Palace.

Easily enough, although probably not the most direct route, we came to the entrance. We paid our ticket fee and wandered through the massive space trying to admire the palace itself. I made a comment that perhaps it wasn't as powerful to me as it would be to a person who had studied Chinese history. I know so little...I really couldn't appreciate it to the extent that I had hoped. It's not a beautiful property like some of the places I know and love in Europe, or even Charleston. I will say, however, that the gardens were lovely and became my favorite part of the tour.

After our visit to the palace, we crossed the street to visit a park (the name escapes me). We climbed the stairs to the overlook where we had a nice view of the city. We headed back down the stairs to the peony garden. I love peonies. I miss flowers and I miss plush green grass beneath my feet. I live in a concrete jungle now, so I took my shoes off and stood in the grass in the garden there. Had I not been ready for lunch, I'd have stayed longer, connecting with the earth.

When Jackie and I left, we headed out, with no particular direction other than an idea, and found a street with many Western shops. First we passed this precious little church though and I got a great shot of the building with that gorgeous blue sky in the background. It so reminded me of a picture I took in New Orleans.

The area we had found was the district the hotel concierge had suggested we visit. I suppose she assumed all Westerners are more interested in Zara and H & M than the history of the city. This is not the case of course, but still, I haven't seen clothing stores where I can shop for myself since I was home in Charleston so I did pop in. I bought a cute skirt and top and then Jackie and I headed back outside where we found a very Chinese area. The two streets which ran perpendicular to one another were crowded, noisy, and bustling with life. I videoed what I could. It was the first time I'd ever seen scorpions and other creatures on skewers. They were live by the way. We each grabbed other items for our lunch, dumplings for me, super spicy ones. We walked up and down the street then decided we were on overload and needed to decompress in the cool someplace. It wasn't a particularly hot day and the humidity was low, but we wanted to sit and gather thoughts. My phone was about dead too so where did we decide to go to recharge...every Westerner's staple...Starbucks.

Sitting in Starbucks I overheard some people speaking and found out that one girl was from Atlanta, the other was clearly American but I didn't ask where from, I'm guessing Chicago. They worked and had children who attended ISB...the International School of Beijing. Funny how I picked them out the crowd.

After my phone had enough charge to use Google Maps to get us home, Jackie and I set back out. We ended up getting a rickshaw, my first in China, to take us back to the hotel. We were planning to go out to dinner, but I was worried about time because our bus for the race would be leaving at 3:30 am and I also realized that my feet were swelling a bit from all the walking so I thought perhaps we should take it easy. Jackie agreed, and we went to the hotel spa for a massage. It was the most expensive massage I've had in China, about $100 USD for an hour and a half. It was a "Chinese massage and foot rub" which means your clothes are one. It's not my favorite option, but it was good enough and the room was gorgeous. There was a huge jacuzzi tub in the middle of the room and a massage table with flowers in the center next to it. Jackie and I had hers and hers chairs, much like recliners, for our massages. Clearly this was a space for honeymooners, etc.

After our massages we went back up to the room and decided to order room service so we could eat and get to bed early. We each chose pasta, Jackie had one with fish and I had a mushroom cream sauce. It was nothing to write home about, but it would do the trick. We needed carbs before Saturday's race, so I ate what I could, although my appetite wasn't great, and we went to bed probably by 8 or 9.

At 2:45 the next morning, the alarms went off and Jackie and I both got up to get ourselves ready. I had showered the night before and only needed to wash my face and brush my teeth before lathering up in sunscreen and putting on my race day clothes. We each made a bowl of our instant oatmeal and I attempted to get down what I could of that awful mush. I drank a cup of hot green tea and then suffered through a cup, my very first cup actually, of instant coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I was desperate to make myself go to the bathroom. You see, two days prior, I had suffered from an overly active stomach as many do in China, so I had taken anti-diarehal medicine. It was apparently still in my system and so I wasn't able to go like I normally would have been able to before running. I was terrified this would cause me major issues during the race. I literally prayed and prayed for a bowel movement (sorry if that's unpleasant) and after the three hour bus ride to the Great Wall, was able to have the slightest success.

It was go time. Jackie and I were FREEZING as the sun hadn't quite come up and neither of us prepared by wearing warm clothing. Note to self. Next year wear pants and take a fleece to put in storage before the race begins. In our shorts and sleeveless tops, we were shivering from the cold. The square was full of life though and soon an aerobics instructor came on the stage to help us all get warmed up. I didn't exactly participate but I danced around in my own little corner of the square while Jackie did the routine. After an hour, the race was about to begin. Jackie and I were in phase 3, so we went up to start line to encourage those who were setting off first. The countdown began and they took off, then Jackie and I raced to the porta-lets to try and use the bathroom one last time. We got in our places afterwards, took a pre race photo, I said a prayer, and then we too set off.

The first three miles were unbelievably hard in the sense that they were uphill and by the time I got to the top I thought my legs might fall off. Incline...next year train with more incline. Once we got to the base of the wall, most people stopped running. A) It's nearly impossible to run the stairs because of how steep they are and B) There were so many people on the wall you can only move at as snail's pace anyway. Jackie had gone on ahead because she tends to run a little faster than me anyway, so we had agreed to meet at the finish line. Slow and steady wins the race for me. I was never worried about speed. I wanted to do it in about 3 hours. That was my only goal, oh that and to finish on my own two feet, uninjured.

The wall itself was intense. There is no other way to describe it. It is up and down and up and down and some stairs were so steep I had to grasp the wall and REACH with my short little legs. Some stairs were so close together that made it hard to find a rhythm. Do I take one at a time, do I skip stairs? At a few points, I thought I might fall. I held the wall so tightly. My legs were shaking. My neck was hurting because I had been looking down for so long, nearly two hours to be exact. I was scared, honestly. Finally, after about two miles of this, we passed the place were the race began and the wall portion of the half marathon was over. Now we had to run through the village.

The first two miles of this portion were on a paved road. This wasn't too difficult. People were standing all along the road cheering us on and giving us high fives. Children, little old ladies, you name it. Their spirit and enthusiasm was infecting. Then we went through a smaller village along what I believe was called Goat Path. I know why now...there were legitimate goats blocking the road at times. Running this wasn't too hard though. The ground was uneven and I had been warned to watch my footing, so that I did. Then we went up. I was with another person I'd met a long the way, a former teacher from DC. She said she couldn't believe the quality of the path. It wasn't a path. It was more like one person went up so we all followed. I wish I had pictures of this area. It was narrow, steep, rocky, and a bit dangerous.

We circled around and through the village and I have to admit I ended up walking a little bit here. Then a guy passed me, a guy I'd seen in the first phase take off for the marathon. As he passed he said, "Come on, don't quit now, you got it." Right behind him another marathon runner passed, one I'd noticed also in the first wave because he was wearing a North Carolina t-shirt. He said the same, "Come on. Keep going!" I thought of my friend Mary Beth; she'd tell me to run, so I did. These two guys had given me the boost of energy and moral I needed (I had also taken an energy gel at mile 9).

I started running again. I think I was at mile 10 by this time. The rest of the race would be on the paved section of the road again. I could do this. This was flat, the home stretch. I ran, and ran, and then, ugh, walked, but then ran again and eventually, I FINISHED. I came in at 3 hours 24 minutes, just at the 3 hour mark I wanted. Yes, I would have preferred to be under that time, but I had never run a half marathon before and I'd certainly NEVER anticipated the Great Wall to be easy, so I'm extremely proud of myself. What a rush. Going through that finish line and getting my medal was...magic. I was on a high...cloud nine. Jackie and I met up and ate our Subway sandwiches after my stomach had settled a little. I had been a little nauseous at first. Actually, Jackie had already eaten one of her subs and a banana. I knew I needed to eat quickly, but first I drank two waters. I had been hydrating the whole way and ran most of the race with a water bottle stuck in my bra, but I couldn't eat immediately. A short time later I had the first of my two subs, then was able to eat the second. I've never eaten so much in one sitting, but they say you have to eat to make sure your muscles don't deteriorate.

Jackie and I went and had massages, filthy dirty and covered with layers of salt from sweat, but everyone else was doing it and the "therapists" didn't seem to mind. We had grabbed beers and then when our massages were over, we got on the bus to head back to the hotel. What a morning it had been.

I looked at my phone and it said I'd taken over 36,000 steps so far that day. That's insane to me. The sky was so blue and the day so perfect. I knew my angels were with me and I was feeling so blessed. Jackie and I had done it. We had completed a race that some only dream of and others can't possibly even fathom. It was less about the race and more about the Great Wall in my opinion, but together, the two made an amazing experience. I'll definitely do it again next year. Even though the next day was spent icing my knees and ankles, even though I could hardly walk for three more days after the race, it was totally worth it. I am so proud of us and feel so lucky to have been able to participate in something so massive on one of the world's most famous monuments.


*Side note, I was speaking to someone yesterday and it hadn't occurred to me before, but there is a strong likelihood that the pollution was nearly nonexistent in Beijing last weekend because this was such an international event. It's said that more than likely, the factories were shut down so that the visitors to Beijing wouldn't see the true state of things. I don't know if there is truth to this or not, but I did find it rather suspicious that a city known for its pollution would have such beautiful skies for two days straight. Leaving on Sunday, the sky was much more gray. Interesting none the less.

The Dongguan Children's Library

I love to read. I love to write. I do both as often as I can. One way I combine those loves is by sharing the pleasure I get from doing both with boys and girls, encouraging them to become avid readers and writers themselves. As a teacher, I get to do this daily, but as an author, I really cherish the moments I get to visit and share my books, The Adventures of Gia the Giraffe and Gia the Giraffe Goes to Dublin, because I rarely get to do so.

A few weeks ago, I was sent an email by my school director about partnering with the Dongguan Children's library. The library wanted to offer a chance for boys and girls to come and listen to books read in English. They wanted native speakers to do the reading so that the children who attended would have more exposure to the language.

Two of my Chinese colleagues and I promptly met to discuss what the library's goals were and then we searched our own school library for appropriate books to be read to children ages 6-9. I helped with this, choosing a book that would be rather easy. We then went on Pinterest to find ideas for activities we could do with the children after we finished the reading.

I was asked why I didn't want to read my own books to the kids, but as I explained, not knowing the childrens' levels of English, knowing that Gia's adventures take place far away in cities that perhaps these children have never heard of, and knowing that there are many unfamiliar words, even to native speakers, on the pages, I felt that it would not be a good starting point for us. We needed to gauge the listeners' abilities first.

The book we chose was Kite Flying, by Grace Lin. It's a simple story about making and flying a kite. It also has a lot of Chinese influence as all the character's names are Chinese and the kite itself is of Chinese design. We found a cute little craft where boys and girls could use construction paper, glue, and other art supplies to make a picture of a kite.

We visited the library one Friday afternoon a week or so ago, and I was really impressed with the venue. We decided how we could arrange tables and chairs and how we would display the story's pictures. We each had a task of preparing, and on Sunday morning, May 3rd, we went to the library at 10:30 for our hour long session.

We put the Powerpoint presentation of the book on the projector so the 20 or so kids would easily be able to see. I introduced myself and the book and then began reading. I could tell that, although they were being good listeners, very few of the children had any idea what I was saying. I read the book through, then called my colleague Lynne, a Mandarin teacher, over to the stage. She and I traded places and she read each page, in Chinese, then translated to English. She was so wonderful with the children, having them repeat the words in English and then checking for understanding. I myself could understand very little of the words now, but the children were being unbelievably attentive. She had them chorally practicing words and phrases from the book, "dragon eyes" and "laughing mouth," then she'd call on individual children and they would stand up to speak in the microphone.

After Lynne finished reading, I had her help translate, step by step, what we'd be doing for the craft. My other colleague, Vivian, helped us arrange the tables and we all monitored and assisted children in their artwork. So many wonderful ideas came to fruition during the next half an hour. We had put such a basic sample up on the screen, but these children made designs much more creatively than anything I had expected.

Although these children had very little if any English, I think they really enjoyed the book and the activity. I am eager for us to get back to the library for the next visit, and excited that this is something we can do for the children in Dongguan on a monthly basis (starting in the fall). Gia's adventures weren't shared today, but one thing that I'm working on for HubHao, a new magazine in Dongguan, is a children's section where Gia's adventures around our area of China can be recorded. I've gotten lots of ideas and today's visit to the Children's Library helped me think of even more.

Looking forward, hopefully we'll be able to get more teachers and perhaps even students from ISD to join us in our upcoming visits to the Children's Library. I personally am excited to get Gia's presence there (we're adding The Adventures of Gia the Giraffe to the library's inventory)! Reading is, of course, a valuable way we learn, and as Dr. Seuss says, "The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go!" Here's to the next great book you read, and the places it may take you!