Post the First: Introduction

Until I figure out how to otherwise introduce myself on this newfangled blog business, this will be my  introduction. Hi!! My name is Tony (Chinese name: 魏德). I am a third year university student. I am also going to China.

Some general notes before we begin: I am not Chinese. Nobody in my family is Chinese. Nobody in my family speaks Chinese. Nobody in my family has ever lived in China. Despite all of this, I am about to go on my fourth trip to China. Whaaat?

Explanation: I love China. I love the way the Chinese do things. I love the sounds of Chinese cities. I love getting squished into a subway car that is filled to 500% capacity. I love buying those juicy Asian pear things from the fruit lady for less than a dollar. I love how Chinese people are always amazed to see someone who looks like me speak their language (bonus points if you use tones regardless of whether or not they are correct). I also love China for the experiences I had. I grew up in China. Or rather, while I grew up in the US, I came of age while living in Beijing. In a sense, China helped me understand myself while helping me to learn about its history, culture, and society. I am me today because of my life in Beijing. I might have been born in the US, but China feels like home.

I've been to China three times and each of my travels amazed me in ways I didn't think possible. In 8th grade, I (along with 24 other students) went on a week-long trip to Beijing to learn about Chinese language and culture. Having never seen anything Chinese except Chinese take-out, the experience was a blast. Everything was completely new and completely different and I loved every minute of Beijing. I returned to Beijing in the summer of 2006 for a six-week immersion program and again in 2007 to spend my junior year of high school in Beijing.

Fast forward several years: Tony is a sophomore in college. Tony is sad because he hasn't taken Chinese for nearly 9 months due to pre-med classes and feels as though his language skills have been reduced to that of a four year old Chinese child. Tony elects to return to China to reclaim what little Chinese language ability remains.

So here I am, preparing to go back. Yet again. Mission four.

To be quite honest, I have no idea what to expect. I have no real concept of post-Olympics China since I left two months before the opening ceremony. Will the city still feel the same? Will my Chinese teachers from my year abroad still be teaching at 北师大二附中 high school? Does the "too-flat" dumpling restaurant on 新街口外大街 still exist? (I REALLY REALLY HOPE SO GAHHHH) I also have no idea what Harbin will be like. The city was built by Russians in the early 20th century and was influenced by Russian and Manchu cultures. The product of all of this is a super diverse city that manages to boast standard Mandarin (普通话), awesome food, and cool architecture. Also, sub-zero temperatures in the winter. And Russian mafia types, or so I've heard.

It's adventure time again and I'm pretty excited. Nervous too. But mostly excited.