Count Your Blessing: Ten Things I am Grateful for Living and Working in Beijing

No matter the city or the country we live in, there are always things that can make us grumble, roll our eyes and throw up our arms when the unexpected happens. If it's not traffic that delays us, it may be air pollution, that threatens our mental and physical health; stress from anything: work, family and those people who make our lives difficult…the list can go on.

The Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, observed on the fourth Thursday of each November, originated as a harvest festival during which early European settlers celebrated their first successful harvest in the New World and the Native Americans who had saved their lives. The holiday is one of the most important in the United States and is a time for giving thanks for life's blessings.

So this month gives us a good opportunity to take a few moments from the hustle-bustle of Beijing life to sip a good cup of coffee and jot down some notes about the brighter side of life. All of us should be able to come up with a list of some sort. Here are my top-ten simple, yet meaningful, blessings that I am thankful for in my expatriate life in Beijing.

I am so thankful that: 

I don't have to drive. I don't miss my car and paying high Los Angeles car insurance rates at all. All my worries about car theft and finding a parking spot are relieved by living in Beijing. I like how easy it is to hail a cab (does not apply on rainy days) and it's extra fun when I get an opinionated or knowledgeable cabbie: good Chinese conversation practice for me. Riding the subways and buses is quick and easy, especially with the opening of the new Beijing Subway Line No. 5. I bought an yikatong (IC card: every true Beijinger should get one), so most of my trips cost only 40 jiao (5 US cents)! Special thanks to the bus drivers on the 648 bus line for always being on time, and to all those tough female taxi drivers: you inspire me with your ability to dodge people, bicycles and intimidating buses without cussing or losing your cool.

I can find tortilla chips at most major supermarkets. I am truly in awe of how many more western food and sundry items can be found in local supermarkets since I first moved to Beijing. In 2003, I remember asking store clerks for dental floss (yaxian), and I kept being directed to the area with all the chopsticks and cooking supplies were, because they thought I wanted to buy toothpicks (yaqian). I guess they both can serve the same purpose. So fear not: if you are baking a pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, you will be able find your spices, and yes, lots of whipped cream at Jenny Lou's, Ole and BHG (Shin Kong), and C-Mart (The Place)! Thanks food importers and local producers!

I have tickets to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including the opening ceremony.  That is correct. When I first saw the news to register and order online, I was so excited that as a "resident Beijinger" I had the privilege to be among the first to order. This is something that will undoubtedly make my friends back home jealous. I began as a skeptic, and I was not sure how it would work, but understanding that it was a lottery, I wanted to hedge my bets. I also wasn't sure if I wanted to put out all that money for tickets so far in advance. And who knows if I will be able to get the time off work to see all the events. Regardless, I followed the instructions and signed up for just three venues, one of which is THE Opening Ceremony! I was elated upon getting the e-mail message in September telling me that I won: in all categories. A couple of weeks later I got a phone call confirming the good news and asking if I still wanted all of the tickets.  (The answer: "Yes! Of course!"). I do think BOCOG assumed that I wanted them because two days before that call, money was already charged on my VISA card (important to note that no other credit card brands will do). I realized that getting these tickets was really an even bigger deal when not one of my many friends who also ordered online got what they ordered. Thanks BOCOG!

 I have an ayi that helps me with my housework. When it comes to housework, we can always use some help. I am just so thankful that my ayi can get the dirt from the nooks and crannies of my apartment and seemingly so effortlessly. I know there are cultural differences and even differing senses of safety and health. I still must remind her that I want to clean the floor with more than just water, and that cleaning supplies must

be kept away from food. But I am always appreciative when I come home and find it looking clean and organized, especially when I've spent the day manoeuvring throughout this hectic metropolis. Thanks Xiao Chen!

I can get Starbucks Coffee. Yes! Thank you, Xing Ba Ke for consistent coffee with friendly, English-fluent staff and especially now with venti size ready for takeout. While I am really grateful for Starbucks for all the good reasons, for pretty good coffee and the nice BEIJING themed mugs, I also appreciate how easy Starbucks makes it for me to connect with friends and businesspeople. Starbucks knows how to choose locations! Instead of spending hours trying to determine a place where everyone knows or can read the Chinese characters or know how to pronounce the address, it's simple to respond to the question: "Where should we meet near the Silk Market?" with "How about 1:30 p.m. at the Starbucks right next to the Jianguo Hotel and Guiyou department store?" I am able to meet up with my friends without much trouble or lost time. The Starbucks outlet in Houhai is still my all time favourite. Thanks Howard Schultz, (Starbucks CEO), it's really true, Starbucks does help people meet. 

I can try the foods from all the different regions of China and from all parts of the world. I have travelled to many places in the world, but there are so many places I still have yet to see, and taste! Until I moved to Beijing, I'd never eaten real Russian food. (No, Chicken Kiev in Los Angeles is not the same.) However, in Beijing, I am thankful I can easily dine amongst native Russians at what seem to be their favourite eateries such as the Silly Elephant and Moscow restaurants.  (Soon, I may even get the courage to go shopping where they shop on Yabao Lu.)  When friends gather, we like to go try new and ethnic restaurants with interesting and delicious foods. It's even better when there is lively song and dance entertainment, as with Gesanmedo near the Canadian Embassy. Wide-ranging Tibetan cuisine, such as salty yak butter tea or a bitter alternative tea, can be a challenge to one's sense of adventure and stomach, but at least you get a chance to try it here. Beijing has had such a growth spurt that it has attracted great chefs from all over the country and from around the world. While reflecting and journaling the other day, I looked over my calendar and I am simply in awe of how over the last few months, there has not been a repeat of the style of food or restaurant. Thank you to all the chefs of all the Chengdu Xiao Chi (Chengdu Sancks) dotted around Beijing, I can't get enough of the gongbao jiding (spicy diced chicken with peanuts) served over rice (are you all related?), and also to the chef of Arias in China World Hotel, you are one of the most creative chefs I've ever "tasted."  

I have a nice gym and a good trainer. No one can, or perhaps, should live and eat well in Beijing without adopting a fitness plan. I learned that quickly, especially while preparing to be in a friend’s wedding. I am thankful that there are world-class gym facilities throughout the city. The hotels are extremely well-equipped. I joined the China World Hotel gym earlier this year mainly because fitness is the buzz word in this Olympic city, and also because the gym is not crowded: just my style of working out, without the pressure of other fitness buffs or intense trainers. But that all changed when I met Phoenix Wang (Wang Xinfeng), a world class fitness champion in the world class gym of China World Hotel. New to the gym, I had mistakenly thought she was only the personal trainer for this movie-star looking guy. One day as I leisurely cycling on the elliptical machine, she approached me. She just wanted me to help her with a few English phrases, at that moment. I fought off training with her in my mind so many times, but I am extremely grateful she has helped me see that fitness, going to the gym, is not just for your physical health, but the continuous toning and refining of your body can absolutely shape up your mind and emotions too. Thanks Phoenix for being "tough, but caring," and for demonstrating to me that changes begin with a simple decision, and that you can do great things when you put your mind to it. 

I am 15 hours ahead of the time in California. For a multitasker like me, moving to Beijing and being ahead of the American time zone was a great decision. I have successfully eliminated many "belated" birthday messages and late charges to credit cards and other bills. Living in China, I basically buy

myself another day in preparing a nice e-cards or messages for my friends and family back home. Sometimes this might even work, when timed right, with online shopping where companies like Amazon or Barnes and Noble can ship items within 24 hours. A word of caution about online bill payments: Do not think living and working in China and the hectic lifestyle or confusion of time differences will get any sympathy from these customer representatives. From my experiences, they are in or around the same time zone as us, either in India or the Philippines. 

I can get affordable and expert massages. All Beijingers, whether locals or expatriates, tourists, business travellers will join me, I think, in thanking anyone and everyone who is in this service industry and all the government agencies that have helped make this industry competitive and of an improving quality. Unlike trying out new restaurants, I like going to places where the people know you and know your kinks and knots, although my friends and I like to try new spas. Before 5 p.m., some spas have 50 percent off deals. Call and ask, but also get a confirmation. (I like to go to Taipan for their afternoon special deals and the best dumplings in town.) I have to laugh at times, when one press here, my spleen or some other intestines is weak, one rub there, my neck is frail, pretty soon my entire body has been diagnosed as bu hao (not good). Just how does one respond to statements like that? Once I get past the fear of dying before I see the Beijing Olympics, (none of them are medically trained professionals are they?) I asked my local masseuse, "So what is the best way to strengthen my weak kidneys?"

"More massages, more often, (here, with me)." Thanks for the assurance, and all the ways you help me sleep better at night.

I have friends and family who love and care about me, in America and in Beijing. It may sound sentimental, and even sappy, but isn’t life better and more fun when we have people who know us and understand us, and accept us, despite our quirks and shortcomings? Thank you Pei Ayi for all the fruits and the awesome homemade food you've made just for me. Thank you Rebecca and Lydia for getting all these mysteriously effective Chinese medicines to heal my ailments. Thank you mom and dad, Helen, Wade and Hittie and Don, Mona, Ivy, Dawn, James, Sam, Liu Hua, Chris, Xiao Bu, and countless other dear friends for being you. In a fast-paced city, and a world where so many things are transactional and conditional, I am truly grateful to friends and family across the ocean and the amazingly warm Beijing friends and family who have embraced me as we live and work together in this place we all call home. Xiexie from the bottom of my heart, and in all languages used of the world.