Yes I did see Eileen! :)

One question I've received from many of our Columbia University friends is "Did you see Eileen in China?" and yes, I sure did! Eileen made her way from her summer adventures in Shanghai to Beijing for a visit and here are some captured moments:

Eileen and I in front of the Wangfujing District. I love this girl!

Eileen and Sarah scoping out the authenticity of the noodles (jia jiang mian) for lunch at Wangfujing.

On our visit to the beautiful Houhai Lake we saw a man using water and a big brush to write calligraphy on the floor. Piaoliang (beautiful) indeed!

We shared an awesome Beijing style hot pot dinner alongside Houhai Lake. Then it started it rain like crazy - thank goodness for our romantic tent! :)

Happy Canada Day!

Big smiles were found everywhere at the Canada Day celebration held at the The Canadian International School of Beijing! The celebration included games, performances, a hot dog and chili eating contest, bbQ, and lots of red and white pride!!! (Yes, this post is a little belated but better now than never!)

Canadians and Americans! One love!

This xiao pengyou (little friend) kept coming back for more Canadian stickers! So cute!

Capturing the end of the chili eating contest. The sign with the #65 is the number of chilis that guy had eaten in under 10 minutes!

After the contest ended, this little guy's curiousity took over as he began to nibble on a green chili.

This cute little guy took a moment for some deep reflection... I wonder what he's thinking?!

Snack Time!

It's about that time of the day when you tummy starts to growl and you wonder, "what can I eat?" Here are some suggestions from Beijing!

Chinese Yoghurt - Yes, the bottle is a little low budget but it's surprisingly good! Plus the stores recycle the bottles! YAY!

PaoPao Tang Gum

Freshly baked sponge cakes - I have a weakness for freshly baked goods!

A Qinghai dessert made of sweet barley, which can only be grown about 2000 meters! Look at how happy Jean looks! :) 

Fresh fruit is best purchased in carts or trucks alongside the road! I learned on my first day that any fruit wrapped up in beautiful paper and sold in a mall with Gucci and LV is a total rip off! Support China's local farmers and buy from carts :) My favourite fruits were peaches, plums, watermelon, apricots, mangosteen, and papaya!

Cola-beef anyone?! (I did not try this one although I'm wishing I did!)

And the local fave - individually packaged chicken's feet! (And no, I didn't try this one either!)

Quote of the summer

Wherever you are... be there.

Blue sky days

Today is a blue sky day in Beijing! This means the sky was clear and we could see the sun, blue sky, and white clouds! Whenever a day like today occurs everyone appears to be extra happy and comments on the beautiful sky! During my entire time here in Beijing we have had a handful of blue sky days but they are not often. Why? Because often the sky is blanketed by the pollution and smog, creating a haze throughout the city. There are mornings when I wake up and look out my window and I cannot tell if it is foggy and about to rain or if it is just the smog. Therefore, I always take my umbrella just in case! Beijing has responded to this smog by limiting the days which cars can drive on the road. Depending on the ending digit of their license plates, cars must be left parked at home one day a week. Locals have complained about the inconvenience this brings to their daily commutes but I believe that everyone would like more blue sky days! Either way Beijing is still a wonderful city filled with exciting people, places, and culture! I hope my last few days are filled with more blue sky days!

My visit to an orphanage in Xining, Qinghai

One of the highlights of my trip to Qinghai happened at the very end - the opportunity to visit a local orphanage. I've read stories about orphanages in southern China so my head was already filled with heart-wrenching visuals of what I thought I would see. Instead I saw the opposite - upon arrival a bright flower garden filled with snap dragons and sunflowers greeted us as we approached a large, white building. As we passed through the building's entrance, paper cut-outs of smiling animals and flowers in every color of the rainbow were splashed against the walls, creating a feeling of happiness and safety. The reason that this orphanage was built was because the orphans were previously housed in a nearby building which also served as a senior citizens home and mental institution. Realizing that this was not a suitable environment from growing children, a joint initiative was created to build this orphanage between a Hong Kong Christian organization and the Qinghai government.

To provide some context, this orphanage houses around 150 children, of which 95% have some sort of mental and/or physical disability and the remaining 5% are healthy children. Most children were abandoned by their parents and some as young as 5 years old were found wandering the streets on their own. As street children are susceptible to being taken in by gangs, the police or social workers will bring the children to the orphanage. About 1-2 children get adopted each month but my guess is that the healthy 5% of children are the ones to go first.

On our tour of the building's five floors we were greeted by children from newborn to early teens. There were children everywhere - sitting in wheelchairs or stools in the hallways, sleeping in baby chairs, running around, or playing in the rooms. There were even some children I saw sitting in the corners with their hands and legs bound with fabric, rocking and forth, unable to move or say anything. When we inquired what was going on, the nurse replied that these children were being disciplined for their naughty behaviour. It was a hard sight to see. I saw another boy holding a balloon of China's favorite cartoon lamb, Mei Yang-Yang, and strapped to a vertical board as part of his daily one-hour lesson to learn to stand. This child, along with the 15 others in the room, had a severe mental disability which prevented him from talking, standing, or performing basic human functions. Although many kids could not speak due to their mental disabilities the social worker said that the kids could hear us. Using my limited Chinese and English I spoke to a few children and was able to see their eyes move and smiles, and they also reached for our hands. Between 4:30 to 5:30 is the children's dinner so we were able to help feed them.

I spent the most time with this boy who appeared to be 5 years old. He was confined to a wheelchair, could not speak, and had limited body movements with his head and hands. I spoke to him and held his hand, wheeled him around to different windows and explained what I saw outside, freshened him up with a clean towel, gave him a toy car to hold onto, and shook some musical bells with him. As I spent time with this boy, amidst the room of 10 other similar children, I was saddened by thoughts that it is highly unlikely that he will ever escape this lifestyle. It is also highly unlikely that he will get the hugs, smiles, and attention that he, and every child, rightfully deserves from his or her parents/caregivers. This boy was so precious and no amount of hugs I gave him that day would ever be enough for his lifetime ahead.

My heart was completely broken into two as our time came to say goodbye..So what happens next? What can I do about the heartache that has grown within me?

Our trip to Qinghai Lake!

This picture was taken on top of the endless sand dunes of Qinghai. The sand was very fine and soft - perfect for sledding down on toboggans for 5 kuai!


Jennifer + baby lamb!


Jennifer + baby lamb!


This is a photo of our driver's daughter against the fields of yellow flowers! These flowers are used to produce oil and are also used by beekeepers to produce Qinghai's famous hunny!


Here is a photo of one of Qinghai's famous yaks! This one is particularly special because it is white. Typically yaks are found grazing the lush green land to feed on grass but this one has been set up for tourism and pictures.. which I clearly participated in! :)

Huangyuan County Third Middle School

This was the only source of running water at our school which we used for washing, drinking, bathing, and cooking. We would fill buckets with water and carry them to our rooms each night. This mountain spring water was incredibly refreshing!


The dormitory bedrooms with our the wooden plank beds.


Table tennis anyone? The building behind are the older classrooms and male dormitories.


Children walking home through the wheat fields.


This is a common dinner which was served in the canteen: noodles made of potato starch, local vegetables, mutton, and tomatoes. It's served with vinegar and chili sauce.

They are happy depsite having nothing!

Today is my third day of the Qinghai English Summer Camp!!! We are so lucky to be blessed with beautiful sunshine everyday! I have 2 classes - my main class B2 and a secondary teaching class B1.

My B2 class has 15 students between the ages of 13-15. They are all from Huangyuang and live within 15 meters of the No.3 Huangyuang Middle School where our team is teaching! My team was organized through the Beijing International Christian Fellowship (www.bicf.org).

To break the ice on the first day I decided to introduce myself in Chinese! Are you curious as to what I said?? Here goes:

"Da jia hao! Wo jiao Jennifer! Wo lai zi Jia na da. Wo de fu mu shi Xiang Gang ren. WO zai Jia na da chu sheng. Wo de fu mu jiao wo shuo yueyu danshi wo feichang xiang xue pu tung hua. Nimen de yingwen xhuiping yiding bi wo de zhongwen hao. Suoyi zai jiexialai de jitien zhong nimen kuyi jiao wo pu tung hua!"

On the first day I asked them to introduce themselves and they told me their Chinese names, their age, and their favorite food, animals, and color. They said that they did not have English names but would love to have one! So I worked with my AMAZING counsellor/translator, Jolly, to come up with English names for them. While I would love to see little Beyonce's and Mariah's running around Qinghai, I decided to stick with more traditional and easier names such as Lisa, Matthew, Mark, Julia, etc. They were very excited to receive their English names and have learned to spell them. My students are very bright, creative, and happy! They understand English quite well and are able to communicate with me, with some help from Jolly.

The students are very beautiful - they have big eyes, darker skin, and the most wonderful rosy cheeks! I recently learned that these students walk 2 hours to school one way and only eat breakfast and dinner. I was really sad to learn this as the children are outdoors for 2.5 hours during lunch period but they are actually not eating anything but playing in the hot sun. There are also no water fountains but just a tap in the middle of the trees which pumps spring water from the mountains. This is really the only tap that the students have access to drink water, wash their hands, play, etc.

The amazing thing is how happy they are depsite having nothing! Many of their families work hard as farmers or workers. I realize that many of them have never seen an airplane or train, they have little clothing and toys, and they have never seen a hamburger or hot dog but know how to say them from their English books.

Every afternoon I get a short one-on-one time with them to give them the chance to speak English with a native speaker. I decided to ask them about their families and what makes them happy and sad. Their responses were so innocent and touching! What makes them happy are their parents, sisters and brothers. What makes them sad are things like not doing well at school, one girl lost her grandfather, and another girl lost her yellow cat. While these things may seem small to us, having a cat is the world to them and I could see in their eyes how sad these things made them feel. I almost wanted to cry when I listened to them. They are also so grateful that our team has come to provide them with a free summer camp! One girl, who I named Stephanie, told me that she likes to sing and wants to become an actress. After our one-on-one she came up to me and whispered in my ear "I love you very much teacher!" It was so incredibly sweet and it appears that I am actually the one getting more out of this camp! I realize that although these children have nothing they are happy and I need to use this opportunity to learn about their town's development and politics so I can bring this back with me to UNICEF/Columbia/LSE and understand how to better assist people like them in rural western China.

I've only been here for a few days but I already don't want to leave. I came to China to have my heart broken, in order to realize what area of international development I want to serve. Well... my heart has already been broken and I don't think I can leave Qinghai without promising to myself that I will do whatever I can to help them! The issues in western rural China and of migrant workers are sad and a reality for many Chinese people. I hope that everyone reading this will want to learn more about these issues with me!

Qinghai English Summer Camp

I have finally made it to Huangyuan, Qinghai - the northwestern region of China! I am here to be a teacher for the Qinghai English Summer Camp at a middle school for 200 students aged 10-15. They are from a poor and rural region of China where some travel as far as 15km to school - a 2 hour walk! I am here with 8 foreigner teachers and 8 local Beijing university students as translaters! I arrived from Beijing by train which should have taken 24 hours but due to a landslide took 33 hours. We rode in a hard sleeper, which means there are 6 bunk beds in one cluster with multiple clusters on a train carriage. Before this train ride the only exposure I had to trains was watching them on Harry Potter! Although the ride was long it was wonderful because I was with a great group of people and got to practice my Mandarin with the people around me! We played games, prepared for camp, chatted about our lives, ate TONS of snacks, read, wrote in our journals, and took lots of naps! Everyone is constantly eating on the train - now I know why everyone had a huge sack of snacks at the train station.

We arrived in Xining which is the capital of Qinghai. The town is beautiful and prosperous. The city has a Muslim influence so there are people wearing Muslim clothing. The Chinese people here are also more tanned, tall, and have these wonderful rosy cheeks! No need for blush here :) Everyone is also very friendly and there are children playing everywhere! Meals here include a lot of noodles, mutton (lamb!), fresh mountain vegetables, and grain which can only be grown about 2000 meters. I hear that we will get to try yak when we make our trip to Qinghai Lake next week!

Our school is about 2700 meters and although I was originally worried about altitude sickness it hasn't been a problem! The environment is beautiful here! We're surrounded by mountains, lush grasslands, wild flowers, and rich vegetation where muttons and cows roam the land. It's amazing to see how people live their lives here!!!

More about our school! We are staying in the school dormitories and the only source of water here is a tap in the middle of the grass areas which pumps spring water from the mountains. The washrooms are... well.. let's just say unless you've been to rural countrysides I'll save you from the visuals. There are no showering facilities so we have to travel into town to pay 7RMB to shower in a showering facility located in the back of a hair salon. My first and only shower so far has been glorious!!!

Our first day of camp is tomorrow and I can't wait to meet all of the kids! I've been preparing my introduction in Mandarin and really hope to bond with my students!!!

It had to happen sometime...

It had to happen sometime that these people from China would try to rip me off. Today for lunch my co-worker and I went to this Chinese foodcourt by our office which is located within a Chinese shopping center.. but the kind where it's a million little stalls and you bargain for fake LV and Hermes. Ok so that should have been a warning sign to stay away. Anyways, I went to a place where my co-worker had eaten before and was charged triple the amount! Even though we were in conflict over a lunch which costs USD$1.50, it's the principle right?! I refused to pay and called my co-worker who set off on a verbal dueling match with the owner. The owner ignorantly said that there are different prices for locals and foreigners. Not impressed. Needless to say we won the duel and it was ok in the end but here's what I learned:

1) "Jenn, turn the friendly down!" My friends have continually told me to 'turn the friendly down' and to not be so naive. Perhaps I do need to develop my 'street smarts' but it's in me to give others the benefit of the doubt. This won't stop me from engaging in the Beijing local community but I'll up my 'game' and return to this post later on in the summer for an update!

2) Never compromise your values for anything. Isn't that what our moms always taught us?

3) I'm Canadian. Although ethnically I am Chinese, my Western culture is shown through the way I speak, act, and think.

Done my rant.. wow, blogging really is therapeutic!

Where are my lions at?

Last night I attended a Columbia Beijing Alumni Event at Trends Lounge in Beijing! It was great evening to connecting with students past and present. To all the rising freshmen - congratulations!!


The photo here is of myself and two friends, Buyu and Xiaojing, from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. They are also interning in Beijing this summer. This photo was taken under a mall and entertainment complex called “The Place” which is home to the Asia’s largest outdoor television screen. It is used to play music videos, show graphics such as swimming fish, and also rotates to text messages sent from patrons below. I believe this screen uses the same technology as the screens inside the Birds Nest Olympic Building. I highly recommend that everyone visit during the evening, order a drink at one of the cafe's below the screen, enjoy the conversation of some good friends, and watch the magic of this screen descend upon the people and children playing below. It's magical!

Forbidden City!

Although it was my fourth time visiting the Forbidden City I must admit that it never gets old! It is so gigantic that there's always something new to discover and forgotten history to remember! On your next visit to The Forbidden City, make sure to wear comfy shoes as it’s a LONG walk and be sure to try the local Chinese popsicles that people will be walking around and selling out of cardboard boxes! They're so good - you will not be disappointed!

Visiting the Forbidden is pretty much a necessity for any tourist visiting Beijing, however, it also serves as an important piece of Chinese history as it served as the home for emperors and their households, and a place for ceremonial and political affairs of the Chinese government for almost 500 years. The Chinese Imperial Palace covers 7.8 million square feet with 980 surviving buildings and 8,707 rooms.


Today the Forbidden City is filled with tourists from around the globe, Chinese military guards, and vendors selling all types of memorabilia. It’s interesting to see different groups of Chinese tourists from different parts of China in their tour groups! Adorned in neon-orange hats and led by their loud tour guide carrying a similar orange colored flag, I watched a group of 30 Chinese senior citizens follow their tour guide with excitement and big smiles on their face! Perhaps these senior citizens have waited all their life for their big trip to Beijing or perhaps they were just happy to recall a bit of history! Whatever it was, it was extremely cute and it’s joyful moments like this that make life special!

It's yummy tummy time!

Feast your eyes on some delectable treats which I came across in Wangfujing, one of Beijing’s most famous shopping streets! Yes, those are real bugs and no, I didn’t try any! Anyone who’s been around me will know that I can’t even handle being in the presence of a live bug! The result is usually whip lash from sudden body movements and a scream!


“Snack Street” offer visitors with a wide selection of exotic street food such as meat kebabs, candied fresh fruit sticks, dumplings, soup noodles, grilled corn, Chinese desserts, Japanese octopus balls, Taiwanese “smoking” bubble tea, and fresh pressed peanut snacks! Is your mouth watering yet? Mine was…… until I saw a few special food items which make Wangfujing so special! Deep fried insects, scorpions, beetles, and grasshoppers to name a few! A street vendor even introduced me to black spiders imported from South Africa! Oh joy! I usually try to be culturally sensitive but I couldn’t hold back the look of uneasiness on my face as I saw a street vendor skewer live bugs onto a stick, whose feet were still wriggling back and forth! While these peculiar friend insects may not be your ‘cup of tea,’ they help to uniquely define Wangfujing and provide its visitors with a memorable visit, or else it would just be another street of food vendors.

The name of Wangfujing back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) where 10 aristocratic and princess residences were built here, and where a well full of sweet water was discovered – “Wang Fu” (aristocratic residence) and “Jing” (well).

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint in China.. By Getting Your Elbows Ready!

What is up with people taking the Beijing Subway during rush hour?! My jaw literally dropped when I witnessed the subway doors open, which triggered swarms of people simultaneously shoving their way in and out of the subway. There were a few subway attendants, who looked like 18 year-old looking girls dressed nicely in their red uniform skirts, shouting things in Mandarin which I would guess to be requests for people to line up and let people out of the subway before others get in. However, their words were lost in the wrestling match of subway patrons. What shocked me even more was when the door closed on some guy’s back, this young subway attendant proceeded to use all of her force to SHOVE his back into the subway door! I was shocked... should I join the madness or cop out and take a taxi? No, I've made a commitment to reduce my carbon footprint so the subway it is! I stayed and was one of the last people to make it into the next train with the door closing almost on my face. When the subway pulled up to the next stop, no one got off, except 7 people on the platform proceeded to shove their way onto the train. Literally sandwiched between a business gentlemen and a teenage girl who kept coughing everywhere, I couldn’t wait to get off the train! I've only used the subway for 3 days but now have no problem using my elbows to aggressively navigate myself on or off the subway.

I think that Beijing definitely has the ability to fix this problem. First of all, get those 18 year-old female attendants off the subway tracks and roll in some of the military to control the madness. Create some barriers for people to line up and enforce these rules for a few months. Beijing's subway system is very modern and has the potential to be so much more than an elbow and pushing society! When I get back to Toronto/London, I'll have to remember to lose this bad trait for fear of getting slapped with a lawsuit! Until then... my elbows are ready!

Photo credit: abc.net.au

Hello UNICEF China!

I'm finally here at UNICEF China! (www.unicef.org/china)

For those who aren't that familiar, UNICEF is the United Nations Childrens Fund and operate in 190 countries worldwide. It's focus areas include child survival and development, basic education and gender equality, HIV/AIDS and children, child protection, and policy advocacy and partnerships.

Day one of work was great! I got to meet my highly intelligent and friendly team mates, learned a bit about the group, and settled into my very own desk! For those of you in auditing/consulting, you know what I mean! We never have our own desk! As this is my first desk ever, it's decorating time! So far, my first decorative item is a small tube of 'kiss my face' peaches & creme moisturizer from Whole Foods in New York City.

UNICEF China is located on Sanlitun Road amongst all the world embassies, which is a very pleasant area to walk around in. UNICEF is treated like an embassy here so we also have anywhere from 1 to 3 Chinese military guards on the front driveway. Everyday I try to smile and say 'ni hao' (hello!) to the guards! UNICEF is also located across from 'The Village' which is a large outdoor shopping and entertainment district - perfect for a little lunch time escape!

So what will I be doing here? I'm not entirely sure yet.. but it will be a mix of different projects - research, project management, and hopefully some field work. My first assignment is to work on a project on public governance for health system reform in China.

Some interesting, yet alarming, UNICEF China statistics:

- 1.5 million children in China are cut off from mainstream society and depend on the street for their livelihood and shelter.
- Nearly 500,000 chidlren under five die every year in China. They are 5 times more likely to die in poor rural areas than in the cities - partly because their families cannot afford medical card.
- Extreme poverty keeps over 3 million children out of school.
- 21.48 million people in rural China live on less than approximately US$0.30 a day.
- Over 22 million children in poor rural areas have been "left behind" by parents who have migrated to the cities.

Feng Shui Leads the Way!

On February 2009 an accidental fire caused by Chinese New Year firecrackers consumed a brand new hotel building in the central business district of Beijing causing the death of one firefighter and many others injured. Over a year later the abandoned building stands strangely juxtaposed against the summer sun, which serves to reveal the skeletal remains of the burnt building that had never been used. While this building serves as a visual eyesore, it stands next to the popular China Central Television headquarters (CCTV), one of the tallest modern wonders of Beijing, which employs 10,000 people and allows China State Television to produce over 200 channels.

While the burnt building stands isolated and abandoned, it has caused quite the stir from the people in neighboring buildings. The culprit? Feng Shui - the ancient Chinese system of aesthetics under the laws of Heaven and Earth to improve one’s life by receiving positive “qi,” or energy. Apparently this burnt building stands as a billowing pillar of bad luck which has scared all of society from its presence. Due to Feng Shui, land developers refuse to build new buildings near the burnt building, while employees within nearby buildings have requested that their offices be physically moved to face another direction away from the burnt building. Since the burnt building is somehow connected to CCTV, the city has not yet demolished the building and is still deciding its fate. Until then, it will be a part of my daily sights to and from work!

Xiong Mao Zai Nar?

"Xiong Mao Zai Nar?" = "Where are the pandas?" That's what happens when I don't know the mandarin word for "zoo!" :)

This weekend a friend and I made our way to the Beijing Zoo! The highlights include their many species of monkeys, the white tiger, and of course the "xiong mao" pandas. However, another interesting thing for me to see was a high concentration of Chinese-speaking children squealing in delight of the animals and running all over the place! The only other place I've experienced this is when I was in Chinese school as a kid, but even that is a poor representation since half the kids were English speaking Chinese-Canadian.


The Beijing Zoo has been criticized by some for the lack of 'happy' animals. I was told, "if most zoos are like jail for animals, then the Beijing Zoo is death row." Okay, I'll admit that the animals didn't look thrilled to be cages (except for the monkeys - they seemed to be having a great time!), however, what animals typically look happy to be locked up? Remember the killer whale incident at Sea World earlier this year? If you're visiting China and only want to see pandas, I recommend going to Ocean Park in HK or even better, make your way to Chengdu for a panda excursion where you can get the chance to hold a baby panda! Great day at the zoo! Pandas - check!

The Yale Whiffenpoofs

On Day 2 of Beijing a fellow Columbia lion (http://rangelfellow.blogspot.com) sent me an invite to a Yale alumni event to see the Yale Whiffenpoofs (http://www.whiffenpoofs.com/) perform in Beijing as they kick start their world tour. The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the world's oldest a cappella group and consist of 14 senior males. The event was held at 'The Pavillion,' a wonderfully charming outdoor patio with plush white wicker couches which we enjoyed during the sunset and under the stars! Great evening with a few Columbia girls who are also interning in Beijing... even if we did wait over an hour for dinner!

Day 1 Challenge - Eat As Locals Eat

Today was my first full day in Beiing! It was a beautiful day - plesant, a little damp from the rainy night before, but not humid yet! Definitely good for the hair considering my hair dryers and such don't work here (shopping mission for day 2!).


Around lunch time I strolled around looking for a place to eat. Although I'm technically in the so-called "expat" zone everything is still very much in Chinese amongst the modern architecture. Every restaurant venue I peered into through the windows had only menus in Chinese and were minimal on pictues. Hmm.. I saw two easy options (1) a Subway sandwich shop, and (2) a Chinese pastry store. In an effort to reduce my carb intake (thanks jp!) and not revert to western sandwiches (such as in Singapore when we had prata instead of McD's for breakfast), I told myself to just pick a Chinese place for lunch and give it a try!


So I chose this friendly looking restaurant and got a seat (easy enough!). But then the waitress placed a menu down which was completely in Chinese. I know how to read 'rice,' 'congee,' 'beef,' and 'chicken,' but nothing on this menu included these items! Anxiety? Yes! Thankfully I found a take-out menu with photos by the front and was able to point my way into an order by saying 'noodles' in mandarin. Result = Successful! I ended up ordering a beef noodle soup with vegetables and this side circle bun thing with chives and egg inside.

There is someting completely scary about being in a city where I can't communicate, read, or write in Chinese. Even sitting on that 13 hour flight and being engulfed by the Mandarin speakers was a mini preview of what the summer will look like. My family speaks Cantonese but not Mandarin, which are completely different to me. Yesterday my driver and I had a part-Mandarin-Cantonese-English-written Chinese conversation, it worked! Although if I'm going to survive this summer I'll need more than that. Therefore, goal #1 "to learn Mandarin"

Note: I'd like to post photos but I can't seem to access those buttons. Blogspot is banned here but I've been able to find a proxy to get limited accsss. Does anyone know?

Mobile Technology + Social Change + Toronto!

Mobile Tech 4 Social Change in Toronto is taking place on June 9th at the MaRS Discovery District during Net Change Week, and we are very excited for our superstar line-up of speakers and experts. Katrin Verclas, Founder of MobileActive.org will be our morning keynote, followed by sessions being led by Dale Zak of Apps4Good, Mobile Giving Foundation, ZipGive, Toronto Public Health and HJC New Media.

Our evening keynote will be none other than Professor Iqbal Quadir, Founder and Director of Grameen Phone and the Legatum Center at MIT and former TED Talks speaker. GrameenPhone is the pioneer of the Village Phone model in Bangladesh, which changed the way low income communities access connectivity. Quadir now supports students starting initiatives at the intersection of entrepreneurship and technology in developing countries.

We encourage you to attend if you are in the Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, or East Coast area! Please forward to friends and colleagues. I would also like to extend our evening keynote discount code to those on this list: ncwk_student (65% off; $10 ticket).

Register Today: http://www.netchangeweek.ca/conference/events/mobile-tech-for-social-change-2/

Mobile Tech for Social Change Mobile Tech for Social Change comes to Ontario for Net Change Week 2010! Wednesday June 9 from 9:00 to 5:00 PM MT4SC-Toronto will provide you with the knowledge and tools required to make mobile a cornerstone of your organization's communications strategy.

Register today and receive a complimentary ticket to our Wednesday evening keynote: Mobile tech and the Global Threat Set (reception included) Register Now!
http://mt4sc-2010.eventbrite.com/ Keynote & Cocktails:
Mobile Tech Take Over
Professor Iqbal Z. Quadir, Fou
Wednesday June 9 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM With the advance of global threats like climate change, pandemics, food and water shortage, the public will be called upon with increasing regularity to respond to crisis. Mobile tech is giving us a new way to leverage the humanity of people worldwide. Register Now!
http://mt4sc-2010.eventbrite.com/

revival of my blog!

So as you can see I started this blog off as a New Years resolution to myself that quickly died 10 days after it started. At this moment I could try to overcome your sighs of shame with a mountain of school related excuses or I could delete my shameful post about the resolution, but instead I'll continue what I started and use this blog to share about my journey this summer in China. I'll be spending the next 10 weeks in Beijing fulfilling a summer internship with UNICEF China. Although I don't speak the language, have never worked overseas or in the public sector, and I've never been without a concrete plan, there's always a first for everything! I'm leaving for China with an open mind and an open heart for the things I will see and come to understand through this journey. My hope is that my first year of grad school combined with intuition, faith, and a bit of luck will help me find my way!

A little background on how I got here...
This year my world turned upside down after leaving a private sector career in Toronto, Canada to take a chance on fulfilling a personal goal of graduate school. Although I had originally planned to pursue an MBA, I felt a tug in my heart to consider other options and thankfully, I applied and was accepted at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York City, USA. Without a doubt coming to SIPA to pursue my Master of International Affairs has been one THE best decisions of my life! I am completely inspired and humbled to have learned about international development, human rights, social entrepreneurship, microfinance, world politics, economics, and foreign policy! I went through this year thinking how could I have never taken a history or political science class during my undergraduate degree? These subjects are so important and with the help of friends and wikipedia, I've done a lot of catching up! This coming fall I will pursue my second year of the program and a dual degree with the London School of Economics in London, UK.

This past spring I also had the opportunity to intern with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with UN AIDS and it was incredible to learn about what the U.N. does to support HIV/AIDS on a global scale. Building on this experience I thought it would great to intern with another regional U.N. group this summer, specifically with children, which is how I found myself with UNICEF China.

All of the puzzle pieces which represent my life are slowly coming together and forming a picture of who I am. Although I can't yet see the final picture, I know I'm in the right place, learning from the best professors, and experiencing everything with the greatest of friends. Although this year has had it's share of ups and downs, it has been a great year of personal growth. I have learned a lot about myself, my strengths, but most importantly, my weaknesses and areas where I need to improve. It is definitely a blessing to be back in school and this dream could never have happened without the support of my parents, sister, and friends from home who I know are cheering me on no matter what happens.

So with a fresh blog and my bags packed.. let's go to Beijing!

1.10.10 The Uniform Project

Take one dress and wear it 365 days a year to raise money for a worthy cause?!

That's exactly what Sheena Matheiken decided to do! Starting in May 2009, Sheena embarked upon an exercise in sustainable fashion which most girls would cringe at: to wear one dress for an entire year! Every day Sheena reinvents her uniform-style dress with a plethora of assessories, layers of clothing items, and an array of "accouterments." Everytime I check in on The Uniform Project's daily design, I am baffled by how creative each style is and inspired by the unique ways one can re-style the same dress while making it look completely different each time!

Sheena started The Uniform Project as a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots organization for education in India. She encourages her viewers to donate tips or assessories to her cause. To date the site has raised $52,061, which is equivalent to supporting the uniforms and education of 144 children living in Indian slums. To see how this project was inspired, check out the hip and happening video below!

Where fashion meets sustainability? I'm inspired!!!

http://www.theuniformproject.com/