A is for Air Quality

The first time I went to Beijing I fell in love with the city. I had been in China for months, but it was on that weekend escapade that it dawned on me that I was actually in China. Beijing wowed me. We had three days of blue skies and cold, crisp air. Little did I know that my photos of that visit would become sort of a collector's item!

I avoid obsessing with checking pollution levels. Breathing is unavoidable, and I've spent enough on therapy to be able to let go of most things when there is nothing I can do about them. And I hate the feeling of second-hand air that you get when using a mask.

However, upon arriving in Beijing a few weeks ago, even I could notice that pollution was off the charts. And eventually, I did check. And the index was 414! The image above shows Guangzhou rated as VERY UNHEALTHY today, at a mere 296. Well...414 is considered HAZARDOUS. Yet, what to do?

We got out of the plane, walked into a foul fog, and had to wait for our luggage in a place that smelled like an indoor parking lot where all engines have been left running. Looking out of the window during our taxi ride was pointless. It was the middle of the night and all we could see were the street lights dimmed by the smog.

I am pretty sure that Robin was unimpressed. Beijing may boast the prettiest monuments in the whole of China, but their airport is certainly not one of them. So if that and the air are to be your first impressions of this wonderful city, it will most likely do the opposite of wowing you.

And at a certain level, I regret that because "A is for Air Quality" this will also be the readers' first impression of our wonderful adventure in China.  It seems unfair that the only ancient civilization that is still standing will be appraised by the most publicly known aspects of it. Ruthless "progress". Pollution. Work conditions. Spitting.

On Saturday morning the skies cleared for us. We had four gorgeous days. I would not go as far as to state that we had blue skies, but pollution went down to the hundreds and we could feel the boost of collective energy that happens with the beginning of spring after a long winter.

Despite the low point at which we started, Beijing was probably the highlight of this tour. But for more of that, stay tuned for B. B is for Beijing.

A to Z challenge

Challenge accepted. I've got Robin Bady to thank for that. Thanks.

She mentioned the Alphabet posting when we met in China. And said she was thinking about doing it all about her China tour. "Do you know what would be cool?" I asked. "We should both agree on the A-Z titles and then blog separately."

And a few weeks later, here I am. Committed to writing 26 blog posts about China in the next few weeks. Unlike Robin, whose first visit to China was this February/March, I have spent heaps of time there. Four + years living in Shanghai, and since 2012, two annual visits of an average 6 weeks and 5 cities.

I love China like I love my mother: profoundly, undisputedly, with immense gratitude yet the frank acknowledgment that she can push those buttons and often does! Both mum and China have the infinite capacity to awe me and exasperate me, all rolled in one.

So whatever may come from this, know that it comes from a place of genuine, unconditional love.

Random acts of Kindness

Shanghai used to be ruthless to the point that living here often made you pushy. The competition for space --and everything in it, in fact- was such, that pushing to go into a train, or skipping a line, were not considered rudeness. Just necessity, I guess.

In the past few years, I have had the marvelous privilege of coming here every few months. It's allowed me to see a city I know and love --and its dwellers-evolve in ways that I had not thought possible. It could even be said that Shanghai has reached a point of civility that I didn't think it had the potential for when I lived here.

My day yesterday started with an incredibly thoughtful gift from someone who had already given me the priceless gift of her beautiful art,  work ethics, laughter and passion. And who reminded me -more than once- that when someone offers you a present, you just say "thank you" and accept gracefully.

The positive energy may have set the tone for the rest of the day, as when we both got into a crowded metro pulling two suitcases, we were immediately offered seats. And note that this train was so crowded, that a few stops later the same women who had let me have a seat, could not get off the coach at their own station. (Rather than get angry, they laughed. True story!)

Accept gracefully and say "thank you".

When it was my turn to check out of the hotel and drag my own luggage and find a taxi, a man saw me and offered the one that had just pulled over for him. I cannot begin to describe the magnitude of this gesture in a city where you can get old waiting for a taxi. Seriously.

Accept gracefully and say "thank you".

The driver got off the car to help me put my stuff in the trunk. Another miracle, as this healthy habit has become more and more rare in cabbies in Shanghai.

Accept gracefully and say "thank you".

When we were a few hundred metres from my destination, the driver took a left when he should have turned right. When I let him know, he apologised and turned off the metre! I repeated this was not necessary, but he said "sorry" once more and the metre stayed off for the rest of the journey.

Accept gracefully and say "thank you". And tip accordingly.

As I was getting off the taxi, a guy who was going into the lift, turned back on his steps to hold the door open for me.

I was brought up to believe that this is the norm. I then grew up to learn that it isn't. Not necessarily because people are rude or selfish. We're just too caught in our own thoughts or goal at hand, and noticing the needs of those around us is not so obvious or natural any more. Let alone the notion that we all make peace together, one positive action at a time.

If we only untangled ourselves from our phones, musings, immediate goals... we might stop being surprised at a chain of random acts of kindness.

My day was beautiful. I felt doubly responsible to make someone else's journey through it easier or better. Kindness is incredibly contagious and I feel like starting a positive revolution, right now.

Heart Warming

It's been grey since I arrived in Shanghai, a few days ago. I've been immersed in office work, getting ready for the intense weeks of tour ahead.

In the middle of it all, I need to courier some documents to Hong Kong and I have no printer. Shanghai is huge, and my regular printing shop is closed. Armed with my very precarious Mandarin and my memory stick, I cross the road to ask the employees of a Real Estate office if they know where I can go.

There is no hesitation on their part. They have a printer. They offer to print my documents upstairs. I warn them that it is about 30 pages. They laugh it off. They double check with me to confirm that the layout is OK, then print away.

And they don't let me pay them. They won't tell me if they like Starbucks. They don't seem to be aware of how huge a favour this has been. Or maybe they are just happy to see me happy? Apart from saving me an hour and a certain dose of frustration, they have brightened this murky morning.  Big time.

All this chubby, smiling friend asks in return is that I come and buy a big house from them some time, and we both laugh.

I love this world. Always ready to prove you wrong when you're feeling a bit negative.

A thought

I've been trying to get a bit more in touch with my passions in the past couple of days. It had a lot to do with getting reacquainted with Live your Legend when I read about Scott Dinsmore's passing. I will not be surprised if subscriptions peak dramatically in the next few weeks, given how the deaths of inspirational people drive us into immediate action. And Scott was damn inspiring in life and with his passing. The stuff for legends, and the only silver lining I can pick in his sad and premature passing. But talk about "letting death find you living!"

--

In trying to reformulate what truly stirs me*, I found I had to put my own values into words as well. And it's got me thinking that together with spring cleaning, one should make it a point to spring-clean their habits and thoughts. By simply asking ourselves: "What am I about?

Obliging us to think truly who we are. Connecting with that we believe in. We are our values and how we embody them. Plus our darker shades and failures, mistakes, contradictions. It is truly what we do with the latter that reveals us to ourselves and others.  It is easier to be deceived by our manipulated bright sides.

S

* I used the 27 QUESTIONS TO FIND YOUR PASSION that's part of a toolkit you get if you subscribe to Live Your Legend. They propose very interesting exercises. A gem.

Transition

I often use the word "transition" to replace change. Both professionally and in personal conversations. Many of my interlocutors attribute this to the fact that English is not my native language. But I am picky with words. It is deliberate.

It is oh so deliberate. I fear "change" is a very result-oriented word. Change, for me, is exclusively focused on the result, on the outcome of an event. Expected or sudden, change is its result.

Transition sweetly focuses on the overlap that exists between the present situation and what we think of as the "next". Transition sounds like we are going through the process mindfully, deliberately.

And once we focus on that, we learn that life itself is a flowing -sometimes bumpy- transformation, provided you stay permeable to the wonders that surround you, and allow every single person and event the opportunity to touch you.

S

Momentos Perfectos

Me encanta tomar el tranvía de noche. Hoy en particular, no hace ni frío ni calor. En un momento, se apagan las luces y el tranvía se para. “Ahora viene un dementor,” le dice un veinteañero a sus amigos. Me río con ganas. Un poco porque el chiste es bueno y mucho porque me emociona entenderlo en esta lengua que todavía me es ajena. Ensimismada, me paso una parada. No importa. Son apenas cinco cuadras en una noche perfecta para caminar. Veo que el super sigue abierto y entro a comprar tres pavadas. A la salida, esperando a su humano, uno de los perros más lindos del mundo. Lo abrazo torpemente, porque tengo las manos ocupadas. Un cartón de leche de almendras. Dos chocolates y un pan lactal. Cruzo la calle en diagonal, y al pasar por debajo del puente, por encima de mi cabeza pasa el tren. Perfecto. Tres deseos. “Amor, amor, amor.” Y llego a casa.