Glasses By Committee

There is this famed glasses mall that I've heard of here in Beijing near Panjiayuan.  Seeing that my days in Beijing are coming to an end, it was time to check it out.

It's FOUR stories of anything to do with optical needs.  Each shop has frames for you to try on.  It's overwhelming at first.  I spent half hour just looking around, scared to even walk into a store.  A lot of it had to do with the fact I didn't know how to say a number of optical terms in Chinese, but I realized I'll just do what I always do...make it happen.  Near-sighted?  I just said I have trouble seeing things far away.

Need equipment, here's your store.

So when I finally got the courage to walk into the store, I started trying on frames.  I stuck with ones that were rather conservative.  And with technology, I could do it by committee.  How you say?  I took selfies with each frame and then sent them to a group chat and had people vote.  #1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7 -- Let's try some square frames

#8

#9

#10

#11 -- WAY too Hipster

#12 -- The big bold dark frames

#13

#14

#15 -- Leopard print frames

#16 -- Chester Chen circa 1970

#17 -- Harry Potter

#18

So I took the photos at the first store after the committee and I chose which frames and that first store was asking for 900RMB and 500RMB just for the frames.  So I went to a different store and pulled up the picture of what I wanted and asked for the cheapest frames of that style.  They gave me an eye exam, I picked the cheapest lenses. The glasses were made on the spot.

$58 and a half hour later, selection #5 was a new pair of glasses.

I went down a floor and just walked into a shop and asked for the cheapest #17 frames.  $25 dollars and I had another pair of glasses.  I was so excited by my purchases for what seemed to me inexpensive glasses but I KNOW ONIONS is holding his tongue and not telling me I got ripped of because I didn't bargain.  Well, I did on the first pair and saved about $12, but this second pair I was amazed I got them for $25 I just reveled in my consumer surplus even though it was smaller than it could have been.

Frenemy to Friend? Or How I Finally Made a Joke at Onions "Club"

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I have to say this it was a turning point dinner for me, because it was the first time I had felt like I knew enough of the backstory of everyone there that I felt like I wasn't gathering data, but actually participating.  It's actually a really good lesson for me to take to heart as I move to SF, where I do know people but I'm going to also want and need to make new friends and join new groups and activities.  I need to remember that I just need to keep showing up...if I feel like I want to be apart, I have to keep coming back and let people know that there it is worthwhile to invest there energies in getting to know me and that I will do the same.  So here's how I felt really apart of the group.  First and foremost, NO ALCOHOL was pushed on me at anytime in the evening.  That was nice not to have to fight that battle.  I guess my Chinese is improving even in these last few days because I understood everything that was said AND I chimed in a couple times.  What's nice is that when I do speak, everyone shuts up to let me struggle through, and usually Onions knows exactly what I'm talking about and rewords things for me. It's really nice that Onions and I have been together that I may not say things correctly, but we've been together long enough he knows how I word things and how I get my point across using my own ways.  When he and I talk it's only about once a week where I have to speak in English because what I want to say is so complicated I can't figure out how to do it in Chinese.

So what do these guys talk about?  It's almost all about razzing each other just like all guys do.  Once I was able last night to just relax and enjoy myself I realized that this is the kind of groups I hoped to find when I moved to SF back in 1998.  These guys are their "chosen" family here in Beijing.  They've known each other for years.  They talk about old flames, people they know that have moved away.  They show each other pictures of cute guys they chat with on their phones (it's the way we all talk these days...I've met so many of my friends and acquaintances on gay apps....it's like a bar on your phone) and who's dating who.  It's like a television show.  So here's how I made my big joke of the evening.  10 of the 12 guys there last night are dating and in relationships (Onions and I are two).  But two guys, two of the three loudest and most vocal, are single.  Part of the conversation at the end of the evening was everyone encouraging these guys (jokingly I think...I sometimes might not get sarcasm) to get together and go out on a date.  I then chimed in and told the guys that I'm staying at Onions house and my apartment, near where one of them lives is free and offered up my house key.  It got some laughs.  Then later, feeling bold, I told the group...well the downside of them potentially getting together is that a major topic of conversation would be eliminated...but then one guy said....no way, it would increase topics because those two guys most assuredly complain about each other.  It was a fun evening and I finally felt comfortable.  Too bad I'm leaving.

ILP 2015

This year's set of ILP projects, although varied in topics, were centered around the theme of economics and the Chinese "hukou" system. The group on the wealth gap focused on the gini coefficient and how it's an indicator of economic mobility, of which the "hukou" is a big part that.  Of course, there was the "hukou" group itself.  But the Traditional Chinese Medicine group talked about how TCM needs funding to improve its educational practices and funding. The group talking about Doctor and Patient relations discussed the need for better training doctors outside to city and the special education group pointed out that the government needs to better fund training of teachers to work with special needs students.  As always, I learn a great deal from these reports that the students write up and exhibit. It's one of the times I feel most proud of these students.

The Art Group.  Star D-T., Mia K., Ben S. and Kai G-S.

The Wealth Gap group. George M., Angus W., Ben C. and Grace D.  Missing Caitlin F.

The Adoption Group.  Hannah A., Nacole A., Amy D., Jing R. and Anne-Sophie V-W.

The Chinese Healthcare Group.  Kit D., Samantha G., a Host Dad, Kelly M., Jilian O. and Ann M.

The Special Education Group.  Tim L-A., Etinosa O., Kevin M., Lily K. and Lizzie K.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Group.  Elijah S., Hannah B., Joseph H., Jon W. and Anthony B.

The Hukou group.  Robert C., Noah F., Christina N., Miles M. and Jonas S.