Since moving to Beijing, I’ve mostly kept in touch with friends and family through email. My correspondence with them is so extensive, it almost serves as a journal that chronicles my time living abroad. I thought it would be interesting to compile excerpts from these emails that contain key words or phrases like “pollution”, “I really miss”, and “scooter”. I’ve divided each post by topic because, as I said, I have a lot of correspondence. To save confusion, I’ve only included my responses to emails. Those who I’m responding to are mentioned next to each date. I really enjoyed making this post and I’m so happy I have friends and family who are willing to take time and communicate with me while I’m living in China.
##POLLUTION
September 15, 2015 Amanda >“Pollution is some serious business here. I’ve had to wear a mask outside for the past two days because, according to the U.S. Embassy, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has been above 200. As a comparison, the current AQI in Austin is 24. That means that pollution is visible in Beijing. It looks like a haze has settled on the city. Our friends who we are staying with informally judge the pollution by looking at a giant bowling pin on top of a building approximately a half mile from their apartment. If it’s difficult to see the pin, then you know it’s bad out. The oddest thing about this, though, is that 95% of the people I passed on the streets were not wearing masks!”
October 14, 2015 Amanda >“So yeah the pollution can be pretty bad. It was at 349 AQI last week, but some strong winds blew it out of the city and we had a 19 AQI weekend. It’s so variable.”
October 2015 Daddy >“Many Chinese have no concept of air pollution. They refer to it as “fog” and don’t wear masks. It’s crazy to see a baby being carried in visibly polluted air with no mask while I’m walking around with one.”
October 2015 Ward >“I looked up a comprehensive list of Terror Tuesday movies, and want to just start going down the list. When the pollution settles in for the winter, I’ll have a lot of time to watch movies.”
October 17, 2015 Stacie >“That’s a bit late in the year for such hot weather. Any end in sight? It’s been cooling down here but this weekend has brought some nasty pollution.”
October 21, 2015 Stacie >“So yes it’s true that the pollution can be bad in the winter, and it’s cold, but that shouldn’t deter us from having fun or even sight seeing. You just don a mask, bundle up, and you’ll be fine! Also, we will take you to eat good food. I’ve also found swing dancing so we can do that.”
November 25, 2015 Fishy >“How about the worst? The worst is a tie between traffic and pollution. Both are inconvenient and cause me much frustration.”
December 2015 Daddy >“Gully and I were daydreaming about the Fit this weekend, thinking about how she was taking in the sun on Martha’s Vineyard while we were stuck inside with terrible pollution.”
December 1, 2015 Stacie >“The pollution is awful right now, like nothing I’ve ever seen before, but I’m hopeful it will clear up for your time here. It tends to come in cycles. Lol as I’m writing this I just received a text from our friend saying “Open your windows ya’ll!” which must mean the pollution has cleared!! Yay!!”
December 2, 2015 Amanda >“Yesterday the AQI was literally unmeasurable because the pollution was so bad. At one point it reached 600 and I had a hard time seeing more than 100 feet in front of me. Fuck this planet…or more appropriately, this planet is fucked.”
January 2015 Ward >“I went to Japan! You would have absolutely hated it. Instead of going to Tokyo, I went to Kyoto and surrounded myself with nature. Plenty of outdoor activities to remind myself that the entire world is not a polluted mess, like Beijing.”
January 23, 2016 Beazy >“China is great, for the most part! The weather, namely the pollution, gets me down sometimes, but overall it’s been a good experience.”
March 14, 2016 Gully >“We are headed to Xi’an. It’s been mostly farmland and I guess what you would call suburbs? The landscape looks weird with the pollution.”
April 18, 2016 Sara >“The pollution hasn’t been too bad since moving here. It comes and goes. Some days are terrible and others are great. Since it’s warmed up, we’ve only had a few days of pollution that require wearing masks. For the past week, though, the weather has been beautiful.”
May 1, 2016 Becca >“The pollution is definitely a bummer. The AQI (air quality index) is 250 right now. That means it’s hazardous to go outside without a mask. For comparison, it’s probably under 35 in Stuart.”
May 9, 2016 Layla >“So I’m afraid I’m going to engage in an immense amount of eye rolling if I move to San Francisco, but I imagine it will be way more bearable than China. I mean, open internet and less air pollution is already a step in the right direction.”
June 13, 2016 Alese >“I’m not pregnant, but if I wasn’t living in a heavily polluted foreign city, I would want to be!”