Profile

Dancer poised for success

By Todd Balazovic (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-12 10:16

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Juliana Frost hopes to understand Chinese culture and people better.

METRO: People are usually running to Beijing or away from something back home - Which are you?

Frost: Running to. I think Beijing and China both have so much potential it's hard to express. I am Asian and I want to be in Asia and I think China is definitely the place to be. As long as I can stay here I want to stay here.

METRO: What do you hope to get out of your stay in China's capital?

Frost: I hope to better understand Chinese culture and understand the Chinese people. Every country you go to you want to become like the people while retaining who you are. That's how I am. I want to understand the culture, how they think and their ways.

METRO: What do you hope to bring back?

Frost: First of all because I'm a teacher it's education. To help the Chinese move forward because I know that's their goal. I hope to help the youth do that.

METRO: Where do you usually hang out? How does it differ from back home?

Frost: Depending on the night I like to hang out in Sanlitun with friends and hang out in bars and stuff like that. I probably would go to Tun bar the most.

Other than that, I also enjoy going to Chaoyang Park and having picnics with groups of friends. Usually we only do this in the summer, but I think it's a great opportunity to hang out with friends in a sunny place.

Back home I wouldn't really hang out as much. I would usually be working or taking care of my younger sister.

METRO: Do you consider yourself as part of the city or an observer?

Frost: I would consider myself integrating. I don't think I'm part of the city yet, but I am learning. I am pushing to learn Beijinghua. I try to talk to as many of the people as possible even though I might not understand a lot of what they are saying. I think it's important to get in touch with a city's people.

METRO: Taxi or bus?

Frost: Subway. It's convenient. Beijing traffic is too busy to use either the bus or taxi. The only thing I dislike is the "sardine smash" during rush hour.

METRO: Do you have any Chinese friends and how are they different from your Western friends?

Frost: I have a large number of Chinese friends. I love hanging out with my Chinese friends. They are different culturally. They are more reserved than my western friends. They also offer insights that are often completely different to what I'm used to hearing from my Western friends.

METRO: What do you like most about Beijing?

Frost: The culture. It's a mix of the modern and the traditional. You have things like the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square and the Great Wall.

But you also have many things that are modern, like the Bird's Nest, the CCTV Tower and the Water Cube.

It's that mixture between the old and the new that is continuing to develop that makes Beijing such a charming city.

METRO: What's your least favorite part of Beijing?

Frost: There is not much I dislike about this city. I guess the only thing I can think of is when people spit. That's probably the only thing I can think of. I also really like that it has four seasons but the wind during the winter can sometimes make the city unbearable.

METRO: In terms of local slang, what is your favorite one-liner?

Frost: I don't really have a favorite slang word, I don't speak too much Chinese, but my favorite thing to hear is definitely the thick Chinese accent spoken by the taxi drivers.

They speak their N's in such a strange way it's great to listen to them talk. I think it's really cool when the Chinese use the Beijinghua.