There are somethings that I was pretty sure would not follow me to China. Cheese was one of them. Justin Bieber was another. Darn if "the Bieb" isn't international! During the past month (that's right, I have celebrated my 1 month anniversary of being "Beijing-ren") that teen pop sensation has been cropping up with surprising regularity in "middle country" (what "zhong-guo", the Chinese name for China means....not a bad J.R.R. Tolkein reference).
Bieber Fever Example #1: One of my students using Bieber as their example for a noun. After all, a noun is a person place or thing. When asked to come up with an adjective to describe her noun, she said "dreamy". I. Was. So. Proud. She got what an adjective was!!!
Bieber Fever Example #2: My students, in music class, playing Justin Bieber as one of their "favorite songs".
Bieber Fever Example #3: A mid-20s man, standing next to D on the bus on our way to the Great Wall, singing "Baby, baby, baby, OH"...he had sunglasses, an iPod, a blazer, and trumpet case, and was probably trying to impress D with his suaveness...maybe he doesn't realize that in the U.S., Justin's demographic is pre-tween girls.
Bieber Fever Example #4: Bieber and Jay-Z blasted on the beach of "Bei Dai He"...our mini-vacation spot.
Bieber Fever Example #5: My friends have a student whose English name is Justin Bieber...that's right...he named himself after the girly-boy.
Y'know...they said I'd have culture shock in this country...but somethings are universal and know no language barrier...turns out Justin Bieber is one of them.
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