The March of the Herrons

Marvelling at the Ming Tombs

Mom hiding at the Great Wall

Tian An Men Square

Eating out with Aunty Nancy

My parents and sister arrived this Wednesday in Beijing, and it has been go, go, go ever since. In fact, it is only as my family is falling asleep, after another very full day, that I sit here writing this blog. I'll give just a brief replay of our time here so far.



Wednesday, the family arrived in Beijing right on time and I was waiting with a taxi ready. They were impressed not only by the size of Beijing, but also the incredible traffic. I gave them a little dinner and put them right to bed. Thursday, we wasted no time in taking in the sights. I arranged a private van and English-speaking tour guide to take us to the Ming Tombs and Great Wall. I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed our first day.



Friday, we started out early by walking from our hotel to Tian An Men square. It was quite hot, even though it was only nine in the morning. Dad, of course, was very happy to be in such an historically significant place. Next, we crossed the street and walked through the gates of Tian An Men into the Forbidden City. We spent more than several hours there, and besides the incredible heat it was very fun. In the afternoon we took a brief rest, and then we got ready to go see Beijing Opera courtesy of my good friend Nan Sheng (Aunty Nancy) and her husband. It was an eye and ear-opening experience...



Today we toned it down a little. In the morning we all went for massages. And in the early afternoon I showed the family around the embassy district and took them out for a good lunch at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Beijing. In the evening, we met Aunty Nancy and her husband at a Peking Duck restaurant on Wangfujin Street. It was a wonderful dinner. However, my family can't speak any Chinese and Aunty Nancy and her husband have extremely limited English. So I spent most of dinnertime translating, but it was a successful outing. Everyone had fun, and I was able to convince my parents that sending me to Beijing was not a waste of energy ;)

4 Days Until Reunion

The Flag and I

Wang Hui taking the final...

Me with my beloved Jiao Laoshi; she reminds me of my Nana.

Slightly awkward class photo, but really we are all quite good looking.

As most of you already know, my parents and Josefina are coming to visit me in China! Woot. The countdown has officially begun! I am so excited to see them, I am hiring someone to videotape the teary and ridiculously dramatic reunion. But let me tell you what has been going on recently....



My first posted picture is from the morning flag raising at Tian An Men. Last Sunday a few of us decided it would be fun to roll out of bed at 3:50AM and make our way to Tian An Men to see the fabled raising of the red flag. Guess what? Even at 4AM there are hundreds of people in the square...Go figure. In any case, it was really cool, and I just started to get a little worried that I may actually miss China quite a bit.



This week of course was absolutely crazy owing to finals and graduation. Lots of studying got done, and I feel like I really have a good grip on what I learned here. The final wasn't bad and the day before the test two friends and I went for massages...we are in Asia after all. Graduation was tons of fun, and I will be the first to admit that I started crying when saying goodbye to my teachers. I wish I wasn't so darn emotional.



So my life here is rapidly coming to a close. Yesterday my roommate moved out, and today is laundry and readying things for the parent visit. We will of course be updating the blog with our tales of our journeys together so stay tuned.

The Past Two Weekends

What can I say? Exactly four weeks left in the most populated country on the face of the earth. Describing how I feel is a little tricky. I am just starting to get truly comfortable with everyday Chinese, and my tones have improved greatly in the past three weeks. I will definitely miss some parts of Beijing life. However, if somebody offered me an opportunity to stay for a few more months, I just don't know if I could bring myself to accept it.

The thought of going back sort of gripped me as scary for the first time this weekend. I realized that it is hard for me to think of life in the states as normal anymore. All thoughts and feeling connected with it seem so detached. None of this is to say that I won't be very happy to return. Dorothy was right, folks, there is no place like home.

This weekend was fun. My class put on the funniest play in Chinese (see above). The weekend in general was just great and by the end of it I began thinking that there are people I am truly going to miss after I get home. The person I will miss the most being my roommate, but also my teachers and friends. Without their support and love, none of what I have accomplished here would have been possible, none of it would have mattered. Oh shoot, starting to get a little sappy here.

The last two weekends, weeks really, have been great. I am finally at that level where I can comfortably joke with people in Chinese. And in a mental space where I am enjoying the ride. Study-wise things are getting a little intense as the finals approach, but I feel completely up to the challenge and am trying to cram in everything I possibly can. The family is due here in exactly two weeks and we are going to have the best tour of China ever. I will not only take them to sites of historic importance, but also jam them into overcrowded subways and hole in the wall Sichuan restaurants.

Think that's all for now, but one last thing before I sign off. Did you know in Chinese instead of saying "There are plenty of other fish in the sea" they say "Three legged frogs are hard to find, but two legged men are everywhere?" You really have to love those Chinese turns of phrase.


PS Wanted to add that I did go into the STARBUCKS that is located inside the Forbidden City(pictured above), and I ordered a giant cup of imperialism. It tasted so darn good.

He Who Climbs the Great Wall is a Hero...Seriously

Well, I am happy to report that I survived a six mile hike along one of the most rigorous stretches of the Great Wall. There was danger abound from the dilapidated uneven stone stairs to the persistent harassment of postcard sellers and their borken English, from the high winds and sandstorms to the scorching midday sun. None of this is to suggest that this was not one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life!

Our group took a day hike from Simatai villiage to the Ji Shan Ling part of the wall. Most people hike it the other way since it is easier to do it in that manner, but what's the fun of doing something the easy way. The climb was difficult but the views were all worth it. I think for the first time I really realized why this wall is so important, it is probably the greatest architectural achievement I have ever seen. When I consider the incredible planning and excecution of constructing such a thing it makes my head hurt.

Li Na and I made the hike in about three hours, with a half hour stop for lunch. I should say that's pretty good, we were quite proud of ourselves. We had a really good time along the way, and walked with several different people. Navigating some of the steeper slopes and the loose stones was difficult at times, but we lived. Eventually, our whole group made it to base camp safely.

We actually made camp at the Ji Shan Ling Hotel, where we showered off and put our things down. Every seven people ended up sharing one room, but for our purposes it worked out perfectly. We spent the remainder of our afternoon reading and relaxing before dinner. After dinner we had a bonfire, which was good old fashioned fun.

The night sky out there in the countryside was absolutely breathtaking. We were able to pick out constellations and I think we may have seen Mars as well. After our fire died down we prepared to hike back up to the wall to camp out. This was not an easy task by the dark of night, I almost ate it climbing up without a flashlight. But all was well when we got our bags rolled out and tents set up for the whimps who insisted they could not sleep outside ;)

I must say that sleeping on a stone wall is definitely not the most comfortable way to spend the night, but AnJie and I did see several shooting stars so it was well worth it. I probably got a total of two and a half hours of sleep all total due to some of the loudest snoring I have ever heard in my entire life (thanks, Chris). But at least I woke up in time to hike to a high point and watch the sun rise over the wall. It was the most amazing thing, and standing there I realized how much I have missed nature these past few months. As a Coloradan it is something I have taken for granted, but this trip reminded me how important it is to appreciate it.

So all in all, I would say that this was one experience that I will never forget. From my great friends, Chinese and American alike, to the personal pysical and mental journey I made myself, it was worth every mile. If you ever get the chance, I suggest you hike the Great Wall...

Wo de jiao zi bi ni de hao chi! (My dumplings are better than yours!)

It has been a good week. But there are two events that definitely top everything off. The first was seeing my dear Zhang Lao Shi, as well as Amy and Tien. Every other year Colorado College sends a Chinese Art Class to China. So Hai Ling and I met up with the group to have dinner in a part of town we had never ventured into, of course it was tons of fun! I am not going to lie, having people impressed with what I consider my rather rudimentary Mandarin felt pretty good. I guess I remembered how far I have come from day one. Anyways, it was nice to reconnect with home if only for a few hours.

Great event number two was making jiao zi (dumplings) with my class today. Our teachers showed us how to do everything, from preparing the filling to rolling out the wrappers. Not surprisingly, after years of watching my grandmother making tortillas and attempting to make my own, rolling out jiao zi dough came pretty naturally, people were impressed. Our teachers told us with a little practice we could open our own jiao zi restaurant :) I love my teachers, they have done everything in their power to make our time here mean so much more than just learning Chinese. And did I mention they cancelled our test so we could make the jiao zi? Oh yeah, my life here is so sweet.

So only four weeks left until the end of my program, then the family will arrive for a week and half tour. Guess who gets to be the tour guide? I should be back stateside in about six weeks. Sometimes this thought is exciting, sometimes it's just sad. There are certainly people and places that will be missed. I am just starting realize how much this experience has really meant and continues to mean to me. So I just have to focus on having six more amazing weeks!

The Gate of Heavenly Peace By Night

So last night, I was in the mood to get out and see some city lights. I had heard that Tian An Men was very beautiful on clear spring nights, so I grabbed AnJie and her roommate and we crammed into the subway.

This week Beijing has been especially crowded, because most people get the week off, due to May 1 being International Labor Day. Many countries, the US of course excepted, celebrate their labor day at this time. So as you can imagine, letting everyone in China have a week off can wreak all kinds of havoc on traffic, the grocery store and most certainly any sightseeing destinations. We have felt the frustration all week as we have had to jam ourselves into all sorts of over-crowded buses and subway cars. Did I mention the weather around here is also starting to get a lot warmer?

In any event, yesterday night we went for a nice stroll through Tian An Men square. It was actually a very interesting experience. I am so glad AnJie's roommate, Cheng Jian, came along with us. She gave us some very enlightening insights into a Chinese person's view of the place. We spent time discussing everything from Mao to the Ming Dynasty. Just fascinating to get her take on everything. She said as a young girl, coming to Tian An Men and the Forbidden City was quite a different experience, mostly other Chinese tourists, nothing built up or protected the way it is now.

We also had fun discussing with her the ambiguity of the Chinese language versus English. Their word for beard and mustache are the same, no differentiation. This is also true for escalators and elevators both called dian ti, directly translated meaning electric stairway. She told us that maybe English had too many words. I am tempted to agree as I have gotten to the point where I will use Chinese over English because it's just more simple.

So we did walking in both Tian An Men Square and the corridor between Tian An Men and the entrance to the Forbidden City. I have to tell you the weather was just perfect and though it was a little more crowded than I would have liked, it wasn't too bad. I think we were some of the only foreigners who ventured out to see the sights, but it was definitely worth the surprised looks that we got from people as we spoke Chinese with Cheng Jian. (The underlying assumption here is that if you are a foreigner you most likely do not speak or understand Chinese).

It was a good night, and the Olympic countdown clock was all the way down to 460 days, the first time I ventured into Tian An Men square it was still at 527 days. I've come a long way...

May!

Yesterday afternoon my Chinese teacher's good friend took me out to see Spiderman 3. Yes, it was released in Asia first. The funny thing is that the entire movie was dubbed in Chinese, and I could still understand it all. This either says something great about my Chinese or something really bad about the nature of the dialogue.

Spring time round here is in full bloom. It is a nice change after the cold and windy winter time. Long afternoons and nice walks around the park have ensued. Only 40 days until the parents arrive in Beijing. And so life moves forward...

Qingdao: Famous For More Than Beer

Beach where we spent a few hours sitting out on the rocks.

The protestant church, much better looking on the outside.

Tanya looking out from the top of a castle out on to the sea.

This is me getting ready to try shellfish for the first time...

I assume most of you are familiar with Tsingtao beer, famously brewed and bottled in Qingdao, China. Well that is not all that Qingdao is famous for. The town and surrounding beaches are something like Cape Cod meets Florida. It is the place where Chinese go vacationing in the summer months and after spending a few days there I can certainly understand why. (The city has also been chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Sailing events, a fact noted on numerous billboards and pamphlets.)

Originally all five travelers were going to head to Qingdao. But there was something of a mix up at the train station and the three people taking the train were unable to find tickets out to Qingdao and decided to see the hanging gardens of Hangzhou instead. So Tanya and I ventured on alone, not knowing what to expect.

I was surprised at how large Qingdao and it's surrounding suburbs are. But we found our hotel and the nearby beaches very charming. The people were very nice, and wherever we went they were pleasantly surprised that we did speak some Chinese. We even found a really fun back alley food market where we were able to sample all kinds of local specialties at food vendor stalls. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

For those who are unaware, for a brief period of time the city of Qingdao was conceded to the Germans after two missionaries were killed during the Boxer Rebellion. They built the city up and established the famous brewery. For this reason Qingdao resembles an old Bavarian village attached to a modern Asian city. It is an interesting contrast and made exploring lots of fun.

We did not see many other foreigners. It felt a bit lonely sometimes, but it was nice just to hang out on the beach and stroll around the town. It felt a little more like an actual vacation, very relaxing...

Well, I suppose that basically sums up spring break. Today's weather is just gorgeous so I think I will stop here and go out walking for a little bit in the spring air.

Home Again, Home Again

The Bund at night from a small cruise ship.

Martina, a Danish student, and I infront of the Pudong skyline.

A busy intersection near our hotel, more motorcycles than cars in Shanghai due to the narrow and winding streets.

Nanjing Road, ten points to the first person who can pick out the McDonald's sign.

I will begin my post by saying that my spring break was one of the most interesting and empowering experiences I have had yet. It was my first time really arranging all of my own travel, from what I packed all the way up to making my own plane reservations in Chinese. Of course it didn't hurt to have four good friends along for the ride. All that said, I will try to give a brief rundown of our time in Shanghai. Tomorrow I will post on our experiences in Qingdao.

Five of us decided to go on holiday together, but Tanya and I did NOT want to take the 15 hour train ride. Tai ma fan (too much trouble). So we booked some pretty good discount tickets and flew into Shanghai early last Saturday morning. It went well and we managed to get a taxi driver who knew exactly where our hotel was, so it was quite nice. Our hotel was beautiful however upon arrival we found out that they no longer have a hostel section, so we had to pay a little more for the first night while we searched for another hostel where we could stay. We met up with our fellow travelers who looked a little rough after their long train ride.

First few days were basic tourist fare, walking around the Bund, night cruise along the riverfront, People's square, Nanjing Lu, museums of all sorts...you get the idea. Once we got into a hostel we met some pretty interesting people. Monday we went to the Shanghai museum with our roommates, a Brazilian girl and her Slovakian friend. We were quite a group. On Tuesday we met up with a 19 year old Danish girl who was traveling alone in China. The amazing thing about all the people we met while staying in hostels is that NONE of them spoke a word of Chinese, and they were having something of a difficult time getting around. But they could all speak excellent English...interesting.

The next few days we spent most of our time walking and just trying to get a feel for different parts of the city. We made it over to Old Town and the French Concession. It was a lot of fun to be harassed by people selling fake Rolex's wherever we went. Even more fun were the vast amount of tour groups comprised of retired Chinese. I definitely got body checked by a sixty-five year old woman. It was awesome. We also did our best to figure out public transportation, which was an entirely different adventure. At the end of four and a half days I felt like we saw a good bit of Shanghai.

It was an interesting place to see. I won't say that I didn't like it because actually I found it to be a beautiful world-class city. However, it lacks the character and community oriented nature of a city like Beijing. It is a purely Western conception of Asia, and it can feel very cold and consumer oriented. This is not to say that the people were not nice, they were actually very impressed that we spoke Chinese and were extremely helpful. I don't know if they would have been as kind and patient if we had not tried to use Chinese, other foreigners lead us to believe that this was the case.

I am looking forward to when the family comes to see Shanghai. This trip gave me a chance to really plan what we are going to do. But it is already so crowded, I can only imagine the amount of tourists that will be there come June. The upshot of all this is that Shanghai was amazing in it's own right and it was nice to make friends there, Chinese and Westerners alike.

Anyang: The Saga Continues

Wo gen Fu Li Na, hen hao war!

If you are wondering if that is a human skull in there...yes, yes it is.

Yum.

Drummers at a Toaist temple we visited.

Sorry. Busy week, I will probably not be posting too much more this next week because I am off on a tour of Shanghai and Qingdao. Hooray, a break from the chilly spring winds! On another side note, Easter here in Beijing was wonderful and definitely the nicest weather we have seen yet. The Southern Cathedral was packed with Chinese and Westerners alike. But back to Anyang...

Lots of people complained about the food in the countryside (chicken soup anyone?). But I must say that I thought it was very delicious, this may have been because I had just climbed up a mountain on an empty stomach. But Anyang has this sweet rice that is like heaven, I would liken it to eating fruit rolled in brown sugar.

Second day was more relaxed than the first. No mountain climbing or frighteningly unsafe suspension bridges. But Anyang is the cradle of Chinese writing so we did visit a museum that featured some of the very first known evidence of Chinese character writing. It was interesting but I am sure there is only so much I can appreciate about it as someone who's can't even read enough characters to understand a standard newspaper article.

We also visited some Shang dynasty tombs. I thought it was pretty fun, but others were definitely creeped out by the garish skeletons proudly displayed throughout the museum. Regardless, we wrapped up Sunday on a good note. We packed into the bus around 4pm and began our trip back to Beijing.

I have never really thought I was going to die, but I thought we were certainly done for a few times on the trip home. For about an entire hour we were tail-gating a propane tanker with a giant flammable sign on the back. And when I say tailgate, I do mean that we were literally about five feet from the other vehicle. I could see all of us just burning to crisps. Also got to see a few Chinese truck stops, and you thought the bathrooms at American truck stops were questionable...

All in all it was quite an eye opening trip.

Weekend Trip to Anyang (Part I)

At the entrance to the Three Peaches Gorge, very beautiful.

My roommate is basically amazing.

Me looking terrified on the wobbly suspension bridge.

A little girl we met along the path.

Sorry for the extended hiatus. Life here has been getting busier by the day. But I am proud to report that my trip into the countryside this past weekend was a great success. It reminded me that living in a city as cosmopolitan as Beijing is really a very small serving of China. Traveling into central China helped me to remember that this is still very much a developing nation.

Going through the train station in Beijing was in itself, quite the experience. It was so crowded, I honestly couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t go three steps in any direction without being jostled by someone toting an over sized suitcase. When I shared my feelings of awe at the large crowds with my roommate she started laughing and told me that there were actually relatively few people compared to most days. This makes me never want to see what a crowded Chinese train station looks like.

The train ride was pleasant enough. Five hours really wasn’t that bad and luckily I was sitting next to good friends. However, if I had just one complaint to make about China it is that people smoke all the time and everywhere. Let’s just leave it at that. I got pretty far into Salman Rushdies’ Satanic Verses. If you are looking for something to read and are not faint of heart I would definitely suggest it, fascinating piece of literature.

We finally arrived in Anyang after dark. To hear the Chinese talk about Anyang you might think it was just a wide spot in the road. Yet somehow a city two times the size of Denver just can’t strike me that way. Apparently around here 5 million people equal an average sized city. Regardless of size, it did provide a nice base for the weekend’s festivities.

Our first day in Henan Province, we went hiking. It was fun, but let's just say the Chinese have a very different idea of safety (see scary suspension bridge of death, pictured above). It was quite a day, full of great hiking conversations in both English and Chinese, and some great emotional highs. The natural beauty and villagers with odd dialectical accents only added to the awesomeness. I think I will stop there for today. To be continued…

A Spring Afternoon in Bei Hai

Bei Hai's central point the white dagoba.

A small corner of the park where we happened upon a group of old people singing, very beautiful.

A doorway in one of the temples, thought it was very pretty.

My adventures in China continue. Just today I was discussing with friends how it seems as though we have been here much longer than five weeks. I think this is a direct result of learning so much in such a small amount of time. My brain is bursting with information, desperately trying to register all of it. Maybe I can attribute the excessive amount of dreams I have been having to this.

This afternoon An Jie and I decided that we needed to get out of our little neighborhood. We ended up in Bei Hai Park. We had a really great time and had lots of chances to practice our Chinese. Having An Jie to share things with is definitely nice, she and I have just clicked since day one. Tonight we had fun experimenting with new grammar patterns at a local restaurant. Some of our efforts were met with great success, others with confused stares. That's a pretty good metaphor for life here. I know how Americans and Chinese both love metaphors.

Hello Sunshine

Sunny street scene from earlier this morning, always lots of racket on Sundays.

If you look closesly you can see that this little girl is drawing a picture of the statue of liberty, quite adorable.

Modern art, eww.

Li Na with George Washington, I am sad to report that I think more Chinese school children know who he is than US school children. He was pretty popular at the museum.

My first Georgia O'Keefe, up close and personal!

If anyone missed it Spring officially began earlier this week. Much to my delight the wheather here has been wonderful. For the first time since I arrival I have been able to leave the dorm without my cumbersome coat. Saturday was also the first real sunny day with no haze over the city. Believe me Coloradan that I am, that alone could have made this my best weekend in Beijing yet. However there were several other contributing factors to this epic weekend.

On Friday night, my study abroad program took us out to see a Chinese acrobatic show. Yes, there was an overpriced gift shop and snack bar in the back of the theater, but I have to admit that the show was very impressive. The acrobats were all very young, a fact that did not seem to pass any of the Chinese roomates who expressed curiosity about what kind of parents would send young children off to Beijing to preform in an acrobatic troupe. It was entertaining regardless, and for dinner I bought a jian bing from a street vendor, it's definitely my favorite street food here and it kind of resembles a veggie omlette and spicy pancake rolled into one.

Saturday was also a blast. Li Na and I went to the National Art Musuem of China to see an exhibition of American art. I am aware of how ethnocentric this sounds, but Li Na wanted to get my take on the art. I was actually quite impressed at the pieces in the exhibit. They were well captioned and were a fairly decent representation of our nation's innovative art history. I also got to see my very first Georgia O'Keefe painting up close and personal, very exciting.

On the upper floors of the museum I also got to see more traditional Chinese art. The thing I find most fascinating about their traditional style of painting is that it is all done with water color. I think it really requires great skill to use the properties of water color to your advantage. We also stopped by a few calligraphy exhibits which of course blow my mind. Anybody who has attempted to weild a calligraphy brush should understand why a seven foot character is such an achievement. The museum was one of the coolest places I have been to yet, I will definitely be going back soon.

Today is Sunday, I better get around to handwashing my socks. Just another part of a great weekend.

Finding El Fogoncito

Night view from a pedestrian bridge we often use.

I would of course be making a gross generalization if I said that Mexicans love Chinese food, but my statement wouldn't be completely without merit. Anyone who knows a guy named Manuel who's life dream is to open a restaurant called Hunan Dragon can back me up here. So then I guess I shouldn't find it odd that one of the latest food rages here in Beijing is Mexican food, much to my delight. Last night my classmate Jordan and I went out look for one of Beijing's best Mexican restaurants.

Armed with only an address and a vague idea of what subway stop to get off at we set off on our adventure. After two hours of wandering around Chaoyang and then into the central business district we called it a night and returned to our neighborhood to one of the better small restaurants near the Xi Zhi Men subway station, settling for more local fare. It was one of the best dinners I have had in a long time, both food and conversation wise.

To top all of this off, on our way home we zig zagged through the square two blocks from school. This particular evening there were rollerbladers abound in the square. We had a great time watching them at their antics, some of these people could probably be professionals. The footwork was amazing. Also impressive were the elderly Chinese holding a small ballroom dancing event in another corner of the square. I tell you, when I get old I want to be like the elderly Chinese, they are my new heroes.

Most importantly it was just a good night, and slowly but surely life here is starting to make more sense. I am happy to be right where I am.

Gloomy Sunday

Today I got up early to attend Catholic mass in English. A ten minute walk and half hour subway ride later, An Jie and I arrived at Nantang, the Southern Cathedral. Originally constructed in the 16th century, the cathedral has been rebuilt several times. The interior decor is eclectic to say the least. But my favorite part of the entire experience was the communion line, or lack thereof. Basically, as soon as the communion ministers leave the alter everybody rushes to the front of the church, very Chinese.

It was a good week. However, I've finally come to the conclusion that the teachers here flat out refuse to give perfect scores. Oh geeze, I love Chinese concept of education. Actually, I enjoy my teachers a lot, they make me laugh. I also understand that they put a lot of time and effort into their lesson plans and truly want to help us learn as much of the language as humanly possible in the given time frame. I have to appreciate that, even if it gives me heart palpitations when I think about it for too long.

The weather here has been very nice. I haven't had to wear long underwear to class all week. That said, today is gloomy and cold, perfect for staying in and doing homework. And as luck would have it I have more than enough of that to go around. Best get to it.

A Good Monday

Truly excellent Mondays happen so rarely, but I am proud to say I had one of those just yesterday. So An Jie and I went to a park about fifteen minutes from school. The wheather was the nicest since we've arrived.

I really enjoyed the park. We people watched, and just enjoyed the landscapes in general. We also enjoyed talking with some children and eavesdropping on old people. It was a great afternoon...

A Fantastic Weekend

Apparently if Chinese parents want to scare their children they can just take them to a Taoist temple.

Let me just say that this week was a little touch and go. I had been feeling a bit blue, but Friday turned it all around when my classmate Wang Hui and I decided to go to this really funky Taoist temple in the middle of the financial district. There were all sorts of fun statues and interestingly translated english captions to read. The picture above is from the department of torture, very exciting. Wang Hui has already been here for one semester so her spoken Chinese is good and she knows her way around Beijing.

After bumming around the temple for a few hours we decided to go get some pizza. Now for anyone who has ever tasted the Chinese take on pizza, it is something like ketchup on a pita. But the place we went to in HouHai (a very beautiful yet touristy district) was amazing. It was some of the best pizza I have had in or outside the states. I kind of just needed a little taste of western food, and it was nice to have Wang Hui to hang out with. She invited one of her Chinese friends and we had a really good time. My Chinese is definitely getting better.

Saturay was also pretty cool. I went with some girls from my hall to one of the art districts. It was fun and kischty, but mostly fun. Later that night we all had a field trip to the Sanwei tea house to hear some Chinese classical music. This by far tops my weekend experience, it was really amazing. The tea was good and the music was superb, and it gave me a chance to simply enjoy my experience quietly, something that just seems rare here. Besides, there was no gift shop or awful costuming involved.

So now it is Sunday around noonish and after this I will get started on my homework. I have a four hundred character essay to write, exciting.

Two Weeks!

On the bus to the wholesale market.

One of my favorite classmates, Wang Hui.

I forced Gai Ming to take this picture after he bought a necktie for 10 kuai.

My proud purchase, a shower tote, scintillating.

Du Teng Fei in his smashing fedora.

Hard to believe it has already been three weeks. It seems like a lot less, and I am sure time will only continue to fly by more quickly. Today as a two week anniversary present to myself I took a leap and bought a Chinese cell phone. I am truly on my way to becoming a Beijinger! You would have to see how much these people use their cell phones to truly appreciate that statement. If you thought Americans were obsessed with blue tooth and text messages...

Above are a few pictures of my classmates and I out on a field trip to the wholesale clothing market, super exciting! We had to go out and see what we could buy for 10 kuai! Madness, a trip to McDonalds and fun with our teachers ensued. Enjoy.