I love the people. Yesterday, I walked down a back alley (not generally frequented by foreigners) with some of my friends looking for some quick lunch food. It was 3:30pm so all the restuarant workers were relaxing. In the first restuarant, the workers were watching South Park. In the second restuarant, the workers were watching the Fantastic Four. The last restuarant, the one we bought food from, was the best of them all. We ordered food-to-go and while they were preparing it they invited us to sit. The restuarant workers, a group of 5 middle-aged men, were so excited to see us. As soon as we walked in they began taking bets with each other as to whether we were American or Russian. We promptly imformed them that we were Americans. There reaction was to hand us a bottle of Bai Jiu (Chinese liquor-65% alcohol) for free. One of the men invited Leyton to take shots of it with him. Leyton rose to the challenge. He and one of the workers took 3 shots each. I got a kick out of the entire thing.
We had so much fun sitting in the restuarant with these men. They were so pleased to chat (and drink) with us. As we were leaving, one of the men lamented that he was not American. In his words, "Americans can drink so much more than us." I can't explain it but I loved the whole thing. The men were so friendly and generous. It's just one of many great experiences I've had.
I LOVE the crowded bus and subway rides when you're so packed that you don't need to hold anything when the vehicle slams on the brakes because everyone around you prevents your body from flying.
I LOVE the great food you get at the little hole-in-the-wall restuarants and vendors for less than an American dollar.
I LOVE the street vendors who sell everything from goldfish to balloon animals.
I LOVE the little kids who see me and automatically say "hi" and laugh and smile when I say "hi" back.
I LOVE that they give you a ticket for everything. It's so inefficient but it is great for a scrapbook.
I LOVE that you can predict whether it is going to be a clear or smoggy day by the temperature.
I LOVE that if I lived here for several years I would never see all the historical sites that Beijing has to offer.
Anyways, that's a taste of my life here. What else have I been up to? A lot. Highlights:
Last Friday night, everyone in the program went out for karaoke--a staple of Chinese nightlife. We had an awesome time! Here's a little taste:
This weekend, we went to the Temple of Heaven, which according to the literature is the largest existing ancient architectural complex in the world. I have no idea what that means. It is a gorgeous park that houses the temples which the Emperor worshipped in several times a year. Here is the main temple:
Here's me being goofy (a rarity) in the park:
Other than that, I've been studying and having a great time with everyone in my program. Our hall is just ridiculous. We have A LOT of fun together. This is just an average night in the dorm:
Gotta love it!
