忙(máng), busy

Hello, All！

I started writing several posts about how busy I am, but I was too busy to finish writing them. Classes started last Wednesday, and I've had my hands full with them, as well with all the other things that are going on around here.

Orientation was exhausting, but there were a lot of fun parts. We did two "Mystery Beijing" tours, in which we split up into pairs or small groups and had to get to a place in Beijing on our own without using a Taxi. My new friend Akane and I went to 南锣鼓巷 (Nán luógǔ xiàng), which is a reconstructed hútòng (alleyway), and a very trendy and somewhat touristy spot to hang out. We tried a treat that Akane's guidebook said was yoghurt, but had packaging claiming that it was cheese, and that tasted like egg. It wasn't bad, but it was rich enough that I couldn't finish it. The shops around that area are also quite nice, and they sell little stuffed piggies dressed as Mao Zedong for 70kuai, or 100kuai for a pair (about $15US).

During a different trip, we got lost trying to find the Purple Bamboo Park due to some conflicting leadership initiatives--one of the guys leading us thought we were trying to visit a strange broadcast tower thing, while the other was trying to get us to the park, so we ended up somewhere in between. We ended up finding the park, and it was quite lovely. It was relatively early in the morning (around 8:30am), so there were people fishing, practicing Tai chi, singing Chinese opera, and even some Bollywood dancers.

I have a lot of lovely pictures from these little excursions (and others as well), but I think the Great Firewall has thwarted my efforts when it comes to posting images. I'll keep looking for a way to get around that, but it's going to take a little more time. Until then, just believe me when I say that it's really amazing here!

Bye bye,

~Kelsey