June 14, 2012

Graduation is over and so are regular classes. For the rest of our stay, we will be on an “adjusted schedule” during which we explore the sites of Beijing. Today, we navigated on buses to the Summer Palace. Lush weeping willows, lily pads and silver waters filled the landscape between red pagodas with intricately painted roofs in brilliant blues and greens.  Finger sized koi swarmed through the glistening water.

Earlier this morning I walked into the dorm hallway and saw this:

I speculated on what was going on, and after 10 seconds decided I must still be dreaming and went back in my room.  Five minutes later, upon re-exiting, the toilets were still there, so I re-pondered my previous conclusion: this could not be a dream. I touched a toilet seat, and yes, it was cold, white, and very real plastic, no dreamlike element to be found. Turns out every semester all the toilets are swapped out for new ones. I have no idea why it is necessary to change them so often.

June 12, 2012

Beijng Opera!

June 11, 2012

With the graduation performance looming in the near future (June 12^th) and the Gao Kao break behind us, we have one more day of official school, then 7 days of exploring Beijing! We (除了Jazzylin and J-Bert以外 all American students) will create a guide book. During our adventures, I am official photographer, budget manager, and writer for both the 798 Art District and Kungfu lessons.

On Friday I had dinner with Carol Ann and two of her friends at the Colored Dumpling restaurant.

Saturday, Kimberly organized a student + host family event, but my host sister was sick so I went stag. In groups of four (Abby, Sage, Sage’s host sister, and I) we completed a silly scavenger hunt including a pyramid with a stranger, teaching Chinese children how to sing happy birthday, and posing with a bride and groom.

After the scavenger hunt, we rode rollercoasters, my favorite of which was a giant circular pendulum that spun and swung at the same time. I basically flew.

At 7:00, we went to Sage’s hip-hop dance performance then I took the two-hour trip back home. This morning, my host sister had school so we left the house very early, arriving at school before eight. I climbed the six flights of stairs then fell asleep for another two hours.

June 6, 2012

My friends and I found a hidden ping-pong table tucked between a pink school building and the high fence to the outside, set up next to the domed roof of the dusty observatory. We played several games while eating mangoes. Sometimes, the ping-pong ball would land in the grass near our skinned mango peels and be camouflaged by the identical oranges.

Yesterday, I went to Froggy’s house (a little Japanese girl in the class above me.) She lives in the residential section of the Grand Millennium Hotel.  We went-ice skating at a nearby mall with terribly dull skates, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.  Several private lessons were being taught on the small rink, some with ferocious yelling teachers. Somehow, the students managed to keep a level head and swirl over the ice elegantly while their coach’s harsh screams followed their loops across the rink.

For dinner, we had thin-crusted pizza, shrimp (Abby had a hilariously difficult time de-shelling the shrimp), edamame and chilled cauliflower/broccoli. After dinner, I took the subway then the public bus back to my host family's apartment. I am now confident in my skills in navigating Beijing public transportation, but my host mother is still nervous and constantly calls me to check where I am in my transit back home.

June 3, 2012

The Chinese government fabricates rain. It uses a technique called cloud seeding in which silver iodide is introduced into existing clouds (or dry ice is used if no clouds are already present) then the water condenses around these super cold chemicals, then it rains! Today there was a monstrous rainstorm, though I think it was naturally created because it was accompanied by thunder, which I don’t think the Chinese government can yet create (but I guess they could use really giant speakers.)

The streets were flooded to above my ankles. Cars driving by raised sheets of water as tall as me.

May 30, 2012

Sofi with Beijing Opera Costume (and Converse)

May 30, 2012

Azaa studying

Abby with roses

Nika wearing a Pikachu costume