Finally...

I'm finally making another post! I know it's been a long time since I have posted but now I am finally settling into life in Beijing and I have a little bit of free time as well. Quite a few exciting things have happened since the last time I updated.

So far I've been living on my own in Beijing for over a week and I have taken a full week of classes at Beijing University (in Chinese we call it Bei Da). I have to say - life here at Beijing University is much different from my experience traveling around China. However, that's not to say I'm not having a great time!

For starters, the language barrier is much more prevalent now that I no longer constantly attend "tourist" locations and have a translating guide with me at all times. When shopping, ordering food, or even taking a taxi English is not usually an option. Luckily my friends and I have gotten great at point at the menu and, with our limited Chinese skills, we can usually piece together a decent order.

My dorm is awesome as well. I am living with two fellow Richmond kids named Ben and Kyle and the accommodations themselves are pleasant. We have our own private bathroom, air conditioned rooms, and access to a vast array of on and off campus restaurants. Classes are going well so far, but one thing that makes them very interesting is the fact that the teachers speak almost no English, and even those that do speak it refuse to use it when talking to the students.

Other than my living situation, life in Beijing has been really fun so far. In order to save time and not write a massive entry I will break the last week into 3 main events.

Last Thursday our whole group took a group trip to the Temple of Heaven and the Hong Qiao market. The Temple of Heaven was actually quite different from last time I visited it. Since it was raining last time we only saw the temple grounds for about twenty or thirty minutes. This time, however, I was able to see an entirely different entrance to the temple and visit several different locations on the temple grounds that I hadn't seen before. It was also great to see the temple on a sunny day without rain obscuring my view. The only downside to the sunny day was the withering heat - check out this picture of me and my friends Rebbecca, Ben, and Kyle.

Once we arrived at Hong Qiao the crack bargaining team of myself, Ben, and Kyle went to work frustrating merchants left and right. Our powers combined we have negotiated some ridiculous bargains at various marketplaces throughout Beijing (including the Beijing Silk Market this past Sunday). After hours of haggling with various Chinese vendors we have learned some of the finer points of getting the best deal and discovered the best prices for various items (Polo Shirts for 25 quai - that's about $3.20, North Face Jackets for 100 Quai). I have to say, I have a great time just haggling with these various shops. We would go to various shops and bargain for stuff we didn't even want just to see how ridiculous of a price we could get it for.

The second thing I wanted to write home about (har har) was the Fourth of July. It was truly strange to experience July 4th in a foreign country. The weirdest part about the entire day was that it almost passed without notice. Around about 10 P.M. Ben, Kyle, and I decided to head out on the town to try and find someone that was celebrating our great nation's birthday. Entirely by accident, actually, we stumbled upon a massive outdoor "International Beer Town" (garden), and within a few minutes of our arrival a few Americans jumped up and began singing the national anthem, prompting many others to join in. We spent the rest of our night celebrating and singing with the other American's at the garden - it was a great time.
Lastly, on Saturday morning I visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (again). I didn't take as many pictures this time but I did enjoy the Starbucks (maybe even more). My other favorite part of the visit was being harassed by the various merchants peddling hats, books, and other trinkets throughout the day. With my new bargaining skills the merchants usually ended up far more frustrated and annoyed than me! That's all for now, I don't want to write an essay. I will try to keep my updates more frequent and less lengthy, so until next time Zai Jian!