My last day in Beijing. What does one do on the last day? Well, in my case, pack. And eat dumplings. And get a massage. Glamorous life, I know. Try to control yourself.
I'm coming home tomorrow. That's right, you heard me. I will be in California, with access to my cellphone. I don't have time to write this blog right now, and actually, I don't really want to tell you what happened today, mostly because it is a little embarassing for me. But I will definitely update this later. Right now, I have to get my beauty sleep, because I have to wake up early tomorrow morning.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
One Last Hoorah
This was it. The last day of class. The last day of HBA. The end. It sounds so sinister, doesn't it? I have been half dreading, half hoping for this day. And now, finally, it was here. Time to face the music.
First up, our final written exam. I was feeling lose as a goose, and carefree. My written test was actually not as hard as I thought that it was going to be. I felt pretty confident for it, and it was not the hardest test that we have ever had. There were some points where I am fairly sure that I didn’t respond correctly, but hey. It happens. I don’t need to be perfect.
I finished the test in 2 hours and 5 minutes. And then I was liberated. That was it. It’s done. HBA is done. My summer was over. I actually didn’t know what to feel, or what to do with myself. So I just bought myself some soy-milk, and walked back to the dorms with my friend to change into more formal clothes. We had our graduation ceremony today, so I wanted to be wearing something a little more formal. Besides, one of my teachers was feeling uncomfortable because she was wearing something really formal, so I figured why not.
During our graduation ceremony, a bunch of people talked, thanking us for coming to HBA, and doing such a good job. For about half an hour, it was just people talking, and listening to themselves talk. Awesome. Then we got our diploma’s, and it was off to Chinese tables. No, wait, ENGLISH TABLES. That’s right folks, I am officially allowed to speak English again. And we had to get the teachers to speak English as well. They were all so nervous to be speaking English in front of us. It was actually kind of cute.
I actually have a confession to make. Even though we could speak English (officially) a lot of us kept speaking Chinese, because we were just used to it. Sometimes, it is just easier to keep speaking Chinese. Especially with the teachers.
We were going to another college to eat lunch, but once we got there, it was actually pretty cool. There was a huge restaurant, and there was a buffet, with American Chinese food, and American food. It wasn’t the greatest food, but it was fun. But it was also sad. Oh so very sad. Because this is probably one of the last times that we are ever all going to be together. There were lots of pictures being taken, let me tell you. We also all crowded together to take a big class picture, and then paired off to take pictures with all of the teachers. I was actually kind of sad to see this end. Which is weird, because I have never really thought of myself as an emotional person. But I was starting to get really nostalgic.
At 1:30, it was time to go to the gym. Even though I had eaten a lot of food at lunch, I was still going to go to the gym. It was my last day with Jack. How is that for sad. When I got there, I first took some pictures with Jack. They are pretty fun. Jack posed them especially, and even rolled his sleeves up to show off his muscles. Then we both had to flex for the camera. It was adorable.
Then it was time for working out. While I lifted, Jack took pictures of me. And he totally kicked my ass today. I thought that I was going to die. And the hour went by way too fast. I closed my eyes, and then we were done. After my super long, lovely massage, Jack taught me how to do cupping. That’s right folks, I can now unleash a new form of torture upon the American population. You want someone to suction glass jars onto your back that will leave bruises on your back for days? Look no further, I am here to help! I also bought 12 cups, and one of my friends gave me a lighter. It’s going to be a fun couple of weeks.
It was hard to leave the gym. I didn’t want it to be over, because Jack was going to Shanghai this weekend, and I am going back to America. But I gave Jack my email address and phone number after he asked for it. Hopefully, I will be getting an email sometime soon. Cross your fingers.
For the rest of the afternoon, I tried to relax. It had already been a long day, and it wasn’t even near to be over yet. But I needed a cup of tea, and a movie, stat. Not for long though. As soon as I got back to my room, I started crying. Seriously, I don’t know what is wrong with me. I am not normally this nostalgic. I was just so sad to be leaving Jack, and that HBA was over, that I just lost it. What can I say, it happens. I guess it was just my time to let some stress off.
At 7, it was time for dinner. Most of the 4th kids and the teachers were all going out to dinner, and then going to sing karaoke. I decided, what the hell, it’s my last day in Beijing (well, second to last day) and I was going to go out, and I was going to look good doing it. Time to take my black top out for a spin. Haven’t had a chance to wear it yet until tonight.
Dinner was actually a lot lunch. It was Chinese food, sure, but it tasted like American Chinese food. Not really the best thing to be eating. I felt extremely honored though. My teacher, for the entire 20 minute walk over to dinner, held my hand and talked to me. Female teacher, by the way. That may sound weird to you, but that is just the Chinese culture. Good friends walk down the street arm in arm, hand in hand, gossiping. I felt like a local.
After dinner, it was karaoke time. If you know me at all, you know that I don’t sing. Unless it is in the shower, or no one is around. But I went to karaoke, in the spirit of celebrating with my friends. When we first got there, I didn’t sing, but then, as it turned into a huge ‘everybody sing at the top of your lungs’ kind of thing. It was fun. We sang along to Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and other such classics. It’s funny how those songs are really only okay when you are singing karaoke. But they are the most fun to sing at the top of your lungs.
Once again, at the end of karaoke, we had to say goodbye to the teachers. And it was still horrible. I hate goodbyes. Really. I would much rather say “See you later.” Bah.
For the final act of the night… dancing. And oh, how much fun it was. We got there at 11:30, and I stayed until 1:30. We had originally had 4 tables waiting for us, but by the time that we got there, we had lost all of our tables, because not enough people had shown up. Oops. But once we got in there, it didn’t matter. I just danced. The clubs in Beijing are amazing. The music is so loud that you can’t even hear yourself talk, and it is packed with people. And that is all that I am telling you about tonight.
And now, it is way past my bed time. Good night all!
First up, our final written exam. I was feeling lose as a goose, and carefree. My written test was actually not as hard as I thought that it was going to be. I felt pretty confident for it, and it was not the hardest test that we have ever had. There were some points where I am fairly sure that I didn’t respond correctly, but hey. It happens. I don’t need to be perfect.
I finished the test in 2 hours and 5 minutes. And then I was liberated. That was it. It’s done. HBA is done. My summer was over. I actually didn’t know what to feel, or what to do with myself. So I just bought myself some soy-milk, and walked back to the dorms with my friend to change into more formal clothes. We had our graduation ceremony today, so I wanted to be wearing something a little more formal. Besides, one of my teachers was feeling uncomfortable because she was wearing something really formal, so I figured why not.
During our graduation ceremony, a bunch of people talked, thanking us for coming to HBA, and doing such a good job. For about half an hour, it was just people talking, and listening to themselves talk. Awesome. Then we got our diploma’s, and it was off to Chinese tables. No, wait, ENGLISH TABLES. That’s right folks, I am officially allowed to speak English again. And we had to get the teachers to speak English as well. They were all so nervous to be speaking English in front of us. It was actually kind of cute.
I actually have a confession to make. Even though we could speak English (officially) a lot of us kept speaking Chinese, because we were just used to it. Sometimes, it is just easier to keep speaking Chinese. Especially with the teachers.
We were going to another college to eat lunch, but once we got there, it was actually pretty cool. There was a huge restaurant, and there was a buffet, with American Chinese food, and American food. It wasn’t the greatest food, but it was fun. But it was also sad. Oh so very sad. Because this is probably one of the last times that we are ever all going to be together. There were lots of pictures being taken, let me tell you. We also all crowded together to take a big class picture, and then paired off to take pictures with all of the teachers. I was actually kind of sad to see this end. Which is weird, because I have never really thought of myself as an emotional person. But I was starting to get really nostalgic.
At 1:30, it was time to go to the gym. Even though I had eaten a lot of food at lunch, I was still going to go to the gym. It was my last day with Jack. How is that for sad. When I got there, I first took some pictures with Jack. They are pretty fun. Jack posed them especially, and even rolled his sleeves up to show off his muscles. Then we both had to flex for the camera. It was adorable.
Then it was time for working out. While I lifted, Jack took pictures of me. And he totally kicked my ass today. I thought that I was going to die. And the hour went by way too fast. I closed my eyes, and then we were done. After my super long, lovely massage, Jack taught me how to do cupping. That’s right folks, I can now unleash a new form of torture upon the American population. You want someone to suction glass jars onto your back that will leave bruises on your back for days? Look no further, I am here to help! I also bought 12 cups, and one of my friends gave me a lighter. It’s going to be a fun couple of weeks.
It was hard to leave the gym. I didn’t want it to be over, because Jack was going to Shanghai this weekend, and I am going back to America. But I gave Jack my email address and phone number after he asked for it. Hopefully, I will be getting an email sometime soon. Cross your fingers.
For the rest of the afternoon, I tried to relax. It had already been a long day, and it wasn’t even near to be over yet. But I needed a cup of tea, and a movie, stat. Not for long though. As soon as I got back to my room, I started crying. Seriously, I don’t know what is wrong with me. I am not normally this nostalgic. I was just so sad to be leaving Jack, and that HBA was over, that I just lost it. What can I say, it happens. I guess it was just my time to let some stress off.
At 7, it was time for dinner. Most of the 4th kids and the teachers were all going out to dinner, and then going to sing karaoke. I decided, what the hell, it’s my last day in Beijing (well, second to last day) and I was going to go out, and I was going to look good doing it. Time to take my black top out for a spin. Haven’t had a chance to wear it yet until tonight.
Dinner was actually a lot lunch. It was Chinese food, sure, but it tasted like American Chinese food. Not really the best thing to be eating. I felt extremely honored though. My teacher, for the entire 20 minute walk over to dinner, held my hand and talked to me. Female teacher, by the way. That may sound weird to you, but that is just the Chinese culture. Good friends walk down the street arm in arm, hand in hand, gossiping. I felt like a local.
After dinner, it was karaoke time. If you know me at all, you know that I don’t sing. Unless it is in the shower, or no one is around. But I went to karaoke, in the spirit of celebrating with my friends. When we first got there, I didn’t sing, but then, as it turned into a huge ‘everybody sing at the top of your lungs’ kind of thing. It was fun. We sang along to Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and other such classics. It’s funny how those songs are really only okay when you are singing karaoke. But they are the most fun to sing at the top of your lungs.
Once again, at the end of karaoke, we had to say goodbye to the teachers. And it was still horrible. I hate goodbyes. Really. I would much rather say “See you later.” Bah.
For the final act of the night… dancing. And oh, how much fun it was. We got there at 11:30, and I stayed until 1:30. We had originally had 4 tables waiting for us, but by the time that we got there, we had lost all of our tables, because not enough people had shown up. Oops. But once we got in there, it didn’t matter. I just danced. The clubs in Beijing are amazing. The music is so loud that you can’t even hear yourself talk, and it is packed with people. And that is all that I am telling you about tonight.
And now, it is way past my bed time. Good night all!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
No Pain, No Gain
I used up all of the money in my wallet this morning to pay for breakfast. I had run out of milk, so cereal was out of the question. Luckily, I managed to scrape together 10 kuai, which is roughly a dollar and a half. I paid in basically the Chinese version of quarters. I think that the servers are starting to hate the sight of me.
Then it was time for the last day of class. It's amazing how much spirit people get when they know that we are in the final stretch. We were positively busting with energy. Even though we spent most of class time just going over simple grammar that we all learned in first year, but it was helpful still. There are some things in Chinese that I am convinced I am never going to get the hang of. And we laughed, and had a great time. Laughter can definitely make you remember things better. There was then a super funny fake class that one of the kids in our class put on. It was hysterical. I can't explain it properly using Chinese, but basically, he just used the easiest grammar you could possibly think of, and just joked for a while with it. Hysterical.
For the rest of the day, it was a lot like that. Everyone was excited that it was the last day, that we were all almost free. Sure, there was definitely some useful learning that went on, obviously. But you could tell, everyone was just counting down the seconds until the end of the day. Who can study in this kind of atmosphere? I definitely can't. Well, at least, I have a hard time studying. Since it is finals tomorrow, I suppose that I can rally and study at least for a little while. I'm not too worried for the test tomorrow, actually. I will probably regret saying that later on, but I still have 12 hours to live in bliss.
We had our speaking test today. I actually felt pretty confident for it. I figure, if you are relaxed, you will do fine. So I wasn't worrying a whole lot. And the teachers that I was taking the test with are pretty easy going, so I was relaxed and happy, talking about capitalism, and Africa. I know, who comes up with these topics? I thought that I was home free, until it got the final minute, and the main teacher walked into the room to listen to the end of my test. Then my teachers really woke up, and started asking lots and lots of questions. Some of which I couldn't answer. I felt cheated. Why on earth would she come in, just when I was in the final stretch? People always want to show off in front of their bosses.
And then I was home free. Well, as home free as you can get with a written final tomorrow. But I had three hours to kill by studying until I had to go see Jack. Oh yes, today was a Jack day.
I studied, and then it was off to the gym. He was five minutes late, but I suppose I will let that slide just this once. I was completely exhausted after 15 minutes. He pushed me so hard on my arms that I had to give up on one of the exercises half way through. I have never given up. Ever. I will push myself to throw up, but this time, my arms simply gave out. There was no way that I was going to keep lifting weights. Mostly, it went well though. Until we got to the end, when it was time to get stretched and massaged (still taking applications for anyone that wants to help me as soon as I get home). Anyway, the stretching. It normally hurts much more than when we work out. But if I tell Jack that he hurts, he just tells me to suck it up, and push harder. That is what he did today, as well. Except that it really hurt today. I told him that it hurt, and he kept pushing. I was fine with that, until I felt a tell tale pop and crackle in my hip. That is never a good sign. That was when I called it quits. I think that I might have just tweaked something, not torn it or anything. But can I just say, I told you so? I was waiting for this to happen. Ouch.
I caved in. I ate dinner tonight. Well, not really dinner. More like, I had broccoli, and this pumpkin sticky bread thing that is amazing. I figure that I am only in China for a little while longer, I am going to enjoy myself, and that is that! It was good.
I have spent the rest of my night signing cards for my teachers, studying for the test tomorrow, and relaxing. And now, I am going to bed. A girl needs her beauty sleep! Goodnight.
Then it was time for the last day of class. It's amazing how much spirit people get when they know that we are in the final stretch. We were positively busting with energy. Even though we spent most of class time just going over simple grammar that we all learned in first year, but it was helpful still. There are some things in Chinese that I am convinced I am never going to get the hang of. And we laughed, and had a great time. Laughter can definitely make you remember things better. There was then a super funny fake class that one of the kids in our class put on. It was hysterical. I can't explain it properly using Chinese, but basically, he just used the easiest grammar you could possibly think of, and just joked for a while with it. Hysterical.
For the rest of the day, it was a lot like that. Everyone was excited that it was the last day, that we were all almost free. Sure, there was definitely some useful learning that went on, obviously. But you could tell, everyone was just counting down the seconds until the end of the day. Who can study in this kind of atmosphere? I definitely can't. Well, at least, I have a hard time studying. Since it is finals tomorrow, I suppose that I can rally and study at least for a little while. I'm not too worried for the test tomorrow, actually. I will probably regret saying that later on, but I still have 12 hours to live in bliss.
We had our speaking test today. I actually felt pretty confident for it. I figure, if you are relaxed, you will do fine. So I wasn't worrying a whole lot. And the teachers that I was taking the test with are pretty easy going, so I was relaxed and happy, talking about capitalism, and Africa. I know, who comes up with these topics? I thought that I was home free, until it got the final minute, and the main teacher walked into the room to listen to the end of my test. Then my teachers really woke up, and started asking lots and lots of questions. Some of which I couldn't answer. I felt cheated. Why on earth would she come in, just when I was in the final stretch? People always want to show off in front of their bosses.
And then I was home free. Well, as home free as you can get with a written final tomorrow. But I had three hours to kill by studying until I had to go see Jack. Oh yes, today was a Jack day.
I studied, and then it was off to the gym. He was five minutes late, but I suppose I will let that slide just this once. I was completely exhausted after 15 minutes. He pushed me so hard on my arms that I had to give up on one of the exercises half way through. I have never given up. Ever. I will push myself to throw up, but this time, my arms simply gave out. There was no way that I was going to keep lifting weights. Mostly, it went well though. Until we got to the end, when it was time to get stretched and massaged (still taking applications for anyone that wants to help me as soon as I get home). Anyway, the stretching. It normally hurts much more than when we work out. But if I tell Jack that he hurts, he just tells me to suck it up, and push harder. That is what he did today, as well. Except that it really hurt today. I told him that it hurt, and he kept pushing. I was fine with that, until I felt a tell tale pop and crackle in my hip. That is never a good sign. That was when I called it quits. I think that I might have just tweaked something, not torn it or anything. But can I just say, I told you so? I was waiting for this to happen. Ouch.
I caved in. I ate dinner tonight. Well, not really dinner. More like, I had broccoli, and this pumpkin sticky bread thing that is amazing. I figure that I am only in China for a little while longer, I am going to enjoy myself, and that is that! It was good.
I have spent the rest of my night signing cards for my teachers, studying for the test tomorrow, and relaxing. And now, I am going to bed. A girl needs her beauty sleep! Goodnight.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The End is Near, Run For Your... Health?
I haven't written in a while, I know. It's not for any particular reason. Obviously, I could say that I have been too busy studying, or that I have just been really into Chinese, but the truth is, I have just been plain lazy. But I am back now. I might just paraphrase, if that is quite alright with you.
I have seen Jack twice since I last wrote to you. He is on a new kick, after finding a new way to torture me. For many of you, it won't seem too bad. Probably. Anyway, he has decided that he wants to see me sweat. So he has started making me go outside, to the smoggy, humid air, and exercise. Exercising in the humidity? Not so much fun. It definitely gets my body temperature up. I am going to take this opportunity to let you in on a little secret about me when I exercise. First off, I get super red in the face. That is the first clue that I am actually working hard. The second thing about me? I don't sweat a whole lot. I mean, I do sweat, but it's not like Niagra Falls or anything. I tried to explain this to Jack, but he just laughed it off. Out we went. And guess what? I actually did sweat a lot more. It was disgusting. Kind of like how I am explaining how I sweat is disgusting. I think that China has taken away my politeness. Just forget everything that I just wrote.
This also marks the beginning of the end. I am starting to get ready for all my tests. I have a speaking test tomorrow, and a written test on Friday. Everyone is finishing up studying, going into finals mode. We are all seriously burned out. I have almost no studying energy at all. I am done. My brain is too full of Chinese. I can't remember even the simplest characters. Oh well. I suppose that I normal. I need time to review, and process.
It's kind of sad to be seeing everyone packing up and getting ready to leave. I will be sad to leave Beijing, but I won't be sad to see HBA done. It has been such an intense summer. I have worked my ass off, harder than I have worked in a long time. But it was just what I needed to make my Chinese better. I haven't worked this hard in Chinese since I was in Beijing last time, and I have finally realized that my Chinese has come a long way this summer. It has gotten more formal. I still have such a long way too go, but it's better than kick in the head. I'm not nearly close yet.
So that's that. I have basically summed up my last couple of days. And I will talk to you all later!
I have seen Jack twice since I last wrote to you. He is on a new kick, after finding a new way to torture me. For many of you, it won't seem too bad. Probably. Anyway, he has decided that he wants to see me sweat. So he has started making me go outside, to the smoggy, humid air, and exercise. Exercising in the humidity? Not so much fun. It definitely gets my body temperature up. I am going to take this opportunity to let you in on a little secret about me when I exercise. First off, I get super red in the face. That is the first clue that I am actually working hard. The second thing about me? I don't sweat a whole lot. I mean, I do sweat, but it's not like Niagra Falls or anything. I tried to explain this to Jack, but he just laughed it off. Out we went. And guess what? I actually did sweat a lot more. It was disgusting. Kind of like how I am explaining how I sweat is disgusting. I think that China has taken away my politeness. Just forget everything that I just wrote.
This also marks the beginning of the end. I am starting to get ready for all my tests. I have a speaking test tomorrow, and a written test on Friday. Everyone is finishing up studying, going into finals mode. We are all seriously burned out. I have almost no studying energy at all. I am done. My brain is too full of Chinese. I can't remember even the simplest characters. Oh well. I suppose that I normal. I need time to review, and process.
It's kind of sad to be seeing everyone packing up and getting ready to leave. I will be sad to leave Beijing, but I won't be sad to see HBA done. It has been such an intense summer. I have worked my ass off, harder than I have worked in a long time. But it was just what I needed to make my Chinese better. I haven't worked this hard in Chinese since I was in Beijing last time, and I have finally realized that my Chinese has come a long way this summer. It has gotten more formal. I still have such a long way too go, but it's better than kick in the head. I'm not nearly close yet.
So that's that. I have basically summed up my last couple of days. And I will talk to you all later!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Wakey Wakey
I had a very rude awakening when I woke up this morning. My alarm went off, and I had no idea what the hell was going on. I didn’t know where I was, what day it was, or what that noise was that was waking me up. When I realized that it was my alarm going off, then I started thinking if it really was the week, and if my alarm actually deserved to be going off. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. It’s a very disconcerting way to wake up.
You can definitely tell that this is the last week here. Everyone is just about completely checked out. We are all giving it a go, trying to behave normally in class, but people are falling asleep, and it is obvious that people are all just thinking about the end of the week, when we no longer have to come to class. I have started to take more notes in class, which has the double bonus of helping me learn, and keeping me awake. Too bad it took me until the end the summer to figure this out.
During the 20 minute break in between reading class and small class (I know, horrible names, but I have no idea how to translate the names. Just go with it) the entire HBA (students and teachers, plus people that I don’t think are affiliated with HBA…) all trooped over to the library to take a group picture. It is amazing how long it takes to set up a group picture that actually only takes a couple of seconds to take. The preparation is not worth the outcome, in my humble opinion.
I also got my HSK test results back. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped I would do, but it was an improvement from last time. Oh well, it’s getting better. That did make me a little bit grouchy for a while though. I felt bad for the people that were in my conversation class. I got over my little fit after a couple of minutes though. Can’t stay mad forever. I think it also definitely did not help that I was hungry. I get super grouchy when I am hungry.
I got creative for lunch. Well, actually, I just changed things up. I got cold noodles (which are actually pretty good. They put lots of sauce and hot stuff on it. Yummy yummy) and Pumpkin bread things. I’m not sure what the translation is, but it’s sweet pumpkin sticky stuff, with red bean sauce in the middle. It was my treat. At the end of my trip here, I enjoy little treats.
You can definitely tell that this is the last week here. Everyone is just about completely checked out. We are all giving it a go, trying to behave normally in class, but people are falling asleep, and it is obvious that people are all just thinking about the end of the week, when we no longer have to come to class. I have started to take more notes in class, which has the double bonus of helping me learn, and keeping me awake. Too bad it took me until the end the summer to figure this out.
During the 20 minute break in between reading class and small class (I know, horrible names, but I have no idea how to translate the names. Just go with it) the entire HBA (students and teachers, plus people that I don’t think are affiliated with HBA…) all trooped over to the library to take a group picture. It is amazing how long it takes to set up a group picture that actually only takes a couple of seconds to take. The preparation is not worth the outcome, in my humble opinion.
I also got my HSK test results back. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped I would do, but it was an improvement from last time. Oh well, it’s getting better. That did make me a little bit grouchy for a while though. I felt bad for the people that were in my conversation class. I got over my little fit after a couple of minutes though. Can’t stay mad forever. I think it also definitely did not help that I was hungry. I get super grouchy when I am hungry.
I got creative for lunch. Well, actually, I just changed things up. I got cold noodles (which are actually pretty good. They put lots of sauce and hot stuff on it. Yummy yummy) and Pumpkin bread things. I’m not sure what the translation is, but it’s sweet pumpkin sticky stuff, with red bean sauce in the middle. It was my treat. At the end of my trip here, I enjoy little treats.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Little Bit of Culture
I woke up at 8:15 this morning. It was a bit early for me as well, especially on a Sunday morning, but I had plans. I had a quick breakfast and tea, checked my emails, talked to my parents, and out the door I went. I had to get some cash first, and luckily, the ATM that I tried this morning worked. (The one that I tried yesterday didn’t work. But that ATM has been broken for a while, so I am just going to keep saying that it is still broken.)
I was going to the National Museum with my Chinese language partner Qiao Xue. I met her at a subway stop, and then we rode the subway over to the proper stop. I went to the Museum a long time ago, when I was doing the SYA program, but it’s been a while. It was nice to see Qiao Xue again. She is a really cool person. It was a little hot today, but the Museum was close to the subway, so it wasn’t very far to walk to get there. Once we got there, we got tickets, and started browsing. Well, obviously. What else do you do museums?
There were a couple of fun little places to go see. There was a gorgeous jade exhibit and a whole hall dedicated to Buddhist art. I’m not religious, but I love looking at Buddha statues. They are amazing. I kept thinking back to the Art History class that I took last semester. I really wish that I could remember more of what I learned. It would have been so helpful. If only I had time to learn everything in the world! Ah well, I guess no one is perfect. I’ll just have to imitate Mary Poppins.
We left after about an hour. I got the feeling that she wasn’t really having that good of a time, and I prefer to just kind of walk around and quickly look at everything. We decided to get lunch together. Well, actually, I mentioned that I was going to go to a restaurant for lunch, and she decided to join me. The more the merrier, I say!
The cutest thing in the world happened as we were heading over to lunch. We were riding the subway over to our proper stop, and on the way, two moms and their kids got onto the subway right next to us. The kids were two little girls, probably about 5 years old, and full of energy. They immediately starting climbing all over everything, and jumping around. The mom tried to test the girls character recognition, but it didn't work too well. One of them kept looking at me and smiling, and then jumping around even more. Then, she ran up to her mom, and started whispering. I heard the word "English" and knew that she was talking about me. Then she looked at me, and said "Auntie, hello." (Auntie is what they call older women, when you are addressing someone. Cultural thing.) I almost died, it was that cute. Then I told her that she could start talking to me in Chinese, because I could understand it. They then started taking turns, asking me in small voices, questions about where I was from and what I was doing in Beijing. Their moms were silently encouraging them. It was the cutest thing ever. I love Asian babies, I think that they are adorable. I would have stolen this one, but I felt that the mom might have had something to say about it. I have never been so sad to get off the subway in my life.
I actually almost got us all killed on the way to the restaurant. At first, I wanted to go to an old place that I used to go to, that had the best soup ever, but it was closed. As in, out of business closed. So that was a no go. Instead, we crossed the road and went to another place. I have always maintained that if you are a foreigner, you can cross the road in China no sweat, because there is no way that they will hit you, because you will sue them for all them are worth. Well, I was proved wrong today. We were crossing the road, and I was not being particularly careful, and almost got taken out by a truck. Qiao Xue did the smart thing, and jumped backwards, out of the way. I am clearly not as smart. Instead I jumped many steps forward. As in, I had to move infront of the car to get away. Well, I never said I was a genius. I did a matrix like move though. What an adrenaline rush.
Lunch was actually pretty good. Kung Pao Chicken, and Beef and Potatoes. As well as this good sweet bread. Hard to explain, but take my word for it, it’s super good. We had a nice little talk, and then it was time to leave. I paid for lunch, even though I had to fight for the right. You have to be exceedingly pushy here, I have found. Just another one of those cultural things, I guess. I’m good at getting people to let me pay the bill, but I can’t call the waiters over yet. Oh well. I’ll get used to it in time.
I went back to my dorm room for some rest. I was full and happy. I did my homework: read the text, made the flash cards.
I went to get a massage at 6. Originally, I wasn’t going to go, but my back was killing me from going to the gym, and I only have a week left here, so why not? I went by myself tonight, because that’s what all the cool kids do. My favorite person was busy, so I just got whoever they had left. As it turns out, I got a woman, who I had never had before. When I walked in, all my friends said hello to me, and then the massage started.
Holy shit, this woman was intense. She was going to town on my back, much more so than any body else that had ever given me a massage. I couldn’t understand a word she was saying though, her accent was super thick. I needed a translator to translate it into proper Chinese for me. She didn’t look very strong, but she was. There were times when I almost turned over and said something. But a couple of deep breaths got me through it. Who knew that would work?
When I was done with the massage, the lady told me that I should get a foot massage. I’ve never had one before, so I thought, why not? IT WAS AMAZING. First my feet soaked in hot water, and then the lady came back, and gave me a massage. Last but not least, she used a hot rock to scrape at my feet. Obviously, it was a Chinese medicine foot massage, so it still hurt, as they tried to fix my body, but afterwards, it felt amazing.
A couple of notes about this massage. There were a couple of Chinese guys that were getting a massage at the same time as I was, and they couldn’t speak a word of Chinese. The massage people kept trying to talk to them, and it ended in disaster. That made me feel good about my Chinese. Later on, we were both getting a foot massage at the same time, and I acted as a translator for them. That was a big boost for my ego. They were surprised that I had been studying for six years. I think that they had been hoping that I had only been studying for 6 weeks, so that they would be able to learn it faster. Dream on, kids.
Also, my favorite little massage monk kept telling me that I was pretty. Last week I was too skinny for cupping, and now I keep getting prettier. I could kiss him. That is what every girl loves to hear.
And that was my night. I walked home, watched a movie, and went to bed. So begins the last week in China!
I was going to the National Museum with my Chinese language partner Qiao Xue. I met her at a subway stop, and then we rode the subway over to the proper stop. I went to the Museum a long time ago, when I was doing the SYA program, but it’s been a while. It was nice to see Qiao Xue again. She is a really cool person. It was a little hot today, but the Museum was close to the subway, so it wasn’t very far to walk to get there. Once we got there, we got tickets, and started browsing. Well, obviously. What else do you do museums?
There were a couple of fun little places to go see. There was a gorgeous jade exhibit and a whole hall dedicated to Buddhist art. I’m not religious, but I love looking at Buddha statues. They are amazing. I kept thinking back to the Art History class that I took last semester. I really wish that I could remember more of what I learned. It would have been so helpful. If only I had time to learn everything in the world! Ah well, I guess no one is perfect. I’ll just have to imitate Mary Poppins.
We left after about an hour. I got the feeling that she wasn’t really having that good of a time, and I prefer to just kind of walk around and quickly look at everything. We decided to get lunch together. Well, actually, I mentioned that I was going to go to a restaurant for lunch, and she decided to join me. The more the merrier, I say!
The cutest thing in the world happened as we were heading over to lunch. We were riding the subway over to our proper stop, and on the way, two moms and their kids got onto the subway right next to us. The kids were two little girls, probably about 5 years old, and full of energy. They immediately starting climbing all over everything, and jumping around. The mom tried to test the girls character recognition, but it didn't work too well. One of them kept looking at me and smiling, and then jumping around even more. Then, she ran up to her mom, and started whispering. I heard the word "English" and knew that she was talking about me. Then she looked at me, and said "Auntie, hello." (Auntie is what they call older women, when you are addressing someone. Cultural thing.) I almost died, it was that cute. Then I told her that she could start talking to me in Chinese, because I could understand it. They then started taking turns, asking me in small voices, questions about where I was from and what I was doing in Beijing. Their moms were silently encouraging them. It was the cutest thing ever. I love Asian babies, I think that they are adorable. I would have stolen this one, but I felt that the mom might have had something to say about it. I have never been so sad to get off the subway in my life.
I actually almost got us all killed on the way to the restaurant. At first, I wanted to go to an old place that I used to go to, that had the best soup ever, but it was closed. As in, out of business closed. So that was a no go. Instead, we crossed the road and went to another place. I have always maintained that if you are a foreigner, you can cross the road in China no sweat, because there is no way that they will hit you, because you will sue them for all them are worth. Well, I was proved wrong today. We were crossing the road, and I was not being particularly careful, and almost got taken out by a truck. Qiao Xue did the smart thing, and jumped backwards, out of the way. I am clearly not as smart. Instead I jumped many steps forward. As in, I had to move infront of the car to get away. Well, I never said I was a genius. I did a matrix like move though. What an adrenaline rush.
Lunch was actually pretty good. Kung Pao Chicken, and Beef and Potatoes. As well as this good sweet bread. Hard to explain, but take my word for it, it’s super good. We had a nice little talk, and then it was time to leave. I paid for lunch, even though I had to fight for the right. You have to be exceedingly pushy here, I have found. Just another one of those cultural things, I guess. I’m good at getting people to let me pay the bill, but I can’t call the waiters over yet. Oh well. I’ll get used to it in time.
I went back to my dorm room for some rest. I was full and happy. I did my homework: read the text, made the flash cards.
I went to get a massage at 6. Originally, I wasn’t going to go, but my back was killing me from going to the gym, and I only have a week left here, so why not? I went by myself tonight, because that’s what all the cool kids do. My favorite person was busy, so I just got whoever they had left. As it turns out, I got a woman, who I had never had before. When I walked in, all my friends said hello to me, and then the massage started.
Holy shit, this woman was intense. She was going to town on my back, much more so than any body else that had ever given me a massage. I couldn’t understand a word she was saying though, her accent was super thick. I needed a translator to translate it into proper Chinese for me. She didn’t look very strong, but she was. There were times when I almost turned over and said something. But a couple of deep breaths got me through it. Who knew that would work?
When I was done with the massage, the lady told me that I should get a foot massage. I’ve never had one before, so I thought, why not? IT WAS AMAZING. First my feet soaked in hot water, and then the lady came back, and gave me a massage. Last but not least, she used a hot rock to scrape at my feet. Obviously, it was a Chinese medicine foot massage, so it still hurt, as they tried to fix my body, but afterwards, it felt amazing.
A couple of notes about this massage. There were a couple of Chinese guys that were getting a massage at the same time as I was, and they couldn’t speak a word of Chinese. The massage people kept trying to talk to them, and it ended in disaster. That made me feel good about my Chinese. Later on, we were both getting a foot massage at the same time, and I acted as a translator for them. That was a big boost for my ego. They were surprised that I had been studying for six years. I think that they had been hoping that I had only been studying for 6 weeks, so that they would be able to learn it faster. Dream on, kids.
Also, my favorite little massage monk kept telling me that I was pretty. Last week I was too skinny for cupping, and now I keep getting prettier. I could kiss him. That is what every girl loves to hear.
And that was my night. I walked home, watched a movie, and went to bed. So begins the last week in China!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The End is Near
I woke up three times last night. The first time at 5:30, the second time at 7:30, and finally, at 8:30. Considering the fact that I went to bed at 1 in the morning, this was not fun. I tried to go back to sleep, but it didn't work. I hate that, when you are trying to go back to bed, and it just doesn't work. Drives me nuts.
I took it slow this morning. It was just that kind of day. I ate breakfast, did all the normal things a girl does in the morning, and then tried to go back to bed around 10:30. When at first you don't succeed, try try again. Didn't work the second time though. Naturally.
A new Japanese restaurant just opened up on the first floor in our building, and I have heard good things, so I decided to go try it out. Everyone loves Japanese food. I got the Edamame and Chicken Teryaki. I had to wait a while to get it, and unfortunately, it was definitely not worth the wait. Also, because for some reason my card was not working (as in I couldn't get any money out of the machine) so it was also financially sound for me to get that. I can't understand people who like to eat raw fish.
I saw Jack today. The first thing he did was to measure all the danger areas on my body, to see how much I had lost. I think that it was more for his own appreciation, so that he could feel good about how he helped me lose weight. I'm just going to say it. He measured my chest first, and when he found that it had gotten smaller (but only by a little bit!) he looked at me, and said very seriously "Not good." Not shit Jack. I am very much aware of that.
I am also getting some serious calluses on my hands now. It's nice to actually feel like I am working again. A serious problem with Jack is that he seems to think that I am much more hardcore than I actually am. For example: he made me dead lift 130 pounds 15 times, after dead lifting 110 pounds 30 times. After that? Stomach. I basically had to hang completely vertical (head down) and then do crunches straight up. It was killer. Jack just laughed, and told me to do it again. Easy for him to say, when he is just holding my feet down.
When the work out was done, I got my usual massage. But this time, he took me back to the Chinese medicine area, and I got to lie down on one of the padded tables to get a massage. It was so nice. We started talking about cupping, and he told me that before I left for America, he would teach me how to do it. He also told me that he would help me buy some of the cups. I said that will be amazing, but we'll see how much it costs, and how many I have to buy. I don't know if I have the space. Or the money, for that matter.
I'm going to skip the next couple of hours of my day, because it's not that interesting. But this night was actually pretty fun. We had Beijing Night, which is basically our programs end of the year celebration, where people can perform, and put on plays from our classes. When I got there, I was not expecting good things, I thought that it would be boring. But it was so funny. I was almost dying from laughter. Just about all of them were funny. And everyone was there. My language partner showed up, and she actually gave me a present. I felt so embarrassed, because I didn't have a present to give her, but she didn't seem to mind.
It was such a wake up call, that the year is almost over. I started feeling all nostalgic. Not crying nostalgic, just kind of sad that is was all about to be over. Everyone kept talking about how it was the last week, and that just was not what I wanted to hear. But it was a good celebration. I can't believe I only have a week left here, and then I am back in California! It doesn't seem real.
And now, I am done. Goodnight!
I took it slow this morning. It was just that kind of day. I ate breakfast, did all the normal things a girl does in the morning, and then tried to go back to bed around 10:30. When at first you don't succeed, try try again. Didn't work the second time though. Naturally.
A new Japanese restaurant just opened up on the first floor in our building, and I have heard good things, so I decided to go try it out. Everyone loves Japanese food. I got the Edamame and Chicken Teryaki. I had to wait a while to get it, and unfortunately, it was definitely not worth the wait. Also, because for some reason my card was not working (as in I couldn't get any money out of the machine) so it was also financially sound for me to get that. I can't understand people who like to eat raw fish.
I saw Jack today. The first thing he did was to measure all the danger areas on my body, to see how much I had lost. I think that it was more for his own appreciation, so that he could feel good about how he helped me lose weight. I'm just going to say it. He measured my chest first, and when he found that it had gotten smaller (but only by a little bit!) he looked at me, and said very seriously "Not good." Not shit Jack. I am very much aware of that.
I am also getting some serious calluses on my hands now. It's nice to actually feel like I am working again. A serious problem with Jack is that he seems to think that I am much more hardcore than I actually am. For example: he made me dead lift 130 pounds 15 times, after dead lifting 110 pounds 30 times. After that? Stomach. I basically had to hang completely vertical (head down) and then do crunches straight up. It was killer. Jack just laughed, and told me to do it again. Easy for him to say, when he is just holding my feet down.
When the work out was done, I got my usual massage. But this time, he took me back to the Chinese medicine area, and I got to lie down on one of the padded tables to get a massage. It was so nice. We started talking about cupping, and he told me that before I left for America, he would teach me how to do it. He also told me that he would help me buy some of the cups. I said that will be amazing, but we'll see how much it costs, and how many I have to buy. I don't know if I have the space. Or the money, for that matter.
I'm going to skip the next couple of hours of my day, because it's not that interesting. But this night was actually pretty fun. We had Beijing Night, which is basically our programs end of the year celebration, where people can perform, and put on plays from our classes. When I got there, I was not expecting good things, I thought that it would be boring. But it was so funny. I was almost dying from laughter. Just about all of them were funny. And everyone was there. My language partner showed up, and she actually gave me a present. I felt so embarrassed, because I didn't have a present to give her, but she didn't seem to mind.
It was such a wake up call, that the year is almost over. I started feeling all nostalgic. Not crying nostalgic, just kind of sad that is was all about to be over. Everyone kept talking about how it was the last week, and that just was not what I wanted to hear. But it was a good celebration. I can't believe I only have a week left here, and then I am back in California! It doesn't seem real.
And now, I am done. Goodnight!
Friday, August 6, 2010
That's It... I'm Going Fetal
I could feel a huge cloud looming over me when I woke up this morning. It was going to be a pizzling of a day, after a pizzling of a week. But it was the last push, until the weekend. Last big effort until freedom. Unfortunately, it was going to have to be a long effort.
First things first. The end of week chapter test. Well, actually, the end of the week test on two chapters. To be specific. There was some last minute studying in the 15 minutes leading up to the exam, and then it was off to the races. I started out strong, and it got consistently worse. When I hit the small essay part, it was almost comical. There were points where I was answering the questions, writing down sentences and what not, but I could not for the life of me tell you what I was writing. I was just copying down answers from the paragraph that I had just read that looked like they could be the answers. Sometimes, I didn't understand the question, but I figured out a way. I have mastered the art of writing paragraphs that are so broad that they could be applied to just about any situation. It keeps things easy.
When that was done, it was on to the next tests. First up, reading the textbook. We had to read some paragraphs out loud to our teacher. That was pretty easy. My tones are definitely getting better and better, but I still have a long way to go.
Then it was time for the debate. We were insanely NOT prepared. We had met about half an hour before the debate, to decide what we wanted to say, and what order we were going to talk in. Basically, the rule of the day was every man (or woman) for his or her self. This was shaping up to be a good time. I was talking second. I planned on just reading my speech, which basically talked about the economic reasons why we have to develop the economy before protecting the environment. To put it simply, we all sounded like old man Republicans. But it was definitely the easier side to argue.
At the end of it, our side won. We all agreed, however, that even though we had won, the other side was correct. Ah well. I guess that is a pretty typical outcome. We were all so excited to be done with classes, and officially on weekend time, that as soon as the debate was over, no one was thinking about it anymore. Now, it was lunch time. But before we had lunch, the head of our program had to give out prizes for last week’s translation competition. I got third place, along with about 15 other people. Still, I’m excited. Never thought I would actually get a place.
For lunch, our program bought us pizza. Which was actually perfect timing, because I have been craving pizza for a long time. It’s weird how when you are away from the comforts of home, you start craving the weirdest things. Anyway, they bought us pizza because it was both quick (so that we could rest before we had to go take the HSK) and it was easy. Unfortunately, as soon as we were done with class, the pizza still wasn’t there. We only had to wait a couple of minutes before the pizza came, but when you have just finished class, and are starving, a couple of minutes can feel like a couple of hours.
For China pizza, lunch was actually pretty good. The crust was pretty legit. When I was younger, I used to be able to eat a whole pizza on my own, and then go out for ice cream afterwards. Now, I can handle about two slices, and no ice cream afterwards. I have become a lightweight. But maybe on this single occasion, being a lightweight is a good thing.
I had about an hour and half to relax, and try to get some semblance of normal back. My brain was fried after all my tests, and after I was trying to remember all of my vocabulary words. There was one point on my test, where we had to write a small essay, using 6 grammar points and 6 new words. As soon as I read those words, all of the words that we had learned, and all of the grammar points flew out of my head. Typical. You know how that goes. (To solve the problem, I simply looked back over the test, and used all of the grammar points and new words that we were being tested on. Worked like a charm.)
The HSK. The Crusher of Souls. The reminder that just when you think your Chinese is kind of sort of okay, well, it really isn’t. You really still have a hell of a long way to go, and it looks almost impossible. It started at 2 PM this afternoon, and I wasn’t worried about it at all. This isn’t to say that I didn’t think it was going to be hard. To put it simply, it was just very low on my list of things to do. I wasn’t getting a grade for it, and if I don’t test well, then I can just take it again later. So really, this test was just for fun. No pressure at all. It might also be because I am feeling completely checked out of school, but I feel like this is a healthy point of view to have.
It started out well. The listening comprehension was not too bad, and I felt like I had a pretty good handle on it. I made some stupid mistakes, but overall, I was on top of it. Then it started going downhill. The real kicker was the reading comprehension, in the form of long paragraphs, and then questions. Dear God, it almost killed me. There were paragraphs that I didn’t understand, and there were questions that I didn’t understand. It got to the point where I was simply going with my gut, and trying to pick the answers where I could recognize the most words. I think that overall, it must have gone well. I hope so anyway. I felt like the stupidest person in the room when I walked out.
By this point, I felt like I had just been squeezed and hung out to dry. I felt ready to go fetal. Actually, here is a good way to describe it. When I got back to my room, I felt like I was a disaster survivor. Not to belittle actual disaster survivors. But it was painful. I had been completely stripped down of Chinese. And I still felt like the stupidest person in the room, because I felt like everyone else had to have been better on the test than I did.
This feeling didn’t last for long. I left my room later on to go get some apples (these cravings are really getting annoying. No, I am NOT pregnant.) and I ran into my friend Kelly, who had also taken the HSK. Her mental state was a whole lot like mine, if not worse. She said that it was almost comical how hard the test was, and that she almost left. (Actually, I also talked to someone else who said that the only reason that she didn't walk out halfway through was because she was in the middle of the row and there was no easy exit.) This conversation actually made me feel a lot better, because I realized that I wasn't the only one who was despairing. For some people, the HSK was the straw that broke the camels back.
I went out for dinner and entertainment tonight. I went out with a couple of people from my class to Houhai, which is this really gorgeous place in the middle of Beijing, that is basically a bunch of bars around a HUGE lake. At night, it is beautiful, because the lights reflect off the lake. We went a Mexican restaurant for dinner (I had a chicken thing. It wasn't lovely), a strange place for desert, and then went out on the town in search of a suitable bar. We started out in Nanluo Guxiang, which is just a really foreigner infested hutong (but so pretty, and a lot of fun to walk down) before we decided that it was too expensive, and went to another place.
I'm not going to give you a big description, mostly because I don't know who is reading this. But, as I am sure that most of you know, I am a cheap drunk. I have no tolerance, at all. Mostly because I never drink. So when I do have a few, I am completely happy, and in my own little world. I didn't get drunk last night, but I was happy. And as far as I am concerned, that is the best way to be. When you drink. ANYWAY. We sat at a table right by the lake, and had an awesome night. Unfortunately, Houhai is super expensive, and I didn't have a lot of money on me. I took off at 12:30, and my friend and I got a cab back to school.
And that was my night. It was so much fun. Some of my friends stayed in Houhai, but I didn't have enough money to stay with them. I took a shower and went to bed as soon as I got back. And let me tell you, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Goodnight!
First things first. The end of week chapter test. Well, actually, the end of the week test on two chapters. To be specific. There was some last minute studying in the 15 minutes leading up to the exam, and then it was off to the races. I started out strong, and it got consistently worse. When I hit the small essay part, it was almost comical. There were points where I was answering the questions, writing down sentences and what not, but I could not for the life of me tell you what I was writing. I was just copying down answers from the paragraph that I had just read that looked like they could be the answers. Sometimes, I didn't understand the question, but I figured out a way. I have mastered the art of writing paragraphs that are so broad that they could be applied to just about any situation. It keeps things easy.
When that was done, it was on to the next tests. First up, reading the textbook. We had to read some paragraphs out loud to our teacher. That was pretty easy. My tones are definitely getting better and better, but I still have a long way to go.
Then it was time for the debate. We were insanely NOT prepared. We had met about half an hour before the debate, to decide what we wanted to say, and what order we were going to talk in. Basically, the rule of the day was every man (or woman) for his or her self. This was shaping up to be a good time. I was talking second. I planned on just reading my speech, which basically talked about the economic reasons why we have to develop the economy before protecting the environment. To put it simply, we all sounded like old man Republicans. But it was definitely the easier side to argue.
At the end of it, our side won. We all agreed, however, that even though we had won, the other side was correct. Ah well. I guess that is a pretty typical outcome. We were all so excited to be done with classes, and officially on weekend time, that as soon as the debate was over, no one was thinking about it anymore. Now, it was lunch time. But before we had lunch, the head of our program had to give out prizes for last week’s translation competition. I got third place, along with about 15 other people. Still, I’m excited. Never thought I would actually get a place.
For lunch, our program bought us pizza. Which was actually perfect timing, because I have been craving pizza for a long time. It’s weird how when you are away from the comforts of home, you start craving the weirdest things. Anyway, they bought us pizza because it was both quick (so that we could rest before we had to go take the HSK) and it was easy. Unfortunately, as soon as we were done with class, the pizza still wasn’t there. We only had to wait a couple of minutes before the pizza came, but when you have just finished class, and are starving, a couple of minutes can feel like a couple of hours.
For China pizza, lunch was actually pretty good. The crust was pretty legit. When I was younger, I used to be able to eat a whole pizza on my own, and then go out for ice cream afterwards. Now, I can handle about two slices, and no ice cream afterwards. I have become a lightweight. But maybe on this single occasion, being a lightweight is a good thing.
I had about an hour and half to relax, and try to get some semblance of normal back. My brain was fried after all my tests, and after I was trying to remember all of my vocabulary words. There was one point on my test, where we had to write a small essay, using 6 grammar points and 6 new words. As soon as I read those words, all of the words that we had learned, and all of the grammar points flew out of my head. Typical. You know how that goes. (To solve the problem, I simply looked back over the test, and used all of the grammar points and new words that we were being tested on. Worked like a charm.)
The HSK. The Crusher of Souls. The reminder that just when you think your Chinese is kind of sort of okay, well, it really isn’t. You really still have a hell of a long way to go, and it looks almost impossible. It started at 2 PM this afternoon, and I wasn’t worried about it at all. This isn’t to say that I didn’t think it was going to be hard. To put it simply, it was just very low on my list of things to do. I wasn’t getting a grade for it, and if I don’t test well, then I can just take it again later. So really, this test was just for fun. No pressure at all. It might also be because I am feeling completely checked out of school, but I feel like this is a healthy point of view to have.
It started out well. The listening comprehension was not too bad, and I felt like I had a pretty good handle on it. I made some stupid mistakes, but overall, I was on top of it. Then it started going downhill. The real kicker was the reading comprehension, in the form of long paragraphs, and then questions. Dear God, it almost killed me. There were paragraphs that I didn’t understand, and there were questions that I didn’t understand. It got to the point where I was simply going with my gut, and trying to pick the answers where I could recognize the most words. I think that overall, it must have gone well. I hope so anyway. I felt like the stupidest person in the room when I walked out.
By this point, I felt like I had just been squeezed and hung out to dry. I felt ready to go fetal. Actually, here is a good way to describe it. When I got back to my room, I felt like I was a disaster survivor. Not to belittle actual disaster survivors. But it was painful. I had been completely stripped down of Chinese. And I still felt like the stupidest person in the room, because I felt like everyone else had to have been better on the test than I did.
This feeling didn’t last for long. I left my room later on to go get some apples (these cravings are really getting annoying. No, I am NOT pregnant.) and I ran into my friend Kelly, who had also taken the HSK. Her mental state was a whole lot like mine, if not worse. She said that it was almost comical how hard the test was, and that she almost left. (Actually, I also talked to someone else who said that the only reason that she didn't walk out halfway through was because she was in the middle of the row and there was no easy exit.) This conversation actually made me feel a lot better, because I realized that I wasn't the only one who was despairing. For some people, the HSK was the straw that broke the camels back.
I went out for dinner and entertainment tonight. I went out with a couple of people from my class to Houhai, which is this really gorgeous place in the middle of Beijing, that is basically a bunch of bars around a HUGE lake. At night, it is beautiful, because the lights reflect off the lake. We went a Mexican restaurant for dinner (I had a chicken thing. It wasn't lovely), a strange place for desert, and then went out on the town in search of a suitable bar. We started out in Nanluo Guxiang, which is just a really foreigner infested hutong (but so pretty, and a lot of fun to walk down) before we decided that it was too expensive, and went to another place.
I'm not going to give you a big description, mostly because I don't know who is reading this. But, as I am sure that most of you know, I am a cheap drunk. I have no tolerance, at all. Mostly because I never drink. So when I do have a few, I am completely happy, and in my own little world. I didn't get drunk last night, but I was happy. And as far as I am concerned, that is the best way to be. When you drink. ANYWAY. We sat at a table right by the lake, and had an awesome night. Unfortunately, Houhai is super expensive, and I didn't have a lot of money on me. I took off at 12:30, and my friend and I got a cab back to school.
And that was my night. It was so much fun. Some of my friends stayed in Houhai, but I didn't have enough money to stay with them. I took a shower and went to bed as soon as I got back. And let me tell you, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Goodnight!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Day Before Tomorrow
I'm sure that you are looking at this title, thinking, Jesus Christ Sophie, how much of your English have you lost? BUT I HAVE AN EXPLANATION. Tomorrow is going to be a horrible day, so I keep thinking of today as the buffer between my reality right now, and the hell of a day tomorrow. Hence, the title. And now, onto my day.
I had the most disturbing dream last night. But I can’t tell you about it. You would probably never talk to me again if I told you about it. Food for thought. Actually, it was so vivid, and so life like, that it wasn’t until I got half way through the first lecture of the morning that I realized that it was just a dream, and not just a very disturbing memory. It was actually an extremely eye opening realization, that my dream was actually a dream. I hadn’t realized that I was thinking about it as a memory until I got to class. It’s been a while since I have had a dream like this. ANYWAY. Back to the interesting bits.
I felt like I had slept one day too long when I got to the lecture. My teacher started talking about all of these grammar points that I didn’t recognize at all. Normally I will at least recognize the characters, if not the meaning. I had to look around, and then check the date, to make sure that I hadn’t actually slept one day too many. As if I could. What can I say, it was just one of those days.
It definitely got better though. I started to understand what she was saying (which is always a good sign) and I could even start to answer the questions that she was asking. I also soon realized that I hadn’t slept a day too long. I have been having more and more epiphany moments recently. The result of a crapload of studying, I suspect. My teachers were right, my Chinese is definitely getting better. I didn’t believe them at first, but I do now.
As we head into the last week of class, it is funny to watch how everyone is just starting to wilt. Even the teachers are done for. No one wants to be sitting in class, teaching or learning. We are all so very burnt out. Take today for example, during our conversation class. Our teacher was sitting there while we were debating, yawning, and trying to look extremely interested while we butchered his language. He also admitted to us that when he woke up this morning, coming to class was the absolute late thing that he wanted to do. I can completely understand that. We only have 4 days left of class though. Soon, we will all be able to relax, and regain our spirits.
I didn’t skip lunch today, I just ate a little bit later than most people. I had a late morning snack, so I wasn’t hungry at lunch time. I just came back to my room to relax. While I was walking back, I ran into the 5th year teacher, and another student, who had the same idea as me. We all just wanted a little bit of time to ourselves. I mean, being social is good and healthy and whatnot, but sometimes you just need some time to yourself.
At 1:30, I had a one on one class with my teacher. It was really helpful. She went over all the grammar points with me, and it was perfect. Sometimes, I just need someone to go over it all with me. After class was over (and the HSK practice test was done) I went to get lunch. Unfortunately, China does not work quite like America. Even though it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, but all of the restaurants were closed for the afternoon. I had to get creative for lunch.
The rest of my afternoon was spent studying, preparing for my test tomorrow. (Tomorrow is actually going to be a horrible day, but I will let you learn about my day tomorrow after I actually experience it.) I also had to prepare my speech for the debate tomorrow. I extremely dislike formal debates, but what are you going to do? I think the plan is basically just to wing it. My team is not particularly in the debating mood this week. I’m not worried, we are all pretty smart, and I think we shall be fine.
I saw Jack tonight, at 8. That’s pretty late for me to be working out, especially when I had a million and half tests tomorrow, but it was good. And my stomach has never hurt so much from working out as it did tonight. I thought that it would never stop cramping. Jack almost died laughing at me.
I spent the rest of the night doing some last minute studying, and preparing for my debate tomorrow. Not a whole lot of fun in that. And now, I am off to bed. Goodnight!
I had the most disturbing dream last night. But I can’t tell you about it. You would probably never talk to me again if I told you about it. Food for thought. Actually, it was so vivid, and so life like, that it wasn’t until I got half way through the first lecture of the morning that I realized that it was just a dream, and not just a very disturbing memory. It was actually an extremely eye opening realization, that my dream was actually a dream. I hadn’t realized that I was thinking about it as a memory until I got to class. It’s been a while since I have had a dream like this. ANYWAY. Back to the interesting bits.
I felt like I had slept one day too long when I got to the lecture. My teacher started talking about all of these grammar points that I didn’t recognize at all. Normally I will at least recognize the characters, if not the meaning. I had to look around, and then check the date, to make sure that I hadn’t actually slept one day too many. As if I could. What can I say, it was just one of those days.
It definitely got better though. I started to understand what she was saying (which is always a good sign) and I could even start to answer the questions that she was asking. I also soon realized that I hadn’t slept a day too long. I have been having more and more epiphany moments recently. The result of a crapload of studying, I suspect. My teachers were right, my Chinese is definitely getting better. I didn’t believe them at first, but I do now.
As we head into the last week of class, it is funny to watch how everyone is just starting to wilt. Even the teachers are done for. No one wants to be sitting in class, teaching or learning. We are all so very burnt out. Take today for example, during our conversation class. Our teacher was sitting there while we were debating, yawning, and trying to look extremely interested while we butchered his language. He also admitted to us that when he woke up this morning, coming to class was the absolute late thing that he wanted to do. I can completely understand that. We only have 4 days left of class though. Soon, we will all be able to relax, and regain our spirits.
I didn’t skip lunch today, I just ate a little bit later than most people. I had a late morning snack, so I wasn’t hungry at lunch time. I just came back to my room to relax. While I was walking back, I ran into the 5th year teacher, and another student, who had the same idea as me. We all just wanted a little bit of time to ourselves. I mean, being social is good and healthy and whatnot, but sometimes you just need some time to yourself.
At 1:30, I had a one on one class with my teacher. It was really helpful. She went over all the grammar points with me, and it was perfect. Sometimes, I just need someone to go over it all with me. After class was over (and the HSK practice test was done) I went to get lunch. Unfortunately, China does not work quite like America. Even though it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, but all of the restaurants were closed for the afternoon. I had to get creative for lunch.
The rest of my afternoon was spent studying, preparing for my test tomorrow. (Tomorrow is actually going to be a horrible day, but I will let you learn about my day tomorrow after I actually experience it.) I also had to prepare my speech for the debate tomorrow. I extremely dislike formal debates, but what are you going to do? I think the plan is basically just to wing it. My team is not particularly in the debating mood this week. I’m not worried, we are all pretty smart, and I think we shall be fine.
I saw Jack tonight, at 8. That’s pretty late for me to be working out, especially when I had a million and half tests tomorrow, but it was good. And my stomach has never hurt so much from working out as it did tonight. I thought that it would never stop cramping. Jack almost died laughing at me.
I spent the rest of the night doing some last minute studying, and preparing for my debate tomorrow. Not a whole lot of fun in that. And now, I am off to bed. Goodnight!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Running in the Rain
You would be proud of me. I was super tired this morning when I started class, and I could feel myself starting to follow the same path that I always follow: stay awake for the first half an hour, and then slowly start to fall asleep. It is kind of like a race against myself, to see if I can keep my eyes open to the end of class. So far so good. But I decided to try a different approach this morning. I decided to actually take the offensive, and actively participate in class. Answer questions, take notes, use my brain, instead of just watching. AND IT WORKED. I didn’t fall asleep. I mean, I was still tired, but not nearly as bad as I normally am. Who would have thought? (That is sarcastic, by the way. Just to clear this up.)
For our smaller class today, we obviously had the teacher and us 4 students, but there were also about 7 other teachers, just sitting in the back of the classroom, observing. I have no idea why, or who some of them were, but it seemed normal for everyone else, so I went with it. We also had to pick our topic for the debate on Friday. Outstanding. We picked the opposing side. Our topic: We should first protect the environment, and then develop the economy. Our signals got crossed somewhere while they were explaining our topic (well, at least, I thought they did) so I thought that our topic was actually the other way around. This would provide some confusion later on, as you will see.
Then it was lunch time. Ah man. Apparently I was the only one in this city who hadn’t looked at the weather forecast for today, so I missed the fact that it was going to be raining cats and dogs for most of the afternoon. As a result, I had worn a mini skirt and tank top to class, with no umbrella or raincoat. Outstanding. Well, I’ve lived in Vermont for the past year, I know how to handle bad weather. First things first: assess the situation. Obviously, I was not going to be able to go out for lunch, which meant I had to get back to my dorm. Not too far away. But it was like Niagra Falls right now. So, second, how was I going to get back without getting to wet? I was going to have to run. But I didn’t want to wreck my Birkenstocks. Those were going to have to go in my backpack. I was going to make a run for it barefoot. Good thing I got my tendonitis shots before I came to China. (Let me explain something. People don’t walk around barefoot here. EVER. They barely even wear flip flops. And I was about to do a run barefoot. This was going to be fun.) So I put my iPod away, put my shoes in my bag, and made a run for it. Some other people were running as well, but they were not nearly as determined as I was. Even so, by the time I got back to my dorm, I was soaking wet. I mean, I had to wring out my shirt, and use a towel to dry my hair. Bloody summer showers.
I was upset because I thought that it was a freak shower, but when I got back to class for the one on one class in the afternoon (with new clothes and rain jacket this time. Fool me once/twice and all that good stuff…) my teacher told me that it had been predicted for the past two days. Oops. My bad. I don’t really believe the weather forecasts though, because they always change. I have learned my lesson now though.
I really did not have too interesting of a day, if I am going to be perfectly honest. The most exciting thing was running through the rain, and only getting a couple of questions wrong on my HSK test preparation. Good boost for morale. It is a hard test. I really hope that I do well on it. Test day is on Friday...
I also managed to get the topic for our debate changed to first develop the economy, and then protect the environment. That is not what I totally agree with, but it is definitely the easier one to argue, if I have to pick one. It happened like this. I spent most of the day thinking that this was our topic, and then had a bit of a heart attack when I found out that we were supposed to be arguing the opposite. When I talked to my teacher, she then decided that she would change it, as it would be more convenient for everyone. Score. I'll take it. I hope my classmates don't hate me tomorrow.
My day was not super interesting after that. I got my lunch (along with a sweet treat), and then walked back to campus to start in on my homework. I took a quick half hour nap in the middle of the day when I felt my eyes involuntarily closing (which, if you know me, will know that THAT NEVER HAPPENS. My naps are normally at least 2 hours long.) and spent the rest of my afternoon writing my essay. I'm getting good at busting these 800 character essays out. Practice makes perfect.
And now I am off to bed. I am giving up on the characters. Good night all!
For our smaller class today, we obviously had the teacher and us 4 students, but there were also about 7 other teachers, just sitting in the back of the classroom, observing. I have no idea why, or who some of them were, but it seemed normal for everyone else, so I went with it. We also had to pick our topic for the debate on Friday. Outstanding. We picked the opposing side. Our topic: We should first protect the environment, and then develop the economy. Our signals got crossed somewhere while they were explaining our topic (well, at least, I thought they did) so I thought that our topic was actually the other way around. This would provide some confusion later on, as you will see.
Then it was lunch time. Ah man. Apparently I was the only one in this city who hadn’t looked at the weather forecast for today, so I missed the fact that it was going to be raining cats and dogs for most of the afternoon. As a result, I had worn a mini skirt and tank top to class, with no umbrella or raincoat. Outstanding. Well, I’ve lived in Vermont for the past year, I know how to handle bad weather. First things first: assess the situation. Obviously, I was not going to be able to go out for lunch, which meant I had to get back to my dorm. Not too far away. But it was like Niagra Falls right now. So, second, how was I going to get back without getting to wet? I was going to have to run. But I didn’t want to wreck my Birkenstocks. Those were going to have to go in my backpack. I was going to make a run for it barefoot. Good thing I got my tendonitis shots before I came to China. (Let me explain something. People don’t walk around barefoot here. EVER. They barely even wear flip flops. And I was about to do a run barefoot. This was going to be fun.) So I put my iPod away, put my shoes in my bag, and made a run for it. Some other people were running as well, but they were not nearly as determined as I was. Even so, by the time I got back to my dorm, I was soaking wet. I mean, I had to wring out my shirt, and use a towel to dry my hair. Bloody summer showers.
I was upset because I thought that it was a freak shower, but when I got back to class for the one on one class in the afternoon (with new clothes and rain jacket this time. Fool me once/twice and all that good stuff…) my teacher told me that it had been predicted for the past two days. Oops. My bad. I don’t really believe the weather forecasts though, because they always change. I have learned my lesson now though.
I really did not have too interesting of a day, if I am going to be perfectly honest. The most exciting thing was running through the rain, and only getting a couple of questions wrong on my HSK test preparation. Good boost for morale. It is a hard test. I really hope that I do well on it. Test day is on Friday...
I also managed to get the topic for our debate changed to first develop the economy, and then protect the environment. That is not what I totally agree with, but it is definitely the easier one to argue, if I have to pick one. It happened like this. I spent most of the day thinking that this was our topic, and then had a bit of a heart attack when I found out that we were supposed to be arguing the opposite. When I talked to my teacher, she then decided that she would change it, as it would be more convenient for everyone. Score. I'll take it. I hope my classmates don't hate me tomorrow.
My day was not super interesting after that. I got my lunch (along with a sweet treat), and then walked back to campus to start in on my homework. I took a quick half hour nap in the middle of the day when I felt my eyes involuntarily closing (which, if you know me, will know that THAT NEVER HAPPENS. My naps are normally at least 2 hours long.) and spent the rest of my afternoon writing my essay. I'm getting good at busting these 800 character essays out. Practice makes perfect.
And now I am off to bed. I am giving up on the characters. Good night all!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Zombies, Economics, and Secondhand Lions
I had a horrific dream last night,that involved zombies trying to kill me. As far as my dreams go, that is pretty tame, but this one was real, and terrifying. I thought that it was real; as in, I couldn’t tell that it was a dream. The best way that I can describe it is that it was a lot like the Saw movies. I kept trying to run, and I kept getting stuck in places that people would trap me in. And I kept running out of amo, so I had to start clubbing them. It was an exceedingly bloody dream.
Anyway, my point is, I was so scared, that I woke up at 5 in the morning, convinced that I was still dreaming. I looked around to make sure that there was no zombie hiding in the closet. I was almost too scared to move, because there was nothing that I could use to club it in reach, which basically means that if there actually was a zombie, then I would have been dead as a doornail. I didn’t want to fall back asleep either, because that would mean that the zombies would get me again. But I did fall asleep again. After I had calmed myself down enough.
When I woke up properly at 6:30, I absolutely was not conscious. Sure, I took a shower and ate breakfast, but I was on autopilot. When I got to class, it was the same. I was awake for the first half hour, but it only went downhill. There were points when I was seeing two of my teacher, because my eyes simply would not focus properly. I think that I pulled it off pretty well though. I managed to answer the questions mostly correctly, I think.
Up until lunch, things went pretty well. Class was class. I did learn one interesting thing though. My teacher told me that if I sleep on my stomach, and drink tea before going to bed, then I am definitely going to have bad dreams. And I do sleep on my stomach every night. She told me that I should sleep on my side, and drink milk before going to bed. That is a little bit too tame for me, I think. And I definitely can’t sleep on my side.
We had Chinese tables today. Which means that HBA paid for lunch. And I get awesome company for lunch, which definitely beats eating alone in my room. Not to give you the impression that I am a loser or anything. We actually had some pretty good food. I won’t go into details, because I don’t know what I was eating some of the time, but Chinese food is amazing, and savory, and oh so very yummy.
I got an hour break after lunch, before I went back to class for the last one on one class. I had class with Yin Laoshi today, who is definitely one of the coolest teachers. We get along pretty well. Mostly because we are both huge science fiction nerds. I have informed her about the beauties of Doctor Who, and we bond over our shared favorite movies. It was a good time today.
For the rest of the day, I started in on my homework. We had 124 characters to memorize today. That is way too much. At least, I think that is what we have to know. Those were all the characters that were in our text for tonight. So I am making an educated decision. And it has not been a fun experience memorizing all of them. I’m good, but I’m not sure that I am that good.
I saw Jack again tonight as well. From 6 -7. He was in a good mood today. You could see that form his hair. He had jelled it straight up. He is so funny. The exercise wasn’t so hard today. There was a lot of ab work today though. It wasn’t easy. But it was fun. And Jack is fun to talk to while I work out. I may or may not use that as an excuse to take a break. He seems to think that everyone is like him: a super machine that doesn’t need to rest. Well, I am here to inform you, that I most definitely need rest. I’m not really a huge fan of the whole, head spinning, stomach churning feeling. I like to catch my breath and then continue.
But it was good fun, as always. And as always, Jack encouraged me not to eat dinner, so that I can lose weight. I think he is proud of me for working so hard this summer. I quite like eating dinner though. Sometimes, you have to take what other people said with a grain of salt.
And now, I am finishing my homework, trying to memorize characters, and write my blog. I have to go to bed soon. Personally, I am hoping that the zombies don’t make a return appearance. I do not need an encore.
Goodnight!
Anyway, my point is, I was so scared, that I woke up at 5 in the morning, convinced that I was still dreaming. I looked around to make sure that there was no zombie hiding in the closet. I was almost too scared to move, because there was nothing that I could use to club it in reach, which basically means that if there actually was a zombie, then I would have been dead as a doornail. I didn’t want to fall back asleep either, because that would mean that the zombies would get me again. But I did fall asleep again. After I had calmed myself down enough.
When I woke up properly at 6:30, I absolutely was not conscious. Sure, I took a shower and ate breakfast, but I was on autopilot. When I got to class, it was the same. I was awake for the first half hour, but it only went downhill. There were points when I was seeing two of my teacher, because my eyes simply would not focus properly. I think that I pulled it off pretty well though. I managed to answer the questions mostly correctly, I think.
Up until lunch, things went pretty well. Class was class. I did learn one interesting thing though. My teacher told me that if I sleep on my stomach, and drink tea before going to bed, then I am definitely going to have bad dreams. And I do sleep on my stomach every night. She told me that I should sleep on my side, and drink milk before going to bed. That is a little bit too tame for me, I think. And I definitely can’t sleep on my side.
We had Chinese tables today. Which means that HBA paid for lunch. And I get awesome company for lunch, which definitely beats eating alone in my room. Not to give you the impression that I am a loser or anything. We actually had some pretty good food. I won’t go into details, because I don’t know what I was eating some of the time, but Chinese food is amazing, and savory, and oh so very yummy.
I got an hour break after lunch, before I went back to class for the last one on one class. I had class with Yin Laoshi today, who is definitely one of the coolest teachers. We get along pretty well. Mostly because we are both huge science fiction nerds. I have informed her about the beauties of Doctor Who, and we bond over our shared favorite movies. It was a good time today.
For the rest of the day, I started in on my homework. We had 124 characters to memorize today. That is way too much. At least, I think that is what we have to know. Those were all the characters that were in our text for tonight. So I am making an educated decision. And it has not been a fun experience memorizing all of them. I’m good, but I’m not sure that I am that good.
I saw Jack again tonight as well. From 6 -7. He was in a good mood today. You could see that form his hair. He had jelled it straight up. He is so funny. The exercise wasn’t so hard today. There was a lot of ab work today though. It wasn’t easy. But it was fun. And Jack is fun to talk to while I work out. I may or may not use that as an excuse to take a break. He seems to think that everyone is like him: a super machine that doesn’t need to rest. Well, I am here to inform you, that I most definitely need rest. I’m not really a huge fan of the whole, head spinning, stomach churning feeling. I like to catch my breath and then continue.
But it was good fun, as always. And as always, Jack encouraged me not to eat dinner, so that I can lose weight. I think he is proud of me for working so hard this summer. I quite like eating dinner though. Sometimes, you have to take what other people said with a grain of salt.
And now, I am finishing my homework, trying to memorize characters, and write my blog. I have to go to bed soon. Personally, I am hoping that the zombies don’t make a return appearance. I do not need an encore.
Goodnight!
Monday, August 2, 2010
And the Beat Goes On...
Monday morning. What an awful time of the week. There is no hope on Monday morning. The weekend is over, and the week hasn't even started yet. Horrible. My morning started at 6:30, as it does every weekday morning. It took me a while to drag myself out of bed. Honestly, I think that my morning routine is done out of habit now than out of any conscious decision on my part. My body simply knows what to do. As far as the cup of tea and bowl of cereal go, that simply happens out of necessity.
I was super proud of myself though. I had 75 characters to memorize this morning, and in only half an hour, I memorized them all well enough to pass the dictation this morning. Thank god for a good memory. I don't know what I would do without it.
Today's chapter was hard. It was all about economics, and what China should do solve the traffic problem. The authors idea was that people should start paying to use the road to drive on. Have fun selling that one to the Chinese government. He gave it a good go though. Six pages of argument. I was pretty impressed.
Okay, it's time for me to go to bed. I'll finish this of tomorrow.
I was super proud of myself though. I had 75 characters to memorize this morning, and in only half an hour, I memorized them all well enough to pass the dictation this morning. Thank god for a good memory. I don't know what I would do without it.
Today's chapter was hard. It was all about economics, and what China should do solve the traffic problem. The authors idea was that people should start paying to use the road to drive on. Have fun selling that one to the Chinese government. He gave it a good go though. Six pages of argument. I was pretty impressed.
Okay, it's time for me to go to bed. I'll finish this of tomorrow.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Manic
My morning started at 7:45 this morning. I know, it seemed extremely early for me as well. I don't know why I woke up so early early, but I just did. I lay in bed with my eyes closed until 8:30, just to make it worth it, and to trick myself into thinking I had woken up later than I actually had. Then it was breakfast, Facebook, tea, shower and out the door. Mostly in that door. There may have been some overlaps, particularly in the parts about tea and Facebook and breakfast.
I was off on another adventure this morning. I went with my language partner, my friend Grace and her teacher all to go to the Beijing Dirt Market. I know, I have already been there, but I talked with one of my friends, and when she mentioned that she wanted a present (and I hadn't already gotten her one) and I couldn't think of a better place to go to buy her a present than the dirt market. I'm just going to clear this up again, it isn't actually a dirt market (how stupid would that that be). No, it's a huge huge HUGE flea market, and so much fun to go to.
We took the subway over to the Dirt Market. As it turned out, even though I was not the native Beijing person, I still ended up being the guide. How is that for an ego boost? I'll try not to let it go to my head. I think I keep the ego boosts to a minimum. I spent most of the ride talking with my friend, and just joking around. The ride goes so much quicker when you have people to talk to you. It was all in Chinese, which was actually not as hard as it sounds. I think that my Chinese must be getting better.
When we got there, everyone was completely overwhelmed. I was still overwhelmed. It is a huge place, with a lot of screaming Chinese people trying to get you to buy their goods. I had one advantage over everyone else though: I had been there before, and I already knew what I wanted to buy, and where it all was. We wandered around the stalls for a bit, looking and talking. I think that my language partner might have been a little bit awkwarded it out, because she only knew me, but it was nice to have her there. She is really nice, and I think that we get along really well.
I won't tell you what I bought as a present, because I don't want to give away the surprise. But it was fun. And it is related to Chinese culture. Walking around, I decided, it was time for me to buy myself a tiny little present. And I wanted to put my haggling skills to use. I ended up buying myself a little wooden picture, the kind that is drawn on bamboo slats. It's very pretty. I saw it, set my heart on it, and let the haggling begin. However, I had to haggle with about 5 people around me, watching and listening very keenly.
The lady started out at 180 kuai ($26.57) and I got her down to 50 kuai ($7.38). I had to walk away at one point, pretending that I was going to go to another store to buy it. That's how it works. All part of the little dance. But I won, in the end. I got my present for myself. My own little picture to put on my wall. The weird thing about haggling in China is that when you are there, haggling, you really get into it. You won't budge from your price, and you have to try your hardest to get the seller to budge from their price. You end up haggling over 10 kuai, 3 kuai. The funny thing is, when you get down to it, you and the seller are fighting over a dollar, 50 cents, 10 cents. In American dollars, it is absolutely not worth it. But when you are haggling, it is absolutely completely worth it. It is a matter of life or death, a matter of pride. When haggling, I wouldn't give up that 50 cents for anything.
We got separated after about an hour, and at 12, I decided that I had to leave. I still had so much homework that I hadn't finished, and it took me an hour to get back home. My language partner rode the subway back with me, and got off at one of the earlier stations. I headed back to my dorm, after getting lunch, of course.
I did my very best to write as much of my essay as I could, before heading off to the gym. There were not a whole lot of people there today, except for me and Jack. Jack was in a super good mood today. Well, I think that the likes watching me suffer. There was a crapload of arm work outs today. I think that he has fun thinking up new methods of torture. He spent a lot of time joking around though, and sitting while watching me work out. Thanks a lot Jack.
When I told him that I was leaving in two weeks, he pouted (yes, pouted) and told me that he didn't want me to leave. Ah shucks. I don't want to leave either. I told Jack that he should come back to America with me, and help me work out. He just laughed at that. But he did say that if he ever got to San Francisco, he would look me up. I'll take it! We also got onto the topic of being a doctor (because I want to go to medical school) and he was super proud of me. He told me that I should become one of the best surgeons in the world, and then come to China and get paid lots of money. Yeah, I'll work on that.
After the gym, it was time for a massage. FINALLY. I went with Grace, and one of her friends. When we got there, I found that my massage person was an ex Shao lin monk (apparently. Grace told me that, but I am not sure if he actually is). He was actually a really good massage person. He did a couple of strange things though. First off, he kind of helped me stretch. With my legs, anyway. Haven't gotten that done yet. Also, he gave me a hand massage. Well, not so much a massage, but he basically just dug his finger into the fleshy part of my hand. It hurt. A LOT. He told me that is was for my heart. If you have heart problems, apparently this is what you are supposed to do. Well, I'm glad that he is helping me, but bloody hell, it hurt.
Then came the grand finale: cupping. I haven't gotten it done in a while, and I wanted to do it again. Also, my friends wanted to get it done as well. So it was a party. I was the last one ot get it done, so I took pictures of them. Some of them are actually pretty fun, with open flames and everything.
Then came my turn. My little monk massage guy came back to do cupping. All in all, I had 24 cups on my body, and 6 of them were on my legs. I have never gotten it done on my legs. It was very weird to feel. And the cups on my back hurt a little bit, especially when he first put them on. However, about halfway through, one of the other people came over, looked at my back and said "You put them on too tightly. The cups are too big." That was not particularly encouraging. I saw why when I saw my back. There are huge black bruises all over my back now. So awesome. I love it when the cups are too big that they leave way too big bruises.
The rest of the night was spent crazily trying to finish my homework (which I did, by the way.) And now, I am off!
Good night.
I was off on another adventure this morning. I went with my language partner, my friend Grace and her teacher all to go to the Beijing Dirt Market. I know, I have already been there, but I talked with one of my friends, and when she mentioned that she wanted a present (and I hadn't already gotten her one) and I couldn't think of a better place to go to buy her a present than the dirt market. I'm just going to clear this up again, it isn't actually a dirt market (how stupid would that that be). No, it's a huge huge HUGE flea market, and so much fun to go to.
We took the subway over to the Dirt Market. As it turned out, even though I was not the native Beijing person, I still ended up being the guide. How is that for an ego boost? I'll try not to let it go to my head. I think I keep the ego boosts to a minimum. I spent most of the ride talking with my friend, and just joking around. The ride goes so much quicker when you have people to talk to you. It was all in Chinese, which was actually not as hard as it sounds. I think that my Chinese must be getting better.
When we got there, everyone was completely overwhelmed. I was still overwhelmed. It is a huge place, with a lot of screaming Chinese people trying to get you to buy their goods. I had one advantage over everyone else though: I had been there before, and I already knew what I wanted to buy, and where it all was. We wandered around the stalls for a bit, looking and talking. I think that my language partner might have been a little bit awkwarded it out, because she only knew me, but it was nice to have her there. She is really nice, and I think that we get along really well.
I won't tell you what I bought as a present, because I don't want to give away the surprise. But it was fun. And it is related to Chinese culture. Walking around, I decided, it was time for me to buy myself a tiny little present. And I wanted to put my haggling skills to use. I ended up buying myself a little wooden picture, the kind that is drawn on bamboo slats. It's very pretty. I saw it, set my heart on it, and let the haggling begin. However, I had to haggle with about 5 people around me, watching and listening very keenly.
The lady started out at 180 kuai ($26.57) and I got her down to 50 kuai ($7.38). I had to walk away at one point, pretending that I was going to go to another store to buy it. That's how it works. All part of the little dance. But I won, in the end. I got my present for myself. My own little picture to put on my wall. The weird thing about haggling in China is that when you are there, haggling, you really get into it. You won't budge from your price, and you have to try your hardest to get the seller to budge from their price. You end up haggling over 10 kuai, 3 kuai. The funny thing is, when you get down to it, you and the seller are fighting over a dollar, 50 cents, 10 cents. In American dollars, it is absolutely not worth it. But when you are haggling, it is absolutely completely worth it. It is a matter of life or death, a matter of pride. When haggling, I wouldn't give up that 50 cents for anything.
We got separated after about an hour, and at 12, I decided that I had to leave. I still had so much homework that I hadn't finished, and it took me an hour to get back home. My language partner rode the subway back with me, and got off at one of the earlier stations. I headed back to my dorm, after getting lunch, of course.
I did my very best to write as much of my essay as I could, before heading off to the gym. There were not a whole lot of people there today, except for me and Jack. Jack was in a super good mood today. Well, I think that the likes watching me suffer. There was a crapload of arm work outs today. I think that he has fun thinking up new methods of torture. He spent a lot of time joking around though, and sitting while watching me work out. Thanks a lot Jack.
When I told him that I was leaving in two weeks, he pouted (yes, pouted) and told me that he didn't want me to leave. Ah shucks. I don't want to leave either. I told Jack that he should come back to America with me, and help me work out. He just laughed at that. But he did say that if he ever got to San Francisco, he would look me up. I'll take it! We also got onto the topic of being a doctor (because I want to go to medical school) and he was super proud of me. He told me that I should become one of the best surgeons in the world, and then come to China and get paid lots of money. Yeah, I'll work on that.
After the gym, it was time for a massage. FINALLY. I went with Grace, and one of her friends. When we got there, I found that my massage person was an ex Shao lin monk (apparently. Grace told me that, but I am not sure if he actually is). He was actually a really good massage person. He did a couple of strange things though. First off, he kind of helped me stretch. With my legs, anyway. Haven't gotten that done yet. Also, he gave me a hand massage. Well, not so much a massage, but he basically just dug his finger into the fleshy part of my hand. It hurt. A LOT. He told me that is was for my heart. If you have heart problems, apparently this is what you are supposed to do. Well, I'm glad that he is helping me, but bloody hell, it hurt.
Then came the grand finale: cupping. I haven't gotten it done in a while, and I wanted to do it again. Also, my friends wanted to get it done as well. So it was a party. I was the last one ot get it done, so I took pictures of them. Some of them are actually pretty fun, with open flames and everything.
Then came my turn. My little monk massage guy came back to do cupping. All in all, I had 24 cups on my body, and 6 of them were on my legs. I have never gotten it done on my legs. It was very weird to feel. And the cups on my back hurt a little bit, especially when he first put them on. However, about halfway through, one of the other people came over, looked at my back and said "You put them on too tightly. The cups are too big." That was not particularly encouraging. I saw why when I saw my back. There are huge black bruises all over my back now. So awesome. I love it when the cups are too big that they leave way too big bruises.
The rest of the night was spent crazily trying to finish my homework (which I did, by the way.) And now, I am off!
Good night.
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