Friday I got assigned the most homework I've been assigned so far. Which, from what my teacher at my home university has told me (a few times), is typical of teachers in China. Students (I've been told) don't like holidays because of the homework load that accompanies them. Welcome to China :-)
Saturday I got to see the Summer Palace with BeiDa students! Unfortunately the weather wasn't too agreeable - it was cold, a little windy, and rainy. In other words, miserable weather that is only good for sitting inside with a good book, a blanket, and a cup of tea or hot chocolate. The Palace was still beautiful though! And I remembered to bring my camera! Unfortunately, the battery did not last very long - I forgot to charge it after the last time I used it. Ugh! A few of my friends and I are going to try to make it back on a nicer day with charged cameras and fewer people. That said, I enjoyed the freedom of being able to look at everything without feel like I had to take a picture of it. I could simply enjoy it, and it was stunning! The outsides of all the buildings were decorated beautifully - so many paintings, so many colors, so much detail! A few times when I was under a ceiling of some sort, I could look up and even the ceiling was a piece of art! If you are in Beijing, go see the Summer Palace - you really shouldn't miss it! As we exited the grounds, we saw some middle-aged women doing what looked like a traditional-style dance under a pavilion. It was fun to sit and watch for a few minutes, and I really admire them for doing that!
Today I went to Nanluogu Xiang, which is a street near Houhai that has a bunch of fun shops along it. I went with some girls from my class and Pla - it was a really great experience! One of the girls, Francis, knows quite a bit of Chinese, so we didn't have too many problems while shopping. I was able to get some souvenir/gift-type items for a very reasonable price, and I enjoyed getting to know some of my classmates a little better. One of the girls is Japanese, one of the girls is Indonesian, and the rest of us were from America. We mostly spoke English, but we also practiced speaking some Chinese to each other (our teachers would be proud!).
As far as food this weekend goes, I've tried a few new things since the last time I blogged! Saturday for lunch I had McDonald's. It was still priced at an ok range...a little more expensive that what I've been eating for the amount of food I got, but as far as American-type food goes it was reasonable. Fries tasted the same (I like McD's fries), and so did the nuggets (Again, I like McD's nuggets), but one of the differences I noticed was that while in America nuggets automatically come with barbecue sauce, here they come with sweet and sour sauce (I am not complaining, I sometimes prefer it that way). Laura got a burger, and said it tasted delicious! Several of the items on the menu were familiar, but I found it interesting that here McD's offers a much wider selection of McCafe beverages AND possesses a small baked deserts section. The atmosphere is a little nicer than in the US, the uniforms are definitely not the same, and the service is just as fast.
Also on Saturday, I found a very delicious soup for dinner (cold, damp days are soup days). It had egg in it, kind of like an egg drop soup but with rice, tomatoes, and a little chicken. It came in a HUGE bowl though, and even though I shared it with other people at my table, I think there was still almost half a bowl left when we were done eating!
Today I had Korean barbecue for dinner which was yummy but on the expensive side. A few of us weren't quite full, so we tried some street food. Pla and I ordered something that looks like a pizza, but has some not-tomato red sauce on it, some herb-or-spice-like green stuff, and a little bit of a kick. I have no idea what it's called, but it hit the spot.
Time to catch up on some sleep! Isn't that what three-day weekends are for?? :-)
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