好久不见!!

Long time no see! I know I know I know....

Let me explain:
Week 1: Sickness, studying for midterms
Week 2: Midterms
Week 3: More midterms
Week 4: Trying to get internet to cooperate (in case you couldn't tell, that didn't work so well. Much frustration ensued...).

So, since the internet is a tad bit finicky, and pictures take a while to upload and text can just be copied and pasted, pictures are just going to have to wait till I return to the U.S. and to a more reliable internet connection. I can't wait till I can show you some of the places I've been and people I've seen!

I've been sooo busy these last few weeks, I'm not exactly sure where to start! Here's an overview of what I've been up to:
 - Chatting with people from all over the world, some of whom are in my class, some of whom I just run into, like the people from New Zealand I got to meet this last weekend!
 - Exploring Beijing. I've gone to an acrobatic show, the National Museum, the Museum for Nationalities (it's more like a park), hiking in the mountains, Wangfujing's international bookstore (made me sooo happy - over 7 floors of books!), the CCTV building (just the outside, not the inside), and I've done quite a bit of shopping and bargaining. I'm quite happy with my purchases!
 - I've tried a few new foods. The most memorable was stinky tofu. It's not quite as bad as it smells, but a few bites was plenty for me.
 - Practicing my Chinese (of course!)

Overall life is good. These next two weeks are going to be busy for me as well, so please don't expect much, but I will try to keep you updated as much as possible. I'm now off to read a book and write a paper for my class on the ethnic minorities, so until next time!

P.S. Thank you all for being so patient! And for being so supportive!