Hello there friends, family, and strangers. I know it's been a while. Part of this is because it was midterm week last week. Which means I got to review 500 plus vocab words and lots of grammar. But all went well.
(7/3) Yes, I know it's a Wednesday. But we were done with all our homework, so Rachel, Ricky, and I decided to get lost in a few hutongs. It ended up being an absolutely brilliant idea. Because we found the Imperial College. Which was built in 1306. And is where all the Emperors went to read Confucian classics to thousands of students. No big deal. And we just stumbled upon it in our wanderings. The Beijing Emperors of old must have been guiding us. Or maybe even Confucian himself. I even got the a picture with the man:
I know, pretty fantastic. It was awing, being on the same ground that emperors of China had graced. Moral of the story: get lost in cities. That's the only way to find the good stuff.
(7/5) After our test that morning, the CET gang made our way over to the contemporary art district of Beijing: 798. I felt like I was in Soho. There were strange, artsy sculptures all over the place:
And there were as many art galleries as there were people (you must remember, we're in China, so there are always people). It was so art-tastic I could barely handle it. And I know for certain Pretentious Paige showed at least a few times on during our time there. It was wonderful to get a break from the super Chineseness that I face everyday. In 798, I felt as though I were back in the states, even for a couple of hours. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Chineseness, but every once in a while, it's nice to have a break. Because in the end, I am still an American.
A few of my friends and I share a strange liking for absolutely horrible movies. Well, I found one. And it had Keanu Reeves. Which is really what dropped it's level of watchableness down so far. The name of the movie is Man of Tai Chi (太极侠). And it was well worth the 35 RMB and little bit of baijiu (Chinese vodka, sort of) that I consumed beforehand. For those of you interested, yes, we can definitely watch it when I return to the US. It's wonderfully painful. Because Keanu directs
and acts in the film. Thank you, Mr. Reeves, it was truly terrible.
(7/6) But not all is ugly and filled with terrible American actors. Because the next day I found my self in a wonderland. The Summer Palace. Some of you have probably seen pictures of this before:
Yes, that's my picture. Taken on my old, sad, little iPhone 3. It's just that spectacular. And for those non-believers out there, here's a picture of me taken in front of the same beautiful building:
Look, I'm actually in China. Still kind of hard to believe sometimes. This palace was built by the Qianlong Emperor in celebration of his mother's 60th birthday. Sorry, Mom, there's not a chance in hell I'll ever be able to top this one. Most of the grounds are lake, but the every building is even more beautiful than the last. It is also known for the Long Corridor, which looks like this with no tourists:
But, really, it never looks like this. Because we're in China. And there are
always tourists:
The Summer Palace was a different kind of break than 798. This was a break from the city. Beijing is like New York in the fact that it's mostly metal and cement, with a little green every once in while. The Summer Palace was the every once in a while.
(7/7) The last little bit of weekend we had we used to our utmost advantage. In front of this building:
Believe it or not, but at night, bunches of old and young alike come out and sing karaoke poorly, participate in dance lessons, and roller blade. It is exquisitely Chinese. And then this happens:
This was so much better than doing homework.
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