My roommate and I were discussing this. I was talking about how hard 警 is to write, and then I noticed that it looked kind of like a face.
Here it is again, bigger
警
That actually doesn't look anything like a face. It looks like a face when I write it, I'm telling you.
Actually, I have possibly been writing it the wrong way. Which would be why it looks like a face, because I screwed it up.
Whatever. We have more though. 少 also looks like a face, but the winner has to be:
囧
Which means "embarrassed". Although it can also convey shock, annoyance, or awkwardness! The more you know!*
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Hiking
This was the sweatiest I've ever been in my entire. life. Not even conditioning at fencing practice could compare to this. Consequently, it was also the best shower of my entire life, even though the water was either really hot or really cold. Good water pressure, though. Feichang hao!
So I went to go hiking at 9am this morning. We went to a place called the fragrant hills. Should I Capitalize That? We went to a place called the Fragrant Hills. The combination of hiking up an extremely steep slope on very shallow steps with zero breaks since one guy pretty much sprinted up the entire mountain was what made it so unpleasant on the way up. The scenery was beautiful though, despite not being able to see that far due to the smog. Here's an overload of photos.
This was the easier bit. I didn't take my camera out for the steep parts because I was pretty exhausted and just wanted to make it to the top.
Finally made up! There was one family up there having a picnic. Cannot imagine lugging food for so many people up to the top of a mountain.
On the way down now
Fish made out of cheese.
Lotus root with jelly at the top, I don't know on the left, something with vegetables, and pear soup at the bottom.
I honestly can't remember everything there was. There was a LOT of food. Highlights were the tomato and egg stew thing, eggplant/green beans/garlic, goose, deep fried pear, and chicken.
So I went to go hiking at 9am this morning. We went to a place called the fragrant hills. Should I Capitalize That? We went to a place called the Fragrant Hills. The combination of hiking up an extremely steep slope on very shallow steps with zero breaks since one guy pretty much sprinted up the entire mountain was what made it so unpleasant on the way up. The scenery was beautiful though, despite not being able to see that far due to the smog. Here's an overload of photos.
This was the restaurant we had lunch at afterwards! It was FANTASTIC. Easily the best food I've had in China so far. I will definitely go back. I failed to take good pictures of all the food, but here are some...
They had these really cool lights! They were all shaped like little people doing different things.
I forgot about this! Last night somebody brought in this instrument, called a qin I think, and my roommate showed me how to play it! She said it is like the piano of China, and basically everybody takes qin lessons when they are young. Wu Nan has been playing the qin for ten years!
Until next time!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Haven't Been Doing Much Lately
Welp, I haven't updated since Tuesday. That's quite a while ago.
I thought my Chinese roommate was supposed to move in on Tuesday, but it turned out that she didn't move in until Friday/Saturday. I'll get to that later.
Wednesday, I didn't have class until 5:30, so I didn't do anything until 5:30. I am such a winner. I did homework at least, that's something. And I didn't even sleep in that late! Only until like 9:30! What? The class on Wednesdays (Mondays also) is amazing. I love it so much. I think I mentioned this last post. But seriously I adore this class.
I can only remember the big things that happened on the days that aren't today, since my memory is terrible, so I'm sorry that I'm not giving you full details on EVERYTHING that has ever happened to me since I came to China. I apologize.
I went to Chinese class on Thursday. I cannot remember what I did the rest of the day. This is a little bit sad, actually.
Friday. That was yesterday. I can remember Friday. I went to class in the morning, then napped for a little bit. Best idea ever. I woke up and then went to go meet my Chinese roommate! She is great! Her name is Wu Nan and her English is way, way better than my Chinese.
That's her! And some flowers on my campus, which is BFSU!
Then we had a meeting on what to bring on our two week trips. I'm going to DongBei - we are traveling from the Russian border to the North Korean border. Or vice versa. I can't remember if I mentioned that already. Again, bad memory. I figured out that I needed a few things that I did not bring with me, like a winter jacket. Doh.
Right after that, our roommates were in a meeting, so we went to the zoo market to see if we could find some stuff to bring on our trips. I kind of went crazy. I got a pair of jeans, two sweaters, some leggings, a shirt, and a watch. I have a ton of stuff to layer with now, which is good. It's only going to go down to the low 40s though, which really isn't that cold at all. Whatever. Now I have more clothes. After we got back from the zoo market, we went to dinner at the Japanese curry place on campus, which wasn't bad, and then we came back and did some sort of meet your roommate speed dating thing. We went around trying to introduce ourselves to as many people as we could, but it was so noisy in the room that we couldn't really hear anything at all. That's okay. I know my roommate's name, which for me is quite an accomplishment. I know the name of one of her friends, too! After that I met up with a friend from high school who is also studying in Beijing this semester. First time I've gone out at night since I've gotten here. And it wasn't so bad! I went with my neighbor and we went to a noisy bar and a noisy club, then gave up and went back to their apartment to hang out. Also we got McDonalds which I feel kind of guilty about. We will say it was for science. Had to compare America's McDonalds with China's McDonalds. The big macs aren't that different. In China there is a little less sauce. Then we came back and couldn't get in the dorm building. Kind of panicked a little bit because we were both SO tired and the fuwuyuan didn't wake up to open the door for us, but one of the RAs came down eventually. Not sure if that to let us in or because she was down there doing something else anyway, since she came down with another student.
This morning I woke up and met my roommate and a few of her friends for lunch at 11:30. The food was really good. I didn't get a picture of it but everything was delicious. After that a group of IES people went to a sporting store. I got pretty much everything I needed for the two week trip, including a winter jacket and some sweatpants and stuff. Not even going to attempt to look presentable. Shopped around for a bit, bought some slippers, then I came back and went straight to dinner with Wu Nan.
SO MUCH FOOD! Black rice porridge (had some other fancy name that I forgot) - top left, fried lettuce - middle left, custard buns - bottom left, some sort of beef (maybe pork?) quesadilla-type thing, but without cheese - top middle, Fried pumpkin thingees - bottom middle, fried dumplings - top right, pumpkin rice porridge - bottom right. We also got garlic chicken wings but they came after I took the picture. And I didn't get Wu Nan's beef and scallion rice porridge in the picture either. All in all, super tasty.
After that we went to the Chaoshifa market where I got a few things I needed, like shower shoes. Unfortunately, my feet were too big to fit into these:
LOOK AT THOSE ADORABLE CRAB SANDALS. LOOK AT THEM.
I honestly can't believe how cute everything related to babies is here.
Other than that, I came home and started writing this blog post.
In other news, my computer started doing this:
Kernel panic. I couldn't even screen shot this, I had to take a picture of my computer screen like an idiot. This is the equivalent to the PC's blue screen of death. This has happened twice since I came to China. So that means my computer is probably going to kick the bucket soon. But luckily for me I have the best parents in the entire world, and they are bringing me another computer when they come to visit in October! I love them.
I thought my Chinese roommate was supposed to move in on Tuesday, but it turned out that she didn't move in until Friday/Saturday. I'll get to that later.
Wednesday, I didn't have class until 5:30, so I didn't do anything until 5:30. I am such a winner. I did homework at least, that's something. And I didn't even sleep in that late! Only until like 9:30! What? The class on Wednesdays (Mondays also) is amazing. I love it so much. I think I mentioned this last post. But seriously I adore this class.
I can only remember the big things that happened on the days that aren't today, since my memory is terrible, so I'm sorry that I'm not giving you full details on EVERYTHING that has ever happened to me since I came to China. I apologize.
I went to Chinese class on Thursday. I cannot remember what I did the rest of the day. This is a little bit sad, actually.
Friday. That was yesterday. I can remember Friday. I went to class in the morning, then napped for a little bit. Best idea ever. I woke up and then went to go meet my Chinese roommate! She is great! Her name is Wu Nan and her English is way, way better than my Chinese.
Then we had a meeting on what to bring on our two week trips. I'm going to DongBei - we are traveling from the Russian border to the North Korean border. Or vice versa. I can't remember if I mentioned that already. Again, bad memory. I figured out that I needed a few things that I did not bring with me, like a winter jacket. Doh.
Right after that, our roommates were in a meeting, so we went to the zoo market to see if we could find some stuff to bring on our trips. I kind of went crazy. I got a pair of jeans, two sweaters, some leggings, a shirt, and a watch. I have a ton of stuff to layer with now, which is good. It's only going to go down to the low 40s though, which really isn't that cold at all. Whatever. Now I have more clothes. After we got back from the zoo market, we went to dinner at the Japanese curry place on campus, which wasn't bad, and then we came back and did some sort of meet your roommate speed dating thing. We went around trying to introduce ourselves to as many people as we could, but it was so noisy in the room that we couldn't really hear anything at all. That's okay. I know my roommate's name, which for me is quite an accomplishment. I know the name of one of her friends, too! After that I met up with a friend from high school who is also studying in Beijing this semester. First time I've gone out at night since I've gotten here. And it wasn't so bad! I went with my neighbor and we went to a noisy bar and a noisy club, then gave up and went back to their apartment to hang out. Also we got McDonalds which I feel kind of guilty about. We will say it was for science. Had to compare America's McDonalds with China's McDonalds. The big macs aren't that different. In China there is a little less sauce. Then we came back and couldn't get in the dorm building. Kind of panicked a little bit because we were both SO tired and the fuwuyuan didn't wake up to open the door for us, but one of the RAs came down eventually. Not sure if that to let us in or because she was down there doing something else anyway, since she came down with another student.
This morning I woke up and met my roommate and a few of her friends for lunch at 11:30. The food was really good. I didn't get a picture of it but everything was delicious. After that a group of IES people went to a sporting store. I got pretty much everything I needed for the two week trip, including a winter jacket and some sweatpants and stuff. Not even going to attempt to look presentable. Shopped around for a bit, bought some slippers, then I came back and went straight to dinner with Wu Nan.
After that we went to the Chaoshifa market where I got a few things I needed, like shower shoes. Unfortunately, my feet were too big to fit into these:
I honestly can't believe how cute everything related to babies is here.
Other than that, I came home and started writing this blog post.
In other news, my computer started doing this:
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Kind of a Boring Update
I haven't taken any pictures since this weekend because I haven't done anything. Sorry.
I figured out that I bought the worst laundry detergent you can buy (also the cheapest), so that's why my laundry was stiff when it finally all dried. For a while I was frantically searching for places where people would do laundry for me, but I really didn't find anything until I asked the RAs. Apparently there's one literally 15 feet away from my dorm. I thought it was just a dry cleaners. Anyway.
Yesterday and today I had my real first classes. Thursday was a fluke since the class I signed up for was horrible. I think I mentioned that. It was called "Globalization of China's Environment" and was mostly political. Not really my cup of tea. I switched into literary translation, which I had yesterday, and it was amazing. I am so glad I switched into that class. The professor is a linguist, and also apparently the best Chinese/English translator in the world? I'm pretty sure somebody casually mentioned that.
I SHOULD CLARIFY, since nobody seems to understand this. Being a linguist is NOT the same as being able to speak languages. This guy just happens to be both. As one of my professors at U of R so aptly put it, asking a linguist how many languages he/she speaks is like asking a doctor how many diseases he/she has.
Moving on. Today I had calligraphy. The professor for this class is AWESOME. Holy crap! Seven universities in the United States are begging him to come teach for them, including Harvard and Yale, but he was like nope, the Chinese education system needs me. /flies away. And he is a direct descendent of Manchu royalty. Many other things too, and basically the coolest guy ever. Also an incredibly, incredibly talented calligrapher.
The weather has been beautiful the past two days! On Saturday and Sunday it poured, which cleared out all the pollution in the air. Also clouds too I guess, since the sky is so incredibly blue. It's been in the mid-seventies. Eee! I can't even believe it. The first week I was here it was in the nineties with 100% humidity every day. So obviously I hope it stays like this until winter, and doesn't get so hot again.
I lied, I did take a picture. It's up on facebook, though, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat for you.
This might not be much for those of you in the US, but for Beijing, it's gorgeous. Compare this to the pictures in my last post, and you'll see the difference.
Other things I am happy about:
-Chinese roommates don't move in until Friday. This is excellent because my first roommate moved out on Sunday, and I previously thought that the Chinese roommates moved in on Tuesday (today), so I get a little more time to myself. Which is awesome.
-Although I have a lot of homework to do, all of the time, it gives me an excuse to not go out and not feel guilty about it. Win.
-If I do go out in lieu of doing homework, it won't really matter since the grades I get in my classes here don't factor into my GPA. But obviously this is not how I function, and I will be doing homework anyway.
-We started our one-on-one tutoring sessions yesterday. Mine is at 7pm, which sucks, but apparently the two people that have their sessions before me aren't that good at Chinese, so when I got there and started reading the text, my tutor was like oh man you are so good at this! Ego boost.
-So far I've eaten one full meal and one half meal, and it's only 6pm! Already this is a big improvement, and I might (but probably not) go out and get more food.
-I GET TO SLEEP IN TOMORROW. I don't have morning Chinese classes on Wednesdays. Ooooh I am looking forward to that.
-This is super weird of me, but all the Chinese babies here are so. adorable. I can't even. I want to steal ALL of them. There was one today who was wearing shoes that squeaked when he walked. Like two puppy chew toys attached to his feet. I made the weirdest "awwwwwww!" noise.
But on the other hand:
I figured out that I bought the worst laundry detergent you can buy (also the cheapest), so that's why my laundry was stiff when it finally all dried. For a while I was frantically searching for places where people would do laundry for me, but I really didn't find anything until I asked the RAs. Apparently there's one literally 15 feet away from my dorm. I thought it was just a dry cleaners. Anyway.
Yesterday and today I had my real first classes. Thursday was a fluke since the class I signed up for was horrible. I think I mentioned that. It was called "Globalization of China's Environment" and was mostly political. Not really my cup of tea. I switched into literary translation, which I had yesterday, and it was amazing. I am so glad I switched into that class. The professor is a linguist, and also apparently the best Chinese/English translator in the world? I'm pretty sure somebody casually mentioned that.
I SHOULD CLARIFY, since nobody seems to understand this. Being a linguist is NOT the same as being able to speak languages. This guy just happens to be both. As one of my professors at U of R so aptly put it, asking a linguist how many languages he/she speaks is like asking a doctor how many diseases he/she has.
Moving on. Today I had calligraphy. The professor for this class is AWESOME. Holy crap! Seven universities in the United States are begging him to come teach for them, including Harvard and Yale, but he was like nope, the Chinese education system needs me. /flies away. And he is a direct descendent of Manchu royalty. Many other things too, and basically the coolest guy ever. Also an incredibly, incredibly talented calligrapher.
The weather has been beautiful the past two days! On Saturday and Sunday it poured, which cleared out all the pollution in the air. Also clouds too I guess, since the sky is so incredibly blue. It's been in the mid-seventies. Eee! I can't even believe it. The first week I was here it was in the nineties with 100% humidity every day. So obviously I hope it stays like this until winter, and doesn't get so hot again.
I lied, I did take a picture. It's up on facebook, though, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat for you.
Other things I am happy about:
-Chinese roommates don't move in until Friday. This is excellent because my first roommate moved out on Sunday, and I previously thought that the Chinese roommates moved in on Tuesday (today), so I get a little more time to myself. Which is awesome.
-Although I have a lot of homework to do, all of the time, it gives me an excuse to not go out and not feel guilty about it. Win.
-If I do go out in lieu of doing homework, it won't really matter since the grades I get in my classes here don't factor into my GPA. But obviously this is not how I function, and I will be doing homework anyway.
-We started our one-on-one tutoring sessions yesterday. Mine is at 7pm, which sucks, but apparently the two people that have their sessions before me aren't that good at Chinese, so when I got there and started reading the text, my tutor was like oh man you are so good at this! Ego boost.
-So far I've eaten one full meal and one half meal, and it's only 6pm! Already this is a big improvement, and I might (but probably not) go out and get more food.
-I GET TO SLEEP IN TOMORROW. I don't have morning Chinese classes on Wednesdays. Ooooh I am looking forward to that.
-This is super weird of me, but all the Chinese babies here are so. adorable. I can't even. I want to steal ALL of them. There was one today who was wearing shoes that squeaked when he walked. Like two puppy chew toys attached to his feet. I made the weirdest "awwwwwww!" noise.
But on the other hand:
Sunday, September 2, 2012
天安门 和 故宫 (Tiananmen and the Forbidden City)
Okay, I guess I haven't posted in a while. Friday, I went to classes in the morning and lunch in the afternoon. It was American food, and it was expensive, so that kind of sucked. Free beer though. After that we went to the zoo market. I wasted a whole bunch of money there. I only bought a wallet, which was cheap enough that I didn't bother trying to haggle, and a tee shirt. The woman selling the tee shirt would NOT haggle with me, so I just bought a tee shirt that I didn't even get to try on for 100 kuai, which is really only 16 bucks, but that's still more than I should be paying here. On the way back from that market we stopped in another store where everything was 20 kuai, 3 bucks. I got seriously screwed over. Friday was just a bad day in general. Whatever.
Saturday we went to Tiananmen and the Forbidden city. We got on a bus and first went to the Beijing Urban Planning Museum, which was really cool. Not very big. Here are some pictures!
There were a lot of to-scale replicas of Beijing. Which is a REALLY big city.
Next we went to Tiananmen Square.
It really was just a big square.
Onto the Forbidden City. The history teacher at IES was our guide. He knows a whole lot about Chinese history.
After that we hiked up a hill that was just outside of the FC. You should have seen how polluted/humid/foggy it was. Jeez. Quite pretty though.
Mmm.. pollution.
And then there were random dinosaurs everywhere? Yeah, I don't know either.
blur.
After that I went out for Beijing roast duck with two friends. It was okay, pretty expensive, but definitely an experience that you need to have if you're ever in China.
Today my roommate moved out. I cleaned my room and did laundry, did some homework, then went out to get dinner with a friend. We got ice cream! Yup. Now it's time for more homework.
再见！
Saturday we went to Tiananmen and the Forbidden city. We got on a bus and first went to the Beijing Urban Planning Museum, which was really cool. Not very big. Here are some pictures!
Next we went to Tiananmen Square.
Onto the Forbidden City. The history teacher at IES was our guide. He knows a whole lot about Chinese history.
After that I went out for Beijing roast duck with two friends. It was okay, pretty expensive, but definitely an experience that you need to have if you're ever in China.
Today my roommate moved out. I cleaned my room and did laundry, did some homework, then went out to get dinner with a friend. We got ice cream! Yup. Now it's time for more homework.
再见！
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