Let the Language Learning Begin

They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!  --Dr. Seuss

My first full week of classes has already come and gone!  So far I've started my 汉语hanyu Chinese writing/grammar and 口语kouyu conversational courses.  Hanyu has been extremely difficult.   My trainchinese app has been working overtime after I downloaded my Chinese textbook on it and started trying to memorize terms and characters for dictations which we will be having at least twice a week.  I found a cute cafe called the Bridge Cafe in nearby 五道口 Wudaokou where a lot of foreigners and students gather to meet conversation partners or study Chinese.  The environment there makes me think of Cafe Strada in Berkeley but with foreigners speaking either broken Chinese, some European language, or English with a different accent.  Kouyu class is a lot more fun.  We have to answer questions the teacher asks us using new terminology we learn, and since the class consists of students from all over the world, all kinds of interesting things are said in class.  I'll try to remember anecdotes this week so I can share.

Snapped this photo right before entering Hanyu class for the first time.

In Kouyu class.

Postcards from Korea arrived in the US!  Hi Sara!

Night view of the bird's nest from my first week.

I went with a few other UCEAP students to 西单xidan which is a commercial district in Beijing with a lot of shopping malls.  I skipped most of the shopping and went straight to the food court.  The takoyaki here is not bad.

I ate three of these.  It was painfully delicious.

Entrance to the food alley of Wangfujing.  Ready to see some weird deep-fried creatures!

Centipedes?  I'm not sure.  Didn't have the guts to eat anything anyways.

Me with Hannah from Korea at Wangfujing.

We found the Wangfujing Cathedral which is also known as St. Joseph's Church, founded in 1655 by Jesuit missionaries.  It stood out as a very old-fashioned looking building among the more modern looking high-rises in Wangfujing.

And then, I attended church the next morning!

Caught up with a friend from Berkeley over Japanese food. This is Lily looking thoughtful with her cuppa green tea.

I experienced my first sandstorm here this week along with AQI pollution readings in the 500s. Anything over 300 is considered extremely hazardous.  Don't worry about me though, N95's got my back.

Beijing on a bad day.

My suite mate, Sally, treated me to hot pot!  Always good to live with people who appreciate good food. :)

I love the dining halls here because a meal like this would only cost me about one US dollar. Good deals always taste better.

I sat in on this class where the professor took the first hour to have all 100+ students stand up and introduce themselves.  When it was my turn and I said I was from the US, the professor bluntly asked me, "Why do you look Chinese?"  Oh, it was an anthropology class.

Got myself some PKU gear.

I biked around the beautiful Tsinghua University campus which is right next to PKU. It was a lot more western looking compared to PKU which has more traditionally Chinese looking buildings.  Felt like I was back in the US for a bit.

International students got to join a complimentary trip to the Peking Opera! We watched Farewell my Concubine and Monkey King.  I felt all sophisticated and cultured, sitting on traditional Chinese furniture and having tea served to me as I enjoyed the performance.

Made some friends at the opera

Another complimentary trip to the Great Wall!  I'd been there in the summer before, but the view was different with snow.  And I got to ride a toboggan down from the wall for the first time.

The Boya tower and frozen 未名湖 WeiMing Lake on the PKU campus.

I feel a little more like I've settled into a routine here now that classes have started, but there is still a lot that is uncertain.  My class schedule isn't yet finalized, I'm thinking about whether or not to take on an internship, I'm considering volunteer opportunities with migrant families and orphanages, and I also want to leave time for spontaneous, experiential learning in my schedule.  In the midst of a hectic place like Beijing, I also want to leave time for rest and reflection.  The more I think about it, the more I feel like one semester is too short.  Nevertheless, I'm trying to appreciate and absorb each day for what it  is.  Considering the pace at which China is changing, I feel very blessed to in a place where things might never be the same again in the future.