Wow, it's been an adventure already! It already feels like it's been a long, long time ago since I was in MV, but I just arrived here last night!
The plane trip was surprisingly pleasant- 11 hours to Tokyo wasn't all that bad. Watched some movies- Ghost Rider comic book movie with Nicholas Cage (didn't finish it cuz it was kinda boring), Dororo (a long, epic Japanese tale about demons and revenge, but also silly, you'd probably like it), I Just Didn't Do It (another Japanese film, from the director of Shall We Dance? about the injustice of the Japanese legal system).
Everytime I was about to eat my snacks, the flight attendents brought out another meal! Two on the way to Tokyo, and one from Tokyo to Beijing. They were cute little meals, Japanese rice, noodles, chicken, packets of wasabi and seaweed...that sorta stuff, and actually tasty. Instead of peanuts or pretzls, we got rice crackers and wasabi peas!!
For one dessert, we got a mini Haggen Daas vanilla ice cream! Amari and I got a kick out of the name of the cookie- "Crunky biscuits"! Crunky? Bad translation? Misspelled? Who knows!
We didn't sleep much, kinda difficult to fully fall asleep while sitting, but had no trouble passing out when we finally got to the dorm. Amari and I met up with three other UCSB students at Beijing, and customs was no problem at all! Maybe because it was after 10pm... There were lots of other EAP students, and seven of us shared a taxi van to the campus, got our rooms and got settled- a shower never felt to good!!!
The weather is definately as muggy as everyone has said it would be! It's not unbearably warm, but maybe because it's actually quite "cool", at 89 degrees...hahahah... The pollution isn't as bad as I thought it would be- certainly lots of haze and heavy air- I can look at the sun through the haze and pollution, and it's just a yellowish blur- but it's not so bad that I feel I need a bandanna to filter my breathing.
I only slept about 6 hours, woke up feeling pretty good, only thirsty and hungry. My roommate, Mary Zhu, and I took a walk to set up internet accounts in our dorm rooms, but then realized that neither of us had ethernet cords! We're so used to wireless everywhere in the US that we forgot that our rooms might not have wireless!
So we met up with some other girls and went to lunch off campus at a random restaurant- delicious food from the region in China that borders the "stans"- kinda Islamic influences, far West. Huge plates of spicy dry stir-fried beef, saucy tomato-y and anise chicken, bean sprouts with bell peppers, and a yummy brothy soup with cilantro that gave the soup a very fresh taste. It was lots of fun trying to figure out the menu- thank goodness my roommate speaks and reads Mandarin well!! 
The streets are crazy!!!!! The traffic is hectic, and though not as crowded as I had imagined, there are no courtesies given to anyone! Bikes, cars and pedestrians just go, and even though there are traffic lights and cross walks, one still has to be fully aware of the traffic while crossing! We saw a young woman in 4inch wedge heels in the middle of the road, with traffic going both ways around her, just waiting to cross because she had missed the timing of the traffic- and everyone goin about as if it was perfectly normal! It's really quite exciting, and though dangerous, people seem to be aware and accepting of the madness- no one is afraid to use there horn, and even the horns sound happy "Meep-meep!", as if just saying "Lookout!", which makes honking horns in America sound more like "How-dare-you-get-in-my-way!" There's lots of construction, but the roads are still pretty, as many streets around campus are lined with beautiful full trees, much like San Jose.
My language ability is definately far from fluent- I'm having a hard time understanding speech due the the fast rate, though I have yet to encounter many people with the famed Beijing accent that makes comprehension difficult. I figure once I'm in classes, I'll get back in the swing of things and start picking words up.
I'm very excited about meeting all the students tomorrow! Everyone is just scattered about trying to gett settled, but tomorrow we have a welcome lunch. I'm so exicted about all the tourist trips they have planned too! Forbidden City, teahouses, the most famous peking duck restaurant, summer palance, inner mongolia, plays, neighborhood adventures, shopping, the great wall and so much more!
Hopefully I will get my cell phone working soon, but there is also a phone in my room.
But hopefully we can set up skype! My roomie says its free between computers, and minimal 20 cent charge from computer to phone! That's a deal!
Oh, and THANK U DADDY for moving all my stuff into storage, and I'm glad my friends were able to help! I owe you all big time
Mommy, I hope work isn't too crazy, or at least not any more than usual!
Okie-dokie....I think I need a nap.
Love you lots and lots and lots!!!!
Love, Kenzie
