It's only Sunday night, a mere three days since my arrival, and I couldn't wait to tell you all about what I've been up to since my first day in Beijing, but I promise not to flood your mailboxes with too many of my stories!
My roommate (Mary) and I went on a mission to find a giant bazaar yesterday called Jin Wu Xing (Gold Star Market), and had a fabulous time trying to figure out the location. Our program director provided a hand drawn map of useful stores and restaurants in the neighborhood, but the location of Jin Wu Xing was somewhat ambiguous. We ended up walking in a giant circle around the place because it's literally in the center of a city block with minimal visibility from the street, and seeing as each city block is more like 3-4 SF city blocks, that means a lot of walking. Obstacles included railroad tracks, open-air fruit markets (it seemed that we happened upon Banana Alley, as every vendor was selling only bananas!) and construction sites,which made our arrival that much more exciting!
The bazaar itself was inconceivably huge and packed with stalls that sold EVERYTHING! The stalls are grouped into sections much like department stores- shoes, luggage, electronics, housewares, furniture, etc.- and it was clearly the place were locals went to buy anything and everything. We left only with an umbrella, as the threatening thunderstorm had finally let loose.
We stopped at a bakery as well, and I tried two different delicious buns- one filled with curry and one plain. They were the fluffiest buns I've ever eaten, and quite unlike the denser steamed buns at home.
I set up a bank account, and the actual process of checking id, making a deposit and issuing the ATM card was not very difficult and quite speedy. However, the details of filling out the application were more complicated. Between my roommate and I, we filled out about 5 applications until we finally got everything right, because we were unaware that
a) one cannot use blue pen;
b) one must use ink pen, not ball point;
c) one should not cross out mistakes but just fill out a new applicaion.
We laughed every time the poor teller patiently told us what was wrong. It was great fun, and a relief to take care of business.
This morning, I went to the Summer Palace with all 100+ students in the program, and thank goodness the rain had stopped. Today there was actually clear, blue sky and direct sunlight- simple things I've certainly taken for granted in the Bay Area and Santa Barbara.
The Summer Palace was very crowded with tourists, but as a pleasant introduction to beauty of the ancient buildings and a bit of history. I will certainly return at various times of the year to explore more.
Lunch with the program was at a restaurant known for daily, freshly made tofu and a Northeastern dish most resembling pasta made of wheat. The dough was steamed in bamboo baskets, and is eaten with a mushroom broth. Oh! And we also ate donkey! Apparently this is a specialty, and indeed it was quite tasty stir-fried with hot peppers (the meat resembled pork).
This afternoon I had the chance to meet with 20 alumnus of the program, some who had just finished their year of studies, others who had long since finished and were now happily living and/or studying here in Beijing. Their advice was reassuring, and the diversity of their experiences as well as post-college life reminds me to both adhere to what I wish to accomplish yet be flexible and adventurous.
After meeting many of my fellow students, I was a bit worried about the seriousness of this program and its students, as many students seem to be here on vacation, while studying Chinese remains a secondary priority. However, the alumnus have shown that this is confined to the summer language program students (more than half the total students), as the fall/spring classes are quite difficult and serious, and students must be either crazy or serious about school to stay that long. So even though I can't wait until classes start this week, I really can't wait until I start classes at Peking University in the fall!
Peking duck was for dinner, and I had way too much to eat! The restaurant Hepingmen is apparently one of the oldest and most famous Peking duck restaurants. I must be spoiled, because although the duck was amazing, I felt that what I have eaten in SF is quite comparable!
The fancy meals provided by the program are a swanky treat, but what I really enjoy is finding the local places, like the cheap, cheap, cheap yummy porridge house down the road from my dorm. Next mission: find the best noodles!
I must crawl into bed now, to get some sleep before my placement exam tomorrow morning! Yikes! I hope I remember Chinese!
Love,
Kenzie
P.S.
Uncle Bill: Thank you for the info on the cellphone- time to search for a China mobile!!
Mommy: Can you please send me any emails you have for friends/family that want to be emailed? Also, funny thing: thought that my phone card wasn't working, but apparently it had already been activated!!! This whole time, and I could have called home all along! oh well :P we'll still look into skype
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