Muddled

Adjusting to life and class in Beijing has been quite the experience, and I believe this may be my first day of relaxation since arriving. I have been dreading writing this post because of the overwhelming amount of things, people, and, sights I have encountered over the last month. I cannot possibly describe life in Beijing, but I will try.

I am studying at Beijing University (Beijing DaXue), or Beida for short. Every day I have to remind myself of how amazing an opportunity this really is, because Beida is “The Harvard of China”. Not only is it the most prestigious university in China, it is also the most beautiful. Walking onto the campus, you’re greeted first by the largest library in Asia, built in a neo-Chinese imperial style. Before it was a university, Beida’s campus was the estate of a wealthy imperial official in the Qing Dynasty, so it is scattered with ancient trees, traditional oriental architecture, pagodas, quaint courtyards, and a picturesque lake.

This semester, my entire schedule is composed of Chinese language classes, and they are extremely strenuous. From Monday to Thursday I have class from 9:00am to 4:30pm with an hour and a half lunch break, and every Friday we have a test. My first day of class, I probably understood 15% of what my teacher said—and that’s being generous. It can definitely be discouraging studying Chinese, because it feels like such a monumental and impossible attempt. It’s a rough road, but last week I’d say I understood 85 to 90% of class, and that improvement keeps me going.

My apartment is a 30 minute speed walk from campus on the 11^th floor. The complex is really interesting because between every building is a small park with workout equipment where people regularly congregate. Every morning, I pass by elderly Chinese practicing Taijiquan—a sort of daily exercise—and sometimes strike up conversations. It’s a very nice place by Chinese standards, but it’s not without its problems—mainly involving the bathroom. I literally have to crouch to take a shower, considering it was made for someone a foot shorter than me. The water pipe broke and flooded three times since I arrived, and I have to manually refill the toilet with water every time I flush.

The apartment’s neighborhood—called Wudaokou—has so much to offer. It has a subway line, countless restaurants, bars, clubs, cafés and stores. The wide sidewalk functions as a street market and the district is littered with street vendors selling all manner of apparel, trinkets, and best of all food. I have developed an intense love for Beijing’s street food. Not only does it usually cost only two or three kuai for a meal (35 to 40 cents), but the food is simply addictive. Some of my favorites are: Baozi (steamed dumplings filled with your meat of choice), Jianbing(thin pancakes filled with pork, spices, fried egg and sauce), roasted sweet potatoes, candied fresh fruits, and chuanr(marinated and grilled skewers of meat or vegetables). There’s no better way to start your day then to grab five pork baozi for the walk to class.

Because of the 30 minute walk, I decided to invest in a bicycle. Now, you may think I’m crazy for attempting to bike through the chaos that is Beijing—and you’re probably right—but boy does it make life easier. While I fear for my life every time I hop on, since dropping 290 kuai (45 dollars) for a new bike, I’ve been able to explore Beijing like never before—and sleep 30 minutes later every day.

Living in Beijing is a little unnerving because you never know what to expect. Every day is another mini adventure. Here are a few random experiences I’ve encountered or things of done:

– Hiked a mountain around the Great Wall.

– Joined the Beida Volleyball Team

– Unwittingly ate dinner with the Triad crime ring

– Sang KTV(Chinese Karaoke) with

– Watched a snake be slaughtered and served on the street

– Learned a hacky sack game called Jianzi

– Inadvertently told someone I wanted to kiss (pronounced wen with an up tone) them when I really meant I wanted to ask (pronounced wen with a down tone) them a question. Sometimes I hate Chinese tones.

– Taught a crowd of Chinese how to do the Macarena

– Used my terrible Korean skills to get free Danishes and laundry

– Tried Baijiu—the 57% alcohol traditional Chinese hard liquor

– Enjoy 60 kuai (10 dollar), 90 minute massages.

– Befriended an elderly Chinese woman in my apartment block.

– Been asked by way too many Chinese if “I curl my hair every day”.

– Every other day get told I look like some Russian tennis champion

– Accidentally ate “meat floss”. It’s like pork cotton candy.

There are many more, but right now I don’t remember. This weekend I’m off to Qingdao—a beautiful coastal city.  I’m determined that my next post won’t take a month to write.