The program functions in a manner that keeps us busy about 6 hours a day, every day of the week, and as
such, coupled with the slow going of the internet, I will admit to being a little lacking in my efforts for speedy updates.

That said, we have kept very active in our free time as well.  In our lives here at the university we have all settled into a nice little rut that is comfortable and its been very pleasant I’ve taken to trying to incorporate new Chinese phrases in my daily life, and my face has become a familiar sight at the bakery in the back of the grocery store at lunch time. Teaching has grown easier (though it is still a bit nerve-racking at times) and interacting with the older kids has been particularly satisfying because they can hold a higher level of discourse and we can argue about football teams.

As a tourist as well I’ve been active.  Andrew, Anna, and I hit up the Summer Palace yesterday, hopping the local bus over there.  It is an old, semi-ruined and partially restored imperial ground that was built as a respite for the royals during summers when Beijing was too hot…and it is too hot.  The site has a large lake on the south end and a large hill at the northern end where most of the buildings are clustered.  The view from atop was spectacular and offered expansive views over the city.  Perhaps the best experience though was when we got lost trying to find an exit after dark and walked along the lake’s edge, stopping to sit and listen to a Chinese man singing out over the water.  It was a haunting sound.

This morning we ended up at the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing with the rest of the group on an
excursion.  The place was packed to the gills and hot, and after enough walking I ended up getting worn down from it all.  The buildings are cool to look at, but at this point I’ve had my fill of the standard Chinese architecture and am finding more charm in wandering through the city than fighting the hordes at the tourist sites.  Lunchtime involved a trip down a filthy alley and pointing at pictures of food.  Dinner the night before was a fun event, and we were offered cigarettes aplenty while swilling down beer and eating food off of skewers.  Interactions like these have proven to the be the best around here, and I hope to find some more like them in the next week before we leave Beijing for Shenzhen.