06-28-13 | Tea Parties in the Rain, (aka. Smoking Cigars through Dust Masks), a First Week's Review

Seems like the Internet's back up with everyone out partying / sleeping after this week's exam. Tomorrow, PIB is going on a trip to the Great Wall (we actually do excursions. Contrary to popular belief, which has everyone in their rooms studying all the time). The laundry I tried hand-washing is hanging in the bathroom. China's washing machines and driers are reputably quite bad for your clothes... but I'm pretty sure I screwed up and used way too much soap anyway - let this be a warning for following generations of Light Fellows...don't be stupid like me.

On another note, today's pollution reached "beyond index" in Beijing (again). I was fortunate enough to have a pretty badass mask (pictured) courtesy of my dad. A lot of people didn't, though. Bring a mask. Seriously though. Pollution is cray here.

Saw a fellow PIBer and Student Tech
smoking a cigar outside the dorms in "above
index" Beijing.
恨不得...couldn't help but take this picture.
So much 意思.

The Alicia and I, trying not to die

On yet another note, I finished interviewing an ambassador for the Yale's The Politic (which is doing a project involving interviews from over 100 US ambassadors). Speaking of things that keep me working into wee hours, there's a 2nd interview coming around in a bit - postponed by stupid Skype problems (how hard is it to call Gambia?). So much excitement; I will be posting things when they go live. 

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It really feels like we've been here more than a week. As Third Year + students, (the plus denotes the slightly faster track for Asians), we've studied 10 lessons in 5 days and probably quite a few hundred words (it's hard to count). I would definitely say that the Princeton kids (and those whose grades are transferred) have it a lot harder. Personally, these few days have been saturated with late nights and coffee, but there's a certain lack of competitive pressure that I really like. 

Pictured: Our Chinese Table! Two Princeton kids and a Yalie
can't add dish prices. No tip to futz over though.

Total Cost: 172RMB (After -20RMB coupon)
<8$ per person (I.e. it was pretty pricey)

Asian(?) kebabs ("Chuar")

Sichuan noodles on recommendation from our teacher.

Little BBQ pieces in little bun things

The great thing is that I feel much more fluent speaking Chinese nowadays (though not so much with memorizing characters). Discovering new restaurants has been a great pastime, even if there hasn't been much time to get very far from campus. A lot of my Chinese has been asking waiters (服务员！) for recommendations. My advice to new PIBers would be to stick to the East Gate to start; there's a lot of stuff there. (The west side is pretty much barren as we found out the other day.) On that note, our Chinese Tables (中文桌子）have been great opportunities to try out some of the more expensive restaurants, although we happened upon this very pleasant sushi place (pictured) ourselves  (after I gave really shitty over-the-phone directions to everyone sorry). 

This sushi place though. It was so great and not so expensive and even though the waiter hated me (I think), I do believe I will be coming back. They randomly gave us a buy one roll get one free (买一送一) which was awesome. 

Commemorating the survival of PIB's first exam.
Pictured: amazing people. Not pictured: Another table of amazing people.

This was really really good.
Some kind of salmon roll

Also: Eponymous Rain

After dinner, we decided that Wudaoko bar-hopping wasn't worth getting lung cancer for ... so the rest of the night had us staying inside, having a literal tea party (with that Huangshan green tea I always talk about and force on people). The head teacher of our 3rd-year class even dropped by to say hello. Great times were had.

Tea in those cups but actually. #Somanypeopleonmybed

Here's to many more weeks as amazing as this one.

Yours,

孔令鑫