My birthday was a few weeks ago, and to celebrate some friends and I went to the Beijing Aquarium. At the aquarium we saw tons of different kinds of fish, jellyfish, sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, sea lions, dolphins, and beluga whales. After the aquarium we went to a really great Chinese restaurant for dinner. One of my friends even made a pie! Needless to say it was a great day! Beluga whale being fed Mammal show Table 1 Maple almond pecan pie!

In early February my parents came to Beijing for two weeks to visit and go sightseeing. During the first week we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Lama Temple. Reunited! Campus in winter Forbidden City Great Wall at Badaling   The following Sunday was Chinese New Year, the country’s most celebrated holiday. Also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is a traditional holiday based on the lunar calendar, so the exact date changes from year to year. My good friend [...]

Our adventures in Sichuan province began as we arrived in the capital, Chengdu. We took a bus from the train station to our hostel, dropped off our bags, and found lunch at a nearby restaurant. After lunch we took a bus to Chengdu’s main shopping district and walked around a bit before heading to People’s Park. The beautiful park was filled with locals, many of them taking part in group dancing (Michael even got into a dance-off with somebody). I was really impressed by the number of people, young and [...]

As the sixth and final week of our winter break approaches, I’ve finally found some time to write about all that’s happened. I spent the first three weeks traveling throughout China with friends. Then I got to spend the past two weeks with my parents, who came to Beijing. For the sake of length, I’ll stretch those five weeks over multiple posts, starting with the first leg of our trip across China. On January 12th, my friends Michael, Yao Li, Julia, Julia (yes, two Julias) and I began our 3-week [...]

After spending a mellow Christmas in Beijing with friends, I got the chance to do a little traveling. Our school gave us a 4-day weekend for New Year’s, so some friends and I decided to go to Nanjing and Shanghai for some sightseeing. To save time and money, we rode an overnight train to Nanjing on Thursday night. The economy sleeper car, known here as the “hard sleeper,” had rows upon rows of 3 bunks floor to ceiling. With my earplugs at the ready, I climbed into a middle bunk [...]

This Saturday my friend Yiwei and I went to 798 Art District, home to Beijing’s contemporary art scene. The area consists of dozens of galleries and shops, housed in Soviet-era factory buildings. We spent a few hours browsing through many of the galleries’ works, finding nearly any type of artwork imaginable – paintings, sculptures, even an airplane wing! That night we kept up with the art theme for the day and went to the opening night of my friend Bethany’s art show. I met Bethany through a Bible study group [...]

It’s official: fall weather has finally hit Beijing. Our first round of midterms has come and gone, along with the last of the shorts/t-shirt weather. In an attempt to get some one-on-one time with the fall colors, I went with my friends Yiwei, Lanzhi, and Michael to Fragrant Hills Park, Beijing’s supposed Holy Grail of autumn goodness. Fragrant Hills Park  On Friday we joined in the horde of tourists at the park and climbed our way up the tree-lined hillside. It didn’t take long before we reached a good vantage [...]

Two important Chinese holidays were held this past week (Mid-Autumn Festival, a.k.a. Moon Festival, and National Holiday). I celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival by going to my friend Ellen’s apartment (she’s staying with a host family for the semester) and having dinner with her host family and some other friends. We even got to help her family make dumplings – they turned out pretty good! It was amazing getting to celebrate this traditional Chinese holiday with a Chinese family in their home. It felt a lot like a family gathering back home [...]

  It’s that time of year again! After my first week of orientation, exploring, and adjusting to life here in Beijing, classes have begun! Aside from a few mornings with 8 am classes, I’ve really enjoyed getting back into the weekly routine of classes and having things to do. I’m taking 3 classes this semester, all related to Chinese – Intensive Mandarin, Speaking, and Listening – for a grand total of 18 credits. After my first few days of classes I’ve realized that I’ll be learning a ton this semester! [...]

  On Thursday morning all the international students took a Chinese placement exam. The results of this test would determine which level of Chinese classes we would be placed into. After a grueling 2 hours I came to the conclusion that I had learned hardly anything in my past 2 years of Chinese classes at the U of M. It turned out that nearly everyone I talked to that day felt the exact same way, so I decided to leave the past in the past and focus on what was [...]

After months of anticipation, days of packing, and hours upon hours of flying, I’ve finally arrived in Beijing and have caught a glimpse of what my ten months here will look like. Next week I’ll start classes at Peking University, where I’ll continue studying Mandarin Chinese for the year. Here’s what’s happened so far on my journey… My flight landed at 11PM on Thursday, Beijing time. We were welcomed by the infamous Beijing smog as soon as our plane hit the tarmac. I also noticed the humidity right away; you’d [...]

My second set of midterms are in the books for the semester!  While everyone at home is out for the summer, I am still in the thick of things with a third of the semester left ahead of me.  With exams out of the way, I now have time to fill everyone in on my absolutely FANTASTIC 21st birthday trip to Guangxi Province with my boyfriend Michael.  The environs were truly breathtaking, so you all are in for a treat! Our flight was delayed, and we literally didn’t arrive at [...]

Today, Michael and I said our goodbyes to his mother and brother who were visiting Beijing.  They arrived last week on Thursday, and we’ve been running about the city everyday since.  It’s been great fun, and they’re really wonderful people.  Michael’s mother is a professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.  She’s been all over the world and once even lived in Thailand and India, so I’ve just adored hearing her stories and anticipating my own adventures as I too delve into academia. Here are a few photos from our week [...]

This photo basically sums up my weekend: Yes, I finally made it to the Beijing Zoo.  I had been putting it off all this time because everyone I’ve ever talked to about the zoo has told me how terrible it is.  I had always heard it’s constantly teaming with people, the cages are tiny, and the animals seem unhappy.  You tell me, are those sad pandas?  I didn’t think so. So admission to the zoo was $1.15.  The pandas were an extra $0.80.  Can’t complain there.  I was shocked by [...]

Spring has somehow been busy although on the surface it always seems like I don’t do anything.  The fact is that this whole thing hasn’t gotten any easier.  It’s still a battle every single day, me versus China.  Me versus crossing the street, aka Frogger.  Me versus my teacher telling me I’m inadequate.  Me versus developing asthma from running outside.  Me versus getting ripped off.  Me with a load of wet laundry versus a ten foot laundry line.  Last night I woke up at four in the morning feeling like [...]