My new roommate, her boyfriend, three other folks we'd nabbed on the way out, and I were scuttling across the long crosswalk. Honking. More scuttling. Let me just say I doubt the chicken would have crossed the road if he'd been in Beijing.
Risking my life and the lives of my new classmates all for one lowly purpose: to get to the golden arches. I know, I know--my first meal in Beijing and I'm running for McDonnalds? It may seem ridiculous, but when you speak very little Mandarin, and have 15 minutes before the three-hour mandatory info-session Mickey D's is pretty much your only option. Luckily for me, it was indeed a cultural experience. From the Chinese characters wallpapering the restaurant walls and countertops, to the loud and aggravating music booming outside (from the venue, into the street), I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore. There were no lines--survival of the fittest--and I managed to splurge out some of my very weak Mandarin and nab a meal before being splattered across the linoleum.
It tasted the same, although it cost less. 21RMB, which is a little less than $3.
After the information session, my fatigue almost unbearable, I returned to my hotel room. Also interesting. The bathroom is one rather large shower, with a toilet and a sink (very difficult to find a place for your clothes to stay dry while showering). The bed reminded me of camping with my dad out in the mountains--basically some wood with a thin mattress over the top, low the the ground and short. I felt deeply for the many tall boys who I met in the lobby, earlier that day. Surprisingly, though, when I finally managed to pull myself away from my computer, I slept very comfortably, and upon waking up found myself wondering why we, in the USA, insist upon having an extra 7" of fluff on our beds, when really the three that I had did me just fine.
Earlier today, when on the prowl for lunch, I came across a small lingerie store, lined with bras. Small bras. And let me tell you, for a small-breasted woman, seeing small bras will stop you in your tracks, which they did. On sale, probably about half-off, I found a bra set that I thought might fit me, so I went into a dressing room to try them on, promptly followed by the saleswoman. Awkward? Sure. Helpful? Actually, yes. She wasn't modest by any stretch of the imagination, and I found that her confidence was contagious, making the experience very pleasant and thrilling. She took it upon herself to dress me, arrange my breasts in the cups to look particularly alluring, and had me try on several different colors and shapes of the sexy lingerie. "Hao," which means good, couldn't quite cover my feelings over the perfect fit of this usually quite illusive garment for a woman like me, so I settled with "Tai hao le" (extremely good) and "Feichang hao" (holy cow, good), and left the store with a very inexpensive and very uplifting purchase. I don't plan to do much shopping here for a while, and hope to reserve my yuan for after I get to know the city better, BUT I think this is a fine exception to my expectations. A bra, in my perfect fit, in one of my favorite colors, on sale, in Beijing. I even got to use some of my Mandarin. This has got to be a good omen!
I'm surprised to say that I know more Mandarin than most of the other students here! I'm younger--my roommate already calls me a "baby" whenever she gets a chance--but I make up for it in the devotion I've given to Chinese studies for the last two years. I think I surprise some of them by how jazzed I am to be here, which quite frankly surprises me. I imagined myself sticking out like a sore thumb, being only 19, but nobody seems to notice, except when I say so! I'm also surprised by the ease of making friends among these 53 USA students, and am feeling completely accepted and comfortable with the group. I suppose I'm being surprised by a lot of things, which is one of my favorite states of being, so I guess that's okay.
Knock on wood, but I think the next four months are going to be amazing.
I'm pretty exhausted (as it's only 4:39PM here, I think this is jet lag a-knocking), so I'm going to skedaddle before I write anything too silly or incomprehensible.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
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