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Subway is definitely my favorite way to travel. It is simple, fast, easy to plan ahead for, has detailed directions, and requires no talking to anyone. Beijing has a subway system that will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go, for about 35 cents a ride. It's really convenient, and everything is written in both simplified characters and English. Even the announcements are in english as well, in this funky british accent. "Please stand firm, hold the hand rail."

I haven't been updating much lately because of two very important reasons.

One, I've been super busy, because classes have started and suddenly I have responsibilities. Weird.

Two, there really isn't as much to say, as I'm not going on fantastic adventures every day anymore. Of course there are a lot of interesting things that happen, but unless you want me to describe every time I fail with chopsticks at the canteen (too many times) or manage to refill my phone card by myself (with the very nice lady at the news stand doing most of the steps for me,) I think I'll keep it to the basics. (You don't want to hear about all my failures, right? ... we don't have time for that. -.-, )

So. The beer factory. Last Thursday we went to the Yanjing beer company, which I might have told you is pretty much THE beer around here. It's the first fully Chinese brand to break through the Western monopoly. There was a really long intro video (basically a 20 minute commercial) and a comparatively short tour. There were a few interesting points though.

Apparently fake cacti are a thing here.

This is a model of the whole factory grounds. These guys are huge.

And that's pretty much it for that tour. We went back to the dorms and spent the rest of the day hanging out and studying for the exam the next day. 考试太难了。:P

There's a really cute cafe in the dorm complex. It's a great place to study and hang out.

Early the next day (right before our test, which made more than a few people a little testy. Haha, testy, get it?) We went on our last tour, to the CocaCola factory.

The exam came and went, and I was able to have a free weekend after it was over, with school not starting until Monday. I used the time to do some shopping and hang out with a few friends. 我们一起玩儿了很高兴。:D

Jenny's lovely face. The dumplings had soup inside! Soup! That's so weird!

I really wanted to show Vanda this shop. Hashtag Vanda.

Classes have been really very interesting so far. I'm taking a chinese language class, as well as a class called Economics, the Environment and China, and Issues Concerning China's Rise. They're both very interesting with very good professors, and I am looking forward to what I have to learn here. I feel like I've already learned to much, but I still have a long way to go. It's amazing how little we know about the country we talk about so often in the news and in classrooms.

Although classes take up a good amount of my time, I still find a moment here or there to have a bit of fun. Going out to eat is common, as it's cheap and there are plenty of options nearby. Beijing also has a proliferation of malls. Everywhere. Seriously. Like, three on the same corner.

Mochi! This was tiramisu flavor. They have some pretty fancy desert places around here.

Ordering hotpot.

If you order noodles, this guy comes out to prepare them for you. He does a bunch of cool tricks to stretch out the  dough. He's very well practiced, and hasn't hit anything that I saw, though he gets within a few centimeters.

This mall had about 3 different arcades in it for kids to wait in while their parents shop. They were really more like mini amusement parks. I suppose this is what happens when you get extreme competition between neighboring malls.

Desert!

Tomorrow I'm planning on going to Kid's Republic, which I've actually never heard of before, but apparently it's this international children's book store that is designed as a sort of kids playground, but meant specifically for reading. The internet has some really cool pictures.

We're having a party for our assistant Dong laoshi (董老师）tomorrow, to celebrate her graduation. She's a really sweet and awesome person, so we're trying to make it really nice. Apparently they don't really celebrate graduation at all here in China (her parents aren't even coming for the ceremony.) I find that pretty strange, especially in a country so strongly focused on education. Interesting, huh? You learn something new every day. I know I am.

I think there are plans to go to the Great Wall this coming weekend, we'll see how that goes. And I'm hoping to do some more sightseeing soon. Hopefully I can get around to the Summer Palace on Monday (my schedule gives me a three day weekend.) I can't believe I'm halfway through the third week already. I feel like I only arrived a few days ago. Time flys by so fast, I look up and suddenly realize that there's so much I haven't done. It's hard to think of how soon I'm going to have to say goodbye to all of the great people I've met, and how little time I have to do all that I have planned. My time here is already almost halfway over, and I'm sure the rest of the time will go just as quickly. But in the meantime there's still plenty left to see. I don't think I can afford any dull moments. This program certainly keeps you on your toes. Luckily Beijing is one of the easiest cities to get around that I've been in, and there are new experiences around every corner. Lucky too, that I've met some really great and interesting people to share it with. And, of course, with all of you! Stay tuned! There's still plenty more to come!

再见！