we had this weekend off because of the Dragon Boat Festival Celebration. i went with a group of girls to beijing where we went shopping, saw the acrobat show (and met the director), met up with some others who were biking through beijing, ate food, and went out to a pool club. we stayed in an international hostel sunday night (which is an experience in itself…) and woke up for a nice western breakfast of french toast and coffee at “Grandma’s Kitchen”
it was so relaxing! i even got to experience public transportation, Asia style…the bruises will last a while…
on friday, kristin and i moved into our new apartment complex. we live in apartment building 33 in an amazingly comfy 2 bedroom apartment on the eighth floor. it overlooks several central patios where the women and men of the complex are frequently practicing traditional chinese dances (such as the picture of the women dancing with flags) to traditional chinese music. So every morning and evening i wake up and fall back asleep to the sounds of china! we are also right next to a traditional market street where we can buy all types of food, bikes, clothes, etc. i bought a dragonfruit yesterday (my new obsession) for 3.6 kuai, or about fifty cents from the local fruit market.
it’s been so easy to settle into the lifestyle here, especially since i knew what to expect - such as always carry hand sanitizer. i have even been able to chat a bit with local villagers and neighbors although i need to learn how to say “my bike is broken, can you help me” as these things break down at every opportunity. last night, kristin and i met one of our many, many neighbors while she was out walking her dogs and i was able to practice my chinese speaking “skills” and tell her about our adventures in china.
as far as daily life goes, today i have the day off and i don’t know what to do with it - especially because my laptop is broken, and my roommate is in class. so i rode my bike the 1.5 miles into work to fool around on tumblr and chat with people…but at least i slept an extra hour and a half this morning (7am). the sun rises here between 4 and 5, and there is no way to block it — i have become a morning person. i have no complaints about the weather, however, as it has been perfect. instead of the typical summer weather of 90s and humid, it has been 70s/80s and sunny for the last 6 weeks…much better than GC weather.
typical mode of transportation — the bike. one of these rusty contraptions (with a basket and loveseat for my future boyfriend - or Chinese baby - on the back) will be mine on Monday.
