Trying new things
This has been a busy and fast second week of our trip. I cannot believe how many new experiences I have had the opportunity to try. I have now tried duck, dog, turtle and a wide array of different Chinese food that I am unsure what it is called. I enjoy the style of eating meals here. Laura and I were talking at dinner this evening about how convenient a circular table with a rotating glass center is. It is easy to think that Chinese people can be rude in some aspects, but I think they are right on the money when it comes to eating. I still have not mastered the art of chopsticks, so eating takes me a little longer than usual. I am also amazed at how much the Chinese students (males especially) can eat. This evening at dinner, Erik from Hong Kong, was still eating 15 minutes after the rest of us were finished. It amazes me that they can stay so thin after eating mostly carbs.
Today Jen, Meghan and I had a first-hand experience of being a bike passenger. We were trying to get to the other side of campus and had minimal time to accomplish our task. We met up with some students from our class and they were willing to "drive" us part way to the other side of campus (not a small feat by any means). We felt bad that we were all heavier than they are used to escorting people, but it was fun! Jen fell off the bike before we even started to go, we wished we could have had a picutre of that! The low quality of their bicycles also suprises me, I have not seen many shiny or new bikes. Another thing I noticed is that very few have bikes with gears, which explains why many of the riders go at a leisurely pace. We also saw our first car-bike accidnet yesterday while driving by in the taxi. It appeared as though no one was hurt, which was quite a relief.
To absorb the culture even more, my goal is to learn a new word each day. Today the word of the day was breakfast, don't ask me how to spell it, all I know is that it rhymes with thousand. In addition to the things already mentioned, this week I went for my first run outside (inhaling smog cannot be good for the health), played soccer wtih Chinese studets, and attended a Chinese engligh business class; no wonder I am so exhausted.
I am very excited to go to Beijing tomorrow, I think we are all looking forward to a change of pace.