It has been way to long since my last update, and I am sorry. There are many events and many photos below. Today is a Tsinghua Technology Exposition, part of the celebration of Tsinghua University's 99th Birthday. The 99th anniversary might be more important than the 100th since 9 is a lucky number.
Starting off we go 3-4 weeks in the past to a day trip out to a Hutong (small allyway village) in my home neighborhood of Wudaokou (五道口）. There is a girl playing with a real sword in this picture!
Here is the close up.
Me with my Chinese friend Emily who is a Tsinghua Electrical Engineering student and so smart it hurts. We study GRE English questions and have genuine debates over the answers. Despite my advantage, sometimes she is right. Haruka, my classmate, is also in this photo. She is a Japanese-Cantonese mix who grew up in Hong Kong but went to Japanese middle school and Australian Highschool. A true international in every sense of the word.
Me with Tsinghua business Proffessor Cheung. He is part of a holding company which owns 26 businesses, and he buys dinner for everyone after class.
At the semi-expat neighborhood of Sanlitun at night on the way to a club.
Inside Vix Dance Club. Almost all foreigners. Maybe 3 out of 10 are Chinese.
Scorpions for sale to eat at Wanfuqing street. They get deep fried and taste like nothing at all, except crunchy oil.
Other food on a stick at Wanfuqing.
Even more.
A view of Wanfuqing street.
The Candy Store at Wanfuqing.
Me with one of my Chinese teachers, Du XiaoJie. We call her Du Laoshi, translate: "Teacher Du"
Going to a tea house around Andingmen.
Tea ceremony things. Very touristical.
Outside a concert hall are my roommate and his friend. Inside we listen to modern classical music by a musician from Iceland.
Around the 798 art district.
More in the art district.
Me with the big bumble bee!
In around Caochungdi near the 769 art district. Caochungdi is a far out neighborhood, but laid back and more like home. I liked it right away, and still do.
Posters outside the Chinese dorm. My friend told me what they mean, but now I forget. Something like "take care of each other and work together".
Students' day at Tsinghua University. Students do student things and sing songs. They pull me up there to sing in English, which goes pretty bad to be honest, but that is what it is. :)
The Zijing Canteen where we usually have lunch every day.
Outing to a park at the military museum to see Cherry Tree Blossoms. We are too early for the blossoms, but the decorations are still nice.
Parasols at the park.
Lake at the park.
We go to HoHai at night after seeing the Cherry blossoms. Walk through the alleyways and find a restaurant.
Dr. Watson, the Nobel Prize winner, speaks about therapies to cure cancer, and his frustration at there still being no cure 40 years after the "War on Cancer" was declared by Nixon. I wrote an article for the school newspaper about it here.
Me with Danqi. Together we organize the English corner on Wednesday nights as a place for Chinese to come practice English.
English corner in action. I am constantly impressed by how well people speak English, and how much they all want to improve. Not just the Chinese, but even other foreign students in my class!
Special effects at the Neil Halstead concert.
Neil Halstead playing gutar. The venue name translates to "Many people can move mountains".
This is the outside of the music venue which used to be a political headquarters. Who would guess this lion marks the place of a rock concert?
Pandas welcome you to the Beijing Zoo.
We get to feed Giraffes at the zoo.
Statue at the zoo.
Free Sunday night concert out at the CaoChungDi art district. The weather was warm and the concert was very cool.
View of Wudaokou from a cafe were I sometimes study with my classmates.
This is some land mark, oh yes...the Great Wall!
Chinese students chill at the great wall and we exchange eye contact. Eventually they start talking amongst themselves. Then one of them comes up to me. "Hello, please may I have a hug". I smile and give her a hug, and everyone cheers.
Me at the Great Wall. Yeah, I was there. I wear a pin to celebrate the 99th anniversary of Tsinghua. Given to me courtesy of the News Center.
Me with some classmates who went on the trip also. Everyone is congenial, international, and cool. :)
That is all for now. I am studying for mid term exams and can't believe things have gone so fast. I am also planning a trip with some friends to Datong to see a palace in the caves and some Buddah statues. Will report back.
What great days in China!!!I also went to Wangfujing street,but dare not to eat scorpion....