I've officially been in Beijing for 6 weeks now! It doesn't seem like I have been here this long. I am always planning my weeks so the time is counted by the weeks and not days when student teaching. Each day I wake up at 6 am and get ready for school and am out the door before 7 am to catch the bus at 7 am. The commute use to last 30 minutes but that is before I found a bus station closer to school. Now it only takes 15 minutes. My staple breakfast is a 'Bing' which is a savory pancake with an fried egg in the middle of it. Then a sauce favored with some spices is brushed on one side and then the pork slices are added on top of that with some lettuce. Heart attack waiting to happen, but they are so delicious and cheap ($0.70USD). Catching the bus is a normal occurrence now and know every bus in my immediate neighborhood. It makes me feel accomplished that I can travel around Beijing easily and cheaply now. The buses that I can catch are the 107, 413, 418, 688, 701.
With Mom and Cindy being here for a week, I really feel like a local. I have been showing them the local hot spots to eat, shop, and sight see. Every night we have had dinner together. The places we have eaten at are The Blue Frog, The Saddle, Luga's, Korean BBQ, and a local Chinese place across from 3.3. Beijing is interesting in the fact that they have a melting pot of delicious cuisine. The statement said is that you can eat your way around the world without leaving Beijing. Mom and Cindy seem to be enjoying there stay. We all went to the Great Wall, Beijing Zoo, and the Zoo Market last weekend. It was an action packed weekend but was happy to be back at school on Monday.
This week was long at school. I am still not completely familiar with their lesson planning format. I feel the plans are very detailed and lengthy. Right now I am in the process of writing a Poetry unit and have found it to be a task. I taught every day this week and have really enjoyed it. Talking to Alex, we have agreed that there is such thing as teacher stamina. After the first 4 weeks I have found my teacher stamina and am able to make it through an entire day without feeling absolutely shattered as Dawn would say (Scottish word). I am teaching the majority of Numeracy and beginning to teach all of Literacy. The students are responding well to me and I feel as they see me as their teacher now. My advisor, David Johnson, is coming to visit and observe me in two weeks. It is going to be here fast and even faster because the week before is Holiday Break. So I only have one more week of school before he arrives.
At BSB, each teacher is assigned a lunch time duty to be on the playground. This Friday a couple teachers got into a little competition on the football pitch. Chris Thomas (Y5 teacher) and Grant Avery (Y6 TA) and I were on duty and Mr. Thomas was giving me grief because I was an American playing 'soccer.' We Americans don't know how to play soccer I guess. So he was smack talking while I let my actions speak for me. Oh and we are playing with at the Key Stage 2 students. I score the first goal of the game and Mr. Thomas was still relentless on the trash talk. Then after the second goal he was embarrassed the American was beating him so he started to 'try.' Unfortunately he was not successful in scoring a goal. Mr. Avery was too good to let anything by him in goal. Mr. Thomas has not heard the end of this one.
The teachers at the school all get along and we all get together outside of school. We some times get carried away with our competitiveness but in the end we are all good friends.
Note: On Thursday night after dinner with Mom and Cindy, Alex and I took the bus home. While on the bus we were in a bus accident. I am surprised it hasn't happened sooner because traffic here is crazy, mad. The story goes; The bus driver narrowly missed 2 on-coming bicyclers in the left turn lane of a busy intersection. He had to slam on his breaks, which sent everyone flying forward. None of the bicyclers were hurt, but there was a lady at the back of the bus that came flying forward from the back of the bus and fell on her back in the middle of the bus. She was unable to get up so an ambulance was called and we were left to find another bus home. Hopefully she was okay and no one will lose their life. The death penalty is stiff in China and the bus driver will have to pay any medical visits the woman may need.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Visitors
Today my mom and Aunt Cindy fly into Beijing! I am very excited to see them and show them around. Mrs. Brock was very kind and set up a driver to bring me to the air port to meet them. After they get settled in to their hotel, we are going to go out to eat with one of Cindy's friends who just happens to be in the city. Then to top it off we are going to be going to see the famous Mike Harmon, my very good friend growing up, play at the National Library in his Jazz Band.
Teaching has been very exciting! Since my last post, almost two weeks ago, I have been teaching the science, numeracy, and topic (geography and health) lessons. I have been using the Promethean interactive white board for many of my lessons so I am becoming familiar with it. Now I am trying to add the bells and whistles to make the lessons that much better. The students are very responsive to questions and I do not have to work hard to get the students to participate. They enjoy completing tasks assigned in class and they really enjoy homework. The boys in the class are very competitive and every little assignment is a game to see who can finish first. The girls are more reserved and calculated. They take their time to answer questions to make sure it is correct. They are opening up as the days go by, which helps to keep the boys on their best behavior. The boys are talkative and sometimes drown out the girls voices. The days are going by very quickly and before I know it, I will be at the end of the term. I apologize for the length of time between blogs. Time has been slipping away from me these days.
One thing I do miss about home around this time is the fall weather AND purchasing Sioux hockey tickets. Hopefully my brother Mike was fortunate and was able to buy a set of season tickets this year. I will miss going to the hockey games this semester with my family (Grandpa Brooks, dad, and Mikey). I am planning to watch them over the internet so I will still get my Sioux hockey fix. *Note: I did see a local Chinese man the other day in his mid 20s walking by my apartment in Kelly green shorts AND the logo on them was a Sioux head! Crazy!*
Teaching has been very exciting! Since my last post, almost two weeks ago, I have been teaching the science, numeracy, and topic (geography and health) lessons. I have been using the Promethean interactive white board for many of my lessons so I am becoming familiar with it. Now I am trying to add the bells and whistles to make the lessons that much better. The students are very responsive to questions and I do not have to work hard to get the students to participate. They enjoy completing tasks assigned in class and they really enjoy homework. The boys in the class are very competitive and every little assignment is a game to see who can finish first. The girls are more reserved and calculated. They take their time to answer questions to make sure it is correct. They are opening up as the days go by, which helps to keep the boys on their best behavior. The boys are talkative and sometimes drown out the girls voices. The days are going by very quickly and before I know it, I will be at the end of the term. I apologize for the length of time between blogs. Time has been slipping away from me these days.
One thing I do miss about home around this time is the fall weather AND purchasing Sioux hockey tickets. Hopefully my brother Mike was fortunate and was able to buy a set of season tickets this year. I will miss going to the hockey games this semester with my family (Grandpa Brooks, dad, and Mikey). I am planning to watch them over the internet so I will still get my Sioux hockey fix. *Note: I did see a local Chinese man the other day in his mid 20s walking by my apartment in Kelly green shorts AND the logo on them was a Sioux head! Crazy!*
Sunday, September 4, 2011
They call me Mr. Brook
Week one is under my belt! I have had to help my class pronounce my name. They seem to forget the 's.' All of my students are very energetic to start the term and I am ready to start teaching them. Miss Burnett (my cooperating teacher) and I spent the week playing 'get to know you' activities. There are fun games I learned like 'Splat,' 'Granny's Pants,' and 'Professor.' I saw a dramatic difference in the classroom dynamics as the week progressed. Originally the boys dominated classroom conversation but by Friday the girls were participating in the conversation. I'm glad that they have opened up because the girls outnumber the boys in the class. Also the boys tend to talk quite a bit so the girls will bring balance to the conversations.
In between the activities the students had assessments to complete. At BSB they use the tracking system. So at the beginning of each year students complete a base line assessment for each subject area. Then throughout the terms they are reassessed and their results are charted on a table. On the cart their baseline results are compared to their age, down to the exact month. Their results are compared to a set standard and from there it is determined if they are behind, on par, or ahead of progress. I find it a lot of work for the teacher to plot each students progress for each subject. So if you have 20 students and 4 subjects to assess the teacher has to complete 80 tables EACH term. It comes out to be a lot of work outside the classroom. Fortunately there are Teach Assistance's (TA's) to help alleviate the stress. Overall I have not determined if I find the tracking system affective. I will have to observe my class more. I do know it will help me differentiate my classroom instruction when planning lessons.
Teaching in a private school in the Embassy district of the largest populated country in the world, there are many cultures. In my class there are 9 different nationalities, to my knowledge. (Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, Australian, English, Spanish, Tanzanian, Central African, American) This is truly a diverse classroom where students know 3 and 4 languages each. I am excited to hear from all my students and their unique backgrounds. There are setbacks, some students are beginning to learn English and have difficulties understanding instruction at times. If you thought you had patience before, well it takes even more with an EAL (English as an Additional Language) student. (ESL doesn't apply because many students know multiple languages) I take to these students though. I know how they feel being the foreigner in China and not being fluent in Mandarin.
After a good week of school, I took a trip to the Great Wall. The portion I went to is called Jinshanling and is pretty touristy. I was not feeling well that morning and attribute it to the rigorous first two weeks of being in Beijing coupled with the poor air quality and new food. Apart from waking up at 2 am drenched in sweat I made it to the 8:30 am bus bound for the wall. I slept a bit on the way there. Once there I bought a chair lift ticket half way up the wall. From there I gutted out 4 hours of walking up the wall and looking at the amazing views from the turrets. With some encouragement from my British friends I made it through the day. To get back down the mountain I took the toboggan down. The wind felt amazing in the hot sun with a fever. On the way down I was yelled at many times to slow down because I was going too fast. I guess I didn't know how to use the break : ).
*Side note: I met a lady who graduated form the University of North Dakota on the Great Wall of China!!!! Small world!
Today I have been laid up and watching episodes of the Big Bang Theory and downloading music. In China, Google has free music download, so I am expanding my iTunes library like mad while I'm over here.
This week I will dive into planning and hopefully teach a bit more than I did last week. I'm ready for another exciting week here in Beijing, at BSB!
In between the activities the students had assessments to complete. At BSB they use the tracking system. So at the beginning of each year students complete a base line assessment for each subject area. Then throughout the terms they are reassessed and their results are charted on a table. On the cart their baseline results are compared to their age, down to the exact month. Their results are compared to a set standard and from there it is determined if they are behind, on par, or ahead of progress. I find it a lot of work for the teacher to plot each students progress for each subject. So if you have 20 students and 4 subjects to assess the teacher has to complete 80 tables EACH term. It comes out to be a lot of work outside the classroom. Fortunately there are Teach Assistance's (TA's) to help alleviate the stress. Overall I have not determined if I find the tracking system affective. I will have to observe my class more. I do know it will help me differentiate my classroom instruction when planning lessons.
Teaching in a private school in the Embassy district of the largest populated country in the world, there are many cultures. In my class there are 9 different nationalities, to my knowledge. (Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, Australian, English, Spanish, Tanzanian, Central African, American) This is truly a diverse classroom where students know 3 and 4 languages each. I am excited to hear from all my students and their unique backgrounds. There are setbacks, some students are beginning to learn English and have difficulties understanding instruction at times. If you thought you had patience before, well it takes even more with an EAL (English as an Additional Language) student. (ESL doesn't apply because many students know multiple languages) I take to these students though. I know how they feel being the foreigner in China and not being fluent in Mandarin.
After a good week of school, I took a trip to the Great Wall. The portion I went to is called Jinshanling and is pretty touristy. I was not feeling well that morning and attribute it to the rigorous first two weeks of being in Beijing coupled with the poor air quality and new food. Apart from waking up at 2 am drenched in sweat I made it to the 8:30 am bus bound for the wall. I slept a bit on the way there. Once there I bought a chair lift ticket half way up the wall. From there I gutted out 4 hours of walking up the wall and looking at the amazing views from the turrets. With some encouragement from my British friends I made it through the day. To get back down the mountain I took the toboggan down. The wind felt amazing in the hot sun with a fever. On the way down I was yelled at many times to slow down because I was going too fast. I guess I didn't know how to use the break : ).
*Side note: I met a lady who graduated form the University of North Dakota on the Great Wall of China!!!! Small world!
Today I have been laid up and watching episodes of the Big Bang Theory and downloading music. In China, Google has free music download, so I am expanding my iTunes library like mad while I'm over here.
This week I will dive into planning and hopefully teach a bit more than I did last week. I'm ready for another exciting week here in Beijing, at BSB!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Raining Cats and Dogs
Last Friday student came with their parents to visit the classroom and new teachers. That morning it was raining and I had to catch the bus. Now rain in North Dakota is nothing like the rain here in Beijing. The heavy rain flooded the streets on the route to the bus stop. I was in good spirits and not going to let the rain dampen my good mood, but that was before I can to the giant puddle. It was 30 feet wide, 3 times as long, and 4 inches deep. Now picture me in dress clothes walking through a heavy downpour, not a pretty sight. There was no way around so I bucked up and went through it. A long story short, I was soaked by the time I made it to school. As i walked into school drenched and my shoes completely soaked, Mrs. Brock (head teacher) and Mrs. Armstrong are standing in the front entry greeting me with a smile. They were pleased to see me arrive so early in this terrible weather. Also they made comment that I will not have a problem being on time the rest of the term if I can make it to school early in a Beijing rain. I got some advice from them to pack my teaching clothes in my bag and change once I get to school. Needless to say I had learned valuable knowledge that morning and it wasn't even 7:30 am.
By mid afternoon I was dried out and had met all of two student who made the trek to school in the bad weather. Meeting the students and their families made me very excited for the year to start. The students (they are referred to as pupils in the British education system) seemed excited to begin class again after their holiday break. They both had been traveling, one to Italy and the other to Scotland. Many of the students that attend BSB: Sanlitun have parents who work in the consulate. Money and supplies are not an issue at this school. Between Nord Anglia and the supportive parents they have plenty of funding. This year my Year 5 class is going to take a trip to Xi'an (Shee an) and see the Terra-catta Warriors . To get there they are taking a plane. The school is very privileged to have the opportunity and I believe the trip will excite the students to learn. Unfortunately I will be gone second term and back in the States.
After having a productive week of school and getting my classroom ready, I spent Saturday afternoon at the Summer Palace. The Palace was nothing I expected and I was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing what I had envisioned an UNESCO site to be. Its origin came to be when the capital of the Jin Dynasty moved to Beijing. In the scorching hot summers emperors would escape the city and stay in the gardens of the Summer Palace. Many emperors added their own gardens and some even created their own lakes. It is now an expansive collections of gardens and lakes. Now days it costs 30 RMB to enter the grounds and an additional 30 to tour the temples and buildings. It is a very popular place for locals to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon. There are paths to hike and boats to rent and spend an afternoon on the water. While hiking Longevity Hill I came across a group of elderly locals playing recreational games on a porch. The Chinese like their parks, especially the retired. On one side there was a couple playing a racquet sport of some sort. Then there was a gentleman practicing his Chinese characters on the floor boards of the porch using water and a sponge attached to a pole. On the other side there were two ladies dancing to Chinese folk music. I have to say they had more grace than I do on the dance floor. Then along the railings of the porch there were 3 groups of men playing card games and discussion what old Chinese men discuss. As I said earlier I was surprised to see the what the Summer Palace is all about. I would describe it as the Central Park of Beijing. Families come and enjoy a breezy afternoon by the lake and partake in recreational games. One thing that bothered me was to see the souvenir shops and restaurants inside the UNESCO site. I think it would have a more authentic feel if they kept that on the outside of the park.
Monday school starts!
By mid afternoon I was dried out and had met all of two student who made the trek to school in the bad weather. Meeting the students and their families made me very excited for the year to start. The students (they are referred to as pupils in the British education system) seemed excited to begin class again after their holiday break. They both had been traveling, one to Italy and the other to Scotland. Many of the students that attend BSB: Sanlitun have parents who work in the consulate. Money and supplies are not an issue at this school. Between Nord Anglia and the supportive parents they have plenty of funding. This year my Year 5 class is going to take a trip to Xi'an (Shee an) and see the Terra-catta Warriors . To get there they are taking a plane. The school is very privileged to have the opportunity and I believe the trip will excite the students to learn. Unfortunately I will be gone second term and back in the States.
After having a productive week of school and getting my classroom ready, I spent Saturday afternoon at the Summer Palace. The Palace was nothing I expected and I was pleasantly surprised that it was nothing what I had envisioned an UNESCO site to be. Its origin came to be when the capital of the Jin Dynasty moved to Beijing. In the scorching hot summers emperors would escape the city and stay in the gardens of the Summer Palace. Many emperors added their own gardens and some even created their own lakes. It is now an expansive collections of gardens and lakes. Now days it costs 30 RMB to enter the grounds and an additional 30 to tour the temples and buildings. It is a very popular place for locals to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon. There are paths to hike and boats to rent and spend an afternoon on the water. While hiking Longevity Hill I came across a group of elderly locals playing recreational games on a porch. The Chinese like their parks, especially the retired. On one side there was a couple playing a racquet sport of some sort. Then there was a gentleman practicing his Chinese characters on the floor boards of the porch using water and a sponge attached to a pole. On the other side there were two ladies dancing to Chinese folk music. I have to say they had more grace than I do on the dance floor. Then along the railings of the porch there were 3 groups of men playing card games and discussion what old Chinese men discuss. As I said earlier I was surprised to see the what the Summer Palace is all about. I would describe it as the Central Park of Beijing. Families come and enjoy a breezy afternoon by the lake and partake in recreational games. One thing that bothered me was to see the souvenir shops and restaurants inside the UNESCO site. I think it would have a more authentic feel if they kept that on the outside of the park.
Monday school starts!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
In the Classroom
The past week has been full of meetings to clear up questions and talk about the Nord Anglia: The British School of Beijing formalities. Finally this week we are in our classroom setting up. I have created my first bulletin board, which is a must at BSB. They strive on presenting the students work throughout the semester and there are 5 bulletin boards for that in my classroom. I also created a mural out of tag board which is of a silhouetted tree. On the first day of class, students will each color a pelican to be perched on the tree. (Our classroom mascot is the pelican) The classroom is shaping up and I am learning the ropes of Year 5 along with my cooperating teacher, Miss Dawn Burnette, who is teaching this level for the first time. She is Scottish and has a different way to say many terms. A jotter, a notebook, a lolly is a sucker, and color is spelled with a ou. The BSB works on a reward system and has many certificates of achievement for the students to work toward throughout the term. The most important individual reward is a House Point. One is awarded for good academic work. There are tiers to work up to from Bronze, silver, gold, to platinum. The important class reward system is the marble rewards, which are given to well behaved students. Good behavior is only rewarded and marbles cannot be taken away for bad behavior. There are many other reward systems used by the school like Pen License (for outstanding penmanship) and Star Citizen (awarded to students who show common courtesy to others), and Table Manners (those who eat properly). British schools are known for their strict and regimented style and the head teacher, Mrs. Janet Brock, says the school is to follow through with that expectation. That is why the parents are paying the good money for their children to attend this school she says.
After school today, Alex and I went to the subway station to pick up our Oyster Cards which are used to ride the buses. Before today we have relied on the taxis to bring as to and fro which cost us 14 RMB ($2.20 USD) one direction. Now taking the bus we only spend $0.40 USD each time. Talk about cheap! We have ridden every form of transportation: taxi, bus, subway, but not the bicycle or rickshaw yet. Before I leave I will have tried them all. I have to say the bus is pleasant compared to the #58 bus I rode in Thessaloniki to school.
By this Friday I will have planned the first week of my student teaching and be ready to meet the students on Friday.
After school today, Alex and I went to the subway station to pick up our Oyster Cards which are used to ride the buses. Before today we have relied on the taxis to bring as to and fro which cost us 14 RMB ($2.20 USD) one direction. Now taking the bus we only spend $0.40 USD each time. Talk about cheap! We have ridden every form of transportation: taxi, bus, subway, but not the bicycle or rickshaw yet. Before I leave I will have tried them all. I have to say the bus is pleasant compared to the #58 bus I rode in Thessaloniki to school.
By this Friday I will have planned the first week of my student teaching and be ready to meet the students on Friday.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Best of Times and...the Not So Good Times
-Written August 18, 2011-
Living abroad is the most exciting and challenging times of my life. From language barriers to navigating the bi city of Beijing, I have had such an experience. I've done so much walking, I'm going to have legs of steal when I get back to the states. With all the walking, it makes me hungry. Last night I had Hot Pot for the first time. The dish comes in a boiling bowl that is filled with rib and spine of some mystery animal. After the broth boils the dinner eats the meat off the bone...if you are 'lucky' you will get some spinal cord. The side dishes include vegies and noodles. Alex and I ordered a white vegetable that had holes like Swiss cheese, angle hair noodles, and a leafy green of some sort. With a lack of knowledge I observed locals and aked the waitress in gestures how to eat the dish traditionally. The meal was a unique experience! Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdaine would be proud. As far as school goes, learning the British system of education is a brain full. I have thoroughly enjoyed comparing the two education systems. More on that another time. Being abroad though, is physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing. There have been a couple occasions where Alex and i have been pushed to the brink. After walking many miles or trying to hail a taxi and being denied can be frustrating. It really puts into perspective my place in the city. I am the foreigner who doesn't know the language. It's a disadvantage for me to not know and that pushes me to learn more of the language; so I don't end up walking home instead of riding in an air conditioned taxi. Food is great, people are friendly, life is good. All that I can ask for is an internet connection in the apartment. Teaching as the BSB (British School of Beijing) will be contrasting to Valley Middle School. Teaching at both schools give a teacher a unique experience to the classroom teacher. Mrs. Janet (Head Teacher) is very kind at the same time she expects great teaching. I am ready to meet the expectation. My cooperating teacher, Miss Dawn Burnette, arrives this weekend. I can't wait to start curriculum planning with her. Today we have been getting to know the other teachers of the school. It is fun to talk education with a different perspective. Tonight we are going to dinner with them.
Living abroad is the most exciting and challenging times of my life. From language barriers to navigating the bi city of Beijing, I have had such an experience. I've done so much walking, I'm going to have legs of steal when I get back to the states. With all the walking, it makes me hungry. Last night I had Hot Pot for the first time. The dish comes in a boiling bowl that is filled with rib and spine of some mystery animal. After the broth boils the dinner eats the meat off the bone...if you are 'lucky' you will get some spinal cord. The side dishes include vegies and noodles. Alex and I ordered a white vegetable that had holes like Swiss cheese, angle hair noodles, and a leafy green of some sort. With a lack of knowledge I observed locals and aked the waitress in gestures how to eat the dish traditionally. The meal was a unique experience! Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdaine would be proud. As far as school goes, learning the British system of education is a brain full. I have thoroughly enjoyed comparing the two education systems. More on that another time. Being abroad though, is physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing. There have been a couple occasions where Alex and i have been pushed to the brink. After walking many miles or trying to hail a taxi and being denied can be frustrating. It really puts into perspective my place in the city. I am the foreigner who doesn't know the language. It's a disadvantage for me to not know and that pushes me to learn more of the language; so I don't end up walking home instead of riding in an air conditioned taxi. Food is great, people are friendly, life is good. All that I can ask for is an internet connection in the apartment. Teaching as the BSB (British School of Beijing) will be contrasting to Valley Middle School. Teaching at both schools give a teacher a unique experience to the classroom teacher. Mrs. Janet (Head Teacher) is very kind at the same time she expects great teaching. I am ready to meet the expectation. My cooperating teacher, Miss Dawn Burnette, arrives this weekend. I can't wait to start curriculum planning with her. Today we have been getting to know the other teachers of the school. It is fun to talk education with a different perspective. Tonight we are going to dinner with them.
Seeing the Sights
-Written August 15, 2011-
Uftah! I did some sight seeing today. Starting at Tianamen Square and ending at the Olympic Park, Alex and I spent 10 hours walking around the center of Beijing. Along the way we took plenty of pictures, had a few laughs, pondered life/history's mysteries, and all doing so while only spending $23 USD. Starting in the Communist hay-day era at Tianamen Square reminded me of Romania and its wide streets and block style architecture. Through the arch adorn with the head of Mao we entered the Forbidden City. it coast $10 USD and was worth every penny. The grand size of the complex makes the human feel very small. No doubt the emperor was respected or maybe feared is a better word. It was a rainy afternoon and I forgot my umbrella so I bought one from a peddler for $1.66 USD. It was pink and a fashion statement! On the north side of the Forbidden City is Jingshan Park where you can find Coal Hill, by far my favorite place of the day. The view from the top and the beautiful park surrounding it made it pleasurable and peaceful even when we were in the center of Beijing. After all that walking we had lunch at a local eatery. We had dumplings and fried rice. Delicious and cheep! We devoured the rice and enjoyed the dumplings for only $7 USD. From there we decided to visit the Olympic Park. Taking the long way around, we were able to finally board the subway to the park. By this time we are worn down but not out! We had it in us to make it to the Park. The sub system is very English speaker friendly. We had no troubles navigating. On the subway it was always wall-to-wall people, body odor and all. Many people used their phones as a game system to pass the time. The Olympic park was grand and awe inspiring. This grand complex showcases the potential of China and what its future has in store. On the flip side it had to destroy parts of its identity, the hutong, to make way for this progress. it will be an interesting balancing act of keeping heritage and progression if china wants to thrive. Before heading to the apartment we stopped at a local eatery where we had Alex's favorite dish, tofu. I ordered chicken. Delicious. I need to learn more Chinese to converse with locals and vendors. It will get us far.
AND next time we need to bring a map when we go sight seeing.
Uftah! I did some sight seeing today. Starting at Tianamen Square and ending at the Olympic Park, Alex and I spent 10 hours walking around the center of Beijing. Along the way we took plenty of pictures, had a few laughs, pondered life/history's mysteries, and all doing so while only spending $23 USD. Starting in the Communist hay-day era at Tianamen Square reminded me of Romania and its wide streets and block style architecture. Through the arch adorn with the head of Mao we entered the Forbidden City. it coast $10 USD and was worth every penny. The grand size of the complex makes the human feel very small. No doubt the emperor was respected or maybe feared is a better word. It was a rainy afternoon and I forgot my umbrella so I bought one from a peddler for $1.66 USD. It was pink and a fashion statement! On the north side of the Forbidden City is Jingshan Park where you can find Coal Hill, by far my favorite place of the day. The view from the top and the beautiful park surrounding it made it pleasurable and peaceful even when we were in the center of Beijing. After all that walking we had lunch at a local eatery. We had dumplings and fried rice. Delicious and cheep! We devoured the rice and enjoyed the dumplings for only $7 USD. From there we decided to visit the Olympic Park. Taking the long way around, we were able to finally board the subway to the park. By this time we are worn down but not out! We had it in us to make it to the Park. The sub system is very English speaker friendly. We had no troubles navigating. On the subway it was always wall-to-wall people, body odor and all. Many people used their phones as a game system to pass the time. The Olympic park was grand and awe inspiring. This grand complex showcases the potential of China and what its future has in store. On the flip side it had to destroy parts of its identity, the hutong, to make way for this progress. it will be an interesting balancing act of keeping heritage and progression if china wants to thrive. Before heading to the apartment we stopped at a local eatery where we had Alex's favorite dish, tofu. I ordered chicken. Delicious. I need to learn more Chinese to converse with locals and vendors. It will get us far.
AND next time we need to bring a map when we go sight seeing.
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