A big city is a big city, no matter how small

Trip Start Jun 10, 2008
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Trip End Jan 25, 2009


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Where I stayed
Beijing University Campus
(Beijing hotels)

Flag of China  ,
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Ah, Beijing.  I'm writing this retroactively to sort of consolidate my trip into one place, this travel blog.  It's hard to think back to when I first got to China.  My listening ability and pronunciation were so bad I might as well have not even know Chinese.  And we were so busy.  I remember writing to y'all saying for a little while I wasn't even sure why I came to China.  Looking back now, the question seems more like why wouldn't I have come to China.  I even love Beijing now.  Plus, the first two weeks in Beijing were the foundation of some great friendships, getting to know my incredible teachers and of starting to really learn Chinese.

We were kept pretty busy by classes but spent our free time being indoctrinated into the wonders of cheap, delicious Chinese food.  Plus we got to see the Lama Temple, home to Tibetan Buddhism in Beijing, the Summer Palace, a beacon of natural (well man-made, but it looks natural) beauty in one of the biggest cities in the world, and Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, an area I'd come to know much better on my return to Beijing.  O, plus we saw the Great Wall, which I'm sure will remain one of the most impressive human achievements and natural landscapes I've ever see.

More pictures of first two weeks in Beijing are available at http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff176/bryan51088/China/ . The albums are on the left hand side.
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