Hello!

Ok! I've finally gotten access to blogspot. This censorship thing is definitely a challenge to get used to. After struggling to find a free proxy server or vpn (verified private network), I ended up paying $30 to have access to a VPN for 3 months. Basically, it allows me to access a private network based in San Francisco so I can surf the web freely. Thank goodness.

SO

I have been here for one week now. The flight here was incredibly long. 1.15 hr to Newark, then just short of 14 hrs to Beijing. Thank goodness for the in-flight entertainment of on demand movies and tv shows. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I somehow made my way through the Beijing airport, past the disease inspection, visa checkpoint, baggage claim, and customs, and met my 6 fellow CIEE program members. We were all shipped off to drop our things at the dorm, then met Dan, our program director for dinner. I think we had some Tibeten food that first night, but to be honest, I'm not sure. Since, we've eaten out almost every meal. Last night, my dinner cost 2 US dollars. About 16 yuan. It's going to be a rude awakening when I return to the states and have to pay an arm and a leg for my food. Ah well.

We arrived just in time to close out the Chinese New Year and celebrate Tibetan New Year. The fireworks are neverending, and quite frankly, I am very sick of them. They have been set off every night since I've been here, usually right outside of my room until past midnight. In theory, you are only allowed to use them between 7pm and midnight, but no one enforces that. I think the stands are finally beginning to sell out, though. To celebrate the last day of Chinese New Year, we were invited to one of the professor's homes to make jiaozi (dumplings). We spent the evening attempting to communicate in our broken Chinese, learning a bit of Tibetan dance, watching magic tricks with American "bicycle" cards, and preparing the jiaozi. The family was incredibly hospitable and friendly. For Tibetan New Year, we went to another family's home to eat baozi (also dumplings). Delicious :)

We spent Wednesday evening through Sunday doing orientation activities. Registration, campus tours, paying fees, taking the Mandarin placement test. I definitely know MUCH less Mandarin than I thought I did. It's one thing to practice vocabulary words and use them in a sentence, but when a local Beijinger speaks to you, things are completely different. I'm beginning to get used to using the few words I know to communicate, but I am basically illiterate for the time being. Luckily we are all very eager to learn the language and have lots of tutoring and speaking opportunities (along with 4 hours of Mandarin class a day!).

The first weekend we traveled about 2 hours north of Beijing to a slightly quieter section of the Great Wall (Mutianyu). It was absolutely beautiful. The day was a bit hazy and chilly, but with the thousands of steps we climbed, the wind was very much appreciated. We spent about 5 hours hiking the wall, and returned to our tiny rural "hotel" where we slept on a marble slab. Literally. The 6 of us (all women) slept 6 abreast on a big flat piece of stone covered with a few old comforters. And yes, all that you hear about toilets being nothing but holes in the ground is quite true. We are lucky to have real toilets in our apartments, but at all public bathrooms and most local restaurants, you must squat. We also were so lucky to have a photo of a naked asian woman on our bathroom wall. Complimentary, of course.

Now, on to the FOOD. Apparently, people in China don't cook much. At least not students. Like I said before, dinner usually costs around 2 US dollars. For lunch today, I had 2 large servings of jiaozi and baozi for 4 yuan each. Less than 2 US dollars. I have been eating breakfast in my apartment, but we all find something fun for lunch and dinner. We are in a great location, with restaurants and grocery stores lining the streets. We are also just about a 10 minute walk from the subway, which is incredible efficient, clean, and easy. Everything was revamped for the Olympics in 2008 so it's easy for those who don't speak Mandarin to navigate.

Sunday night, I met with a friend from the states who took me around his area of the city. It was quite refreshing to spend time with people who are familiar with Beijing and are bilingual. I definitely would recommend studying some Chinese before moving here! It is possible to figure things out, but unless you are in an extremely touristy or student populated area, you will find very few people who understand any English.

Classes began on Monday, and are going very well so far. At Minzu Daxue (Minzu University), there is a huge school of international education, so all of the international students take Mandarin together. My class has students from the US, Nepal, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, and a few others. Our teacher speaks very little English so we must speak almost entirely in the little Mandarin that we know.

As for dance, I meet with Willy Tsao on Friday. He is the artistic director of LDTX, and we will try to figure out how my schedule will work with the company. Looking at things now, it seems impossible, but after speaking with Dan, we are determined to make things work. Thank goodness for the subway! I will write again once we have had our meeting.

OK, I'm going to cut it there for now. Things are going really well here in Beijing. I am so happy that I was able to make this trip work, and am so excited to spend the next 4 months here.

Again, send your addresses :)