Projects, Planning, and Plotting

Now that everything has settled into what I might call a routine here, I've decided to lay out some of my best plans and see how that goes. I don't expect to have anything to do on Tuesdays and Thursdays, because I have still not been contacted by my internship about a time to come work. Oh well.

Project #1- I'm going to make use of the 2GB flash drive in my camera and make a video about an average day here at Beida and in Beijing. I'm enlisting the help of all my friends here to help me. I hope to have it posted within a few weeks.

Plan #1- I received an e-mail from my Mom this morning which was a forward from Aunty Deb. It had to do with an ice festival held in the northern province of China that happens every year between January 5th and February 5th. As it just so happens, we have a break for Chinese New Year on February 1st and nothing to do until the 6th. As it also so happens, Beijing is the transportation hub of China and a round trip to Harbin, the capital of the northern province, is only about $120 American. As it also also so happens, my friends and I are impulsive and reckless college students, so I'm going to spend the next few days trying to plan a trip to Harbin. In addition to an ice city, they also have Siberian Tigers. Yay!

And now for the news... (except not from CNN. Do I seem bitter?)

Tram and Will at the Medicine House

After a week and a bit here, we may have finally figured out how to order the food that we want. We went to the Medicine House last night and, for the first time, everything we ordered was just the way we wanted it. The iron plates that look like fajitas without the tortillas are exactly that, with delicious eel and beef and potatoes (I like eel, so it's not like an antballs thing again). We also got an enormous plate of fried rice and some broccoli (that's for you, Mom).

Afterwards Tram and I took a long walk towards Wudaokou to find a stationary store that Will told us about so that we could buy flashcards. On the way we got to walk over a cool overpass and Tram took a picture!

Which would have been better if I had turned flash off, because there are lots of cool cars and buildings and lights in the background.

We found the stationary store and bought our flashcards, and then we went into a Chinese grocery/clothing store. I bought some pineapple beers (wouldn't you if you saw something called "pineapple beer"?) and then went upstairs to look at some clothes. But I found something else instead...

Never let go. Seriously.

If anyone has $30 that they want to give me, I will buy this for you.