Acclimation and a Park

I am in China!
Just as a recap--I am in Beijing studying at Associated Colleges in China, located on the campus of Central University of Economics and Business. I will be here for 8 months studying Chinese. My program is an immersion program, which means I can't speak English unless I am talking to friends and family at home.

So far jet lag isn't really getting me down. I did wake up at about 6 am, which was kind of nice. I used Skype for the first time while I was here to talk to Jake, which was awesome. I spent an hour or so translating the sign on the back of the door to my room. It is only four lines long. That was annoying, but a good exercise, and I learned that I should keep my room straightened for the cleaning ladies.

I also had my first conversation with our main teacher in Chinese. It was scary but I got through it without too many problems! The best thing about being in a language program is that the teachers will correct you in conversation, when normal people would just accept your bad Chinese as ok because you are foreign. So I will learn a lot, I think.

By far the best thing I did today was go to ritan park. It is definitely a place to relax. It was beautiful and so peaceful. There was a pond, lots of walking paths, rock formations to climb on, beautiful buildings, an outdoor cafe, an exercise area, and more. I saw people talking, doing tai chi, singing, playing instruments, playing badminton, and stretching. There were kids everywhere, and one parent instructed his toddler to wave to me. I had really good (but a little pricey) coffee there, and lunch at the outdoor cafe.

Then I walked around the embassy district and saw the Slovakian embassy! as well as Sri Lankan, Columbian, and more that I forget. I went to the Beijing Friendship Store, which is kind of like a store for foreigners. It was huge; they had groceries, gifts, and most exciting for me, a bookstore. A weird selection of books, but that's okay. I am thinking once I finish the books I brought I might try and read Don Quixote. That will keep me busy for a while.

Next time I'll take my camera and send pictures! but google image search ritan park seriously. it's beautiful.