Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Election Party
Friday, October 10, 2008
Back in Town - The Great Wall
Can you see little me up on the parapets? Just one over from the last one on the right.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
On Hoilday
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Paralympics
This man was posted to keep the rowdy French contingent in line. He was not entirely successful and is watching the match on the huge screen above our heads.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Some Tourist Spots
The picture of the rooftops is the closest thing I came to an "artsy" shot. The tiles on the roof glinted gold in the weak (although very hot) sunlight and contrasted nicely with the scafolding in the murky distance.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Beijing Metro
When you see this map I bet you say, "Wow, this looks like a piece of cake!" Actually the subway is the easiest thing to navigate in the city. (Much easier than the grocery store) I put an X approximately where Beijing Normal University sits between lines 2 and the brand new line 10. To walk to the train (Jishuitan) takes approximately 15 minutes at New Yorker speed. Or you can wait for a bus. Everything in Beijing is bigger and more spread out than you could imagine in your wildest dreams
The trains are all marked with a map of the train route and usually a voice reads out the stops in English and Chinese. There are also video monitors that repeatedly play what I would characterize as Olympic music videos.
You can cross from train car to train car seemlessly.
There is of course much subway advertising geared toward the Olympics. NOtice how the Coke mirrors the atheletes event.
Here I am in one air conditioned station. I have not gotten lost yet on the train but the trouble starts when you try to decide which exit to come out of. They are typically marked A, B, C, D. And if you get out at the wrong one then good luck becuase the intersection is almost always criss crossed with eight lane highways that you cannot see around.
Anyway, Blogs to come are the Paralympics and the Forbidden City.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Beijing - Getting settled
Yum! Steak and Eggs. They had waffles.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Beijing - Moving In
The apartment is slowly starting to feel like home. I have added some decorations and can cook at home. Still don't know the details of my classes.
I have been too overwhelmed to take pictures but they will be following soon. I talk daily with Kevin on Skype. Free when it is computer to computer. I miss you all and would love to hear from you.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
In Shanghai
We were wined and dined by the state department in between orientation meetings. Overwhelming amounts of information. I found some French comfort food in the Ritz complex.
Obviously I did not eat the fish. But all the dishes were on a big glass lazy susan. You will also see my special vegetarian plate below.
Me taking my picture in the frosted mirror with my fellow Fulbrighters in the background.
This is the city rises Shanghai style.
Leaving the group and the super nice hotel with the indoor and outdoor pool etc was scary but the representative from Beijing normal was very helpful and nice. More on Beijing shortly. . . . .