This Chinese-American Life

I now remember why I like Dermott Mulroney so much: not only is he a great-looking guy, but he also has a damn sexy voice. Girls, if you don't know who he is, all you must do is watch My Best Friend's Wedding. Boys, before you roll your eyes, just listen to the June 16 podcast of This American Life, "The Truth Will Come Out." And then, you'll see why his voice is like maple syrup on pancakes. Mmmm.

Anyhow, as my dear friend would say, I am: in China.

It's almost been a week now since I've been in Beijing - and nearly a week without steady internet. You'd think that it'd be much less difficult to get internet in your room by now, but it's still a burdensome undertaking.

Class has started already and so has the studying. It's only the second day of class and we already had two quizzes. I'm in the 'advanced' class (according to our placement exam a couple days ago) but the other 20-or-so year-olds are making me look bad. And my sister is one of them.

In any case, the food has been delightfully delicious and satisfyingly cheap. My entire lunch cost 4 yuan, which is about 60 cents. My stomach is surprisingly strong; my sister's digestion is having a little party, aka, you can often find her in the ladies' room. Olympics signs are on almost every wall and corner and pollution is more pugnaciously powerful than ever.

The other students in the program come from all over the U.S., Canada and the Philippines. Most of them are from Northern CA, and almost all of them are still in college. I think they've gone out every night to go clubbing; I can't manage to stay out that late anymore, but I will probably join them every so often to check out the Beijing night scene. My last time here, I did party like it was 2005 out in Wudaokou. But now, maybe I can be the chaperone for the high schoolers.

My roommate is the best, as it is my sister. We each have our own rooms but she ends up hanging out in mine most of the time (probably because the shoddy internet is here). It's her first time in China (my sixth) so it's taking her some getting used to. You're probably wondering what that sign I'm holding in the photo above means. That's her nickname, and when my mom (she's on a business trip here) and I picked her up at the airport, I held up that lovely sign at the pig sty of an Arrivals terminal. Fortunately, she spotted the one and only 'Baby' sign among the others and we were on our way.

I have a bunch of photos, but Flickr is blocked. And yes, so is Facebook. I'll have to find an internet cafe to upload those, but I promise those will come soon!