Learning Disability

Finally! I can write in my pajamas! After my notorious package spent over a month in customs, I finally received my laptop, winter clothes and some stale Junior Mints (not your fault Mom!). I also have subscribed to a fantastic VPN that all the Westerners use so that I can rejoin the online social networking revolution. We now have the internet in our room and it's a surprisingly fast connection. It's great to be able to reconnect with with the world!

A couple of pretty cool and not so cool things have already occurred this week. Pretty cool: I got my stuff. I found a very rare shoe store and am now the proud owner of winter boots that actually fit me! I went to Super Wal-Mart (two story, very different than what you'd find in the States) for the sole purpose of buying wine and cheese. The cheese and wine on the shelves in Chinese grocery stores just doesn't resemble anything close to real wine or cheese!

During my trip to Wal-Mart, I saw something I never thought I'd see...a wedding taking place in the meat department! The happy couple both chopped meat on the butcher's block as they were photographed and applauded by the crowd that had congregated around the ribs, filet's and other meat parts. Apparently the couple met while working there and wanted to share their special day with the meats and their co-workers. Only in China! They were particularly impressed when I approached them after the 'ceremony' to congratulate them (in Chinese of course!). If only I had my camera with me!

The 'not so cool' thing that happened is that I had to give a five minute speech in class this week. I had to introduce the families of three of my classmates - their names, ages, jobs, likes/dislikes. Of course, my group had the LARGEST FAMILIES EVER, one with 8 and two with 6 family members! After struggling through what turned into ten minutes of half Chinese/half Chinglish, most of my classmates, and definitely our teacher, must have thought that I had some sort of learning disability. It was awful!

The pictures are of Anna-Lina and I touring a hutong in a rickshaw earlier today (Maybe I should attend class as opposed to doing things in Beijing in order to overcome my learning disability?!?). We also visited the Lama Temple, home to amazing architecture and a lot of gold Buddhas. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday!

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! The Chinese don't really celebrate it, but a lot of my friends are going out in costume Saturday night anyway. Should be interesting to see their reaction to my costume...more on that next week! Go Gators, beat the Dawgs! (Teal, that's just for you!) ;)

再见的北京!