Mom Does Beijing

你好!我们很好！我的妈妈觉得北京很多人！

Mom arrived safe and sound Tuesday evening, a few hours after my graduation. It turns out that I, very surprisingly, passed all of my final exams and courses. In short, I graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University! The school requires a minimum grade of 60 to pass each course. I received a 60.3 in my Ting Li course (aka Listening). Talk about putting in the absolute minimal effort in order to graduate! ha ha!

Since Mom has arrived, we've seen and done quite a bit. We broke the law by disobeying all of the 'don't step on the ice' signs when we visited the Summer Palace and stood on Lake Kunming which is frozen solid. Mom is making with friends with anyone who makes eye contact with her, and so we have some cute pictures of her with her new '中国朋友'...Chinese friends! We rode an ice chair around Hou Hai lake and had a hilarious time at dinner (for me, anyway!). Mom didn't realize that there are orange-colored spicy peppers here, and before I could warn her, she had chewed up an entire pepper thinking it was a carrot! Her head started throbbing and her tongue was swollen....she had no taste buds for over an hour either. It worked out well for me because I got to enjoy the entire bottle of white by myself, but I did feel bad for her! She won't eat anything now without an explanation as to what it is before she woofs it down!

We spent an afternoon in Bei Hai Park, where we saw couples waltzing and others performing various songs and dances in the gazebos around the lakeside. A couple was writing Hanzi (Chinese characters) on the sidewalk with a large brush and water. I asked if I could do it too....attached is a picture of me writing my name in Chinese. The couple was very nice to talk with, and Mom thinks that I am the smartest person in the world because I can tell people that I just finished studying Chinese, my name is Jia Li and that I am an American all in Chinese...very funny!

Today, we made the 2 1/2 hour trek to Simatai, my favorite section of the Great Wall. The weather was in the mid-30'sF and on top of the wall, it was extremely windy! We managed to walk on the wall through 5 towers, for about 1 1/2 hours before succumbing to the cold and wind. Yesterday, we went to an acrobatic show where the performers contorted their bodies in ways I didn't know the human body could twist. Mom tasted her first Peking Duck last night with my friends Michael and William, along with some of their family members. Last but not least, we went to the 'weird food street' where Mom bravely consumed 4 scorpions! It must run in the family, because she insisted on having a beer to wash it down!

All in all, I'm pleased with how she's handling the squatter toilets, throngs of people, pollution and cold. She's been a trooper! Thankfully, the weather has been sunny and clear since she's arrived, and it's been slightly warmer than in the last few weeks, so I think that is helping both of us survive! Zai jian! - Jamie (aka 佳丽）

The following was written by Temporary Blog Contributor: Pat Barden (aka Mom)

Oh my gosh, what an experience this has been!!! First of all, I am amazed at how Jamie can converse with all these Chinese people. I listen and wonder what they are saying to each other. They just talk away and laugh and I just nod my head and smile. :)

The scorpions really were not bad at all. The beer was a lot better, though. Our Peking duck dinner was delicious and so much fun with Jamie's friends and their families here visiting, too.

The Great Wall walk was awesome!! I keep pinching myself because I still can't believe I walked on The Wall.

The thing I am enjoying the most is when we are mingling with the people in the parks, on the streets, in the local restaurants , on the bus, taxis, and subways. They are friendly and helpful. It makes me wish I could speak their language.

We are healthy, happy, and staying warm. Hope you are, too.