Inflatable friends, celebrities, and dancing in the park

Hi everyone!

Sorry I've been so awful at updating my blog lately! So many times I've meant to sit down and write this, but then I get distracted. But anyway, this is what I've been up to lately...

Two weeks ago Lara, Kelsey and I went to the zoo. I was pre-warned that it is a bit depressing because the cages are pretty small, but I still wanted to go check it out. Although the cages were rather small, the zoo was still really cool. We purchased big inflatable tube animals, so we looked like the ultimate tourists walking around with our animal friends. I loved it, because as Val says "Always be a tourist!" As if we wouldn't get enough stares already...
What was really cool about the zoo was that I was able to get much closer to the animals than I would in America- so close that I got to pet a zebra! It's kind of funny how that happened: People were feeding the zebras right underneath a "Don't Feed the Animals" sign, so at first we were scuffing at them. Then one lady noticed we were looking her, so she came over and gave us some of her food to feed the zebras too....so suddenly we were also feeding the animals. I was able to lure a zebra close to me with my food so that I could pet it's mane. So cute!
One thing about the zoo that was really strange was the lack of souvenirs. I looked everywhere for something that said "Beijing Zoo" to send home to all of you, but they didn't have anything! All they had was tons of Canadian souvenirs- hats, jerseys, keychains, wooden mooses, etc. They really need to pick it up on the marketing...
Pictures from the zoo:
Lara and I purchasing our inflatable animals

Kelsey and I posing with our new friends



Last Monday was Jesse's birthday, so I went out to eat with him and his BCLU friends to this amazing Arabic restaurant called 1001 Nights. Somehow I lost Jesse, so I started talking to this Chinese girl named Jenny. I thought she came alone, but then after about an hour or so of talking she told me to come meet her friends. I ended up hanging out with them the rest of the night. They were playing all these different Chinese games, which I didn't know but was pretending like I did. One of the guys in the group kept trying to correct me, then finally gave up. Later on Jenny told me that boy was JC Chan....Jackie Chan's son!!

I've also developed a Wednesday evening routine: going to Lush. Lush is amazing in and of itself because it is one of the few places around that has good American food, but Wednesdays are even better because they have a trivia night. Trivia starts at 8, but we also go by 6 to stake out a table. Kind of ridiculous, but completely worth it. Unfortunately my team has never won, but I am full of more useless trivia now.

Besides petting zebras, meeting celebrities, and losing at trivia night, I've been exploring more of Beijing. I went to the Old Summer Palace with my roommate and a few other girls in my program. There's a huge lake inside the grounds, so we rented a row boat. I volunteered to row, which made me think how proud Dave Lusche would be :)
A few weeks ago I also went with my friend Andrew to explore around Tianenmen Square. We found this amazing park around the Hutong area, which was basically just a tree garden. It was really pretty, and I found one tree that looked like pulled taffy- I now have a favorite tree in Beijing. While we were in this area, two girls started talking to us for a while. After a bit they asked us if we would like to get coffee with them. I was about to say yes, then Andrew very sternly said no. It caught me off guard because Andrew is an extremely nice and gentle-natured person, but later he told me he was so quick to respond because that was a scam. Apparently it's very common for young people to ask you to get coffee, bring you to their friend's restaurant, then stick you with a ridiculously high bill. They also frequently do this with art shows. So if you're even in China and a student asks you to look at their art gallery, say no!

Photos from Wangfujing (王府井大街):


Common Wangfujing Snacks (Scorpions and Seahorses on a Stick!):


Andrew and I in Wangfujing's famous Shengxifu Hat Store:




I also went to the Forbidden City with my friend Derrick. We both purchased silly Chinese hats, so once again I was an ultimate tourist while walking around. It was a lot of fun- the city is huge! It was built with layers to divide the social classes, so now that it's abandoned it is a massive maze- very Alice in Wonderland-esque. When we started out, we decided our final goal would be these 3 temples on top of the hill in the distance. As it turned out though, those temples weren't part of the Forbidden City, they were part of 景山公园, otherwise known as Prospect Park. We went there next, which was such a good idea! Besides the awesome temples, it turns out this park is where all the locals go on the weekends to sing and dance. We couldn't walk 200 meters without running into another choir, band, karaoke stand, or flock of people dancing....too much fun!

Photos from Forbidden City:
Derrick and I in front of the Forbidden City's entrance:


The Forbidden City in all it's forbidden-ness:


Inside Forbidden City talking to my Dad:


One of the Rooms Inside the Forbidden City ("Oh look, another chair!"):


An Example of How Detailed the Forbidden City is:



Photos from Prospect Park:






Derrick Joining a Traditional Chinese Dance:




That basically covers what I've been up to these past few weeks. I know I've forgotten a bunch, so I'll try to update more frequently from now on!

I've also learned a lot about how children are treated differently in China:
1. Parents give their children a lot more freedom. I've noticed this many times, but one instance in particular that comes to mind happened at the zoo. A man was holding a young child who was reaching out to pet a donkey. Instead of pulling his hand back, the man puts his son on the other side of the railing so he could get right up to the cage to pet the zebra! At this point the kid no longer wanted to pet the zebra, but the man insisted that he did so. Only in China...
2. There are no kidnappers in this country. I know because I have seen countless children under the age of five walking around by themselves.
3. It is never too young to start smoking in China. I know because some of these children under the age of five walking around by themselves have had cigerrette in mouth....yikes!