Honeymoon Phase

Hello, uncensored world!
I have not written for such a long time with no adequate excuse. At this time I am sorry to inform you that I have no long, epic, entry about all the things that I have been doing. Instead, I am just going to report that China is great. The sun is shining and the days go quickly, and I am doing good, on a whole. Beijing is like this great city where you can do almost anything for a fraction of the prices of Canada. I have been spending my days working and getting settled into ‘life.’ Friends (well, acquaintances) have been accumulating slowly, but those whom I have gotten to know have been great. Work is okay, in a nutshell. Although I am not sure that I am gifted at or passionate about teaching English, I am still thankful for this experience. Some of my students are fantastic – they’ve definitely put in an effort to help me with whatever I need. Just recently, one of them bought me an English and Chinese map of Beijing because he said that it always seemed like I was getting lost. He has a point. There isn’t a lot of other work at the moment, which really isn’t bothering me too much. I just found out that Joe and I will be getting two weeks of vacation instead of one, which means that I am freee to do whatever I want starting August 15th. EXCITING. I don’t know what I want to do. This country is so vast, and I want to see every corner of it! I must take a moment here to mention the splendid thing that is Chinese street food. Seriously, I am going to miss the lunches, snacks, and breakfasts that I have here. My present addiction is Yangrou Chuan’r, which is lamb meat on a stick. It is roasted over a fire and sprinkled with all kinds of weird sauce. I am in love with it. It’s exceptionally cheap (0.5 or 1 kuai per stick. There is between 6 and 7 kuai in a dollar) and delicious. That, and I might have to marry my rice cooker. I never realized how easy it was to make rice in a rice cooker. It’s an amazing invention, I tell you.
Also, the nightlife here is fun. This is where most of the other laowai come out to play. There are a wide variety of clubs, pubs, bars, and restaurants to suit any taste. You can find both Chinese rock, drum’n’bass, and dancy pop hits all in the same block. Going out is usually not too cheap, although there are great places like Phil’s, which have all-you-can-drink specials from 9pm-12am for 50 kuai (that’s less than 10 bucks!). Like, reeeealy, who in Vancouver would let patrons do that at all, not to mention for less than 10 bucks?! The other cool thing is that there are patio bars, which sit on rooftops and overlook the Beijing skyline. They are fantastic, and usually serve up delicious cocktails and cold Yanjing beer on tap. So… if you have the money, there is no shortage of things you can do in Beijing. This city has got to be one of the best places to do something like I am doing. Although I’m not saving any money, I have enough to live comfortably. I work during the day, and then at night there are a ton of things to occupy oneself with. This is what I imagine a 20-something lifestyle should be like. I know that I sound as I am in some kind of euphoric happy-land, and I suppose it’s only because I’ve been here for a short time and I am not as jaded as most (yet). But I’m enjoying this. It’s not often that you get a chance to do this. I know that in seven months I will go back to school and begin the life of a fourth-year undergrad student, and all this will probably seem like some dream. That’s why I’m just trying to take in this whole experience as it hits me, and not get too worried about the myriad bumps in the road that make China what it is. Funny, btw, July 1st (Canada Day) also coincides with the anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. I am excited to see what kind of stuff is going to happen on that day. Big posters and preparations can already be seen in random places! I have to teach Business English that night, but I’ll be sure to take my camera out during the day. I’m actually ashamed, since I haven’t taken too many pictures (and, trust me, there has been a ton of stuff I have wanted to capture.)
And, please keep e-mails coming. I have been e-mail-less for some time from some of you! I definitely enjoy being caught up on Vancouver happenings. I’ve heard the summer there hasn’t been too memorable yet. All the more reason to dig a hole through the Earth and end up in my apartment in Southeast Beijing!