The Long Wall of 10,000 Li（里）

The Great Wall of China

So the adventure begins again. After some initial hassle at the airport, Beijing has not been bad at all, albeit the amount of daily Chinese characters that I must learn is one too many. I'm somehow learning to manage partly because I have realized quickly enough that one more mistake on the daily quiz or 听写 (Ting1xie3) is not the end of my life.

Or is that just a convenient excuse to tune into more Winnie the Pooh in Chinese at night instead of furiously writing Chinese characters like some of my friends. I don't know. But Winnie the Pooh sure is 100 times funnier in Chinese.

My first "real" adventure outside of Beijing took place at perhaps the most famous historical site in China: the Great Wall. About two and half hour drive from Beijing, my ACC program 同学们(tong2xue2men:classmates) and I arrived at Jinshanling(金山领) part of the Great Wall.

Climbing the Great Wall was of course legendary (and lots of quadricep pain), but my favorite part of the climb was the discovering American fastfood invasion to the long wall of 10,000 Li（里）.

The invasion was ubiquitous.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves......

Scene 1: Chinese students enjoying some real lunch

Scene 2: Mickey D triumphs at the cracks of the Great Wall

Scene 3: Oh Chicken, can't forget thy taste

I came to the Great Wall thinking that I will be breathing cleaner air, ponder about the potential, future foreign invasions in China, and haggle with the lady at the top for a can of soda. Never did I expect that I will also be finding an immediate connection back to the States here.

But be "Carful" friends, we all know what lots of fastfood can do your stomach.

And here's the last shot..........I hope you guys are craving some sugar-high. Time for a study break? I think so.

Hello Beijing!

The much anticipated Beijing arrival didn't go smoothly as I had first planed.
First my luggage exceeded the weight limit and I had to pay about $80 in fine. Apparently from Seoul to Beijing the maximum weight that one person can carry is 20kg. I have been so used to traveling from states that I didn't even bother checking that traveling in between Asian countries may have different weight limit.

Then, my plane that was supposed to leave at noon was delayed for three hours and I ended up staring out my plane window watching a strange Kongfu movie for two hours. Then, when I finally got to Beijing, I got yelled at by the bus lady because I asked her the same question twice.
Gee, so sorry that I couldn't figure out your thick Beijing dialect (Beijing people like to attach Rrr sound at the end of a lot of words and phrases). Finally, it took me about forty minutes to find a cab because I arrived during rush hour and all the cabs that passed by me already had a passenger.

Now let's look at the bright side. I did finally manage to find a cab with a super nice cab driver who had so much to tell me on my way to Minzu University (where I will be spending my next year at). He asked me if I was Korean, and when I said yes, he was so excited because he is a big fan of a lot of Korean dramas and movies. He knew some Korean phrases himself, which I was pretty impressed by. In China, the drvier said, people who loves Korean culture and language are referred to as 哈韩族 (ha1han2zu2). There's apparently an increasing number of 哈韩族 as Korean dramas and music are increasingly becoming popular in China.

China is an interesting country bursting with energy, lots (and I mean LOTS) of people, and yes, bad air. Everywhere you go, you see people engaging in some type of activity. There are small vendors on the streets selling fruits, Kebabs, chestnuts, and other food. There are students playing soccer and basketball, and some people practicing Taijiquan (traditional Chinese martial art) at parks. There are also older people practicing their Chinese calligraphy with a huge writing brush on the floor. I may have just arrived in Beijing, but I can already tell that this year will be full of surprises and unexpected encounters. Hello Beijing!