wo de fangjian / my room

23Sep09

大家好! ／ Hello!

One week down and I’m full swing into life here.  School’s finally started and apparently my Chinese was so terrible that they want me to start from scratch.  I want to shoot myself it’s so simple right now.  That being said, just like an MBA, the majority of benefits come from outside the classroom.

I’ve made considerable progress meeting new people and speaking Chinese at every turn.  Immersion truly works! Just in the past week, I’ve managed to figure out how to get all the basics (food, water, shelter) without leaning on broken English and getting horribly ripped off.  And, I’m able to hold simple conversations over a coffee or a beer.  Not bad for having spoken no more than 10 words a year for each of the past 10 years, eh?

Anyway, a quick glimpse into living situation here.  As a foreigner, quality of living is considerably higher than for that of the locals.  That being said… I’m still in China.

And I thought NY living was tight…

I can’t imagine a more efficient use of space

I live right by the track, which on some days (pictured below), you can hardly see through the smog to the other side

Mmm… meat on a stick = chuan ‘r; pronounced CHUARRR! Seriously, think angry. About $0.40 / stick.

Filed under: China, Student Life, Traveling   |  2 Comments
Tags: beijing, beijing language and culture university, blcu, China, chuan'r, conference center, first day, smog