The cafeteria at work has been going downhill recently, in my opinion. So after work on Thursday, Annie and I went to the beer garden near the cafeteria to get some better Chinese “barbecue” and pijiu. It was really fun picking out the different skewers of meat and veggies and hoping for the best. Most everything was great, aside from the green pepper that made my mouth an inferno.
As we were leaving, we saw Pang Li and Brian sharing some pijius at a table nearby. Pang Li is my new favorite person in China, so of course we joined them! We ended up having a blast talking about everything from President Obama to Michael Jackson. We also planned to all pregame (American college style) and go out together over the weekend.
On Friday, the UNC interns were given a large file (about 6,000 words) to copy-edit after work hours so that we could earn some overtime. I wasn’t too happy to be doing work over the weekend, but I could use the money!
Keith had invited us to a party that his European friend had heard about, so after work, Annie and I went to Nanluogu Xiang, the hutong where they live. Keith and Ithzel took us to a Chinese place for dinner which was amazing! We then took a taxi to the party, which was in a hotel-turned-apartment complex. Most everybody at the party was German because it was hosted by a few interns and employees of Siemens, a German company. Everyone was really nice, and I had a great time meeting them. The party moved on to Club LA which was packed with Chinese people and foreigners. We had to bribe the taxi driver to let us cram five people in the cab. The music was blaring and there really wasn’t a dance floor, just people dancing everywhere. But I had a lot of fun! We got skewers of lamb, which I didn’t think sounded too appealing at 2 a.m., but I was pleasantly surprised and really liked it!
Saturday, Brian, Courtney and I finally got around to seeing the Forbidden City. I was pretty much drained of all energy from lack of sleep, and it was hot and crowded, so my impression of the site is not all that good. It’s basically a whole lot of temples all lined up one after the other with thrones and other furniture that you can’t go inside to see. There was a pretty cool “Hall of Paintings” that made me want to get some calligraphy done for my walls at home. Chinese art is beautiful!
Once we got home, I helped Annie prepare the house for guests, and Pang Li came over. Once PA and Brian showed up, we taught our Chinese friend who has never been to the States some drinking games. He was especially entertained by Electricity. We took a taxi to Nanluogu Xiang, because Pang Li’s favorite bar, 12SQM is there. The owner is Australian, and Australian beer is my new favorite thing! I also tried a Chinese cigarette (sorry, Mom, and everyone) to see why everyone here is so obsessed. Those babies are strong! I think I can do without. Keith and his roommates joined us for a little bit, as did Joanna (a UNC intern turned full-time CIIC employee) and her boyfriend, Colin. We went to Salud, another bar, and met some British guys. We ended up stumbling home around 5 a.m. and enjoyed dumplings (another surprisingly good drunk food).
Sunday was mostly devoted to sleep, but also a chance to go see the Olympic stadiums! The Bird’s Nest/National Stadium was beautiful, and the Water Cube looked cool and modern too. The thing that stood out to me the most, though, was the huge open area around the stadiums. It was packed with tourists – mostly from other provinces of China. I could only imagine how it looked when the Olympics were going on. The tourists all wanted their pictures taken with us. One person would come ask, “can I make photo with you?” and then a million others would follow after with huge smiles and “thank you’s.” It was precious. We were also told that the stadiums looks great at night, so another visit will be arranged!
Sherry, Annie’s partner from Fudan University in Shanghai, got in Sunday night and will be visiting for a while. It will be great to have someone to ask all of our burning questions – like, just what IS in an “egg thing?”
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