I still pinch myself from time to time wondering if this could be real???? We had another day of "new teacher stuff" at school. I am stil amazed at the facility there. One thing that stands our is the way that some relics have been incorporated into such a new complex... There is some wonderful wood work in a number of places that has to be pretty old, and has been so tastefully added...
After school, another new teacher by the name of Jeremy and I chose to walk home through a local village (called a hutong I believe). Once you enter this place, you enter a whole new world. It's made nearly all of brick and is composed of what resemble a bunch of garages that are interconnected. People live and work in these. So, as we walked, we saw a little bit of everything. Such a unique thning because I felt like I had stepped back in time in so many ways...
After getting home, we met with our ayi (sounds like "IE"), named Li Xin. She is right around my age, is bi-lingual, and comes to us with great recommendations... I never thought that I would say that we have a "nanny", but that's how things are done here. So, Li Xin will be here caring for our boys and home... A wierd concept that I am still trying to get my head around....
After meeting with Li Xin, I met up with Josh (a fellow Minnesotan, and teacher here at ISB), and caught a cab to see the US baseball team play Chinese Taipei. On the cab ride, I really marvelled at how massive a city that Beijing truly is. Neverending buildings, people, and cars. We also drove by The Birdsnest and The Cube, which was truly awesome...
The game went well. We sat out in centerfield amongst many Tiapei fans. Being one of a handful of caucasians sitting out there, we got plenty of attention. People would come up and ask us to take picutres with them, which is wierd...
During the 7th inning stretch, they played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". This is something that many of the fans had never done, so they sat and watched us when we were up singing. Then the pictures started to flash, so it felt as if we were on stage... Not a place for Riley....
The US won and we joined the throng of people who were trying to find a taxi. This proved impossible, so we hopped on the subway and headed out to a less crowded area in hopes of securing a ride home...
We ended up getting off at Tianemen Square. Talk about a place to see. We walked right through that area and the way it is lighted up really accents the place... I really don't know much about what we were walking by, and look forward to it. So many things to see...
We got home about 1:00 AM and I was exhausted....
Today, we head back to work for a day of medical exams, followed by a true Chinese dinner tonight. After that, our school will load us on a bus and go down to Olympic Village, and see both the Cube and Birdnest at night.....
We're making memories!!!!
6 comments:
I'm so thrilled for you guys! Reading your blog and seeing the TV coverage of Beijing for the olympics has made me really anxious to see it in person! I can't wait until you get some photos posted. Keep the stories coming and big hugs to the whole family!
I had two opportunities to visit a hutong. One time a family invited us into their one-room home. The mother also showed us the communal kitchen and bathroom that several families share. The modest living conditions seemed so backward but the family was very proud to still be living in these villages from the past. I was also surprised that they were so expensive. I guess their value is being in such close proximity to the center of the city. -- Did you have peanuts and Cracker Jacks at the ballgame? -- What an incredible experience to be in Beijing during the Olympics! Soak it up!
This is so cool - we can't wait to follow your adventures each week by checking in on the blogging updates!
You guys are awesome!
Let me know if there is anyway our classes could connect this year - that would be amazing.
HI! I just got an e-mail! Me and My friends are in your class!
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