三個月前我來到中國的北方，要在北京最西邊的市區上一年的中文課。我的想法是在一個較安靜的地方好好學習，有空騎自行車去爬山或者在公園裏練功，可能在這個新環境外國人比較少，可以多跟當地人交流。It was a Monday when I arrived in Shijingshan (石景山). It was afternoon and yet the place didn’t seem that busy. I walked from the metro to my new school. Not knowing exactly how to get there but knew it couldn’t have been that far. An hour later I found it, I walked a bit out of the way to get there but I wanted to see my new surroundings.

I enjoyed walking around campus for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect of the place. There was a bunch of construction going on here and there but overall my first impressions of the campus were good. Everything went smoothly the first day and after 21 days of traveling solo around China I was glad to be able to rest.

Classes didn’t start for two weeks but I was busy everyday buying things for my room and trying to get used to my new surroundings. It was tiring because going to a big supermarket like Wal-mart or Carefour I have to go into the city which takes about an hour. There’s plenty of public transportation in Beijing but there’s so many people using it that sometimes it’s a nightmare to do so.

Once classes started that was it, mad busy. Listening, conversation, writing, newspaper reading and comprehension, five classes of Chinese and 100’s of new vocabulary words a week. It’s plenty intensive. For the first month I thought it was a real challenge. I can easily say I was studying harder than I ever did before. Now I used to the pace and curriculum. I know how to relax a bit. I had a few too many notes in my book the first two weeks.

You see my hand, see the blister from writing. Also, see how dry my hands are. This place’s climate is opposite of what I’m used to, warm and wet. The first month and a half I woke up everyday and my throat hurt. 因水土不服，尤其是這兒的乾燥氣候，我身體經常覺得不舒服，影響了我的心情，覺得北京不好玩兒。但是，過了兩月以侯就習慣了，開始越來越喜歡我新的環境。It was a hard two months but one I got used to my surroundings I felt good.

Now, I’m having a blast. I’ve made a lot of friends on campus. I ride my bicycle 15 minutes to the mountains and have friends there too. They work at one of the sites in the park, a 1,000 year old temple (証果寺) and I get to go into the courtyard and strike the old bell. I joined the Wushu Club and have taiji class two times a week. I’m an officer of the Cantonese club (粵語社團), Foreign Relations Consultant (外聯部顧問), and we have class every Wednesday night. Also, I joined the Chess Club and they play Chinese chess, go and 五子棋 every Thusday night. I’m studying things I have interest in and am enjoying being a student again. I have this great opportunity, I gotta make the best of it.

When fate provides you with a rare chance, a special opportunity in your life, you have to make it happen. I’m doing it, in more ways than one. I’m thankful. I’m glad.

I got so much to write…

任時間流逝
任塵土堆積
任它自在隨風離去

____ _____ _____ _

LET TIME PASS
AND DUST FALL
FOR A GREAT ESCAPE
IN THE WIND

謝了錕..

廢話說完了，兩瓶紅酒喝完了..

there was this one time i snuck out of the house with a friend. when we came home it was raining. we climbed the scaffolding, scaled the aluminum roof in the rain, dropped down to the porch into a rocking chair. hide, get ghost..

鐵杆軟心