All Mondays considered, yesterday wasn't too bad. After a pretty lackluster dictation class settled in quite smoothly and I found myself remembering more of the vocab than usual and focusing on the grammar. This was the last day of the first lesson from "Integrated Chinese Level 2 Part 1" which introduced a new cast of characters and relationships far different from the days of "Integrated Chinese Level 1" Parts 1 and 2. Needless to say it was a heartfelt goodbye Brandon and I gave to Wang Peng and Li You last week. Enter Ke Lin and Zhang Tianming. Anyway the focus for these first few lessons is college life so I suppose the vocab will prove to be useful, and pretty soon we'll be learning more food vocab so that should be incredibly helpful while I'm still in China!
For lunch I joined Kyongnam, Mary, Julie, Brandon, and Victoria in heading to the Korean restaurant. I tried this hot beef soup I quickly found out I wasn't a big fan of...but I'm glad I tried it! Part of the dislike came from confusion on how to consume it. The soup was extremely broth-y, filled with noodles yet came with a rice bowl. I ended up just mixing everything and eating it with a spoon. Before Taiji Duncan and I played a little Lego Star Wars and beat Episode V! So as far as accomplishments go...that's up there.
Taiji was pretty awesome again now that we've started actually learning the ancient art and aren't doing relay races. Taiji is actually just a really slowed-down martial art of brutal effectiveness. When performed at the pace you see in parks it's exercise, but all the moves apply directly to blocks and punches and deflections. The fact we were practicing on the steps of a temple only added to the atmosphere.
We went back to the climbing gym last night around 6. While I was pretty wiped at 8,8:30 Duncan kept going until about 10:30. I was watching and doing some homework and later that night he told me that he was somehow involved in an impromptu climbing competition with a few of the regulars at the gym. They were doing crazy stuff with this epic moves leaping up overhangs and literally pulling themselves up with a single hand. I think I've got a ways to go before I get there...
Tuesday Afternoon was filled with Lego Star Wars after meeting with my language partner. Homework has been pretty light lately so I've been taking advantage of that. After a while, Duncan and I headed to the Korean Restaurant nearby with Brandon for Dinner and then headed over to Mensa's for some dessert waffles. If you don't remember, Mensa is the owner of a waffle and froyo shop two doors down from our hotel and comes from Brooklyn. He moved to China permanently three or four years ago now and started a frozen yogurt company. He is also incredibly fun to talk to. Conversation started as it normally does with Chinese business practices, and how he had to shift his American view towards prices and goods to the eastern market: how when he began his company he wasn't wary of competitor's prices and what foods Chinese customers are likely to chow down on. Waffles, for example, are never considered a breakfast food...only a dessert. From his Froyo and Waffles he has since expanded to Coffees, Frappucinos, Slushies, and now he's trying Hong Kong Waffles which are these crazy egg pastry things. I'll take a picture the next time I eat one! Anyway. he was looking for new ideas or what Duncan and I thought as Americans new to the Chinese experience. Somehow Matt found his way over and we ended up discussing politics and modern education. Having been in China for the past few years Mensa only knew the big points of recent political developments, so that was actually really interesting to talk about. I think we ended up there until about eleven before finally calling it a night.
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