Harry Potter and a Chicken

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Sorry for the excessive amount of time that has elapsed since my last post. Applications, Chinese National Holiday, and the world's most fickle internet connection conspired to keep me from doing anything more complicated than reading the home page of the New York Times.

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The evening started off normally enough. I was restless (as usual) and tired of shuffling back and forth between the coffee house and my room every day. In trying to figure out what to do cure my restlessness at least for a while, I realized that I had never finished an old goal of reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Chinese. I had intended to bring the book with me to Nanjing to read in my spare time, but somehow it didn't make its way into my suitcase. And suddenly, I really very much needed to have it.

I obviously wasn't going to buy the book again when I had a copy at home, but I couldn't shake the need to read some form of juvenile Western literature in Chinese. The Hunger Games wasn't going to work because it had a bunch of strange words that I didn't want to deal with translating. I know, I know, wingardium leviosa and expecto patronum aren't exactly ordinary either, but to be totally honest I really really want to be able to discuss Harry Potter in Chinese, and what better way to do that than to read the books?

长白山: Part 4

The Changbai Chronicles, as continued from part three.

After finally arriving at our hostel the night before, Barney and I made plans with the hostel staff to take a shuttle to Changbai Mountain's 北坡 běi pò (north slope) the morning of the 31st. Luckily, our day on the mountain, the reason for the entire arduous trip, progressed without incident and ended up being very enjoyable. Since this was very much a visual trip, I'm just going to let loose with pictures and the occasional caption. Enjoy!

大连: Fun at the Pier

Dalian, being a coastal city, has a lot of fun places to hang out along the water. One such place was Sun Asia Ocean World, a sea park that ran along what seemed to be some kind of carnival dock.

I'll be honest, compared to its American equivalent, the park was a bit grimy and lackluster, even in a city as shiny and clean as Dalian. But as one could easily guess, and one has definitely read in my blog, there is a large difference between Chinese and American standards of quality.

The Great Wall of China

You might have heard of it. You might have seen the pictures. You might have been there yourself. But no matter how many times you've heard it described, no matter how many pictures have flown before your eyes, no matter how many steps you've taken up its steep sides, there is nothing that ever extinguishes that incredible rush of awe when you behold the Great Wall of China unwinding before you in all its glory (and there's nothing to be done about my poor poetic efforts when I'm writing on sleep deprivation).

Today's trek to the Jīnshānlǐng (金山岭) section of the Great Wall was... humbling, to say the least. My group consisted of a small contingent of people affiliated with the Yale-PKU program in one way or another, including all of our Yale professors (and some of their kids!) and my Chinese language teacher.

新疆: Part 3

Kashgar, China, was just a quick 90 minute flight out of Urumqi. For those keeping score at home, think of flying from Kearney to Denver. Same general direction, not-so-drastic change in altitude. Kashgar (also known as Kashi) is a decently-sized city located at one of the most fascinating crossroads in the world.

新疆: Part 2

So where were we? The first day in Urumqi, I think. Before we move on from that, I'm just going to share a few scenes from the streets of the city.

1. Even if you're a Muslim woman who has to cover yourself from head to toe, you can still rock sparkly clothes, interesting skirts, and some pretty pointy heels.

A Symphony in Two Keys

Tired of my excessive writing? Me too. 

So here are some photos that I took of the 

lilies outside of my classroom building. 

内蒙古: Playing

Wednesday, 2:50 PM, on the bus

I learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube!! I’ve wanted to learn since I was little, but I never got around to it. I’m having issues with the final side of the cube, but I’ll get there!

I’m a hot, sandy mess. We’re on our way to Huhhot right now from the desert playground thing.

内蒙古: Adjusting

Monday, 8:30 AM, on the bus

Overall, I have to say I’m glad I’m doing this trip, and I’m happy to have the experience under my belt, but I don’t think I’d ever sign up to do it again. The reward so far hasn’t been worth the discomfort. Additionally, I feel like this trip was not well-planned. We have too much “do nothing” time. Yesterday, we had hours of “do nothing” time, punctuated by an unexciting horse ride and a bland dinner.

I’m frustrated, I miss home. I almost think the 4-day Chinese village (another research trip possibility) would have been preferable given the free time I would have had in Beijing.

The one thing that makes this trip really worth it so far is the scenery. It’s so much like Texas in composition and Nebraska in form. The scrubby grass, the low undulating hills as far as you can see, and the stars… the stars are home. I keep forgetting how awe-inspiring they are. It’s no wonder someone thought to name our galaxy the Milky Way. It really looks like there’s a milky rainbow stretched across the sky.