As we were working they started singing old worker songs, which was funny. This is the group that I really hang out with at work. Haun doesn't speak much english but very well may be a world class charades player and we communicate very easily.
So back to yesterday. Nana and Jill went to an Usher concert which gave me the first chance to walk home alone. What was very exciting- was that I made it home! All by my lonesome. One thing that I am growing weary of is the staring. Every where we go we get stared at. And my blonde hair really really draws some stares. What it ends up feeling like is that we don't have a lot of anonymity with in the city. It would be crazy of me to think that I will ever blend in- but I am tired of just feeling like some sort of walking side show. It would be nice to just go out to eat and not have everybody watch me eat! I think one of the other major problems is that being in the business district there are VERY few foreigners.
So- I walked back to the apartment and sat by myself. It was lonely without Jill especially because the Internet was spotty at best and no TV. I just needed some background noise. Both the TV/Internet problem can be remedied- but I'm trying to hold on to not paying for that. Around 10 o'clock at night my boss Luyin came,we jumped in a cab and off we went to the 'Bar District.' It is close to the center of the city and was my first chance to get out of the Haidan district. Impressions: Beijing is HUGE!!!!!!!! Also, very well lit at night. It started to rain for the second time since I've been here and it was REALLY raining again. Luckily umbrellas are 20-25RMB ($3-4). We grabbed umbrellas and off to our meeting spot to catch up with Nana and Jill. We got to sit and watch the girlies coming in and out of the club. For the most part fashion here is EXACTLY the same as in the US except the high heels are much higher! The club we met at was the After Party for Usher and he would be making appearances- so it was packed. We decided to go to Vic's, sorry Usher!
The club was really nice- and expensive. But luckily Luyin was treating us since we got some students enrolled at RnR! The dancing here is much more reserved and people do NOT dance close together. I wish our middle schoolers danced that far apart! ALL of the music was US club music and it felt really good to hear non-stop English! We stayed there for a good long time- and then went it was time for World Cup we left and went to a - get this - MEXICAN FOOD place! Good gravy- I have never been so happy to have Mexican food! We ordered a place of Nachos and they were SO spicy and cheesy and delicious. This is how excited we were for Mexican food:
So- World Cup didn't start till 2:30 AM Beijing Time. And we stayed up and watched the WHOLE THING! I was rooting for Spain and Jill for Netherlands. Around 4 AM we started drifting to sleep- but the occasional screech and scream kept us awake. We met an Alaskan boy who has been living here for four years. He gave us the down low that there is a store called Jenny Lou's that sells IMPORT American stuff for cheap. Very excited to check that out also. But finally- in the 116 minutes match Spain scored s fricken' goal. By the time the match ended and we payed our bills we stepped outside 5AM. The sun was already on it's way back up.
Here is Jill and I after being up for almost 24 hours.The streets were packed with everybody who has stayed up! All of the Spaniards were running through the street- hooting and hollering. I have been fortunate enough to be abroad for two world cups and it is always an AMAZING spectacle so exhilarating to see people unite and have a good time! One thing I especially enjoyed was after the game the Netherlands supporters were cheering and high-fiving the Spaniards. Really nice.
We walked for a very long time and then jumped on the Beijing Metro. Which is very user friendly- everything is in characters and in English. Even the announcements are made in both languages. They have this really cool contraption that projects on the walls of the Subway tunnels and creates like flip book advertisements. It is crazy. We rolled into our apartment around 6:45 AM exhausted and flopped into bed.
I included one last picture of some of the cool architecture here in Beijing. These are actually the sister buildings to the building Romp N Roll is in. Although these are in the heart of the city- close to the second ring.
Today and tomorrow are our day off and I'm so excited. Tomorrow we are searching out one of the art museums and it is going to be SO MUCH fun!
So over and out! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
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