On August 29th, 2013, the nine of us NSLI-Y students paid a visit to Michelle Obama’s home - the White House - 
during the Pre-Departure Orientation. Today, we actually met her at Beijing University, where she gave a speech 
discussing the importance of studying abroad. 

On Monday, our Resident Director came to our class to tell us we were invited to an event with Michelle Obama on 
Saturday. We thought he was joking. The whole week up until today was filled with nervous anticipation. Yesterday, 
we learned that two of us would have the opportunity to be apart of a smaller group of students discussing study 
abroad and education in China with the First Lady. The day before the event, we all got ready (mentally and 
appearance-wise) in the dorms. 

We arrived at Beijing University’s Stanford Center around nine in the morning. The Stanford Center, by the way, 
is an amazing building. The above ground building looks like a traditional Chinese house, with a offices surrounding 
a courtyard. It is a single floor building... At least above ground. Underground, it is a massive, widespread building. 
The room we were in, which you can see in my pictures below, was beautifully built and planned. I didn’t get to see 
much of the underground area, but it was as well lit and refreshing-looking as any above-ground building.

As we waited for the speech to begin, we talked with the people around us. It seems as though we were the only 
young, foreign high school students in the audience. The majority of other foreigners were either with the embassy, 
or university students. We were placed in the third row... With only one row between where we were sitting and 
where Michelle Obama was sitting. Before the speech, we took the chance to look at the names on the reserved 
chairs, which included the president of Beijing University and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The First Lady’s speech was a well written and well delivered address to support study abroad and citizen 
diplomats. Listening to her speak made me realize that, well, to put it simply, she’s human. Sometimes, it’s 
easy to forget that the people we see on TV, or hear about in the news, started out like us, and, for the most part, 
are still like us “normal people.” You can read her speech here: http://language.chinadaily.com.cn/portal.php?mod=view&aid=204057

After the speeches were finished, the First Lady came down from the stage to greet the audience. As the lucky 
students in the third row, we were one of the first groups of people she greeted. A very lucky one of us got the 
chance to take a picture with her, and a total of five out of the nine of us got the chance to shake hands with her. 
She was kind and down to earth as she greeted us. 

I suppose, of all the people going in and out of China, we never expected to meet the First Lady. And, I suppose 
I never expected to realize just how normal she was, as silly as that may sound. Today’s experience opened my 
eyes to just how important study abroad is, and how representing our country doesn’t have to start when one 
goes abroad, but can also start with a click of a button on the internet. 

You can read more about Michelle Obama's visit here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/21/michelle-beijing-china-visit/6685835/

In all of Beijing, the most fascination place, at least as in my opinion, could hardly be called
a 名胜古迹, aka tourist attraction. On the contrary, the mass transit systems are considered, 
well, a part of daily life. Despite the occasional frustration with the lack of a time table and 
how long it sometimes takes for a bus to arrive, the public transportation system is incredibly 
easy to navigate. The subway is both cost effective and convenient, as it costs only two kuai 
(about a third of a US dollar) to go anywhere on the subway line, on which the stops are well 
placed around popular destinations.

Around when Beijingers are usually going to and from work, the subways are overwhelmed 
with people. There are stories about people who have been swept into subway trains by the
crowds, or missed their stop due to the large number of people between them and the closing 
doors. Rumor has it that some people get trapped between the doors because there were too 
many people inside the train. Nonetheless, most people are surprisingly considerate about 
letting people off the subway train or bus if it is possible. A common phrase heard is "我要下
车. Wo yao xia che. I want to get off the train." No matter whether it is a Chinese citizen or a 
foreigner, fellow passengers always make an effort to allow the person to disembark. It’s 
simply a matter of communication.

People on public transit also express a key part of the old Chinese culture on the subway 
trains and buses: taking care of those who are weaker and deference to the elderly. The 
Chinese government has begun a movement that encourages the youth to give up their seats 
to the elderly, disabled, and parents with young children on public transit systems. Nowadays,
when an elderly person boards a bus packed with people, someone, usually a young adult, 
will offer their spot to their elder. The same goes for families with young children. It’s a core 
value of traditional China in Modern China.

After riding the subway a great many times, I have noticed something rather unexpected. On 
the buses I’ve ridden in America, I often see my fellow passengers doing anything from 
playing games on their phones, listening to music or working on homework. In contrast, by 
far the most common transit pastime here is reading books on one’s phone. Most travelers 
read while waiting to get to their destination, rather than playing games or watching movies. 
This fascinates me, as reading in America is supposedly dying out as technological advances 
make movies and TV shows preferable to reading. In China, rather than heralding the 
downfall of reading, technology has made it more accessible through smart phones and small 
tablets. Of course, books are easier to download for free in China (technically illegally) than 
they are in America. In a different scenario, technology and reading actually work together, 
rather than against each other.

The first time I rode the subway, I was with my host sister, heading to the Forbidden City to 
meet other students. As we were talking, I heard distant music. At first, I thought it was my 
imagination, but the music grew louder and louder. I searched for the music and my eyes 
landed on man dragging himself across the subway floor. He pushed himself with his hands, 
as he sat with his half-formed legs in front of him. He sang a Chinese song into a mic while 
passengers occasionally dropped a kuai or two into the tin bucket around his neck. He was 
the first beggar I encountered on the subway. Reta explained to me that beggars sometimes 
rode the subways for the whole day, buying the 2 kuai ticket to beg on the subways for a day. 
Most subway beggars sing into a mic while walking up and down the train. 

Most of the people I meet assume I am a Chinese citizen by my appearance. Thus, when I 
ride the subway with my classmates, I receive some odd looks at my flawless English. In one 
instance, I was riding the subway home with a classmate. The subway was rather packed, and
I suppose we were talking a little above the average volume of Chinese conversations in 
public places. As we received odd looks, I voiced a question out loud, "Do you think they 
practice their English listening on us?" My classmate laughed and said, "Of course they do. 
In fact, I bet the guy next to me is doing it right now." I glanced over and caught the guy 
blushing. When my classmate got off at the next stop, the same man approached me and 
asked, "Was he your boyfriend, classmate, or coworker?" (Some Chinese people tend to 
believe that the only way a Chinese girl could be with a foreigner guy is if they are in some 
sort of romantic relationship) From there, we had a pleasant conversation about how he was,
in fact, practicing his listening on us and where he was from. I think it’s safe to say that most 
people one encounters on the Chinese subways are at least decent people.

The Chinese public transportation system is a well-run product of careful planning and 
construction. It is still expanding, in fact. I expect that one can safely get almost anywhere 
worth going on the subway lines and through the bus system. If you ever ride Beijing’s 
subways, my advice is to keep your eyes open. You may notice something that will surprise 
you about China.

It is no secret that there is a major issue with pollution in China, and specifically, Beijing. This
is mainly due in part to the way the directon the wind blows from, the number of cars in Beijing
and the use of the factories during the day. The pollution is especially bad during the winter and
weekdays. In the winter, the heating is turned on, which, naturally, requires energy to power the
heaters. In addition, the wind which often blows from the north carries more pollution, which
settles in the valley that Beijing is in. On some days, the pollution is so bad that I can’t even see
the sun and the entire day is just a gray blur. There is some debate on what is considered a day
with high pollution. Generally, my rule is, as Savannah said once, "if I can see that the sky is
blue, then the pollution isn’t bad today." In numbers, the pollution usually gets really bad past
250 on the American Embassy’s pollution app.

The affects of pollution described by our student handbook for the NSLI-Y program are
relatively accurate. Over the Chinese New Year holiday, when the pollution was especially bad
due to the fireworks, I actually developed a dry cough. When, after almost a month, it hadn’t
faded, I finally let my resident director take me to the doctor. The diagnosis was that I had mild
asthma due to the recent serious pollution. Apparently, the extremely mild asthma I had as a
child had returned. Nonetheless, the physical affects aren’t the only affects of pollution on
people. In my experience, I’ve found that multiple days in a row with high pollution are
especially hard to get through. I can’t exactly explain why, only that everyone seems twice as
restless and blue in class on polluted days than on clear days.

But then, there are also good days, when the sky is a pure, vibrant blue. Last week, we had our
first blue sky day after a long series of dark days. All of us eagerly awaited gym class at the end
of the day. When it finally came, it was as though we were in elementary school again. We
played various games, like capture the flag, red rover, and crack the whip, during which I fell
and scraped my knees, an excellent excuse to get out of the last class of the day: class
meeting. Today, on another one of those suddenly rare beautiful days, four of us girls ran laps
around the track, and then went for a jog before dinner. We’ve learned to take advantage of the
few beautiful, unpolluted days that we get.

The pollution in the rest of China is getting worse too. I have been told that in the past, along
the eastern coast, there was very little pollution, due to the sea air. Now, even port cities have
days with bad pollution. There are cities that in the past few years have gone from almost no
pollution to days when it is as bad as Beijing. Fortunately, the Chinese government is aware of
this issue and working to fix it. In Beijing, on days when the pollution is above a certain level,
all public schools (which include elementary and middle schools) and factories are closed by
the government. Due to the pollution and excessive traffic jams they cause, cars are only
allowed to be driven in Beijing on certain days of the week based on one’s license plate.

It is my opinion that as time goes on the pollution in Beijing will lessen. There was a time
during the Industrial Revolution when the pollution in Philadelphia and other industrial factory
cities were just as bad. As for now, with spring finally approaching, the air is cleaning up on its
own. The way I see it, pollution is just a phase that China will soon grow out of in time.
Meanwhile, when you can’t see the sun, put on a mask. When you can, enjoy the day as best as
you can.

For the four weeks of Chinese winter break, I have been busy traveling around China with my host family and my classmates. 
Like American winter break, Chinese winter break (which is decided by the national government) is placed around a national 
holiday. While winter break in America is placed so that it includes Christmas Day in it, China’s winter break is placed so 
that it includes 春节 (chunjie), aka the Spring Festival, or what we call Chinese New Year. Because Chinese New Year is 
such a big deal, there is a four week winter break to celebrate (although, if one is a 高三 student or a senior in high school, 
this break is usually spent studying). After finals, I spent a few days resting at my host family’s house and hanging out with 
my host sister and friends. Then, I spent the next full week participating in American Councils’ Service Week in Nanjing. Two 
days after returning from Nanjing, I went with my host family to Inner Mongolia to celebrate Chinese New Year with their 
relatives. Finally, I spent a week in HangZhou learning about the culture of ZheJiang province. All in all, my first Chinese 
winter break was full of new experiences.

The service week in Nanjing was truly an amazing experience. Our week was packed with afternoons of volunteering at 
various places, such as elementary schools, elderly communities, disabled schools and YMCA/YWCA classes. Our 
mornings were spent attending workshops, visiting museums and checking out other tourist sites. We also had the 
opportunity to meet other NSLI-Y kids - the American Councils Shanghai students. It was very interesting to see how nine 
other students randomly tossed together made things work, just as we did. I can’t say that our groups ended up the same 
way - I’m certain our group dynamics are very different. In all honesty, meeting them made me see our group dynamic in a 
new way - and with a bit more appreciation. The week in Nanjing allowed me to see parts of China I hadn’t been able to see 
before. The little grade school children I met spoke of American schools with a sense of awe, as a place where children play 
all day and have no homework. A little girl actually asked me if we were allowed to play over at a friend’s house in grade 
school. Evidently, she wasn’t allowed to because she never had enough time between studying, attending school and 
practicing piano. Nonetheless, she seemed happy as we exchanged songs on the piano. The week spent in Nanjing was full 
of new experiences. I’m extremely thankful to Nanjing University and American Councils for organizing the event.

After just two days back in Beijing, my host family and I began the ten hour drive to Baotou, the largest city in Inner 
Mongolia, which is located in northern China, just under the “real” Mongolia. As is the tradition in China, my host family was 
returning to their hometown to celebrate Chinese New Year with their relatives. Chinese New Year is by far the most 
important holiday in Chinese culture. It combines the American traditions of reunion and excessive eating on Thanksgiving, 
gift giving on Christmas, and the drinking and fireworks of New Year’s Eve into one massive fifteen day holiday. From Chinese 
New Year’s Eve until the night before we left Baotou, we visited nearly every relative’s house, or they visited the home we 
were staying at. Every meal we had had traditional Inner Mongolian food, which was sometimes home cooked, and 
sometimes in a fancy restaurant. Every time we ate a meal, it would be with a new family member, often someone my host 
family hadn’t seen in about a year. The reunions were filled with exclamations on how long it had been and how pretty my 
host sister had grown. A small cultural difference: In America, at least in my experience, when there's a family reunion, the 
adults always exclaim how much the children have grown. In China, the adults exclaim how pretty the children have grown. 
I'm not completely sure why this is; some cultural things simply don't have a why. I do know that it's very common. Even if 
the child isn't that pretty, the guest will often say it anyways. Other customs of Chinese New Year include setting off 
fireworks and watching the Chinese New Year program on TV, in which there are performances by famous people, including 
Jackie Chan and my host sister's favorite Korean singer, Li MingHao. At about ten at night, the Chinese New Year greeting 
texts began coming. Many of them said the usual, "Happy New Year" and "wishing you success this year." Some people 
called instead. An hour before midnight, we began making dumplings, and at midnight we ate at least one, as was tradition. 
Chinese New Year in Inner Mongolia was a fascinating experience, full of good food and meeting new people.

Spending Chinese New Year with my host family's relatives made me realize just how lucky I am to have the host family I 
have. My host parents always made sure I was introduced when we met the relatives, and if I was feeling out of place, they'd 
tease someone into practicing English with me. Reta, my host sister, would also include me in the outings she had with her 
cousins. The relatives themselves were also very kind. I very rarely felt out of place, and they treated me as another Chinese 
person with interesting experiences, rather than a foreigner and outsider to their family.

After returning from Inner Mongolia, I spent a day out with friends in Beijing, and then the Nsliy students reunited in 
HangZhou once again. The theme of the week was innovation and culture in the ZheJiang province. We visited many temples 
and museums around West Lake, the featured part of HangZhou. Hangzhou is an absolutely beautiful city, during the spring, 
summer, fall and winter, although it was absolutely freezing and snowing while we were there. For every outing, we would also 
complete a short worksheet as a part of the friendly competition taking place during the week. We learned about Hangzhou's 
Spring Green tea, tea leaves harvested during a specific period of time before the normal harvest season. We learned about 
the Southern Song Dynasty, which played a huge part in HangZhou's history. My personal favorite experience was going 
through the apothecary on WuShan road, a cultural shopping street, and eating several HangZhou specialties. We also had a 
chance to watch KungFu tea, a unique method of tea pouring that combines KungFu and traditional tea pouring.

For the first few days, during our free time, we had explored downtown HangZhou. Oddly enough, this history-rich city had 
dozens of high end foreign brand shops in its downtown sector. We spent a large amount of time walking around West Lake, 
which is where the most beautiful parts of HangZhou can be seen. During the second half of the week, we stayed with a 
temporary host family in HangZhou. Our host siblings introduced us to the HangZhou dialect and the special parts of 
Hangzhou. On Friday, they celebrated YuanXiao Jie (元宵节), the lantern festival, during which we ate Yuanxiao, or sweet 
dumplings made out of glutinous rice flour, for every meal. The host families provided a unique experience.

I've finally arrived back at Beijing No. 80. Everything feels like it's as "back to normal" as it can get. Some of our teachers 
have switched classes so that we have new teachers. The international department has also started a new elective option, in 
which the Chinese students and international students take a class together, an idea that was actually sponsored by our new 
speaking teacher. The electives include International movies, International Choir, paper cutting, drawing, etc. I'm debating 
between trying something completely new, dance, or stretching the limits of my Chinese by participating in International 
movies. Any advice? Many of the changes here at Beijing 80 have made classes more fun and interesting. In fact, our 
conversation teacher has planned field trips for us to use our Chinese in real life situations. So far, the semester is looking 
very promising.

The two other 名胜古迹's (historical, tourist destinations) I've visited during the month of October were the the Beijing Zoo and 圆明园，the Old Summer Palace.

The Beijing Zoo
As I said in a previous blog post, when my host family asked me what sights I wanted to see in Beijing during Golden Week, the week-long national holiday celebrating China's independence, I could only think of the Beijing Zoo. So, Reta, my host sister, and I went to the Beijing Zoo the day after we visited the Olympic park. 

The Beijing Zoo is similar to any other zoo with two exceptions. First, it's absolutely massive. It has almost every animal I've seen in a zoo and more. Also, in terms of physical size, it's much bigger and more wide spread than any zoo I've been to. The zoo is split into three sectors. The first sector, at the front of the park has many of the "publicity" animals, or the animals that people come to see at the zoo, such as the pandas and the monkeys. Another sector, northwest of the first sector, is the African Animals sector. The last sector, directly north of the first one featured the bears, elephants and other large animals. We did not get a chance to visit the African Animals sector, but we did visit the other two sectors, which already took up most of our morning. 

The second main difference is the way the zoo was designed. The Beijing Zoo seems to be designed more like a park with animals than like a zoo in the western sense. There are many more trees and grassy areas than in the zoos I've seen. Most exhibits are placed outside, where they are surrounded by grassy areas and tree covered walkways. This provides the feeling of a relaxing walk through a park rather than a zoo.

As a whole, the zoo was a fun excursion. However, when going there as a tourist, make sure you go there on a weekday, when there aren't too many people there. The lines for the boat ride and the panda exhibit that came with the ticket were extremely long because we went on a day with lots of people. Also, if the only reason you visit the zoo is to see the pandas... it might not be worth it. The two pandas there were the sleepiest, dirtiest pandas I've ever seen, albeit extremely cute. 

After visiting the zoo, Reta and I went window shopping at the shopping center across from the zoo. The shopping center is even bigger than the zoo and has smaller shops inside, each selling their specialties, which range from fuzzy panda sweaters to knock off hollister sweaters. The best part was that everything was relatively cheap because most of it was wholesale.

圆明园 (Yuan Ming Yuan) The Old Summer Palace

YuanMing Yuan is the site of the Old Summer palace that was destroyed by the British during the Second Opium War in retaliation for the deaths of around twenty soldiers sent to negotiate a treaty with the Royal Prince. Since then, it has been turned into a park where bits of history can be seen among the beautiful scenery.

When we visited YuanMing Yuan with our host siblings, the weather was perfect. It was the beginning of Autumn, when the leaves were just starting to change colors and the air was getting cooler. D, our resident director, had two scavenger hunts for us to do. The first was to be done before lunch, during the time designated for speaking Chinese only. As we ate lunch, the American students presented their answers in Chinese. The afternoon was then English speaking time with another scavenger hunt, this time in English. 

The park was absolutely beautiful and the scavenger hunts only added to the fun. In the morning, Savannah, Reta, Greta (Savannah's host sister) and I made our way to the ruins of the main building of the Summer Palace at the back of the park. The ruins were fun to explore and climb on top of. There was also a maze nearby that we didn't get a change to explore, sadly. In the afternoon, we made it our mission to always choose the least traveled paths around the park. This allowed us to find a traditional Chinese dance performance put on by a local university. We also found a small, perfectly preserved, or just rebuilt, pavilion that was on a little island with no bridge leading to or from it. 

YuanMing Yuan is positively the best tourist spot I've been to yet in Beijing. Its name translates to "Gardens of Perfect Brightness" which is lives up to. It was quiet, peaceful and beautiful. There were ponds all around, with boat tours. The vendors weren't too loud and there weren't many people. If you ever come to Beijing, this is the place to visit. However, a bit of advice, don't eat the food cooked and sold there. One of the students did try a Taiwanese sausage and it didn't exactly sit well with his stomach. Nonetheless, YuanMing Yuan was a beautiful park to relax in and just enjoy the scenery. 

(Written on Halloween)

I’ve just come back to the dorms from the Halloween party put on by the international department of Beijing No.80 and 
I'm still on that adrenaline high from it. The international department consists of three parts: the Chinese students going 
to an English speaking country for college, the international students studying for an international version of the GaoKao, 
the college entrance exam and high school graduation exam for China, and the 语言班 YuYanBan, the international 
students learning Chinese. There are about three hundred or so students in the International department and they 
were all at the Halloween party. There’s another sector of Beijing No. 80 that has Chinese students studying for the 
GaoKao to attend a Chinese university, but they were unable to attend.

All of the American girls dressed up for the dance, in costumes and/or in dresses. I managed to do both, with a dress 
and my Ravenclaw wizard cloak on the outside. Malin and Claire dressed up as twin cats, and Selene and Savannah 
simply dressed nice in dresses. Another girl, from outside the NSLI-Y program, dressed as Red Riding Hood. Manish 
dressed up in the “nice” school uniform to be the emcee for the event. David dressed as a ... Well I’m not exactly sure 
what it was, but it was very American. Cameron dressed up as something very ambiguous as well. Another American 
from outside the program dressed as a combination of Vampire (with the blood) and something else. 

After lunch, all the girls ran to the dorms to get ready. We helped each other with hair and make up. By some miracle, 
we still made it to our first class of the afternoon on time. The rest of the language students hadn’t changed 
yet, and most of the boys decided not to wear costumes at all. After our second class of the afternoon, we were lead 
in two lines to the hall where the dance was held. 

The hall was organized in such a way that there was a bit of a stage in the front and in the center, and all the students 
were organized on either side of the center section, so that either way, they were facing the stage. We all stood as the
 first event of the afternoon started: the runway show. Each class was asked to have two students to participate in it. 
For our class, Savannah and Cameron volunteered. Two of our host siblings also participated for their classes. 

After the runway show, each class sent out about five couples to dance on the floor. Before the dance itself, sections of 
each class learned a complicated dance, with chosen dance partners. My host sister was apart of this group and she 
unsuccessfully tried to teach me the dance. I have to say, she’s extremely talented to be able to do it without previous 
experience. After each class danced, it was a free-for-all on the dance floor. A few couples went out to dance, 
and some almost couples went out as well. Friends also danced with friends and host siblings with their American 
students, in some cases. 

After a while, the games began. There was a slightly confusing, traditional Chinese game that was played. The three 
losers of the game (Which ended up being one of our host siblings, our music teacher and another one of our teachers) 
had to drink a concoction of what I’ve determined to be Wasabi and warm water. The host student, Frank, downed 
the drink, but the teachers, naturally, evaded. The next game that was played was musical chairs! Cameron, Malin, 
Savannah, Selene and I participated... And of the seven total participants in the game, all the Americans lost and a 
sophomore girl won the game. It was one of the most exciting parts of day.

To be honest, I’ve never been to a high school dance in America, so I can’t compare our Halloween dance with that of the 
American high school dances. However, I have heard about them. From what I understand, our Chinese Halloween dance 
(which was ever so much fun) was much more organized than the American dances. In addition, the couple activity was 
at a minimum. The dance was more of a class activity, rather than an optional, guy-asks-girl out event. It was so much fun 
to do it, though, with friends. I think a lot of us went into the dance not expecting much, but it turned out quite fun. 

It’s been a while since I last posted. Time seems to be moving faster since I’ve been in China. The NSLI-Y 
kids have been here for about sixty days now. We’ve been learning lots of Chinese, and getting to know the 
area around our schools and the area around the home of our host family, who we met at the very end of 
September. Along with learning Chinese, we’ve also taken the time to go visit the tourist destinations. 
During the time since I last posted, I’ve visited the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, the Bird’s Nest 
and the Water Cube, as well as some other places that will be posted about very, very soon. 

We visited the Forbidden City on September 28th. The night before, the majority of us met our host 
families for the first time, so we invited our host siblings along. Savannah, our host siblings and I ended 
up branching away from the rest of the group and going exploring on our own. Reta, my host sister, 
was set on the idea that since we were in a Chinese historic site, Savannah and I should speak Chinese 
only. On the other hand, Savannah and I thought Reta and Savannah’s host sister, Greta, should practice 
their English. We compromised by making the first hour of our exploring in Chinese, and the second hour 
only in English. While this was a great way to learn Chinese and practice, it was also absolutely hilarious 
when Savannah and I would slip in to the wrong language out of habit. Every time we did, our host siblings’ 
eyes would widen and they’d point their fingers at us, while reminding us what language we are suppose 
to be speaking in. During the English hour, we asked a Chinese couple to take a picture of the four of us. 
Because Reta and Greta asked them in English, they assumed that Reta and Greta were foreigners, 
and that I was a Chinese national. It was rather amusing when Reta and Greta realized that. 

All in all, the Forbidden City was quite impressive. However, I felt that the site would have been much more 
exciting if I had known the history of the all the dynasties that lived there. The best part of the Forbidden 
City, however, were the roads less traveled by - the gardens on the side and the more hidden museums.

The Great Wall trip was only two days after the Forbidden City trip. With the entire 语言班 (the Chinese 
Language section of the International Department of Beijing No. 80), we took the bus to the MuTianYu 
section of the Wall. The weather that day was foggy, and a little chilly. However, by the time we finished 
climbing the millions of steps to the Wall itself, we were sweltering. A bit of advice: the MuTianYu section 
of the wall is a great place to visit. It has very few tourist and it’s quite well preserved. But don’t touch any 
of the handrailings on the wall itself. They are mostly rusty and the rust gets on your hands. 

　　After visiting the Wall, we went shopping in the little stalls below the wall. Another great thing about 
MuTianYu was that because it had less tourists, the shopkeepers were more willing to bargain down 
their price. I got several tourist items and gifts from the shops. At one point, I almost bought some name 
stamps. I stopped at one stall, where some Australian students were buying them, checked the price 
they were getting it at, and then moved over to the next stall where some American students were buying 
stamps. The moment the second stall owner stated their price, the first stall owner shouted a lower price. 
A shouting session followed where the price was lowered until they both refused to go below thirty yuan 
for the stamp I wanted. And that, is how you get others to bargain for you.

　　On the way back to school, I had my first experience with a Chinese McDonald’s, which is what the 
teachers decided would be our lunch. I have to point out, the Chinese McDonald’s sell foods that 
American McDonalds’ don’t, such as 油条, a fried, oily strip of bread that is absolutely delicious. 
But, for the most part, it’s similar to American McDonalds. 

　　The Great wall truly was a fantastic experience. I do hope if anyone goes to China, they take the 
time (and effort) to visit the Great Wall. It is completely worth it.

The Chinese Independence day is October 1st. To celebrate it, the entire week, called Golden Week, 
is a national holiday. Everyone, ranging from students to government workers have the week off. Most 
people go on trips out of town. I had the opportunity to spend Golden week with my host family, getting 
to know them better. That week, my host family asked me where I wanted to go in Beijing. Unfortunately, 
I couldn’t think of anything except the Beijing Zoo. My host family decided that I had to see the Bird’s 
Nest and Water Cube, though, so we went there the following day. 

The Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube are the iconic buildings of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The Bird’s 
Nest is where the opening ceremony took place, as well as the track events during the Olympics. The 
Water Cube is the swimming pool and diving arena. The area has been converted into a tourist attraction, 
with small stalls selling souvenirs around the Nest. There’s also a wonderful, slightly over-priced food 
court that sold Chinese food from all the different regions of China. They had “normal” Chinese food 
(which is general GuangDong, or Cantonese, style food) as well as more, well, exotic foods. 

To be honest, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube weren’t much during the day. The main attractions during 
the day were the shops selling souvenirs, and the new shopping mall near by. But at night, the Bird’s 
Nest, Water Cube and surrounding buildings were lit up, and that was beautiful. 

Are there any other famous sites I should visit while I'm in Beijing, or even in the rest of China? I'll be posting about the YuanMing Yuan (The Old Summer Palace) and the Beijing Zoo as soon as I can. We are also taking a five day trip to Xi'An next week, to see the Terracotta Warriors! I'd love to hear your advice on where I should go next. I'm here for a year, but I don't want to miss a thing!

Yesterday, the nine NSLI-Y students in Beijing and our RD had the rare privilege of entering the US Embassy in Beijing. The US Embassy in Beijing is the second largest US Embassy in the world, second to the US Embassy in Baghdad. The embassy had walls surrounding it on all four sides, and guards stationed at each entrance. To the right of the entrance, a sizable number of Chinese citizens stood taking pictures of the framed American flag from behind a fence. It seems that the US Embassy itself was a tourist attraction.

After having an extra hour to sleep in, we boarded a bus that took us the US Embassy at 8:30 in the morning. When we arrived at the gate, our RD, who we call D, spoke with the Chinese guard and showed the guard his passport copy. The guard took a look at the group of American students behind D and requested to see my passport. It should be noted that of all the NSLI-Y students, I am the only "fully" Han-Chinese descendant of all of them. That isn't to say we don't have an incredibly diverse group. Of the nine students here through NSLI-Y and American Councils, one of them is of Indian descent, another is half Taiwanese and there is also one who is an eighth Native American and a descendant of a Mongolian. The rest look as any Chinese national would expect an American to look, like Caucasians. That being said, I was the only student that looked like a Chinese national, which is why only my passport had to be checked and no one else's. Once we were inside the gate, we went through security in which we had to take out all our electronics, including cameras and USBs, which I never really considered an electronic device. We were then led into the main building of the Embassy. 

The Embassy building was, frankly, refreshingly clean, simple and quiet. The air smelled different inside, compared to outside, and the other students said it was because it was likely filtered. Either way, the Embassy felt like America more than any other place I'd been to in China had, which only makes sense because it was the Embassy.Inside the Embassy, we were led to a room where we met Thomas Hodges, a Public Affairs officer at the US Embassy. We each introduced ourselves and explained what influenced us to apply to NSLI-Y. From there, we were given a security briefing  reminding us not to go to jail or get into trouble. They also explained how to get married in China, although, D reminded us on the way back that we were, in fact, not allowed to get married on this trip.

All in all, the Embassy visit was fun. I wish I had been able to take pictures, but we weren't allowed to bring electronics in. I still find it odd how I look like the majority of the people here, whereas I'm used to looking "different." So far, China has been a most interesting experience and I still have eight more months of it to look forward too. 

On the first Friday we spent in China, Savannah and I went shopping for fruit in Carrefour, the local, China equivalent of Target or Walmart. We also happened to be starving. Thus, when I saw the unattended samples of cantaloupe, I grabbed two pieces and handed one of them to Savannah.

Unfortunately, the middle-aged guy who was suppose to be watching the stand saw me. He approached me while I looked at pears and asked me if I wanted to buy cantaloupe. I told him that no, I didn't want anything. He said something else, in rapid Chinese, that I didn't understand, so I resorted to my usual back up plan.

"I am from America, so my Chinese isn't very good," I told him.

"Zhende?" He exclaimed, seemingly surprised, "Really? But you look like a Chinese person!"

I laughed and nodded, "Zhende. Really." He looked at me doubtfully.

I then proceeded to explain how I could be a Chinese American: by explaining my lineage. "My father is from Malaysia, but his grandfather is from GuangDong province. My mother is from Indonesia, but her grandfather is from Fujian province." I pointed at the very American looking Savannah who was looking at fruit an aisle away from me. "She is my friend. She's also from America."

The guy selling fruit at Carrefour pointed out something that has confused seemingly everyone I meet here, except for the students learning Chinese with us. I look like I'm a native Chinese person... until I start trying to speak my halting Chinese, which then makes it clear, I'm not a Chinese National... but then what am I? Most of the Chinese nationals who meet me are just plain confused as to what to do with me and how to treat me. Savannah and I once spent ten minutes explaining to another employee in Carrefour that I could, in fact, be from America but look like a Chinese. When we left her, she was still staring after us dazed, murmuring, "Zhende? Zhende? Really? Really?"

With every new class and teacher at Beijing High School No. 80, we were expected to introduce ourselves, which included stating our country of origin. When I said I was from America, the teachers would immediately ask, "Are your parents from China?" Since my parents technically, aren't from China, I would proceed to explain my lineage, that my father's ancestor is from GuangDong Province, and my mother's ancestor from FuJian Province. Thankfully, at the end of the day, the teachers don't treat me any different from the other American students.

One of the best Chinese speakers in the NSLI-Y group is an Indian boy named Manish. Once, when we were returning from an outing, Manish went to ask a native Chinese how to get to the bus stop. Somehow, I was standing slightly in front of Manish, so the guy Manish was trying to talk to couldn't see Manish, only me. When Manish first spoke, the guy stared at me wondering, how on earth such a deep man's voice could come out of a girl's mouth. Even when Manish stepped out from behind me, the guy continued to stare at me, assuming that the person speaking fluent Chinese was not the Indian boy nor the Americans standing by him, but the Chinese girl who wasn't moving her mouth at all.

On the other hand, many of my friends find my Chinese appearance useful and amusing, almost as amusing as I find the fact that they are stared at all the time. Yesterday, a few of us went to the Silk Market, a building filled with booths selling fake versions of every expensive foreign product. A word of wisdom: don't go there to buy stuff if you have access to a local market. The vendors are vicious, willing to yell across the building to get a customer to come back.

Our group ended up splitting off and I ended up with another NSLI-Y student named Cameron. Unfortunately, between the two of us, we grew the bad habit of asking the price of things we weren't necessarily interested in buying and sometimes even bargaining with them. This naturally got us into some pretty uncomfortable situations. As we approached the undergarment area, it became apparent the vendors assumed we were dating. We both found this infinitely amusing. As we stopped at one of the shops, Cameron became interested in a pair of "sheep leather" gloves. He bargained them down... And then decided he didn't want them. I had been waiting outside the shop and after he took much too long to come out, I went in. It turns out, he didn't have the heart to just walk away from the lady, who was forcefully urging him to buy them. Knowing they assumed I was his girlfriend, I did what my mom would do to my dad in the same situation. I grabbed his shirt sleeve and dragged a snickering Cameron away from the shop. As we left, the lady yelled to Cameron, "You're letting your girlfriend take you away? You're a weak man!"

When it comes to buying things, the very foreign facial features and hair colors my friends have naturally cause them to be charged more. When Savannah decided she wanted cotton candy at the HuTongs we visited today, the cotton candy lady said one stick cost 10 yuan. Suspicious, I caught the eye of the man about to buy some himself and asked, "Zhende? Zhende shi shi kuai? Really? Is it really 10 yuan?" He grimaced slightly and gave me a guilty look before shaking his head slightly. The cotton candy lady glared at me as we walked away. Savannah then decided that I should probably do all the buying from now on.

I find the fact that I look like a Chinese but am a foreigner extremely amusing. It's difficult at times to explain to people that I can't understand them, but the funny moments and the amusing stories that come out of them are completely worth it. I appreciate the fact that I can easily blend in here. To be completely honest, it's amusing watching people unabashedly and openly stare at my friends. Looking like a Chinese but having a background of an American gives me a unique opportunity to see China from the inside.

Back in Carrefour, I finished looking at the fruits in my aisle and looked up to see the cantaloupe guy talking to Savannah. Seeing slight bewilderment on her face, I hurried over to assist.

"Are you from America?" he asked her. Savannah nodded, and he said, "She-" he pointed at me "-said you were. You LOOK like an American. She doesn't!"

Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Do you want cantaloupes?"

As of today, I have spent a total of eleven full days in a Chinese high school, a place American students whisper horror 
stories about. It is said that in Chinese high schools, everything is extremely structured and organized by the administration.
Before I came to China, I was told that there were mandatory study halls after dinner, and no electronics were allowed in 
class. School supposedly lasted hours longer than school in the US did, and the teachers still used corporal punishment.

Ironically, on the first day, our writing teacher told us, "Right now, you're really happy and excited to be in China. But after 
a week, it will feel like a prison." Since she never told us her name, we've taken to calling her "the Prison Warden." In all 
seriousness, Chinese high schools are very structured and intense. We start classes at 7:30 am, have a one and a half 
hour break at noon to eat lunch before resuming classes and then we end at four or five in the afternoon, depending on the 
day. The native Chinese students are required to study in a specific classroom without internet from around seven until 
9:30 at night. However, because I am one of the international students taking language classes, that time period is simply 
quiet study hours in the dorms for me. In addition, no one is allowed off campus on weekdays, except Friday.

The school is very structured for student life, but the administration of the school is very different from America. Our Resident
 Director and American Councils, the organization implementing our trip and scholarship, didn't know when we'd be starting 
school until two weeks before we left. In China, the government decides when school starts each year and then the schools 
put out a call to the students, telling them when to come back to school to start classes. The first day of school for the 
students was also the first day for the teachers. The teachers spent no time over the summer at school. The teachers 
simply appeared at school on the first day and started teaching. Yet, somehow, despite the chaos, the thirty or so language 
students all took a placement test, were organized into three levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and started 
classes that very afternoon. By the next day, we were already doing "tingxie" ‘s the Chinese equivalent of spelling tests. In 
contrast, it took me a month and a half to get the results for my online placement test for Spanish classes, whereas 
Beijing No. 80 had my results hand graded within two hours.

As for the teachers themselves, they are far from vicious. I have never seen them use corporal punishment on a student, 
although it does have to be noted that I am in the international school as an international student, so things are a little 
different. Traditionally, and even today, Chinese teachers expect to be more than just your teacher. They expect to hold 
about as much influence over you as your parents do. They have no problem giving out their cellphone numbers so that the 
students can call them about anything ranging from social issues to class work. In America, there is a certain propriety that 
requires a teacher to remain on a professional level with a student, making it hard to really build a relationship beyond 
school. In China, teachers involve themselves in all parts of a student's life and this is a socially acceptable thing. They 
make sure we eat, and check how we’re doing in classes other than the one they teach. They give life advice and joke 
around with us. They also scold us when we're goofing off a bit too much or don't score very well on a test. A Chinese 
teacher is like a teacher mixed with an older family member, that provides both guidance and learning to a student.

Despite the amazing teachers, school does get a bit stifling, especially when one has just emerged from an endless, lazy 
summer. Being trapped inside the school area, and only being able to study to pass the time is difficult. Because we weren't
allowed to leave campus on weekdays, the moment we were, everyone nearly sprinted back to the dorms to ask the dorm 
mom for a pass to leave campus. That Friday afternoon, we step outside the safety of the school gates for the first time in 
five days, into the smell of exhaust created by the cars speeding down the street in front of the school. Savannah and I 
looked at each other and one of us, I don't remember who, took a deep intake of the polluted air and announced, 
"Only in China does pollution smell like freedom."

Here are a few pictures of classroom life in the Beijing High school No. 80 language classes.