It’s been about two weeks since I arrived in China, and things are going pretty smoothly. I’ve adjusted to the time difference and to the new dorm room. I’m friends with my roommate (she’s from Holland!), and I’ve also made a lot of new friends on this IPD trip.
It was hard at first. Although I’ve been studying Chinese for six years, I still have a hard time communicating with the natives here (they speak so fast!!!!). This is especially relevant at the Peking University dining halls. The halls are always extremely crowded, and to complicate things even more, all the foods are listed in Chinese characters and the workers only speak Chinese. I usually end up guessing what the dish may be and pointing to the one I want. In addition, I’m not used to having such a long school day every day. At Northwestern, I usually have a maximum of three hours of class a day, so having three hours of Chinese and two hours of political science all in one day wears me out.
This past Saturday, we went to the Great Wall in Jianshanling. To be completely honest, I was not 100% excited for this excursion; I was more dreading it. I didn’t think I was ready to climb the Great Wall under the hot 90 degree sun for two hours. I wasn’t completely wrong. It was definitely tiring climbing up the Great Wall, especially since a lot of the steps were very steep and up to my knees. However, the climb was not as bad as I imagined it would be, and the view from the Wall was absolutely breathtaking and made the 7AM call, 2 hour bus ride, and the climb worth it. I never thought I would climb the Great Wall or enjoy climbing it, but it was definitely an experience to cherish.
Selfie at the Great Wall!
Go ‘cats everywhere we go