I was truly happy when I found out that the portion of the Great Wall we’ll be visiting is not the portion I’ve visited before. As the popular Pokemon theme song suggests, ‘Gotta catch them all’. Taking a bus out of the city gave me a beautiful glimpse of the place. I saw the Bird’s Nest, some creative architecture and the Lama Temple. Scenery outside of the city was breathtaking, and even though I was waiting for my second portion of the Great Wall, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the climb will be tough and sweaty. And I was right.
As soon as I arrived to my dorm, I was nicely surprised by the size of my room and the amenities. I met my suite-mate and headed down to explore the village. First few days of classes were tiring. I’m used to having 3-hour classes in Medill, but 3-hour classes of Chinese early in the morning were a lot to get used to. I loved them nevertheless.
My first week ended with my friends and I visiting Wangfujing and eating squid on a stick, glazed hawthorns, and egg waffle. Not a bad way to end a week, and certainly a great one to start a new adventure.