It’s been several weeks since the start of the program and I finally feel well-adjusted to my new life at Peking University. A day at Beida usually starts with me walking to get breakfast at the Jianbing store. Jianbing is a savory crisp-fried crepe that contains egg, cilantro, sausage/chicken, and a special sweet sauce. Then I spend three hours studying Chinese. I’ve even learned and memorized multiple Confucius saying that are called “lunyu”. My favorite part of Chinese class is when we watch a dating show called “feichengwurao”, because it is representative of the young generation’s dating behavior and includes lots of spoken language that is not included in textbooks. Peking University’s cafeterias have amazing Chinese food that are very affordable. There are special sections for noodles of all sorts, fruit, hotpot, and even American food. A plate of Kung Pao chicken costs only around $1. The only downside is that the cafeterias are filled with people and it’s impossible to find places to sit. After lunch, I have my global health class from 1-4pm. I enjoy having different professors teaching different aspects of the Chinese health system and current challenges. We’ve visited Beida’s medical school, Desheng community health center, and the Third Hospital attached to Peking University. What really stood out to me from these visits was that hospitals in China are equipped with highly-efficient technology to accommodate the huge number of visits every day (doctors at big hospitals see around 60 patients per day). For example, automatic, vending-machine style pharmacy allows for convenience and accuracy.
Eating Jianbing!
Cafeteria food