Chaoyang he Sanlitun

The First 3 Days Summary My arrival in Beijing was less than ideal. My bus from the train station to the hotel took over an hour, and it took 45 minutes to find the hotel because it was hidden on the backside of a shopping mall. The nice part was meeting up with Isaac for dinner and drinks after I settled in to my room. We met attended Rollins College together, but met during our semester studying abroad in Shanghai. He has been teaching in Beijing for a year and a half, which means he’s my go to for all things Beijing. I spent the next two days commuting an hour both ways to the Foreign Experts Building where I have to attend orientation until Monday (the 22nd). After a long talk with my Nanjing contact, I was able to switch to something closer. Now I sleep in before walking 10min to orientation. The Rest of the Week Breakdown: Day 1 & 2: The first day I was a half hour late because the directions were the worst and no one had a phone number for me to call with questions. That night, after getting back to the hotel super late, I was treated to dinner and conversation with a hotel staff member. Day two had me arguing with Ameson about my lodgings in between lessons all day until finally they made new reservations at a place closer to the Foreign Experts Building. Day 3: I woke up very early, checked out, and (after exiting the bus a stop too early) dragged my luggage into Orientation with me. Lunchtime provided just enough time to find and check in at an apartment over a mall. This place was fantastic! It was a ten minute walk from orientation, came with a washer, and had a homey feel. Plus, it wasn’t expensive. Day 4: I believe I located coffee at KFC. I will be sure to double check tomorrow morning. Lunch was nice. A few of us sat down together around the corner. With a friend’s help I ordered fried rice. Nom. The toughest party of today was exchanging my train ticket. My original ticket was for the 6pm train, but class ends at 5pm. There simply wouldnt be enough time to catch the train. After talking with another member of AYC I decided to ride a later train home with her. Bit changing the ticket meant hopping on the subway then waiting in line followed by arguing with a lady at the window. I did end up making with change with some assistance from a bystander. When I finally returned home I grabbed a beer and shao cao before passing out.

Day 5: TGIF because orientation was tiring. I met up with Isaac again, after getting lost on the subway for an hour. We explored a hutong and ate more shao cao. Landon, a new friend from orientation, joined us at Helen’s. Saturday and Sunday and Monday blended together. I spent time with Isaac both nights, but also hung out with friends from orientation. We saw a Beatles cover band, played Presidents, and laughed a lot. I ate a nice Cantonese dinner with Isaac, Raymond, and Jack. Plenty of time was spent in the Beijing Hutongs until it was time to leave Monday. After the final exam for this TEFL course, we all sat down to eat bao, drink Tsingdao, and play cards. The really fun part was running to catch the train with Candice. Her bladder was bursting at the seams, we couldn’t find a restroom, and our train was boarding. It was so stressful all I could do was laugh, cackle really, in the middle of the station. I’m sure I looked insane. We did manage to locate a bathroom and caught our train back home to Nanjing in the knick of time. And I’ve been asked to do full time instead of part time which is why it has taken the better part of a week to post for you. Any questions? Ask away viewers.