I didn't end up going to the German party. I couldn't find out where it was from anyone I knew, and there ended up being a huge Spanish party in the dorm anyway, which was cheaper and probably more fun. Another barbeque on the balcony lasting late into the night. Then, the next day, we got some more meat and did it again. Some Koreans joined us, so we had to use Chinese (a lot of the time Chinese is the only common language, often with Koreans and Japanese, and the Libyan on our floor). For those counting, this is three meals of meat in a row - pretty good!
After this, I had a relaxing/boring week. After spending a lot of money at the range I decided to be cheap for the week - which meant having every meal at the cafeteria. It is possible to have lunch for Y3.5 - this basically gets you a large bowl of instant noodles with bits of beef in it. Spending a little bit more opens up a few fried noodle possibilities as well.
But all this cheapness didn't last. Friday night I went out with most of the class, to a Korean restaurant, then to KTV. KTV is karaoke, with all your friends in a private room (Alfonso didn't know this). After that I was roped into going to a nightclub with a bouncy floor. The clubs here are huge, and not the cheapest form of entertainment here - but a lot cheaper than they would be back home I'm sure. Ended up going back to the campus via McDonald's (there was someone in there, at 3:30am, studying). Alfonso also had a big night out - when I got back he was checking his email.
We took it relatively easy for the rest of the weekend. We (Alfonso and I, and some Chinese friends) went to Houhai, which is Beijing's waterfront bar and tourist area. We went during the day, though, so it wasn't too exciting. There were the usual Rolex sellers (though not too many) and pedicabs looking for work, but there were also some quaint old Beijing trappings - old people playing Chinese chess (Xiangqi), disobeying the signs by fishing (and even swimming) in the lake, and selling interesting snacks. There are ducks living on the lake, and an island which was apparently built as a home for them (with a bamboo barrier surrounding it to protect it from the hundreds of boats on the lake). It is a very touristy place of course, but geared as much towards Chinese tourists as to foreigners, which usually results in a more pleasant experience (as opposed to Wangfujing, or most of Shanghai).
Chinese chess.
Houhai, which means "back sea".
I have exams coming up next week, so I'll probably not be going anywhere interesting until those are over. However, just after they finish, I'm going to Inner Mongolia for 4 days, over the May 1st long weekend. It will also be around the halfway point of my time here - I'll have been in Beijing for two months. I'm still enjoying myself here, I have lots of friends, I haven't gotten badly sick since my first week here, and I'm eating well (as long as I avoid the cheap noodle soup). My Chinese has improved dramatically and I can converse with the locals fairly easily. The way things work here is always inefficient and often nonsensical, but I'm getting used to it.
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