Beijinging

I thought I should update this, after over two weeks, and sum up what I've been up to. Nothing worth a post of its own, of course. I've been taking it easy, I have a few things to sort out for myself, and I want to get better scores in the final exams so I'm studying more. I've also been getting to know the people in the building better.

The first weekend after I got back from Inner Mongolia, I went out to a small place called D-22 for a punk show. 5 bands played, including what seems to be China's biggest punk band, Hell City. After the show, which was pretty good, I met them, and they complained about how unpopular punk is here. Apparently D-22 is the only place in Beijing (and, they think, all of mainland China) which will have them, and even then only on punk night. This will probably not be a surprise to a lot of people familiar with Chinese music - when I first got to Beijing, I saw posters everywhere advertising a Backstreet Boys concert.

The next day, there was another barbeque, a repeat of the one I missed when I was away. We took over the area outside the pub on campus (Bla Bla Bar) with a bigger barbeque, and more South Americans, than before. I'm gradually picking up Spanish thanks to these events - important phrases like "where is the meat", "where is the beer", and "what is that".

One of my classmates had been away for a while, taking his parents on a trip around China. It was his birthday the day after he got back, so we threw him a party, with cake and balloons. The teachers even helped us put up the balloons. We had a lot of class lunches together that week as well, from sushi to chicken wings on sticks, so it was a fun week.

Finally, this week, I got to attend a proper LAN party, with Alfonso and two Chileans. Some people in our building have their own rooms, thanks to former roommates disappearing, so we took advantage of one of these. We even got some good LAN food - not pizza, but pork and cheese, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was good.

Interesting trips are coming up. On Friday we have a class trip to see Beijing opera, which should be interesting. I'm also planning something for the weekend, but I'm not too sure about it at the moment. I only have another month and a half here, so I have to fit in a few more trips further out as well, to places like Xi'an. I'll see what I can manage.