So, I know I said I'd update this at least once a week, but my busy-ness got the best of me... I apologize 😣. In the time I've been absent from this blog, I've traveled a bit around Beijing in the past 2 weeks, ate some delicious (and questionable) food, started doing homework (noooo), and met some new friends. (Below: exploring a street food area that had some very Chinese decorations haha)
Engaging with local students
March 9 was the school-wide club fair, where each club has its own tent, gave out food, flyers, and sometimes other goodies, to all passerby. The streets near my dorm were lined with colored tents, each color representing a different kind of group (sports, arts, service, etc.). It's so convenient to get information on clubs and get involved; while walking past all 200+ clubs, I was able to just quickly scan QR codes to get their official WeChat account, WeChat group, and sign-up form. It's so efficient! Plus, everyone was so excited to tell us about their organization. The atmosphere was so lively (as seen in the club mascots engaging with each other, above). I joined the figure skating club (of course), and signed up for a ton more, including TedxTHU, Tea Club, Guitar Club, a community service club, and a few more. I don't plan to be in any active leadership role, but I do want to get to talk to locals and go to fun activities.
I attended the first skating sessions with
the figure skating club, which has been fun! Most people in the club were beginners, and asked me to give instructions on how to spin and do other moves haha. I tried my best to explain in Chinese (photo on the right is from one of the first skating sessions). All the members in the club were so friendly and warm. Right from the first meeting, I know how much they all enjoyed the club!
Also random side note: I was assigned "buddies" as an exchange student, a.k.a. local students who help me get adjusted to Tsinghua and someone to answer my questions. Turns out, one of my buddies had a lot of questions for me :o about Wharton. She was applying for exchange, so I read over her application and answered all her questions.. and she was accepted to go on exchange at Wharton!
School
Again, I didn't realize what a hassle this would be. I sat in on more classes, one called "Developmental Economics" which I really wanted to take, and another one called "General Situation of China" (which is basically everything about China.. in Chinese - we were discussing food in different regions for 2 hours!). I also found out about a class called "Environmental Economics," which I'm quite interested in. I was finally able to register for both Economics classes during the Manual-Add period, where I
had to wait outside the academics office at 7:45AM on a Monday, with many students in line behind me.
Later in the week, I also had to go to 3 different offices to get approval to take a Chinese language class, called Intensive Reading 3. I'm really hoping to improve my Chinese while here. Although my Chinese speaking/listening has naturally improved the few weeks I've been in Beijing, I definitely need some work with reading and writing.
I've also begun doing homework, sigh. I was not in the mode of "school" for quite a while. I love doing work in coffee shops, and I've already gone to many on campus. Each has its own quirks!
One used to be a well known couple's old home (right), and the bathroom is not inside the building.. it is nearby and the worst kind of Chinese bathroom... a.k.a. really stinky, no stalls, and not a sitting toilet... ANYWAY, there's also another cafe that is open until 5AM (pictured above, with all the books)! Guess that is where I'll be during exams!!
Cute hand-made characters on a ledge at a coffee shop. Definitely made my studying better :)
Exploring Beijing
Street Food
So a big thing in Beijing is the street food!! I've tried some of the really popular street foods here, including stinky tofu, lamb skewers, egg waffle, and other yummy Chinese food like steamed buns, spring rolls, etc. The food street in Wangfujing is pictured on the right. There were even moving bugs on skewers! I
didn't dare try that though.
The food stand with all the bug skewers!! -->
I also went on a trip with some local Chinese students to a street food area where we could get innards... yes internal organs of animals. Dishes with all parts of the animal are quite popular here. I tried a piece but ehhh not a fan.
(Questionable food pictured to the right.)
Forbidden City & National Museum of China
The School of Economics & Management (SEM) organized a trip for the SEM exchange students to the Forbidden City and the National Museum. I have to say, I was not as impressed with the Forbidden City as I think I should've been.. all the buildings looked similar and had similar names haha. Still cool to know that the emperors and their families lived here
and did serious business with changing
China and stuff.
While on the way to National Museum of China, we noticed there were lines and more security than usual - that's because some important government talks were happening across the street! :o
The National Museum was huge, and my friends and I ran from exhibit to exhibit to try to see as much as possible. I've featured some cool things below!
Of course, the trip's lunch was absolutely delicious. And no surprise, I've been eating well in general.
Meeting Up with Penn Alum
Ok, so this is a huge coincidence, but basically, the Penn alumna from the LSM program who interviewed me for admission to Penn in 2015 happens to be working Beijing!! Yes, right now. I connected with her at the alumni dinner on March 1, and met up with her. I'm so glad to have been able to do so; throughout our dinner and trying out a popular tea place called 喜茶 in Sanlitun (popular area in Beijing), I learned so much about her time at Penn, her career, and her perspectives on topics we were both interested in (healthcare, tech, VC and entrepreneurship). Later at a secret America-inspired location, we met with one of her friends, also a Penn alumna, who wrote a book and is about to be published in a few months! I was happy and impressed that she took that chance to write a book so soon after graduation (I think she's class of 2015). It's a risk, but if she really did feel passionate about it, kudos to her :) I'll buy it even though my Chinese is definitely not good enough for it.
Food....
On the right, 3 trays of big cooked fish of different flavors, one that was super spicy.
Some yummy Beijing food... tofu, cauliflower, and eggplants (all in the picture on the right) have become staples of my diet here haha. We also got a soup that had a black chicken?? (Left-most dish)
Everyday things
Doesn't the food on the left look so good?? Yes, that's food delivery. We ordered a special customized dish called 麻辣烫 (spicy soup with anything we want in it), chicken+rice combos, Korean fried chicken, and bubble tea, with an app and all arrived within 40 minutes. It only cost each of us ~$6.50 for each of us. So convenient and yummy...
Also, I ran over something spiky with my bike and had to get it repaired with a new tire. But guess what?? Seems like my bike has broken down again, but this time the chain has an issue. Oh well, hopefully the bike guy is around soon (I called him and went by twice but he wasn't there).
I've grown to become a fan of the yogurt Tsinghua, the school itself, produces! It's in a bag, and you stick a straw into it. In China, people mostly drink yogurt :o the flavor is slightly different too, but yummy. And only like 30 US cents..
Those are some updates for now! I promise, I'll be better with posting on a timely basis :)