Christmas in Beijing!

 Hello, everyone! 

 It is Boxing Day, and I am going to tell you about my Christmas in Beijing! It is the first time I have been away from home at Christmas, and I have been missing my family. However, I have still had a lovely Christmas with some amazing friends.

 I last updated this blog on Friday, so I will tell you what has happened between then and now. On Saturday a group of us decided to visit Beijing Zoo to see the giant pandas, which are so lovely! I also got the chance to see a golden eagle, a polar bear and boto dolphins! So many amazing creatures I had never seen before.

The aquarium, which had the dolphins and also a big turtle, looked really interesting, but my group didn't give ourselves much time to spend there and had to hurry back to our accommodation for lunch. Maybe one day we can go back and explore the aquarium properly - it looks fascinating.

 That afternoon we had our visit to a Chinese family. I was in a group of five, and our host was a lady who works with international students at Beijing Normal University. We spent the afternoon and some of the evening in her incredibly comfortable apartment, chatting in Chinese and English, making dumplings, eating a delicious meal our host made for us, and generally feeling really relaxed and cosy. It was a lovely, chilled finish to our Saturday.

 Sunday morning we got up early to go and visit the body of Chairman Mao in his mausoleum at Tiananmen Square. We then went to the Forbidden City, which was very beautiful. It was rather surreal looking over the walls of this ancient city and seeing the modern Beijing skyline beyond. Beijing really is a city of old and new combined.

We then went back to the Silk Market where I bought a few things, though I often feel uncomfortable in that place as the lights are really bright and white and make me feel claustrophobic. But it was wonderful spending time with Marvi, Sarah and April - three truly lovely people with whom I have become good friends.

 We had pizza together and then got a taxi back to our hotel. The taxi took us through a lot of skyscrapers and other cool buildings, such as the amazing new CCTV building (I'm hoping my Mam - who copies my emailed blog posts into my actual blog as Blogger is blocked here - will be nice and insert a photo of said building).

 That night we went to karaoke with Hai, one of the student volunteers here, who is really kind and lovely. Karaoke was good fun - there were memorable renditions of Small Things, Gangnam Style, Someone Like You, We Are Young, Mr. Brightside, Hotel California, 1,000 Miles, and L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.; the latter of which has been stuck in my head since! I don't mind because I really like it.

 Monday was Christmas Eve and we had lessons and then an economics lecture, which was on the sixteenth floor of the main university building. The view from the windows of the sun setting over Beijing was so stunning! I wanted to go to the very top of the building to see what the view would be like; I couldn't find any easily accessible windows on the top floor - the twenty third - so I went down to the twenty second floor where there was a lovely big window at either end of the corridor and I could gaze at, and photograph, the magnificent city and the gorgeous sunset.

 That evening some people were talking about going to karaoke again, but I decided to stay in, and I phoned my family to wish them Merry Christmas and that was lovely. Then the next day was Tuesday and was Christmas!

 We had lessons in the morning and learnt to say Merry Christmas in Mandarin - Sheng dan kuai le! We are also learning the song Beijing huan ying ni (Beijing Welcomes You - it is from the Olympics) and we are going to sing it at our graduation ceremony! I really like it.

 That evening we all met up for drinks in a coffee shop called Sculpting in Time, where I had some nice hot chocolate and a lovely chat with Scott. Then a large group of us went out for a meal together, which was really tasty. It was so lovely to have so many of us in one place on Christmas Day.

 We then went to play pool, and I played with Fay against Sarah and April. Fay had to teach me quite a lot as I am not a seasoned pool player, but by the end I had learnt quite a bit and potted a couple of balls! Fay also showed us some really amazing card tricks. It was a brilliant night and such a unique Christmas Day. I am glad I got to share this surreal but really enjoyable experience with such wonderful people as the Study China crew.

 Today after lessons we had a Tai Ji class, which was good fun, and the teacher was so talented! He showed us some of his skills and everyone was flabbergasted. We then went to see an acrobatics show which featured juggling as you will probably never have seen it, extreme bike riding, tightrope antics and umbrella juggling, which was something I had never seen before. It was a really well-choreographed and beautiful show, but it ended too quickly for me - I want to see more of it!

 Some of us then went to a little bar on campus called Laker's, where the lads in our group requested Gangnam Style and danced en mass, to the bemusement of half of the bar! I sat more serenely with some of my friends and had a pizza and a milkshake and both were delicious. Another really nice night with friends.

 So, that is you up to date with my antics! I don't think I need to say that I am having an amazing time. I feel so lucky to be here; it is just incredible being able to experience China in this way.

 Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!

 Liz x