Classes

Classes started yesterday, and I'm dithering about switching to an easier level. I went to my assigned class (202) yesterday, and thought it to be reasonable, but the book seemed quite difficult, and people in class, quite good. Today I attended 202 again, and was confronted with a teacher I barely understood. To be fair, few people in the class understood him. But, this made me think about switching classes, so this afternoon, I attended 201. Looking at the books for 201, it seems to be quite similar to 202, but a bit easier, and with people whom are not obviously better than me. I also feel as if it is the logical continuation of the course I took two years ago in Tianjin. I didn't particularly like one of that class's teachers, but the other one was excellent. Therefore, I will probably switch to the easier one.

Illogical Addresses

This morning I took the subway to the Lama Temple station, where the Visa center is located. The transfer between Line 13 and the loop line was a nightmare, involving walking for ten minutes and going outside. I searched around the Lama Temple station for nearly an hour for the building, which is #2. I knew I had the street right, and on the right hand side, I saw #7 and then #1. I asked a guy where to go and he said the other way. After walking for fifteen minutes, I realized this was the wrong way, and took a taxi to help me find it. The visa building (#2) is actually after #1! How much sense is that?

We also picked up our books today. Out of nine levels, I was assigned to the fourth. I looked through the books, and think they may be too hard. We'll see. I was able to read most of the stuff in the first parts of the books, but there were quite a few characters I didn't recognize.

Cheap Food

I got breakfast this morning and it only cost 0.80 yuan! That is about 12 cents. For that amount, I got a vegetable bun and zhou (Chinese porridge). I went back to my room and chilled for a bit, before setting out to buy a bike. This took less time than expected, as I was told that they could be bought at the student supermarket. A new bike, with a lock and basket cost me 208 yuan. For lunch, I decided to go to the Muslim restaurant. I was a bit discouraged upon arriving there to discover that much of the food was beef. It was only after finishing that I remembered that Muslims don't eat pork. Nevertheless, I had a good meal there, but at 7.60 was more expensive than the canteen.

In the early afternoon, I decided to go out on my bike to look for a gym. Unfortunately it was freezing and my new bike broke! The wheel got out of alignment and would not turn without hitting the frame. I had to take it back to the store to get fixed. By this time, I did not feel like looking for a gym, and so returned to my room. I had a shower, as the hot water times are limited and could not have on in the morning. I went this evening to the Muslim restaurant and got hot pot. It ended up being better than the hot pot I had at Ding Ding Xian, and for two people was only 48 yuan, including two big bottles of beer.

China

Mother left today, ending my stay in luxury at the Shangri-la, which we both agree is the best hotel we've ever stayed in. I am now in my dorm room, and have mostly unpacked. Thank goodness I have Freegate, a program to bypass China's firewall, as blogger is blocked in China. This afternoon we had a meeting for all new students, which was done in Chinese. About half the people in the room had no idea what was going on, and I only understood the gist of what was being said. The second half of the meeting, with a policeman, had an interpreter. The policeman told us horror stories of foreigners being killed in drunken brawls and bad traffic. I went for an early dinner just after five at the canteen, which is much like the ones at Nankai, and is still dirt cheap. I couldn't finish all my food for only 4.70. I am enjoying a bit of solitude in my room. I'll probably watch one of the DVDs I bought in Tianjin.