Blogs from Shunyi, Beijing, China, Asia

Hi all! My first day in Beijing was trying and interesting at the same time. I'll start from the beginning: My flight on Delta was amazing. Way too much food. Plush leather seats, "rest kit" with mask and ear plugs, blanket/pillow (of course), and headphones for the individual computer on the headrests. Yes, computers. It had so many TV shows and movies. It also had trivia games that could be played live between passengers (I was the only one playing. *sadface*), other games, language trainers, etc. The last international flight I took was on Lufthansa to Germany. They played select movies on scattered TVs. It felt longer, even though I was in good company. This time, I was alone. But the guy next to me was an American from Spokane on his way to teach English ... read more

After last night of Sri Lanka, We had to pack up early and go directly to the Colombo air port. It was really sad and felt something. Before exchanging my money from Rupee to RMB, I remained 20Rupi as my precious experience. The field trip to Sri Lanka was totally fantastic and perfect. I could enjoy all day long while the trip in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was very ideal country to relieve stresses and enjoy time with natures. This trip was one of my unforgettable and precious experience and trip that I have had before. I wish I can visit there again. And I recommend you guys to visit there too!... read more

Mr Zhao especially arranged for us to visit the Niu Lan Shan Distillery. The first thing that stimulated the senses when I alighted from the bus was the smell of fermented grains. The Niu Lan Shan Er Guo Tou (牛栏山二锅头) is famed here. The distillery has a long history, which is briefly described in the website, http://www.niulanshan.com.cn/. The original distillery was converted to a visitors' site. Niu Lan Shan appears to be pepper with sites that the Emperor Qianlong visited. In the distillery, there is a pavillion which the emperor allegedly rested during his tours. According to Mr Wan, the distillery contributes greatly to the economic development of the Shunyi district. It appears to be the habit to consume a bottle of "Er Guo Tou" at mealtimes. The impression that you get of the production at ... read more

We stood facing the field, feeling the sunlight on our faces on a cool morning. ... read more

This is the first day of our arrival at NLS. Right after dinner the school arranged for an interaction session with the year 1 students in what appears to be a lecture theatre. The NLS students were very enthusiastic and asked a great many questions.... read more