I love spring in Beijing

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Today I walked around enjoying the beautiful weather and the spring snow. Everywhere floating in air like snow is this white fuzz from the trees. It’s really like walking around in snow but with the sun shining. With all the good weather you can forget that Beijing is the 28th most polluted city in world. They say living in Beijing is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Lovely. This weeks pictures are all old people so obviously the pollution is not killing them off to quickly. I now have to lecture every Wednesday last week I talked about China in western news and it was all pollution and piracy. Next week it’s the American housing market. ahhh fun topics.


I revisited the Temple of Heaven and they were having some sort of musical event. Everyone was playing instruments and singing. It was really fun. Of course they had the usual dancers and people playing with the balls, and ballroom dancing.

I am now a vegetarian ice cream itarian. Meat here makes me sick and every time I think about meat I want to puke. The ice cream here does make me sick. I have tried all sorts of kinds and every time I eat it I get really queasy.



Strange things I saw today:
One of those army trucks, the green ones with the tarps, that you always see in movies hauling people away never to return pulled up to school today. I have seen it every day since I have been here I never knew what it was doing. I man wearing a green uniform hops out and pulls down the back end. And in a long line the children proceed to get on. At first I was really nervous wondering where they were taking them, images of the culture revolution come to mind. The next day the same thing happened. I then realized that this army truck was their school bus.

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Photos

Temple of Heaven
This old lady takes a stroll under the blooming trees at the Temple of Heaven.

Spring
Temple of Heaven long corridor.

Spring
Every thing looks better in the spring even my apartment.

Spring
The old people are out in full force now that it is warmer. Some did their excercises even in the winter but now they are all back. this is the view from my window. I am to embarrsed to take an actual picture of them all doing their excercises. The warm weather also means the man with the horrible sounding instrument is back at 7 am again.

chess
I have always wanted to take a picture of these old men who sit around every where playing Chinese Chess. they play it every where! The Chinese passing by then form these tight groups watching the players with such interest you would think lives were at stake. I have to laugh as this tourist tries to figure out what is going on.

Comments

[ally T]

Is jumping rope a chinese ritual? :) or how about yoga.. do you see many doing yoga in the streets? :) neato.

[Francesca]

wow, i love beijing more and more,and that is almost impossible because i am already madly in love with that big polluted city!!! i wish u a really nice day and spring!!!! big hug

[Rebecca]

so i solf out to corporate coffee America...I'm a barista at Starbucks -- and its the bomb.com --seriously. so fun. i hear you are only gonna visit us Americans and you're gonna call China home. Michael wants to know hoe you get your lungs cleaned out since i told him you'd have to come home once a year to do it in order to survive...probably just clean air will do it, eh? so i'm skipping art today because i hate that class with all my heart right now and i have perfect attendance which is odd for me. i like to feel collegiate and always have one absence per class -- its nearly a must. plus i realized last night i'm behind and i just couldn't face her sarcasm and unhelpfullness. plus we get Thursday off from her class cause she's got a lecture somewhere -- anyways...gives me a week to catch up. I'm getting my hair cut wednesday -- first hair cut since Alden and rachel cut it LAST SUMMER! its gonna be a blast. i call your phone alot these days to get mom and it startles me EVERY time b/c i get your voicemail and i like it b/c i get to hear your voice -- you real one, not the skype voice which isn't the same. i'm "casually dating". its fun. i can be busy and not feel guilty -- because after all "its only casual". One guy is almost only a month older than me...the other is 6 years. I'm not gonna lie the 27 year old is a cutie and while down to earth he's mature and i like that. I'm so goofy all the time its good to be around someone who can pull intelligent out of his hat if he wants to -- but he's kinda gooft too. you're probably thinking i'm nuts for saying all this, but i feel okay about broadcastingmy life on your blog cause everyone tells my news before i can anyway -- like my job and the guys in my life -- mom new before i got to say anything about 'em. so my whole life i wanted to be able to say i had read 100 years of solitude -- dumbest book i have read in quite a long time -- don't read it. today i wish i could be that old woman and take a stroll under a pathway of blooming trees -- so peaceful/serene. lovelovelove you. bec.

[Rebecca]

p.s. i dig that hat...is it yours? and can you get me one?

[Cheryl]

I feel the same as Francesca, I love Beijing! I also remember the "snow". We captured it on video tape and it looked just like it did. People can't believe it when they see it. Trisha, wear a mask!!! I mean it, Les got soooo sick from the pollution. Anyway, this entry made me feel like I was there. Thanks!

[Linda]

Ice cream problem
Oh, Trisha! I can't stand it that the ice cream makes you sick! That's always one of the high point of my life--running up to those ice cream freezer boxes and picking out something good. Now the 1 yuan kind (14cents) are mostly nauseating, but the nutty buddy kind, if not too old, are pretty good. Spending less than 2 yuan on IC means it's made out of water and some strange substance, or corn.

[mama]

love the hat
i love the picture of the confounded tourist. It makes me wish i was there staring at all the strangeness. ice cream isn't important ,let it go. And listen to Cheryl and put on a mask because lungs are important. And please don't stop this blog because i need to keep up with rebecca too. love you every single day. P.S. Grant is 14!! Can you believe it!?

[Rebecca]

Try to find a stylish mask -- one that makes you look professional ;) i got that haircut i was telling you about...she convinced me to get 3inches off. i'm a happy girl. i really am walking with confidence today -- its almost ridiculous. you know...you could e-mail me sometime...that'd be cool. or comment on MY BLOG...but thats just an idea ;)