You give me your clothes, OK?

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Sun was out for the first time today! So much nicer to be out, clear in all directions instead of the 200m or so visibility from the last few days. Great for pictures too!

We went to visit the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon, first of the big tourist sites. Finally saw some other foreigners! The temple site was spectacular. There were hundreds of Chinese people doing TaiChi, singing and dancing together. It was so refreshing to see so many people simply dancing around, many just on their own, lost in dance and free of life's worries for a while.

There's a place in the temple site called 'Echo Wall', where you can stand at one point of the wall and speak shockingly clearly with a friend a distance away down the wall. I don't think we were doing it right as you're both meant to face north but it was still incredible! Seemed to defy all logic. Some special quality of the shape must have carried the sound waves somehow.

The title is a reference to a phrase our teacher used as an example today in class. When I suggested that I practise this phrase on people, she replied: 'Yes! You should use this, but after lesson!' I wonder if this might make me some more Chinese friends around campus... haha

Got lost in the Hutongs this evening. Never fear, I successfully asked for directions and even completely understood the answers! Felt so proud haha. Still an amateur though. Got some good bargaining done at a market today ~ great language practise. Sometimes the 'err' Beijing accent makes it hard to understand though. Although this is how we are being taught too.

Feel like I am starting to fit in slightly more now, don't feel like such an alien! Speaking Chinese is tiring though, late in the day I am sometimes too tired to get the right tones... it can take so much effort on unfamiliar phrases! A slight mistake and you'd be better off speaking English to them, they'd probably understand more.

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Photos

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Dancing Lady
No worries!

Comments

[xiaoduan]

'Echo Wall'
'Echo Wall'??sounds cool how i wish to go to beijing!!!!!!!!!!!