Seasoned Scorpions...

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Monday morning, I met up with Dale again and we walked to a sweet, crowded shopping/food street near the hotel. I tried scorpion, which tasted something like a seasoned curly French fry after I finally got up the courage to stick in my mouth. We strolled around the street for a while, and I also tried a stick of candy-coated fresh strawberries. Why can't food be so tasty and cheap in the States? I avoided actually buying any of the goods, since everything I want is cheaper in Xi'an. All the tourist traffic jacks up prices in Beijing. For lunch, we enjoyed a few dishes at a local Muslim restaurant, then walked around Tienanmen Square and took a look at Mao's tomb (didn't go inside though, as it was closed). So cool to be able to hang out with Dale so much on the other side of the world!

Our flight back to Beijing was scheduled to leave at 6:10 pm, but after an almost 2 hour delay on the tarmac, we finally took off and landed in Xi'an late and very exhausted.

We had our volunteer placement this morning (Tuesday) again, and had more fun with the kids! I reviewed "I'm a Little Teapot" with them again and went over some English STUFF for the first hour. For the second hour, a really good Chinese teacher came to work with the kids on their Chinese tones and pronunciation.

This afternoon, some of us on the team played badminton for a couple of hours in a local gym, which was so fun! And after dinner, a few of us went to work out at the gym down the street. Tired now and about to hit the sack!

I hope and pray everything is going well for you, friend (or family member ;-)! If you feel like it, send me an email with an update and even a cool picture. I'd love to hear from you!

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Photos

Mao Zedong
The famous (obviously) portrait of Mao. He is facing Tienanmen Square, which is directly across the street.

Dale!
Inside the first courtyard of the Forbidden City.

Yellow Roofs (or rooves?)
The entire background belongs to the Forbidden City. It really is huge.

Suffering
This gentleman was sitting in the walking underpass between the Forbidden City and Tienanmen. His foot is terribly deformed, and he seems to make his living off the rare, gracious passer-by. Does he have any other source of income? How does he survive like this? What is his story? I do know he is a precious human being, desperately loved by God. How will he ever know this God?

A Real Treat
Yes, they were still alive and squirming, somehow skewered on these sticks...

MMMMMMMM!
....and I decided to eat a couple! Fortunately, they were fired and seasoned before I got a hold of them.

Proof
I promise I ate two! You can see the end of his tail still sticking out between my teeth.

So good!
Dale joined in the fun. But he's clearly a pro, having already tried these little guys.

Crowded Street
I think this one speaks entirely for itself...

More Options
I simply couldn't muster the courage to try spidey...Notice the larger scorpions in the center. Perhaps next time.

Naked
These guys looked tasty, but I wasn't too hungry after my little snack...

The People's National Museum of China
As seen from Tienanmen Square. Beijing is filled with government buildings, many of which are huge and (for lack of a better word) epic, like this one.