Day 2 - "Lady, you like?"

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There were still students arriving on Sunday so a group of us went to explore the streets of Beijing. We flagged down a few taxis and went to a silk market. The taxi ride took about 15 minutes and only cost about £4! The market was massive and sold absolutely every thing. It was very different from the restaurant the night before because the Chinese spoke English. You couldn’t walk any where without them grabbing your arm and shouting “Lady, you like?”, “Lady, you need new shoes”, “Lady, come look” etc. It was a bit overwhelming at first because there was no where to hide. You really have to haggle; I’ve heard you can get prices down to 1/10 of the original price. I bought this really beautiful Chinese dress/top, a Batman belt and a Beatles belt - I was chuffed with my purchases. We ended up loosing each other and splitting off into smaller groups.

I went to Tiananmen Square with a Spanish student (Raphael) from the Programme. It was so surreal to actually be there. I think that was the moment it started to kick in that I am actually in China after all the preparation, excitement and stress! I should point out that the weather across here is absolutely freezing; it even started snowing in Tiananmen Square. There was so much going on e.g. lots of children getting their photo taken holding the Chinese flag, friends meeting, groups of tourists and others just out for a walk. We walked across the road to the Forbidden City to have a quick look before heading back because the cold was unbearable.

Another big group of us went out to the campus cafeteria for dinner that evening. One of the guys on the trip speaks a fair bit of Chinese so he managed to order me some chicken with noodles, they were sooooo good (Dad - better than Sainsbury’s!) and only cost 50p!!! The kitchen staff were really excited to see us and they were taking loads of photos. We met up with others and went to a nearby bar. The local Beijing beer (I think it’s called Yan Jing) costs about 80p a pint and comes in a proper beer mug. There is another social work student on the Programme so I got chatting to him and every one else around the table. We all slept well that night!

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Comments

[Linda]

Wow!
Wow, Kay, what a fantastic trip this is turning out to be. The photos are great and you look to be eating and drinking your way around China! I liked seeing Tianeman Square although wouldn't relish the cold. It's blue sky and about 14degrees here today - very Spring like - not that I want you to feel jealous of us in Scotland. The library looks very BIG. What are the facilities like inside? Not that I guess you are using it whilst you are there! We all miss you back here and look forward to your return so we can hear all about your trip. Your colleagues did a fantastic presentation based on their work with carers - you would have been proud of them. Looking forward to hearing more from you soon on your blog. Take care Linda