After a restless night, made better by the availability of chocolate candy bar bites, I got out of bed at 7, an hour earlier than planned. I figured it would give me a little extra time to get lost (a useful bit of foresight).
Might I add that this was my first time venturing solo. *cue gentle applause*
I don’t have a student ID card yet, as registration isn’t until later this month, so when I walk by the guards at the Beida gates, my heart rate increases a bit and I think of Chinese phrases to pass these sphinxes. But I haven’t been stopped yet. My lab mate Jie says that it’s probably because I look like a nice person, but I think it’s more that they don’t want to deal with the language barrier.
Even though I’d eaten plenty of chocolate calories, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for Chinese goodies. I’d remembered the general direction of the canteens so I set off walking on main campus. I passed several food stands but figured that finding a dining center would offer less hassle (I could stand less awkwardly in front of the menu board if more people were around). Finally I found a canteen that Kai and Bo had said had dumplings so I walked in and looked at the menu board.
That didn’t help much, as there was no pinyin.
I walked up to the cashier to order my baozi. hmm how many should I order? quick, what’s the first number that pops into my head…. liu. yes! liu ge baozi sounds like a good amount. a fine amount, in fact, for breakfast!cashier: “你想用一杯豆奶？”
me: *sheepish smile and helpless shrug*
She just kinda smiled and activated the cash register. The sum total? 1.85 yuan for the baozi and 1 yuan for the sweet warm soy milk. Yes! $0.05 per baozi! best deal ever! I finished and rode my feelings of confidence to a stand where I bought a bottle of soda.
Now to lab… I remembered the general direction of our building, but had no name for the building, so I walked along Zhongguancun N st. I asked someone along the way, “Chengfu joe zap nali?” they pointed in the direction I was headed so I kept along. About two blocks farther I realized that I was, in fact, completely off campus. After a bit more wandering I eventually found my way and snuck passed the guards again before arriving in lab by 9:15.
A side note:
Last night I stopped by the front desk to ask about the possibility of changing to an east-facing room. When the attendant looked puzzled, I explained that having the sunrise in my bedroom would make it easier to wake up. She smiled and said I could ask the sales department. I couldn’t figure out why she’d smiled… was it a silly request? Did everyone want an east-facing room? This morning I think I found out why: the pollution is so intense that even if I had a clear shot at the sun, I would only see a warm spot in the sky. No glorious sunrise for me--or anyone.
Some brief notes:
I’ve only heard two or three people hock and spit, and they were all older men.
A middle-class woman passed me on the street nursing an open-backed apron-clad 1-year-old.
Campus itself hosts several vendors, stands, and shops that appear to not be owned by the school. It’s interesting and actually creates the feeling of a community complete with 3rd parties instead of everything being owned by school contract.
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