Classes at ACC are back in full swing, and we're about to dive into our 3rd week of lessons.

Life as an "old student"
I have to say that I'm now used to the class format here, and it was a fairly smooth transition into the usual weekly routine. Granted, it still takes a lot of time and energy to get through a week here, but at least it is nothing new now. The teachers have a higher demand for returning students, so we "old students" had to work harder than I first expected.

Also, what was interesting starting this semester was watching the new students acclimate to life here: from the language pledge to the large amounts of homework, I saw how they struggled just as I did my first few weeks here. It really gave me a sense of how far I have come since January. Being at ACC is like riding a bike just after having the training wheels taken off: at first it's awkward and difficult and you're going to fall sometimes, but give it time and you're off without any troubles and it becomes fun. I also feel that I have really developed my own personality with the Chinese language, and I am having much more fun with the language than I did first semester.

Breaking in new teachers
Additionally, ACC hired on a bunch of new teachers for the summer, and it is also funny to see them acclimate to teaching foreigners. As in most Chinese organizations and companies, there is a distinct hierarchy that divides the teachers into different status levels depending on their tenure here at ACC.

There is the administrative head staff that runs the program and can teach at any level anytime and help out when other teachers are out. Then there are the directors for each grade level; these teachers also teach the first and second drill classes of the day. Next are the newest teachers who handle the 2-on-1 and 1-on-1 classes.

So on the first day of class I was paired with a new teacher for my 1-on-1 class, and it was an experience for both of us to struggle through the recitation drills required of a 1-on-1 class here. It's great getting to know the new teachers, and they're really curious about foreigners. One thing in particular that caught my attention was how a few of them were anxious to hear our views on Tibet and Taiwan; I think four teachers have already approached me or in class asked me about these issues, which happen to be the most sensitive political issues here.

Making SMU and ACC connections
One thing that has been fun about Beijing is networking - coming from ACC and having connections through SMU, it has been easy and fun meeting people who have amazing jobs and connections in this city.

What's also great is that foreigners who already live here are eager to meet students such as myself and really talk about my future in China and what I want to do. I have some idea, but as with most students embarking on their senior year of college, it is daunting to think that I have to make that decision in the coming months ahead.

I think that's what is great about being in Beijing now is that I have time to look around and meet people. As of now I do not have one goal or company in mind, so I just meet as many people as I can and try to build a better picture for myself of this dynamic city and what it has to offer.

I really want to try to put a law career and China together, so we will see what I come up with in the years ahead. I'm so used to planning what will happen next and knowing what's around the corner, but for now it feels like one big wild card - we'll see what happens next.

Missing Mi Cocina
Another new experience I'm going through now is homesickness. Last semester I felt as though I did not look back and just focused on being in Beijing, and it was fun. That's not to say Beijing has lost its luster; life here throws new challenges and excitements at you from every angle and it is still fun. However, I know in the back of my head that I only have about seven weeks left and I guess I'm preparing for going home.

I'm missing things like Mi Cocina's Ernie's Chicken plate and Sonny Bryan's BBQ, especially fried okra! I know when I go home though that I will miss the amazing experiences that I have every day here; there is so much to this city and living in China's capital - there's no other place like it in the world.

I also think I have forged some great friendships with my classmates that will last a lifetime, especially with the kids who were here last semester with me. Going through ACC is a challenging experience, and to share that with some of my classmates really establishes a common bond.

Celebrating the 4th
An experience that we all went through this past week was celebrating the 4th of July abroad. We all made the most of it by going out to a restaurant here that had an Independence Day party. It was really fun, but of course it doesn't make up for not being at home for that holiday. Our teachers asked us what we do to celebrate the 4th, and we all said watch fireworks, eat hamburgers, hot dogs, and hang out outside with family and friends. It seems basic, but the act of that celebration at home with family and friends is a big deal, and being here made me realize how special that tradition is to us as Americans. I don't think that we can replicate that experience abroad, but we had fun with it in China.

American-Chinese exchanges
This past week the president for Williams College spoke at ACC about the U.S. higher education system and its relationship with Asia and China. Williams College is a part of a consortium of small East Coast liberal arts schools that contribute to the financial management of ACC.

He had some shocking facts to share with us, such as the number of Americans studying in China and the Chinese in the States. Currently, there are 68,000+ Chinese from the Mainland and Taiwan studying in the United States. As far as Americans studying in China, that figure is dismal at a mere 8,000.

As far as careers go, that's good for those of us already here since our numbers are quite limited. But that goes to show how many more Chinese are studying our culture and becoming familiar with the West versus the smaller number of Americans learning and understanding the Chinese culture. This definitely puts us at an intellectual disadvantage in the long-term dialogue between our country and China since there are fewer Americans cognizant of their world.

Getting ready for the Olympics
Finally, the Olympics are around the corner!! We're about 5 weeks out, and the city is putting on the final touches before the legions of athletes and tourists descend on Beijing. Most teams arrive around August 4th - I know that part or all of the US team will acclimate to the time zone and do some training in Singapore before coming into Beijing. The air quality here still leaves lots to be desired, and I think some of the national teams don't want to take chances before they compete here.

There is still construction everywhere, and sometimes it is hard to differentiate what is construction for the Olympics and what is just China's development boom in general. To some extent these go hand in hand, but some of these projects are being put on hold during the Olympics only to be finished after the Paralympics conclude in September.

In any case the city becomes more and more spectacular every day. For example, I was walking to grab come coffee last night near school, and I noticed on the new Beijing World Trade Center tower that the north face of the building was one big screen. The Beijing WTC looks similar in style and height to the one that was in New York City, but with a modern twist and probably about 20 stories shorter, and only one tower. So needless to say, it was pretty cool to see this huge screen on the side of a skyscraper.

Also, the $700m CCTV tower is putting on its last sections of glass, and probably will be done externally in time for the Olympics. They just erected what looks like a helicopter pad on its roof to lift off the cranes that have been there since I arrived.

Another point of interest is that they just installed security stations at each of Beijing's subway stations in preparations for the Olympics. Beijing's subway system is already massive and carries unfathomable amounts of people, so they don't want to take any chances with security. Additionally, even after the Olympics are over, Beijing will continue construction on its subway system to extend the lines even farther out into the suburbs - as of now it is slated to become the largest subway system in the world in ten years.

The scaffolding is also coming off the last of the major sights in Beijing, and the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven are restored to their former glory of centuries past. These restoration projects have taken years: when I was here in 2005 about a quarter of the Forbidden City was shut down and the Summer Palace was essentially shut down except for its outer gardens. The 798 art district is also putting the final touches on new displays and will open its most famous gallery after massive renovations and will have an amazing new exhibition just in time for the Olympics. Additionally, Adidas is opening up a new flagship store right near school that is five stories tall - kind of like a Niketown in the States.

It's also getting harder and harder to haggle the prices I was getting in January for different things at the famous knock-off market near school; it's summer and there are plenty of tourists who will pay whatever they're told. Who knows what their prices will be in August? Fortunately I speak Chinese so they won't be able to pull one over on me like they can to the others.

I'll keep you updated with Olympic happenings as the opening ceremony comes closer, but if you want to get an idea for yourself of life in Beijing, check out these sites for some insider information:

www.thebeijinger.com
www.chinadaily.com.cn
http://blogs.reuters.com/china/

China is a world unto itself. Its Chinese name, "Zhong Guo," means the Middle Kingdom after the traditional belief that China was the center of civilization.

This belief is still a major pillar in what it means to be Chinese, and while most Chinese recognize there are other parts of the world, a Chinese tourist could be in Italy or Germany and refer to Italians or Germans as foreigners. This is because Westerners and all non-Chinese are foreign to the billion-plus population of China.

The population here is relatively homogenous, and while there are many minority populations, a blond-haired girl from Colorado or a 6'6" guy from Texas will turn heads in even the most internationalized districts of Beijing or Shanghai. In essence the Chinese are accustomed to being around people like themselves, and since that vast expanse of homogeny makes up most of the Chinese population's worldview, it seems instinctual to call everyone else different from them a foreigner.

And for me, while I love China, no matter how hard I try, I will never blend in. My friends who are in Europe studying abroad at least have a decent chance of mastering Spanish or French and will have the fortune of being mistaken as a local ... I definitely don't have that chance. Despite that, I definitely feel welcomed in Beijing, and coming back after graduation next May would excite me to no end. I feel attached to this city and have made lots of friends and memories here.

Time for a time-out
However, I have come to the realization that every once in a while, foreigners need a break from China. Life in most Chinese cities is busy and very fast, but it has to be: With the amount of growth and change happening at every level, the well-worn term "sink or swim" applies. Even when it comes down to daily life, this maxim is quite relevant.

For example, the subway and sidewalks at rush hour look like sheer chaos and unconquerable for a first-timer to China. To stand still amid the oncoming wave of people is even scarier than the thought of keeping pace. Yet after a while, the masses of people and cars honking past turn into patterns and you begin to find your way through it all. It definitely takes energy and effort, but to make your way home during the rush of the day with nerves intact definitely carries a sense of accomplishment. This seems really basic, but it really is one of the first levels in getting used to living here. Next comes the ability to haggle prices, and it goes on from there. (If you come here without knowing the language ... there are a whole other series of steps that make the entire process a million times harder.)

Bottom line, between the long hours of school and the acclimatization to China, I welcomed the hop down to Australia. It was also great because I got to see some familiar faces from home. Granted, I have made lots of new friends in Beijing, but there is something to be said for seeing people who connect me to Dallas.

Family and friends in Australia
The flight was actually really easy, even though it was still ELEVEN hours. Australia is really off on its own, but the time change is only two hours, so that made the adjustment really quick. Once I landed, I realized I was yet again in a totally different world. I also had a great welcome because my mom, Heidi and Justin welcomed me at the airport. I should probably explain who these people are and why they were already at the airport waiting for me.

My mom, Arlene, has worked at SMU for over 25 years in Student Affairs, and Heidi was one of her close students about seven years ago. I also made buds with Heidi since I used to hang out around SMU before becoming a student there, and since then our family and Heidi's have become close family friends. (Her family also lives in the Dallas area, and her younger brother went to my high school.)

Anyways, Heidi graduated SMU and went off to Harvard Business School and is now working for one of the world's top consulting firms. Now she is living in Sydney and invited us out to visit her whenever we had a chance. She promised that she and her boyfriend, Justin, would be happy to play host to us. Since I am in China and my mom has always wanted to go to Australia, this seemed like a perfect time to head Down Under. I think the relationship my mom and Heidi have forged is definitely an indicator of the SMU community and how tight-knit it can be, even after Mustangs graduate!

But I digress ... the minute we left the airport we headed to Heidi's apartment to drop off my bags and run on over to Sydney's most famous beach: Bondi. Yes the beach is cool and it's huge and in Australia they have a TV show about the lifeguards at Bondi Beach (reality show), but what really got me were the cloudless blue skies. Those were a sight for sore eyes ... living in Beijing doesn't really afford its residents many clear days, so this alone left me in awe. The people who usually hang around Bondi are also really good looking and the laid-back attitude is contagious.

Sight-seeing in Australia
After that we got ready for dinner and headed out to one of Sydney's touristy bars, an ice bar. I know they are in other cities, but it was my first time to go to one and it was really cool. The whole bar is made of ice and there are large ice sculptures everywhere. They put you in huge parkas and your drinks are served to you in glasses made from glacier ice in New Zealand. I have to admit it was really kitschy and you're only allowed 30 minutes in the ice chamber to prevent frostbite and to keep the crowds moving through.

I arrived on a Saturday, and that Sunday we all headed out of Sydney and up to Hunter Valley, which is Australia's oldest wine region. From what I have been told, Australia's wine regions, specifically Hunter Valley and the Barossa in southern Australia, definitely give Napa a run for its money and are becoming quite popular around the world. (You can find major labels such as Penfold's and Tyrrell in the States ... both really good by the way.)

It was my first time to go wine tasting, and it was a great experience to learn how that whole process works and a bit about wine. Aussies know their wine and it has a serious following. Despite the fact it is wintertime down there, their winters are extremely moderate and the Hunter Valley was still really green and a great sight to see.

The Great Barrier Reef
Monday marked the start of our mini-trip in Australia. My mom and I headed north to the tropical North Queensland to visit the Great Barrier Reef and then on to Ayers Rock. After all, this was our first trip down under so we had to hit up the big stuff first.

In Tropical North Queensland we stayed outside of Cairns on an amazing beach called Palm Cove. Our hotel sat in the rainforest and on the beach, so we had great access to the water or walking around the forest. We had about five days there, so we took advantage of the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest in our hotel's back yard. The highlight of this leg was definitely the Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef was an amazing sight and really an escape to another world. After an hour-long boat ride straight out from the coast, we stopped at a mooring and jumped off the back to snorkel around one of the many reefs. (The Great Barrier Reef isn't one continuous entity, but a chain of reefs spanning the northeast coast of Australia.)

I'm really glad we opted for snorkeling because we really got to see more than the scuba divers. The reefs are for the most part shallow, and you get some great views from overhead. And, if you ever want a closer look you can duck dive down closer, but the views are great either way. We saw two sea turtles and fish that I could not even imagine. The reefs looked just like the shows on the Discovery Channel, and they were massive. I did feel awfully large, though, compared to the reef; I guess it was because I was swimming among all these fish that were obviously much smaller than me.

The boat's staff recommended we look for sharks, and they said it in a nonchalant way without caution or fear. I wasn't too nervous, and they said that the sharks that hang out there aren't dangerous. Luckily, though, we didn't come across any.

Ayers Rock and big skies
Next on our itinerary was Ayers Rock, which was again another world unto itself. We flew direct from the Cairns in tropical North Queensland down to the Rock. The vast change that occurred as we flew from the rainforests of the northeast coast into Australia's red center was amazing. The coastal rainforests quickly gave way to drier plains and then into a red desert with not a road or a house in sight. (Australia's 20 million-plus population resides around the coast, especially in the southeast in Sydney and Melbourne.) So, when we landed at Ayers Rock I realized that there is next to nobody out there. The Ayers Rock Resort itself is a self-contained town that exists only because the Rock is there. The hotels and staff are all imported from other parts of the country and the world.

Ayers Rock was a really cool experience. Our first night there we went stargazing. The sights were incredible because there was no light pollution to speak of and the southern hemisphere enjoys the best views of the Milky Way. In comparison, the northern hemisphere can only see the tail end of the galaxy, so we miss the best part of the night sky. There was also a powerful telescope on hand and we could clearly see Saturn.

The next morning we got up at 5 am to catch the sunrise at Ayers Rock. It was amazing to see the dramatic changes that happen to the entire landscape as the sun comes up over the horizon. The centerpiece is obviously the rock itself as the sun causes it to change colors, but the sky and the red sand around the rock also change as the sun comes up. The landscape is simple, but its vast expanse and the stark contrasts between the red ground and the blue sky make for an amazing view that changes with the position of the sun.

After the sunrise we made our way over to the Ayers Rock/ Olgas Cultural Center. To clarify, the Olgas are another set of rocks that shoot out of the ground not far from Ayers Rock. The Olgas are a series of mini "Ayers Rocks" that comprise an area greater than Ayers itself. It is also interesting to note that Ayers Rock and The Olgas are the names the Westerners gave the rocks. The Aborigines call Ayers "Uluru" and the Olgas "Kata Tjuta." And the staff at the resort calls the rocks by their native names instead of the Western ones out of respect for the Aborigines.

At the Cultural Center, we learned a lot about the Aboriginal history in the area and the relatively recent handover of Ayers Rock National Park back to the Aborigines from the Australian government. However, the Aborigines don't have the know-how or capacity to manage the tourism that comes to the park so they lease the land back to the government - provided they still hold a majority vote in the area's governance.

That same day, we also headed back to Ayers Rock for sunset, which was a lot more captivating than sunrise, and the changes in the sky and rock felt more pronounced and vivid. I had to stop for a minute and remind myself that there are hundreds of people hanging out staring at a rock, which seems kind of odd. I have to say, though, the view really is captivating and the simplicity of the environment only adds to that wonder.

As we left Ayers Rock the next day, I noticed how restrictive the regulations were around the rocks. There were signs everywhere saying "Don't go off the road," and some areas were off-limits to tourists and they asked that some areas not be photographed out of respect for the Aboriginal culture. I understand the rules, and most have logic, but there seemed to be more you could not do than could.

Also, Ayers Rock has a strong Aboriginal community, but we didn't see a single one while we were out there. We even used the Aboriginal-owned tour company, but our Western tour guide and interpreter said he could not find anyone to help lead us on our tour. I do know that they like to keep to themselves, but it seems to me that in a place like Ayers Rock, which is so significant to their culture, they would want to be around to protect and educate others about the land. This was my first encounter with Aboriginal culture so I can't say much more except for my own speculation. I am sure there are reasons for it all but they're certainly unknown to me.

The view from Sydney Harbor Bridge
After our mini-tour, we headed back to Heidi's in Sydney and dove deeper into that city. The two big highlights were climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge and going to a show at the Sydney Opera House. The bridge climb was really cool; we did a night tour that took us up around sunset and we came down in the darkness with the city's skyline lighting in front of us. It was a great view up there of the Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. We also were lucky because it had been raining the whole day, so we were afraid that we would have to climb in the rain. (They go rain or shine, provided that there are no heavy winds or lightning.)

The Opera House was also cool; my mom wanted to go to a show there and we saw lots of advertisements for Edward Scissorhands. We thought it was going to be a musical, which I can sit through, but when the show started we didn't hear any words for a while - then I realized it was a dance performance. It was interesting how they could convey the story in dance, but I don't think I would have gone if I had known that it was a dance performance. I overheard a lady behind us as we were leaving say, "That was weird." Those weren't my words, but I'm definitely not going to argue against them.

After that my mom headed back to the States so she could catch my brother's high school graduation. It was sad to see her go, and it made me realize that I still have another two months before I actually head back to the States. But, that feeling didn't last too long because I headed on with Heidi and Justin to Melbourne for a national holiday weekend. Australia is still a part of the commonwealth of the UK, so they celebrate the Queen's birthday in June with a holiday on a Monday.

Aussie rules football in Melbourne
Melbourne is a very different city from Sydney but still well worth the visit. Sydney is defined by its harbour, vistas and icons while Melbourne is defined by its culture, sports and architecture. Bottom line, you go to Sydney for the sights and Melbourne for the culture. Melbourne sits on a harbour and river, but it doesn't define the city. It is also a more industrial town that is not as glamorous as Sydney, but still just as interesting.

For example, in the downtown area there are these alleyways that seem to appear out of nowhere and they are filled with cafes and bars. Each venue's tables pour out into the street and they are always packed with people. It's a very communal experience and you see every walk of life hanging out sipping on a latte and engaged in conversation. I got lost for hours wandering around through these lanes - it was really cool.

The highlight of the Melbourne trip was The Queen's Game: an Aussie rules football match honoring the Queen's birthday. The two teams that head off in this game are always Melbourne FC and Collingwood. It's a historic game that can only be compared to the Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving Day. It was also a major year because Melbourne FC was celebrating its 150th anniversary. Heidi has connections through work with a board member of the Melbourne team, and we were invited to the Chairman's Luncheon before the game began.

Aussie Rules Football originated in Melbourne's state, Victoria, and most of the teams come from Melbourne. Melbourne FC is one of, if not, the oldest and its devoted fans definitely have long family ties so this anniversary was definitely a landmark. The game itself was really fun to watch: it's a blend of US football, rugby and soccer. It's also a fast-paced game that rivals hockey in its speed. I have to say I think the Aussies made a fan out of me for this sport. A really big tradition of note is that each team has its own scarf, and fans faithfully sport theirs at the games; it reminded me of the house scarves warn by each house in Harry Potter.

Back to Beijing
After the Melbourne trip I headed back to Sydney and left for Beijing the next day. Writing this from Beijing, I really miss Australia; it's a fantastic country for both its scenery and its people. Not only was the country breathtaking, but also the people were genuinely nice. The idea of "mateship" and camaraderie are really strong there and people look out for each other - even for the foreigners. I would be in line or waiting somewhere and Aussies would just strike up conversations with me. This took me aback at first, but then I got used to it and started to appreciate the concept.

Australia really is a laid-back country and the people seem happy and content with life - it was a great experience and a departure from the chaotic way of life in China. It was also great to see my mom, Heidi and Justin - they made the whole experience amazing.

But, I have to say I was really happy to get back to Beijing. Landing at the Capital airport, it was great to have that feeling that I was returning somewhere I know. It's not home, but it will definitely do. I was happy to get in the cab and have a conversation with the driver in Chinese, and when I ran into teachers I felt excited about being back. Granted I do miss softer beds and cleaner air, but I like it here and I'm looking forward to the excitement of a Beijing summer. (The Olympics are around the corner!!)

I have about 10 days until school starts up again. Not too sure what I'll be up to, but I'll report back soon.

Today at 2:28 pm, China began its three-day mourning period for those who passed away in the Sichuan earthquake. As a foreigner in China, I found it chilling to be here for the moment of silence.

If you read any of the international reports from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and the like, they describe my experience and those of more than a billion people across the country. Sirens wailed across Beijing, and cars stopped on the sides of the street with drivers honking their horns. Shops and restaurants closed for a few minutes, and everyone poured onto the streets to honor those who had died.

Mass media in the country have also come to a halt, and every television station focuses solely on the devastation of Sichuan and the nation's mourning. Internet access has also significantly slowed down, and some sites have been restricted or truncated in order to contribute to the country's austerity in its time of grieving.

For me, being here right now is truly an eye-opening experience. I am witnessing a part of China that not many see, and I hope no one will have to see again anytime soon: This is a China in the face of a major loss of life. And I think what is going on here, with the strong and painful reactions people are having, is the same that all nations facing this kind of loss go through.

People are identifying with their countrymen and are mourning the loss incurred as a nation, as a family and as friends. The solidarity of these people is iron-clad, and the most chilling example of this was the video feed I saw of the mourners at Tiananmen Square, about 15 minutes from where I live. There were thousands upon thousands of people chanting toward the national flag, fists pumping in the air, saying, "Jia you, Zhongg Guo," which means good luck/cheer up/rebound China.

I have witnessed a national flag-raising before, where the crowd was much smaller than that of today's, and that alone was amazing. Thus, I can't even begin to imagine what today was like at Tiananmen Square. Overall, the reactions and ceremonies I have seen today remind me of what I have felt and experienced at home during moments of silence for 9/11 and the OKC bombing. That's the closest kind of feeling I can relate it to.

As far as Sichuan and the devastation caused there - I can't even begin to fathom its gravity, and it's such a pity because the province is fairy-tale like in its beauty. The verdant valleys, mountains and lakes that surround the provincial seat of Chengdu are surreal as they climb up into the foothills of the Tibetan plateau.

I had a chance to visit some of these areas earlier this spring, and they were beautiful, and very isolated. For those who have been there, it is easy to understand the difficulty of the search-and-rescue teams trekking through valleys that are only connected by two-lane roads winding through the mountains. Between the rescue, recovery and reconstruction, Sichuan has a very long road ahead.

Many friends and family back home worried about my safety when news of the earthquake reached the US, but fortunately Beijing is hundreds of miles from Sichuan and the city experienced only a slight tremor. Life here is business as usual, but the air does hang heavy with the grief people are feeling for the earthquake victims.

This is definitely a trying moment for China, and from what I'm seeing, the people here are doing their best to pick up and move forward together.

The spring semester is over!!

The ending comes with a bittersweet feeling because most of my classmates and friends I made this semester are leaving ACC for good. They say that every semester is a different creature with its own qualities: every semester's group of students brings forth a new set of dynamics and relationships that make our experience different from any other term held here. So, while I may be staying on for the summer semester, this point definitely marks the closing of a chapter.

The spring semester has been an incredible experience, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to see Beijing at this time of year, especially before the city fills to capacity during the summer months with legions of tourists. It is not to say that city life in Beijing moves at a slower pace than during the spring or is not as fun, but living here out of the real tourist season has afforded me the opportunity to really see life in this city. From experiencing Chinese New Year with a Chinese family to wandering the Hutongs (Beijing's historic alleys), I have gotten a real sense of this place.

But, I do not have a reason to dwell on this spring since there is so much excitement to come in the following months! First, the semester IS over, and we have already received my semester grades, and I'm extremely pleased with the results: it definitely reassured me that I am obtaining a good command of Chinese, and despite my doubts sometimes I am doing really well.

Final exam crunch
Additionally, I can finally rest after the close of the semester. It's certainly been a busy few weeks since I last reported about my trip to Guilin. I gave three major presentations, prepared three oral tests and a written final - it's been a lot. I first gave my presentation over my independent project researching the emergence of lawyers in China, and that was definitely a stressful situation. I had to give a thirty-minute presentation in front of five teachers and a peer audience. The most nerve-wracking factor was the teachers: having five of them dissect your presentation for grammar and pronunciation was not fun, but overall it went well and I was happy to have that over with.

The other major presentation was an extra credit assignment that I chose to prepare, and it had to be a thirty-minute presentation of our choosing, so I chose to talk a little bit about the history and culture of Texas. There only had to be two teachers to evaluate your presentation, but I had about nine teachers show up to my presentation to hear about Texas. It was definitely an experience lecturing to my Chinese teachers in Chinese and teaching them something about my home - the Lone Star State.

As for the oral and written tests, they were not bad but just required lots of time preparing old content - nothing above the usual stress here at ACC.

Talent show
Along with the hustle and bustle with the close of the semester, we had a fun night here called "Chinese Night," when we as ACC students team up and prepare skits and songs in Chinese and do a little talent night for our teachers and our Chinese host families. It was a fun experience, and some of the acts were pretty good! Four students have been in tai chi classes all semester so they did a presentation for us, and another two students took U.S. songs and put in Chinese words and new content that was ingenious.

The night of our graduation was also a lot of fun because the language pledge was finally over! We could speak English with our classmates and our teachers. It was awkward because we had been so used to speaking Chinese, and we developed habits such as saying "Ni hao" instead of "hey," and we still had this nagging fear of speaking English and getting in trouble.

What was also awkward was speaking English with most of the teachers. While most of them have had lots of experience with our native language, most of the students ended up reverting to Chinese because we felt we could have better conversations with them in Chinese instead of in English. I think a major factor behind this is that as students studying Chinese in China, we have started to develop our own personalities using the language. Speaking a foreign language is not easy, and at first it is hard and awkward, and conveying the simplest thoughts can be a challenge. But now, we are used to it, and we are able to move past simple thoughts and now can convey our personalities and our quirks with another language. Besides a few teachers, I don't think most of them have had the same experience with English that we are having with Chinese, so it made more sense to use their language to have more meaningful discussions.

Wide awake in Houhai
What was also great about our last night with the teachers was that we had a great Beijing duck dinner - Beijing's most famous dish, and then we all headed out to Houhai for a great evening of relaxation and one last hurrah before everyone parted ways. Houhai is an amazing area in Central Beijing steps from the Forbidden City, and is a restaurant and bar district that sits on a large lake and a series of canals that connect that lake to others around it. All the buildings are in the historic Chinese style, and most venues have expansive balconies and rooftop terraces that overlook the lake and canals. It was especially crowded when we went because it was a national holiday (May Day weekend) and a Friday night, so we weaved our way through the crowds and managed to take over a rooftop terrace at a restaurant for the whole group. It was a beautiful evening and just a fun night with everyone.

One of the goals of that evening was to stay up to see the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square at 5 am. Luckily, Beijing does not close like Dallas does at 2, so it is easier to stay out later.

Fortunately, I had the energy and made it to the flag-raising. It happens every day, but I thought with the closing of the semester it would add to the celebration. Unfortunately the ceremony was anticlimactic, but I think I was expecting a little too much - it's just a flag being pulled up a pole. What is really amazing about the experience is that there are thousands upon thousands of people that come every day to see this; usually they are Chinese tourists from smaller cities or the countryside who come in to see their great capital. Also, on all the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the square there are hundreds of red flags - it's amazing to see.

After that I caught the first subway of the morning back to campus and spent the day sleeping off a 24-hour stint that included my final written exam, a graduation ceremony, a night out with the teachers and classmates, and the flag-raising at Tiananmen. What a way to finish off the semester!

Off to Australia
I'm really going to enjoy the next few weeks because I have nothing to do except explore Beijing on my own schedule: no classes, no homework, and no presentations to present. I will also get to meet up with my Chinese professor from SMU who is actually from Beijing; she is coming home for a bit and she promised to take me to her favorite Sichuan Hot-Pot restaurant in the city. Also, in late May I will head to Australia for three weeks and hit all the major points of interest: Sydney, Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock and Melbourne. It will be great because I am meeting up with my mom and one of our family friends, a former Mustang student leader who is also now living in Sydney, so that will be awesome.

Until next time!

Life in Beijing has been great! A lot has happened since I last posted.

First off, my Spring Break trip to Guilin was amazing. We were there for about four days, so we had to maximize our time, and I definitely felt that my friends and I did that.

Terminal T3
We first left Beijing early on a Wednesday morning for a 7 am flight down to Guilin. What was great about the flight was that we were on Air China, which meant that we would be flying out of Beijing Capital Airport's newest terminal, T3.

Built to handle the influx of international travelers for the Olympics, T3 is the world's single largest terminal and is literally as large as the original section of the Beijing airport. Air China is the official airline of the Olympics, so along with all international arrivals, T3 caters exclusively to this airline's international and domestic flights. The terminal itself is amazing and at times intimidating. It was constructed to look like a huge dragon, and from the air it definitely looks as such. Additionally, it looks and feels Chinese; the structure itself mimics parts of the Forbidden City with ominous red columns and ceilings. Those arriving this summer for the Olympics will definitely have a dramatic greeting when landing into T3.

Beware cab drivers
When we landed in Guilin, we caught a cab to our hotel, and the cab ride itself was something of an experience. We had read before we left that tourism was the number one industry in Guilin and that we had to be wary of cab drivers and fake tour companies that try to rip off tourists. At the airport we followed the rules and found the official taxi stand, which is where licensed cab drivers queue for customers; this also reduces the chances of getting ripped off.

Once in the cab we started talking to the driver, and he asked us questions about our hotel and how much it costs. My friends and I got the sense that our driver was fishing for information, so we started to be vague with our answers just to be safe. If we gave off the impression that we were carrying a lot of cash or something, he might have tried to cheat us. Additionally, when we got into the city center, the cabbie asked us if we wanted to "look around Guilin, or go by a tourist office to book tours," so we said that we had to meet our teacher's friend at our hotel and had no time to do that kind of stuff. Apparently this is a ploy of cabbies there to increase cab fare, and it is usually at that point the cabbie will try to tack on fees for taking you other places.

Once we checked into our hotel, we took a few minutes just to soak in Guilin. The first thing I noticed was the clean, moist air. Guilin has no major pollution problems because it is not only a town of about 700,000, but it also lacks a major industrial base - no factories are nearby. This is because Guilin is fairly geographically isolated. The city is literally surrounded by a range of karsts, which are these oddly shaped limestone mountains that jet out of the ground hundreds if not thousands of feet into the air. So, it was a great relief to enjoy the amazing air. In addition, the view from our hotel room was amazing; our window looked out onto this beautiful park and in the distance we could see the karsts that surrounded the city.

Reed Flute Cave
On Wednesday afternoon we took in some of the major sights around Guilin. First we went to Reed Flute Cave, which is one of the largest tourist-accessible caves in the city. The karsts' formations are usually hollow on the inside and give way to caves. Reed Flute Cave was really convenient and walker-friendly; it was also a light-show extravaganza. Every nook and cranny of the cave was well illuminated, and in the largest chamber they had a light show complete with cheesy techno music and bubble and fog machines. I definitely think this is a Chinese specialty; I can't imagine any other country outfitting a cave with that kind of technology and kitsch.

Afterward we went over to one of the tallest karst peaks in Guilin. The peak is housed in a complex that was once a vacation compound for emperors. At the top of the peak is a small temple and great views of Guilin. The hike up the karst is dangerous because the sides to these peaks are nearly straight drops to the ground, so the stairs themselves weave up this steep edge.

Elephant Trunk hill
Our last activity of the day was a ride on a bamboo motorboat that took us around to Elephant Trunk hill. The hill comes to a point in the middle of a river and is hollowed out to look like a huge elephant with a trunk that shoots into the water. The bamboo boat took us into the arch of the hill, and we could get out and climb around the arch that made the trunk of the elephant.

The Li River
On Thursday, we took a cruise up the major river in Guilin, the Li River. It is about a four-hour boat ride that takes you up the river and has some of the best views of the karsts in the region. Despite the mist that plagues southern China in the spring, the views were amazing. The river and the conditions around it were also pristine, and it was a great relief to see that some parts of China were not being ruined by development.

At the end of the cruise, we ended up in a small town called Yangshuo. Despite its very small size, it has developed into a tourist colony and a starting-out point for backpackers who want to hike around the countryside and among the karsts. The whole town is literally five long streets that have nothing but hotels, cafes, and shops.

Shangri-La
From the center of Yangshuo, we went around the outskirts of the town on another bamboo boat to take in some more sights of the karsts. We also went to a park called Shangri-La. It is a tourist site that gives a sample of the ethnic minority villages that used to exist in the province. (Guangxi, the province that entails Guilin, is 75 percent non-Han and is comprised of many minorities including the Zhuang and Hmong.)

At Shangri-La we hopped on another boat that took us on a tour around a series of canals and stopped at platforms on the banks of the water. On these platforms people from different ethnic minorities did short performances that reflected special traditions from their cultures. One of the performances did leave me wondering if this is the way things really were back in the day. At one platform were Polynesian-looking performers wrapped in loincloths who feigned throwing spears toward our boat. Also, they had cattle skulls on pikes in the ground. I guess maybe way back this could have been possible, but the whole performance looked like they had taken a page out of the Flintstones.

Mountain village
Friday was my favorite day of the trip because we ventured out north of Guilin into the town of Longshen. Longshen is a small sleepy village that sits atop a mountain in the middle of nowhere. It is a two-hour drive outside the city through verdant orange groves and a series of winding mountain roads. Once at Longshen, we hiked into this amazing little town that was cloaked in fog on the side of this mountain. The views were great and looked down into rich green valleys.

Longshen is especially known for its 800-year-old rice terraces that cascade down the mountainside. However, when we got there, there was a heavy fog so we had to wait around a bit for the fog to burn off. When it did, we had great views of these terraces that literally went on for miles in each direction. My friends and I went off the beaten path and hiked through the terraces and made our way to other small villages hidden in the terraced mountains.

What was also great about this experience was that we had come during China's tomb-sweeping festival. It's a time when families go to their deceased family's tombs and clean up around the tomb and honor those who have gone before them. While hiking on the terraces, we came across several families that were at tomb sites on the terraces themselves honoring the dead.

Recovering in Beijing
After returning from Longshen that evening, the trip pretty much ended for me. That night I got really sick - I ended up with something similar to Montezuma's Revenge; I think I got it from buying a bad bottle of water from a street vendor. The next day we were scheduled to fly home anyways, so I only missed one day of sightseeing, and we only had plans to go to a park in Guilin.

Once we arrived back in Beijing, I realized how dirty the air is here. After being spoiled with the air in Guilin, it definitely took me a few days to re-acclimate to Beijing's air.

The week after Guilin was non-eventful. I spent a lot of time sleeping and generally just recovering from my bout of illness. My Chinese family also came by the dorm and gave me a care-package to speed along my recovery, which was really great of them.

As far as ACC goes, we are closing in on the last stretch - I can't believe I have been here for so long! We are now prepping the last sections of our independent project, and we will have our oral presentations next week. I thought I would be more stressed about it, but so far I am approaching it with a pretty relaxed attitude.

That's it for now! I will check in soon with more about life in Beijing.

The past two weeks consisted of less work than usual, and I definitely took advantage of this slow spell to enjoy Beijing's beautiful spring weather.

Beihai Park and the Jade Islet
The weekend before Easter boasted blue skies and 50-degree weather. A few friends and I headed over to one of Beijing's best parks, Beihai. It sits on the north side of the Forbidden City and overlooks the chain of lakes that surrounds the National Theatre, among other major landmarks.

In the middle of this park is a lake with a large islet, the Jade Islet, which shoots up like a steep hill from the water. At the top of this hill is a marshmallow-shaped Buddhist temple with great views of the city. On the islet itself are several smaller pavilions and grottoes that dot the paths leading up to the peak.

Besides the islet, there are several other pavilions that surround the shore and make for a nice hour-long walk along the water. In fact, many have just been extensively renovated in time for the Olympics; this gives visitors a glimpse into what these structures actually looked like when they were first constructed centuries ago.

The Great Wall at Simatai
The Saturday before Easter, ACC had a day trip to one of the most remote but intact sections of the Great Wall. I have been to other sections that are closer to the city, but they were crowded and not as rigorous. Additionally, I hoped I would get a second chance to have a better look of the wall without a dense blanket of pollution covering everything.

Alas, there was still pollution, but not as bad, and the vistas were breathtaking. The hike was also much more intense, but the cool weather made it bearable.

This section of the wall climbed up the spine of a moderate mountain range that looked down over valleys and a major reservoir. Other than that, there is not much to say about the Great Wall other than that it truly is a sight to see and a feat to conquer.

Another object of note is that on the way back down, there was a zip-line that traversed the reservoir from the mountainside down to the entrance of the wall. Needless to say I tried not to think twice, paid my 5 dollars, and strapped myself in for a great ride. It was quick and uneventful, except for the whole flying down a mountain over water.

Easter in Beijing
This was my first major holiday to celebrate away from home, and I made sure to find something that would make it bearable. I think I did just that and then some.

There was an advertisement in Beijing's equivalent to D Magazine (but I think it is much better; it caters to more demographics than D), for the Westin Beijing's "F'easter Easter." It was a brunch that was kind of steep in price, about $50 US, which does not sound bad, but my classmates here have become accustomed to $2 lunches and cab rides.

I found two other buds to go with me, and when we arrived at the Westin, it was like we had entered the best candy store in the world. There were balloons, Easter egg painting, cotton candy machines, sushi bars, an omelet bar, oyster bar, vodka and caviar bar, and oh so, so much more.

We quickly realized our money was going a lot further than we had imagined. The food was incredible and was on par with any omelet in the West, and was a great break from the Chinese food I have come to love here. The event was also sold out, and pretty much everyone there was an expatriate or business traveler with their family.

For that afternoon it felt as though I was back in the US. It was a great break, and on the way home, we crossed over Tian'anmen Square and saw 30 or 40 people flying kites over the Square in the clear blue skies.

It was certainly a unique Easter, to say the least, but an incredibly memorable one that I won't soon forget.

Next week is our Spring Break, and a few buds and I will be heading down to Guilin in the southernmost reaches of the country. Guilin's province borders Vietnam to the south. I'm really looking forward to it because of images I have seen from The Painted Veil.

From February 29 to March 7, ACC hosted a field trip to Sichuan. It was a much-needed break after the conclusion of our midterms. We not only had a written test but also two oral presentations with Q&A. I was very grateful to get out of Beijing for a few days!

The Friday our midterms concluded, we headed to Beijing's West Station and boarded a train for a 25-hour journey! I was so tired from the week I had just gone through, so I did not mind that the school had put us in what was called "hard sleepers." We had beds, but they were stacked three to a column, and I had the fortune of being assigned to a top bunk; this bunk had the lowest clearance of all three bunks and made for an exciting train ride. I had to contort like a Cirque Du Soleil acrobat to get in and out of bed.

Despite that difficulty, the train ride was a great way to see how the common Chinese travel and get a taste for the countryside. The train itself looked fairly new, so that made the trip easier. I won't say I want to have that experience again, but at least I have done it and know what it is like.

Crowded Chengdu
On Saturday evening we arrived in the capital of Sichuan: Chengdu. It is a major city with a population density greater than that of Beijing. Their population is smaller, but because of geographical limitations and city design, it feels much more crowded. Despite Beijing's population of 12 to 13 million, it does not feel that crowded. Granted, people are always around and the subways are a sight to see during rush hour, but I still feel like I can breathe; in Chengdu, not so much.

The roads seemed lawless and crazier than anything I have ever seen in Beijing, Shanghai or Suzhou. Cabbies would speed down busy side streets, and it felt like we were in a video game dodging pedestrians. To be honest I was not that scared, though. I think I have been in enough cabs to realize that despite the chaos and inestimable near misses, it's safe for OTHER drivers. I really think pedestrians are injured more than drivers by cars.

Another interesting fact about Chengdu is that it is the last major city before heading into Tibet. Unless you take the train out of Beijing, most people start their Tibetan journeys in Chengdu. The city itself is not mountainous, but drive two hours outside the city and the mountains start rising out of the Chengdu plain.

Hello, baby panda
On Sunday we had our first outing to the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base. It is really an amazing center with advanced research facilities, and the pandas are treated like emperors. What is also amazing about that place is that it is one of only two places in China that allows the public to hold pandas. (I think that also means that there are only two places in the world that allows the public to hold pandas - unless there are zoos out there that allow this.)

I had previously heard about this and had made up my mind that I was going to hold a panda. The price is kind of steep, but they have to be or else everyone would want to hold them. However, I thought the experience was totally worth it.

I entered near the nursery compound, and I was brought into a terrace and asked to put on scrubs. This was obviously for the panda's protection and not mine - these animals are China's national living treasures, and I do not blame them. They brought out a baby girl panda that was about 6 months old. She was not only adorable, but also really chill. There are no other words to describe her; she was extremely calm but really inquisitive.

They gave her a piece of bamboo covered in honey to satiate her appetite while she was in my arms, and at one point she actually noticed I was there and stuck her nose up to my face. It was amazing to have the opportunity to hold her.

Afterward, our tour guide said that they seldom see the Research Base staff bring out a panda that young to hold. I definitely consider myself very lucky to have had that opportunity. The experience also made me appreciate that the Chinese government is doing so much to preserve these amazing creatures. Biologically the panda has so much going against it in terms of breeding practices and fetal development. Additionally, China's blistering development has destroyed significant portions of the panda's natural habitat; this only adds to their difficulty because of their highly specialized diet of bamboo. Today, the government is creating panda reserves and doing what it can at the moment to protect them despite the country's insurmountable pollution problem.

Chinese garden in bloom
After the Panda Base, a few friends and I went to the home of a historic poet from the Tang Dynasty. The poet Du Fu's home was really modest and small, but the gardens and memorials around it were huge.

It was a beautiful place, and the horticultural and architectural style mirrored that of other southern Chinese cities, but there were different elements that were a nice change from Suzhou- or Beijing-style gardens I have seen before. For example, there were long bamboo-lined paths with tall red walls on each side of the road. It sounds simple, but nuances like that make a difference since so many of these gardens/parks have the same architectural elements.

Chengdu also is much warmer than Beijing, and we were lucky to see the cherry blossoms in bloom in various places at the garden. Along with the cherry trees, there were myriad other plants and exotic trees that were beginning to bloom. The spring season and the blooms that emerge are widely appreciated by the Chinese, and are typically anticipated after the end of the Chinese New Year. (And rightfully so; it's an amazing sight to see.)

The Grand Buddha
On Monday and Tuesday we trekked out of Chengdu into the Sichuan countryside. Sichuan is known for its natural wonders that are on par if not more pronounced than those seen in USA's Yellowstone National Park. On Monday we left Chendgu and made our way over to LeShan's Grand Buddha. It is one of the largest Buddhas in the world, if not the largest. It is cut into a side of a cliff that overlooks a major river in Sichuan. It's amazing to see because the thing really is massive; I could probably sleep comfortably on the Buddha's toenail. Along with the Buddha, there are several temples, courtyards and pagodas that are hidden in the hills surrounding the Buddha. It was a great afternoon of exploring this park of sorts and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Emei Mountain
After that we went to the base of Emei Mountain to check into our hotel. It was a beautiful place that overlooked a series of low-lying mountains that were covered in deep, deep green trees and cloaked in a blanket of mist. I will admit that there was pollution probably in the mix, but for the most part, Emei Mountain's air is extremely moist, and mist/low lying clouds are common. The highlight of the night was finding this little restaurant with an outdoor deck on the second floor that overlooked the mountains. A few friends and I just sat out there for hours eating some of Sichuan's famed dishes and admiring the amazing views.

On Tuesday we went over to Emei Mountain, which is one of China's four sacred mountains. On the mountain itself are several Buddhist temples and several sites that commemorate emperors' visits to the mountain. We first started by hiking, literally hiking, to the biggest Buddhist temple on the mountain. It's about a good 30-minute hike straight up stairs. On the way we passed people who live and work on the mountain and depend on selling trinkets to tourists for their income. We also saw people using mules to pull supplies up and down paths alongside the stairs we used to climb the mountain. This was truly the countryside.

Once at the Temple, we looked around for a bit; it was a bit different than other ones I had seen, and I think it mirrors the style of Tibetan temples. This was also the point where the group split up: we had the option of climbing to the mountain's peak and staying overnight on the mountain or seeing most of the historic sites (located near the base), and then returning to Chengdu. I chose the latter because the mountain's peak is at 9,000 feet, which is only a little bit higher than, say, the base of Vail Valley in Colorado. Also, I did not like the idea of sleeping on a mountain in China and also facing the monkeys that reside on Emei.

Emei is beautiful and gave me a real glimpse of the Sichuan countryside. It is beautiful for its mountains, the mist, the clear creeks/waterfalls, and the foliage. It has a dense forest of trees that are not found in the US: the forest is primarily composed of bamboo and Norfolk pine trees. There are also sycamore-style and broad-leafed trees, but for the most part it looked like a foreign forest on a different planet. Dotting the hiking paths are monuments and lesser temples commemorating historical points in the mountain's history. It seemed like every other corner we stumbled upon another incredible monument or waterfall.

Monkey meeting
One surprise that I was not too keen on was the monkey reserve. It is set back in a park on the mountain, and is pretty much base for monkeys that roam free on the mountain. They are brilliant creatures that came up to me, pulled at my pants and hands and looked in my pockets for food. For the most part they were harmless, but I was definitely scared of them because I did not want to be bitten. I know they are probably not that dangerous, but all I could keep thinking was, "Ok, if I get bit there's no telling how many shots I'll have to get." Needless to say, I quickly made my way through this part of the mountain and ventured off to other sites.

After that we returned to Chengdu and had a few days to explore the city at will. Chengdu is rich in history and culture - not to mention Sichuan's famous food. Some of the highlights included the Sichuan Opera, which is known for its masked, flame-spitting actors as well as these people that wear masks, and in front of your eyes and without any apparent cause, their masks change colors. It is an illusion that I have yet to figure out - these actors quickly change masks right in front of the audience's face, but the audience cannot see how he/she made the switch. It was awesome.

Red-hot hot pots
The other big highlight was the FOOD. Sichuan food is one of the four most famous styles of food in China, and rightfully so. (The best-known in America is Kung Pao Chicken.) Some dishes are sweet and tender, others sweet and spicy, and then there are those that are painfully spicy.

The best example is the Sichuan hot pot (like fondue). I went three times, and the first time was literally an out-of-body experience. We went to Sichuan's hot pot row, where there are several restaurants all specializing in hot pots. We casually just picked one and walked in.

The first thing they asked us was what kind of oil we wanted. Our teachers had previously explained the Sichuan hot pot experience to us, and said they offer either white oil for the whimps or red to the locals and those that can troop through it. We, of course, ordered the red oil. In the center of our table was a gas stove, and the service staff brought over a huge metal pot full of blood-red oil with pepper kernels and red peppers floating on the top. It looked like something out of hell itself!

Once the oil stared to boil and we had let our first round of meats and veggies cook, the fun began. At first it was not so bad - yes it was spicy but not unbearable. As the meal progressed, the heat got to me, and I not only started sweating but also got kind of dizzy. I am not sure of the chemical effects of eating really spicy food, but by the end of the meal I felt really loopy, but not in a bad way. It was certainly an experience.

However, the next two times I did not have that same kind of dizzy feeling, but I sweated just as bad. So, my advice is: if you ever go to a Sichuan hot pot restaurant, order the red oil, and prepare for an experience. It really is like nothing else I have ever eaten.

Coming back to Beijing was much easier: the teachers booked us a flight home. But instead of flying into the Capital Airport, our tickets said we were flying into Beijing's south airport, which I did not even know existed. The flight was great and security was so much easier than in America. (However, I don't know how flights will be after that thwarted terrorist attempt a few days ago on a Chinese airliner.)

In any case, when we landed, I was surprised to see that the airport was no more than an airfield on the outskirts of central Beijing with one terminal to enter and only one baggage claim. It was a lot more convenient and closer to school, so on the whole it was much easier. (Don't expect international flights out of there anytime soon.)

The week after Sichuan was an easy one with lots and lots of new content to learn. We also turned in the first draft of our Independent Project, which went well. This upcoming week should be the same as far as class work. I am also going to go see Tim Clissold speak about his book, Mr. China. It is one of the most widely read books by Western businessmen on doing business in China; Clissold was one of the first here and his stories are incredible. I suggest reading it if you have the chance.

Zai Jian! (Until next time!)

This week was again marked with the demands of ACC's curriculum, but as always, it is incredibly worthwhile.

This week's lessons were based on a Chinese film, so we spent the week learning vocabulary and grammar structures that appeared in the film. It was really difficult but great because it helped us build up our ability to comprehend Mandarin at normal conversational speeds, which are really fast!

This week for school I also interviewed a Beijing lawyer who specializes in business law; his insight into China's market and its development was really helpful with my independent project because it was a Chinese perspective on a major part of the legal environment in this country.

One point that resonated with me was his insistence that Beijing is better than Shanghai for business because this city is the country's policy center. For him, Shanghai may have a stronger finance and business scene, but all the policies dictating business are implemented in Beijing.

This is just his perspective, and I am sure there are myriad businessmen and others who could argue otherwise for hours. However I see the logic in his argument: government and politics mean everything here, and if one is going to invest significant amounts of money in this market, it is wise to be close to the hand that controls everything.

A little stress relief
I can also tell that the stress of school is building: I went to a spa this week and had a massage and was told that my neck and lower back were incredibly tense. The Chinese can tell a lot about how a person is feeling by pressure and tension points in the body, and this tradition has been a part of their culture for thousands of years (such as acupuncture, cupping).

Some of it seems like hogwash, but for the most part I think massages and focusing on tension points in the body contribute something to a person's well being. Massages are also a way of life here and really common; there are spas and massage parlors everywhere. They are also pretty cheap - what would cost $170 in Dallas is $25 here, and some places look like any nice spa in the U.S.

After the usual bustle of the week, the weekend was a good opportunity to catch up on sleep and get out into the city. Thursday night I met up with my Chinese host family and had dinner with them. Thursday was the last day of the Spring Festival, (aka the Chinese New Year celebration - unlike the Western world, the Chinese spend about 2 and a half weeks celebrating the new year.)

Celebrating the Lantern Festival
I joined them for what is called the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival always falls on the last day of the Chinese New Year, and in major parks and temples people hang hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns. I did not have a chance to see any of the parks filled with lanterns, but I have heard the experience is amazing. This is also the last day of celebration for the Chinese - after the Lantern Festival, life returns to normal.

Families also have celebratory dinners that are on par with the ones held on Chinese New Year's eve. I met up with my host family for dinner, and as usual the dinner was filled with tradition. One tradition is at the beginning of the meal, toasting the eldest at the dinner as an expression of respect.

I also had a chance to ask my host family about the significance of offering innumerable toasts at a dinner. This is really common here, and for a foreigner it can be kind of intimidating at first. Their reply was that offering toasts while eating is an expression of respect that also promotes community with those at the table with you.

I have learned that eating and drinking are definitely a communal experience here, and the propriety at any Chinese dinner table is stronger than any seen at a Western dinner table. Their traditions are different, but eating together holds a lot of meaning and bonding that for the most part you do not see in the U.S.

After dinner we made our way outside and set off - what else? - firecrackers. Firecrackers are so intense here. They are incredibly long and, from what I remember of U.S. firecrackers, much larger than the ones we have at home. Let's just say that I kept thinking, "When are these firecrackers going to end?" But like everything else here. there is a story behind the firecrackers. The motive behind shooting off all the fireworks is to scare away the evil spirits for a prosperous new year.

The Temple of Heaven
Saturday was also a great day because a few people from ACC trekked over to the Temple of Heaven in the morning. I had been before but was disappointed because the pollution stifled the grandeur and beauty of the place. However. this time was perfect: clear blue skies! It was also not very crowded given that it was freezing that morning.

The Temple of Heaven was once the place where emperors performed sacrificial rituals to ensure bountiful crops and a prosperous future for the people. It is also an amazing example of religious architecture with every design concept holding great significance. The core of this park is laid out on a north-south axis with two circular platforms at each end of what seems an endless road. The north end is one of the most famous icons of Beijing, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, and the south end is the Circular Mound Altar.

The Circular Mound Altar is cool because if a person stands in the very center and whispers a word, its echo is amazing. The experience is similar to the Texas State Capitol if you stand in the middle of the floor under the dome and talk up into it.

The NY Philharmonic in Beijing
Saturday was also fun because a friend and I went over the Chinese National Theatre to see the New York Philharmonic Symphony. First of all, the theatre itself is like nothing else I have ever seen! I cannot say I have seen that many theatres in the U.S., but from what I have seen nothing compares to this.

The building itself is an egg-like structure surrounded by a moat; to enter the theatre you walk in through a subterranean entrance. The entrance's ceiling is made of glass that looks into the moat itself, so essentially the roof of the entrance is glass and water - so cool. The theatre itself is one huge domed structure with three theatres contained in this one superstructure. The lobby is huge and surrounds all three of the theatres. The concept is really difficult to explain, but it is unlike anything I have ever seen!

Despite the architectural wonder of this place, what was also amazing was the experience we had in the theatre. You first walk in through a bank of metal detectors. At this point they strictly enforce no cameras. Also, they asked my friend to spit out her gum before we could enter the theatre lobby.

The theater also had no spirits to speak of; usually at major theatres they have wine bars or some form of spirits. This seemed odd because the drinking culture is so prevalent here. In the Concert Hall itself, I looked at my cell phone and realized it had no service whatsoever. The theatre is in Central Beijing where cell phone service, even on the subway, is flawless. I then realized they had reception jammers that cut off service in the hall itself.

All these rules and conditions left me wondering what kind of place this was. I mean, the theatre is obviously a monument to China's future and its cultural advancements on an international scale - so why all the odd rules and strictures? Then in the concert hall it hit me: this place is a cultural example for the Chinese people.

Going to the symphony or the theatre is a relatively new phenomenon here, and through places like this the government is going to set an example of proper etiquette. The security guard made my friend spit out her gum for the sake of propriety and hygiene; they also did not want cameras in the theaters because the Chinese are notorious for their paparazzi-like snap shooting. Alcohol also is not as present to prevent the token cheers before a performance. They jammed cell phones in the concert hall to ensure no disruptions.

To some extent the rules they are trying to enforce are common practice in the West, and I think with time what may seem like unnecessary measures now will turn into standard practice.

The New York Philharmonic was incredible, and the Concert Hall's acoustics were absolutely flawless. I only saw two small mics in the whole place, and you could hear a pin drop from anywhere in the hall. It also gave me chills to think that this very same symphony we were seeing will be heading off to North Korea early next week! From what I have seen in The New York Times, this Asian tour is catching a lot of attention in the States, and I will be curious to hear about their North Korean debut.

That's about it for the past week. This upcoming week we have our midterms and then head off to the Sichuan province for a field trip with the school. I will give an update when I come back from the home of the Panda!

This week was the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, so we had a nice break from the demands of class. This is their equivalent to Christmas and our calendar New Year all wrapped into one big holiday.

The city literally does die as millions flee the city to head to their hometowns in the country. This just goes to show that China is still a developing nation because many in its labor force come from rural areas of the country to industrial centers such as Beijing. Think of the migrations made to London, Chicago and New York during the Industrial Revolution, only this time on a greater scale.

On top of the many who return home, this is also a time when people with disposable incomes take vacations to warmer locales such as Hainan in the South China Seas. I chose to stay in Beijing over the break at the warning of our program's Field Director. Traveling right now on China's transportation infrastructure would be a nightmare, considering it is at the moment handling a large percentage of the nation's 1.3 billion people. However, it was a nice break and I have had the opportunity to experience a real Chinese New Year.

Celebrating with family
The first highlight of the New Year was the dinner I had with my Chinese host family. We met at a restaurant that was really different from anything I had seen in the U.S. You walk in, and there is not one large dining room, as in most restaurants, but four floors of private rooms. My guess is that these exist and are popular because the Chinese, for the most part, do not really have large homes. When it comes to hosting family and friends for a holiday such as this one, they need more space.

My host family treated 40 of their closest friends and family to a huge New Year's Eve dinner. The food was amazing, and the company was even better. Toasts occurred every few minutes, and everyone, and I mean everyone, was obliged to get up in front of the party and sing a little song.

My stage debut
With my luck, I was the first one asked up, and I had no idea what to sing. I had some coaxing by my Chinese family and ended up singing "Happy New Year to you" to the tune of the Happy Birthday song. Then the other two ACC students with me got up and sang. After that, it was the dads who got up, then the moms, and finally the grandparents and their friends.

It was an amazing night because I had the opportunity to see a part of China that I would not normally see. I saw a family during their most important holiday, and it was a great honor to be welcomed into their celebration. The smiles, laughter and connections I saw happening that night translate into any language and really changed my views on China. Despite the big government, the sea of people and every other problem a foreigner might encounter here, the people here are amazing. For the most part.

From my take on it, when you get to know the Chinese, and really make friends with them, it is only then that you can appreciate their culture, history and traditions. This place can be absolutely overwhelming at times, and there is so much to take in. Making Chinese friends and living their lives side-by-side makes the experience so much more rewarding, and it also gives one the opportunity to really appreciate being in this country.

Extreme fireworks
After dinner that night, I met up with some friends back on campus. We all walked down the street to the local fireworks stand and bought a boatload of fireworks. During the Chinese New Year, you are allowed to shoot off fireworks for a given number of days. It's a relatively new phenomenon because the government previously prohibited fireworks in the cities. Now that it's relaxed this policy, everyone is given carte blanche to shoot off fireworks whenever and wherever one chooses, literally. The city sounds like a war zone 24/7 for seven days. It was common to see fireworks going off in the streets with cars driving by; sometimes it was nerve-wracking, to say the least.

But on New Year's Eve it is something else, especially at midnight. We went over to a friend's apartment that has a great view of the city. When the clock struck 12, the city literally erupted into fireworks. It was not in just one location, but on the streets and at every corner. Beijing was a fireworks show for a good hour. I have never seen anything like it! In fact, there were so many fireworks that around 1 am, the city was cloaked in a blanket of haze. It was genuine fireworks smoke; the skies here have been incredible the past few weeks. I have no idea what to attribute it to, but the skies are as blue as any I have ever seen in Texas. Either something has changed or it is the winter winds blowing the pollution out of the city. Whatever it is, I hope it lasts!

Rest - finally!
The New Year was great because I got some much-needed rest. The week after the Spring Festival was a nightmare! I have never worked so hard in my life with any of my studies. As it is we commit about 10 hours a day to class time and prep for the next day's lesson. On top of that we usually have to write an essay or two and work weekly on our independent project. This week we had our first portion of the independent project due, so that added to the workload. It was definitely a trying week, but now I fully know what to expect on the busiest weeks and how to handle it.

The independent project, along with the language pledge, is one of ACC's hallmarks. It is more of a field study on a topic of our choosing, and we go out into Beijing to interview people and then also do ancillary research to complement what the people say. Then we turn around and write out a report using all the new grammar and vocabulary we learn in class. It is a great way to cement what we learn in the classroom.

My topic is Chinese lawyers and how they are finding their niche in this country amid market forces and a Communist government. This topic is of special interest to me because I want to go to law school, and ultimately end up in a job that will allow me to use my degree and work with the Chinese at the same time. So, studying the emergence of lawyers here since the 1980s seemed like a relevant topic to my future and genuinely interesting. Along with the emergence of lawyers in China, I am also looking at the public's perception of lawyers and what kind of reputations they are already building for themselves. The interviews have been a lot of fun, and I am learning a lot about the issue.

Other than the Chinese New Year and the grueling week of class, I cannot say I have much else to say for myself. I went to Wangfujing, which is a major shopping avenue that has the city's largest bookstore and the flagship Olympic store. That alone is an experience - they have the token pins you wear and the T-shirts, but they also have trinkets that are out of this world.

Olympics fever
The Beijing Olympic mascots: Bei Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Yin Yin and Ni Ni (Their names are derived from "Beijing Huan Yin Ni," which means "Beijing welcomes you") are these panda-looking creatures that are plastered on every corner of this city. The Beijing Olympic Planning Committee commissioned an artist to create jade stamps of the mascots. They wanted $42,000 US for them! I love buying Olympic memorabilia, but that's insane!

When we left Wangfujing we encountered a cabbie trying to cheat us - it was rush hour so he tried to charge us 80 kuai for a 10-minute cab ride, the regular rate no matter what time of day starts at 10/11 kuai. This guy was in a standard issue cab so we could have definitely reported him. Cheating foreigners right now is the last thing the Chinese government wants, so I am sure if we had gotten his plate numbers we could have gotten him in lots of trouble.

We found another cab in a minute and did not have any problems. Wangfujing is a major tourist area so I'm sure they have lots of luck there ripping off foreigners. The best thing to do is walk away; most of the time there is an honest guy around the corner that will give you a fair deal for the same thing.

We also went to an acrobatic show as a group outing with school. It was fun and a staple on anyone's first trip to China. This probably makes my third now, but they are still fun to watch. It is part Cirque Du Soleil, part kitsch and part traditional Chinese culture all wrapped into a two-hour show. It is amazing how small the people are! You first think they are kids, then you see their faces and realize they are probably in their 20s or maybe 30s.

Well, that's all for now. This week promises to be a bit slower-paced, and next weekend I am going to the Beijing National Theatre (aka The Egg) to see the New York Philharmonic play - so that should be awesome!

This isn't your average study abroad program.

My first introduction to China was in 2006 with the SMU-in-Suzhou program. It was an incredible program that mixed a classroom experience with a firsthand view of the content being taught to us. We read the history of the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Forbidden City, and then had the opportunity to walk through them. We read about China's drastic economic and social changes while living around them 24 hours a day. It was truly a living classroom. There was also a lot of fun to be had and lots of exploring on our own and a lot of time to do it.

ACC, however, is not that kind of program. We were warned that when class is in session, our principal goal is to gain a better understanding of Mandarin, not to "see" China. I did not know how true that would be, but I am learning that our assignments keep us in a lot. It is certainly not a bad thing, but it is up to us to take what free time we have to get out and see Beijing. (Photo shows the main street outside campus.)

To be fair, we also have some great breaks built into the program, including a weeklong trip to Sichuan in March. We also have a five-day break for the Chinese New Year, as well as a Spring Break on top of that. In between those times, this place pretty much owns us. This fact took me a little while to get used to, considering the last time I was in Beijing, I had the opportunity to run around the city at will.

Research project: Lawyers in China
One assignment we are diving into is an individual research project about a topic of our choosing. I selected to research lawyers in Beijing and people's general view of them. Considering the country's legal history, lawyers are a relatively new breed of professionals. But with the blistering pace at which China is changing, economic and legal reformations made it possible for individuals and companies to seek legal representation for myriad reasons. However, lawyers are not commonplace just yet, and I want to see how they are forming a niche in Beijing society. In addition, I am also curious to see just what they are doing and how their profession is changing with the P.R.C. (Photo shows CCTV Tower + Mandarin Oriental Tower.)

I have to interview several people, do some side research and then produce a paper in Mandarin. It sounded daunting at first, but the teachers break it down into a series of deadlines that seem practical. The nature of the project also does not give us the opportunity to fly by the seat of our pants and whip up something the day before. This will be a great feat for a procrastinator such as myself.

This week was also a bit daunting because the workload seemed insurmountable. Thursday was the worst because we had to give an oral presentation of our weekly essay, turn in a long list of homework and also prep for our first meeting about our independent research project. On top of that we had to turn around from all of that and study for a test the next day over the week's content. Somehow I managed to get through it all and do really well, but let's just say I have not touched a single Chinese book all weekend.

International party at the Marriott
Despite the week's chaos, I managed to have some fun this weekend. One of my friends here at ACC made some friends of her own last summer when she lived in Beijing, and on Friday we met up with them at a party at the JW Marriott. The "JW," as it's called, is one of Beijing's newest hotels, and it showed because the cabbie had no idea how to get there. My friend and I hopped in a cab, got driven halfway across the Chaoyang District, and the cabbie had no idea where it was so we got ahold of the hotel's number and gave them a call. Turns out, the hotel was a five-minute walk from campus! Luckily cab fares here are really cheap. I think our mistake cost us about $3.

I was really impressed with the place. The hotel is adjacent to Shin Kong Place, which is Beijing's equivalent of Madison Avenue. And unlike other Marriotts, the JW chain is a step up and competes with other chains like the Park Hyatt and W. So that means it is really mo