1 MONTH

today is november 18, 2010.

on december 18, 2010... i will be in a cab to the beijing capital airport, on a plane to LAX, and in a scion driving down the 405 freeway to my home, sweet home. i will have been in china for 6 months and 12 days.

with this date approaching, i have been running around beijing doing lots of things that i have intended to do all along. for example: shopping for cheap, attending a calligraphy class, hitting the student bars [legally] for practically free, eating everything in sight [no bueno], and finally, visiting museums, markets, temples, and other places of interest.

our recent outings have been fun but also bittersweet! i feel overwhelmed by the idea that it will be over so soon. it sounds so strange when i think about my panicky, culture-shocked first few weeks here... but right now china is my home just as much as dc is! i feel confident with the language, getting around, having fun, connecting with people, blah blah. in fact, maybe more confident than i feel in dc. the daily challenges of living in a foreign country would frazzle me at first. but now confronting and [usually] overcoming them is exciting and rewarding.

of course, my intention is to soak up all the wudaokou wonderfulness in these next 4 weeks. but as spring nears, i am absorbed with preparations: figuring out my academic schedule, applying for GW programs and countless DC internships, making housing plans, etc. i'm frustrated because all these undertakings have required my mind to be back in america while my body is still in zhongguo! but that's life, and as i sit here writing this, i literally feel embarrassed for complaining when i am surrounded by all these fantastic opportunities.

so! i shall complain about something else. the beijing air quality... haha. to quote a blogger: "Beijing's air pollution index is off the charts right now. Literally. Highest ever on record. China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) has a pollution rating scale that measures up to 500. I don't think it's ever reached that level before. 25 is safe. 200 is a bad day for Beijing. The average for the last 24 hours has been above 500." here are some pictures to help you... get the picture ;)

this is the view out my window at 2 pm on a normal day. not too clear but 还可以。。。will do.


this is the view out my window at 3 pm today. uhhhhhhhhh.


and just for fun, this is a window washing man suspended by a 1 inch wide rope and wooden seat, cleaning my 13th story window while i wrote a cover letter to the CECC yesterday. holla.



I <3 BJ