Duck Duck Great Duck - 11/26/17

Ni hao! It’s Erin again, here to take you through our second full day in Beijing and our first set of classes. After several weeks of touring and a quick vacation in Thailand, we’ve been struggling to get back into the student mindset. However, we’re quickly discovering that being a student in China comes with additional challenges on top of what we’re used to at St. Olaf. Not knowing the language, the layout of the neighborhood, what we’re eating, or really how to even communicate while shopping has definitely presented its difficulties, and today was no exception.

Today began with another traditional Chinese breakfast at the same restaurant we ate at yesterday, and so many of us used the opportunity to fill up on our favorites from the day before (i.e. dumplings and yummy sesame doughnuts!) Afterwards, we had our first-ever “Survival Chinese” language class. I don’t think our poor teacher knew what she was getting into with our group, but she was extremely patient while teaching us the basics. Many of us struggled to learn how to say hello and count to 20, but by the end we were all able to introduce ourselves! After class, our resident director, Zoe, took us to a restaurant to treat us to a banquet of roasted duck, one of Beijing’s specialties. Zoe taught us how to roll up the crispy duck in wrappers, add onions and mustard, and even eat the duck skin dipped in sugar. And boy, was it delicious! We also tried a wide assortment of broccoli, pork, Chinese yams, and rice, with each dish putting our new chopstick skills to the test. After lunch, it was time to work off that duck with our first-ever Tai Chi class! We all bundled up and headed out to the park, where our instructor guided us through a series of slow movements with our arms and legs. I found out Tai Chi is kind of like martial arts in slow motion, and it was fun to “battle” some of my classmates even though my hands and toes were numb from the cold (see below).

Ultimately, the most memorable experience of the day was our visit to the famous Hongqiao Pearl Market. Known to be home to some incredible knock-offs and Beijing’s most aggressive vendors, we went in search of Canada Goose jackets, warm mittens, Polo hats, and fake Yeezys. However, the minute we stepped inside, the options, the people, and the bustle of everything completely overwhelmed me. There were four floors of shops spread as far as the eye could see, and I only made it to two of them in the two hours we had at the market. Some people in our group were able to haggle for some really nice winter coats, shoes, and extra layers to protect against Beijing’s frigid weather, but I walked away with only a scarf. I have realized that my indecisiveness probably isn’t best suited for the dog-eat-dog world of the Beijing marketplace, but this was a great learning experience for me. In the very near future I will need to venture out to find a coat, and hopefully I will be better prepared for what to expect. So far, China is entirely different from anything I have experienced at home with its shopping, its language, and its food, and it takes a bit of time to adjust.