Update - 2 months

Hi All,

Can you believe it, it's been two months since I left Canada for Beijing. I can't get over how fast time is passing me by. On one hand, it is great because that means I'm much closer to seeing Alex again (can't come soon enough). On the other hand, I've been here for two months and my Chinese is still terrible. But, I am definitely learning a lot and seeing amazing things.

I will start off by evaluating my goals from last month:

Great Wall Class Trip

On Wednesday, all A-level classes took a trip to the Great Wall. I was very excited to go because it was a gorgeous day to be outdoors. My classmates like to poke fun at my love for the outdoors (apparently this is very Canadian of me). My favorite line of the day: "Oh look, the Canadian is in her natural habitat.

Once we arrived we were told to meet in the parking lot at 12:40, which gave us about just under three hours to wander around. Most of the students from my class were able to attend, plus one extra :)

We thought that all fees were included in our tuition fees, but little did we know that this only included transportation. We walked through the souvenir filled streets and eventually made our way to the gondola lift. Surprise, it's 60 kuai for a 30 second ride! I wanted to climb to the top anyways, so this was a great excuse for others to join me.

Qing Ming Holiday: Shenzhen, Hong Kong & Hainan

The Qing Ming festival, or Tomb-sweeping Day as it is commonly referred to as, is a holiday where you honor and remember ancestors by visiting their grave sites. The holiday is also a seasonal symbol that welcomes new life to country after the winter season. It encourages people to go outside and enjoy being in 'nature'. This year, the festival fell on April 4th, which meant that I didn't have classes April 2-4. Unfortunately, to make up for those days, the weekend was a working weekend; no days off for anyone, not even students. Ahh, only in China. 

Because I value my weekends, I decided to take the Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and the following Thursday and Friday off from my classes. My personal vacation dates were March 31st -April 8th :) I left beijing in the late afternoon, after an hour delay, and landed in Shenzhen that Saturday night. The hotel was amazing, but not as incredible as seeing Emma Russell!! 

Silver Mountain: CHECK; Pagodas: FAIL!

Today's adventure took us to Silver Mountain & The Pagoda Forest, which is roughly 50km North of Beijing's city center. The Pagoda forest is situated on a mountain and consists of peaks, cliffs and boulders. During the winter season, the mountain is covered in a silver-like snow, hence the name.

Let me start off first by saying that we couldn't have chosen a better day for hiking - it was absolutely gorgeous. Myself and five others hired a driver to take us north of Changping District to this beautiful location. Earlier this month was an international Strawberry Symposium in Beijing. On the drive to the mountain, it felt like we were driving through the World of Strawberry Shortcake. Another interesting observation: Beijing has a residential area called 'Vancouver Forest'. This real estate area is designed to  mimic the natural landscape of Vancouver. I must say, I did feel a touch of Canada while driving by and I had a moment of 'I wish I were back in Canada'.

Update - 1 month

Hi All,

I've been in Beijing for a solid month now and I thought I would update anyone who is interested in following along. I think monthly reflections on my time in China will give you an update and allow me to track my progression.

I am going onto week 4 of classes and I feel like I have learned a lot and nothing at all - how is this possible? I've learned that there is an enormous learning curve when it comes to this language. Everyday I am learning new vocabulary, which is great, but at the same time a bit overwhelming. I will be the first to admit that I haven't been the most studious since I have arrived. This realization that I won't just 'pick up' Chinese just hit me last week. So, in an actual attempt to learn Chinese, I will have to put forth more effort. No more falling asleep while studying and drooling on my pages. So, goal number one: study hanzi (characters) for 2 hours a day outside of class. I think Mary McKenna would be proud of my SMART goal. It is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. *Nerd alert for remembering this acronym!* After a plethora of classes on 'wellness' one would think that my goal setting skills would be well developed. Apparently I need to make it a goal to set more short-term goals.