David (my language partner) and me in front of the China CCTV tower.
Editors Note: This continues my posting of journal entries from my time studying in Beijing in 1994-95.
Link to my previous entry:
China Journals: Biking Beijing
October 4, 1994
Here I am sick in bed. It’s the first day of school after a 4 day national holiday. I HATE MISSING CLASS. And you know, I didn’t bring any friggin’ sinus medicine with me to China! Gosh, I’m really roughin’ it!I was on the verge of ill all weekend, but paid no heed.
Some people here went up to Fragrant Mountain over the holiday. Carl, Alex and Echo went up to Nei Mongolia (Inner Mongolia). They are late, they were supposed to be back as of last night..but they haven’t returned (editor’s note: They were detained briefly by Chinese military authorities). I hope they are ok.
Steve, the Australians and a few others went up to the Great Wall yesterday, but I couldn’t go because I had a dinner appointment with my conversation partner.
In addition, I had a date with destiny.
A man from Chinese National Television hired me and my American friend Nabil as well Denise, an Australian friend to act in little filmed skits to help people learn English across China. We’ll get paid 100 yuan per program! This is in addition to my teaching gig! I could make 480 yuan a week! But I must not lose sight of why I am here…that is to study Chinese.
This past weekend I went up to the Yuan Ming Yuan. It is the ruins of the Old Summer Palace that was destroyed by the British, French and Americans back in the 1800s. Got lots of photos, including some of Berren being fined for climbing on the labyrinth wall, in defiance of about a dozen warning signs in english in chinese.
Berren being fined for climbing on the labyrinth.
On Saturday night, we (Scott, Brendan, Berren and I) watched the 45th annual Guo Qing Jie (National Day) festivities on T.V. They had the celebration in Tian’an’men. They launched so many fireworks, was 2 hours non-stop. The booms were so loud it felt like we were in Sarajevo in the midst of being shelled! The whole dorm building shook.
The boy who helped me find a bicycle wrote me and wants me to teach him English, in exchange for Chinese help. I haven’t written him back yet. I need to respond, but I don’t have the time for yet another language exchange.
(Later…) I just finished my Chinese lesson with David (my language partner), he’s from HeiLongJian province, Harbin to be exact. He’s very tall..about 6′3″ or so. I think people from that part of China are usually pretty tall..must be the water up there. I meet him every week for 1 hour on Wednesday. My schedule is getting very busy.
I SHOULD’VE BROUGHT MORE MUSIC!! I have some bootlegged CDs here, but have to borrow a CD player. I may be able to save up for one with all this money I’m raking in.
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