When In China...

Sorry I've taken so long to get back to y'all. About 2 weeks ago the government made a huge crackdown on proxies and VPNs and everything! I'm now using the University of Oregon system and it works like a charm. Thank you Ducks.

Well, I've been ridiculously busy lately, of course. Planning for the October 1st vacation has taken up a lot of time. I'm going with a group of 7 friends to Tibet for 6 days! Then we're coming back on the train, 52 hours long! With the restrictions put on tourists for the National Holiday it's been a hassle. We have our permits now and I'm super excited.

Speaking of the National Holiday, today was China's 60th Birthday! In case you didn't see the NYTimes.com article or the parade highlights on cable, let me tell you, the Chinese were excited! My roommate told me this morning "It is my country's birthday today!" Then we went to the ECNU auditorium and watched the Beijing parade on a big screen. My friend Travis and I were the only foreigners. It was highly amusing. Everyone laughed when Jiang Zemin, the former head of the CCP, appeared on screen. I asked Matilda why and she said "Because he looks weird." V. respectful you see. All in all, my favorite thing was the ballistic missiles and the air show. Always fun when you play "Mine's bigger!"

I thought I would do a little piece on the food I eat here. I miss American food a lot. Specifically, I miss being able to identify each and every one of the ingredients in my food. The cafeteria food is very cafeteria-esque. Sloppy and mysterious. The worst is that I can't actually name any of the food in English, let alone Chinese. It's quite stressful to crowd amongst Chinese students (there's no real lines) and point and mumble. I stick to really easy things in the cafeteria.

I typically eat outside the back gate at little vendors.

Take your pick!

My favorite thing is a pork sandwich thingy that's a little spicy. My favorite thing in the morning is a plain donut stick wrapped in a ball of sticky rice. Fantastic!

I learned how to make dumplings Chinese-style. The host mothers taught us! They thought I was quite the waiguo, making dumplings like a local.

Making dough circles. V. difficult.

Bad fashion, good cook.

Love,
ellen

P.S. Look up "waiguo scene" on urbandictionary.com
P.P.S.

Gui, Travis, and Meghan (my best friends here)