Monthly Archives: July 2007

After spending the night in the wonderful state of New Jersey, I flew out on a 10:40AM flight to Detroit. After two hours or so, we approached for a landing and we got within a few hundred feet of the … Continue reading →

It is the last day before my hiatus from traveling. Soon I am going to Beijing Capital International Airport, which is the fastest growing airport in the world in terms of passengers and flights. Then I will have a 13h45m … Continue reading →

Today is my last full day in Beijing. My original plan was to stay four more weeks, then take a ferry to either Japan or Korea to travel around for a while, and then return back to China to travel … Continue reading →

Today I headed to the center of the city again. I walked through Zhongshan Park, which borders the Forbidden City. Around the main tourist sites many people were trying to talk to me, and I’ve been in ignore mode. Inside … Continue reading →

For breakfast, I made some Oatmeal for me and the family so they can try some western food. I tried making it close to how it is at home, with some salt, brown sugar (they didn’t have any sugar), raisins, … Continue reading →

It is the weekend today, so no language class. I ventured into the center of the city myself today. I started at the same Wangfujing shopping street as yesterday. I found this huge bookstore (5 or 6 floors), but not … Continue reading →

Today I figured out how to type sentences in Chinese. For example, if you have the correct fonts installed: ???. Much easier and faster than writing out by hand. In the evening, the husband in the family, Liu Yang (or … Continue reading →

My classes are on the 32nd floor of the SOHO building and I have an excellent view of the city from there. Of course there is heavy construction across the street – a new shopping mall. I noticed today what … Continue reading →

The air pollution in China isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Unless you are standing in the middle of the street in heavy traffic, I don’t notice anything. I’m starting to get used to riding the bus … Continue reading →

Some more information on my home stay: Home stay Fee: $528 (includes meals I have with the family) Tuition for 5 weeks: $680 Average cost per day = $35 I have some photos online of the home and the couple … Continue reading →