My apartment is a tornado. While usually neat to the level of OCD, tonight my floors are cluttered with my suitcase, dirty laundry from Beijing and all the souvenirs I bargained for at the silk market. I should be asleep but the wonderful jet lag has me awake and thinking about one thing: College Magazine! Being in a country where I couldn’t access half our articles made it very difficult to be away from my number one passion. So as I’m sending our amazing new editors feedback on the articles for this week and writing lists of upgrades for our website, I thought I’d share some of the fun highlights from my China trip (that is before I unpack and forget all the juicy details):
1. The Silk Market: Enrico and I literally ran through the market; our tight schedule left us only 30-minutes to negotiate prices down from Y1000 to Y40 and collect all the gifts we could think of. I couldn’t leave China without scarves for my friends and a tie for my handsome roommate. The outcome—success! Scarves, ties and even earmuffs and wool socks for The Great Wall of China the next day.
2. The Great Wall of China: We took a ski lift up and a toboggan ride down, but the part that sticks with me most was from walking. We traveled up and down every kind of step imaginable, from the steep and threatening steps to the tiny two-steps-at-a-time steps. I could feel the 2,000-year-old history beneath my feet—did you know it took over a million people to build?
3. Mix Nightclub: Eight of us, including the talented singer from the hotel lounge jazz-band, ventured off to Mix, a hot nightclub in Beijing known for its two floors and a mix of DJs. We got a table, a couple rounds of shots and had such a good time, we only danced on the first floor…and on the stage.
4. Peeking Duck: I’m serious, and it kills me to admit it, especially after reading the details of its preparation, but this Beijing delicacy tasted delicious.
5. Karaoke: Instead of embarrassing yourself in front of the entire bar (which is how it’s done here in The District), in Beijing, we had our own private room. In other words, we felt much more at ease singing badly and loudly to each other. The line up: Lady Ga Ga, Kesha and Abba.
