A Visit to the 2008 Olympic Green

It was still fairly cold on this early spring morning, but Isabel and I decided we needed to get out and about the city. Neither of us had been to the Olympic Green, so we made our way north in Beijing.

 No. We did not travel to our destination on this train. It was used, and is still used, to carry people around the Green. However, we did not use it because we are cheap, and we came on this excursion to get a little exercise as well as see the sites.

 It is impossible to miss the Bird's Nest, and so we walked over to it first. 

We passed a few friends on the way.

Inside looked like any other stadium. We bought a little lunch to eat while we watched a video of the 2008 Olympics. I had forgotten how spectacular they were.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsDY1Ha83M8

This URL will let you see a 13 minute synopsis of the opening ceremony.

Just copy and paste to open.

I am sure you would never guess we were standing in front of a picture - a lovely summer picture - when we posed for these.

A bird's eye and ground view of the Olympic torch..

We decided our next stop should be the Water Cube across the street. We couldn't really find a place which would give us the best picture, but we did find some larger-than-life pictures inside. I am sure, after seeing the pictures, that the Water Cube is much more impressive at night.

The swimming pools on the inside looked like any other Olympic sized pool.

I did meet quite a nice man there. We held hands for a few minutes, but he was much too quiet for my taste. Plus he just didn't want to leave the wooden bench. I guess I will just have to keep looking for that special someone.

I am not sure what feeding fish has to do with the Water Cube, but you could buy a bottle of fish food and feed the fish. The children loved it, and the fish were very happy as well. 

 By now we were ready to head home. We  had our 10,000 steps for the day, explored all the sites, and wanted to transport ourselves home. Since that isn't available as a means of transportation, we made our way to the subway - after one last picture to remind us of our adventure at the Olympic Green.

New Apartment

The day for the big move to my new apartment finally came. I obviously have more than two suitcases of things by now which is what I came to China with - way too many for me to take on the subway by myself. Fortunately, one of the men from the branch said he would bring his van and help me move. I was very grateful.

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These are all pictures of the inside of the complex. I am sure it will be much prettier when the weather gets warmer.

I even have a doorman at this apartment. It helps with the security, and also when I forget my entry card.  

The kitchen is still small, but I don't do a lot of cooking, especially baking because I don't even have an oven, and it's very hard to bake without an oven. Yes, that is the washing machine you can see just to the right of the sink. The refrigerator, however, is out in the entry hall. Very interesting design. I am not complaining. It is very nice to have both of them. Besides the best thing about the kitchen is that the faucet you can see has clean drinking water. No more trips out in the cold for water.  

The bed is great - not too soft, not too hard, just right. Plus I even have a feather bed as a covering. Nothing like crawling into bed, pulling the covering around to capture all the body heat, and then settling down for a wonderful night's rest. 

The picture doesn't really show how great this toilet is. IT IS HEATED! I cannot even explain how nice a heated toilet seat is in the middle of a cold night. I am pretty certain that I will need one when I return to my home in the USA. 

I have a very nice living room and eating area. The couch makes into a bed on the chance I have visitors. In case you didn't catch the hint, there is room for anyone who wants to come visit me in China. I live two miles from the Forbidden City and many other great sites. It really is too good to pass up.

Nice to be settled in to my new place. I am very grateful for it.

New Apartment - March, 2013

After Dr. Harris left, I was able to move into a new apartment only an eight minute walk from the school. Hallelujah! I wasn't going to spend two hours getting to and from school anymore. I wasn't going to ride nine stops on the subway Line 1 any more. The pictures that follow are of my last trek to subway on the Friday before I moved. It was a beautiful day. I think the city was celebrating with me. I am actually going to miss the section of the city where I have been living. There are small and large markets nearby, a mall, a very good bakery, many restaurants, and plenty of people to enjoy them. If the weather turns the least bit warm, everyone moves to the outside tables to eat so they can soak up as much sun as possible. BUT - I am willing to give all those things up for the eight minute walk to school.

March Days

Nothing like waking up to a beautiful day full of snow and blue skies. It really was a beautiful sight. I have learned to love wind, rain and snow because they all clear the air and allow Beijing to shine.

Looking out my from my 13 floor window.

The park inside my apartment complex.

Almost to Guomao Subway station.

Headed to the school - almost there.

Even the school playing field looked beautiful.

March 21 we had a good-bye for Dr. Carl Harris. He and his wife Melanie were the first academic principals for the school. They hired Carl to be the official academic principal, but received two for the price of one. Carl and Melanie were a dynamic duo and a huge part of the success of the school. They were hired in August just before school started because the original principal decided he couldn't come to China. They arrived here on very short notice and then worked their hearts out. They are still remembered with great fondness by everyone who got to know them. The unfortunate problem was their visa only allowed them to stay in the country for three months at a time, and then they had to leave for three months. I was hired in November to help cover the months they had to be back in the states. Carl came back in February, but left Melanie home to take care of some critical family issues. He stayed until March 22, after that I was on my own. It was hard to replace such wonderful leaders. They certainly did set the bar high for me to follow.

Mr. An, Dr. Carl Harris, Me

Beautiful Chinese Cake (It tastes as good as it looks.)

Carl didn't want to share the cake until he took his own picture.

Back in Beijing for the Last Days of Chinese New Year

After being in the States for five weeks, I arrived in time to celebrate the last few days of Chinese New Year. The pictures below are of a mall near my home. I am sure other malls and businesses looked just as fancy. They also end the celebration with fireworks. You really haven't experienced fireworks until they are going of all around you in every direction and continue going off until one or two o'clock in the morning. Out of my 13th story window, I could see fireworks everywhere. Quite a sight! The only thing that comes close to comparing to it is New Years Eve in Germany. (I am not sure if they still have a grand fireworks show now, but they did when I was there on my mission back in the dark ages.) Of course the smoke in the air in Beijing was impressive too, but I guess that is the price we have to pay for the display. Sending the Chinese New Year out with a bang or breathing clean air? I know how the Chinese vote on that one. I'm sorry, but I didn't have a camera that could capture the fireworks. You'll just have to use your imagination.