Local people at BLCU are much more friendlier than back home. I don't know if its just me or my interesting accent, or that I come from a far away place but I seem to be able to socialise with local chinese just fine despite my lack of communication skills. Its always funny when trying to explain what rugby is and that our nation has pretty much come to a halt to host the World Cup. DJ and I couldn't be bothered catching the subway in order to watch NZ v Japan so we found a site that was showing a live stream. With 500ml cans of Asahi as our beverage of choice (4 yuan each at the local store) we invited our Japanese neighbour over and had a great time laughing at every All Blacks try. I regret not being able to enjoy the atmosphere of the World Cup but this is the best we can do with what we have got. Definately looking forward to the latter rounds of the tournament.
DJ and I joined the gym. Considering all we do is eat, sleep and attend class we thought it would be a good idea (actually we do walk a lot). Gym membership for a sememster is around 800RMB, extremely cheap when compared to NZ standards - and no, don't expect a buff version of me when I return. DJ is the one doing the heavy lifting and its pretty hilarious watching him stuggle to put his shirt on everyday. For those who know Deej, imagine him saying "ahh f*** my arms, man!" in that overly exaggerated voice that everyone mocks him with. One funny moment occured after we signed up for the gym. Two personal trainers came along, took us aside and tried to convince us that we needed them for our future workouts. These guys were unnaturally big, narcissistic individuals who were not going to take no for an answer. I don't know how Darren wriggled out of his but I sort of laughed explaining how I would using the cardio machines most of the time. I think this insulted him a bit which led to him pulling out his planner and trying to pencil me in for a day and time. 20 consultations with this guy was worth 1000's of RMB so there was no way I was signing up for something I wasn't going to do. We both just slowly walked to the door giving any excuse we could come up with. So after one session at the gym, DJ can't hold his arms horizontally for more than a second without me cracking up. Good start!
We went to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City in the weekend. It was an amazing site and we could have spent all day there. I was blown away by the amount of detail that was put into each building. We went on an unusually hot sunny day which was good overall. The downside was that there were so many people (I'm told that its always packed) so everytime we ventured deeper into the heart of the City our patience for walking in the sun and wading through people was wearing thin. This is the most tourist-y place I've visited in Beijing so far and you could tell. More white people, more people trying to hassle you for souvenirs and these annoying lurchers who want your empty water bottles as soon as you finish it. Shoutout to DJ who I managed to carry me up a staircase inside the Forbidden City (after much convincing).
Its pretty late now, so I better get some sleep before the long week ahead.
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