August 4th: On this day, we had classes, talked a lot, and had a successful adventure.

I'm not sure that it would be correct, exactly, to claim that China makes more sense the second time around, but I certainly don't notice a lot of the oddities nearly so quickly. 

Here's the example from today:  as we got out of the metro on our way back from Tiananmen Square, Depreena commented on the toddler with the very bare bottom who was sitting on the park bench. 

Can't say that I had noticed.

Also, the traffic, which was a pretty big shock to my system last time -- now it just kind of is what it is.  And it's a bit difficult to remember that it freaked me out quite badly less than a year ago.  (Although I really do think it's a little less crazy in Beijing than it was in Xiamen, and there is definitely less use of horns.  Thank you, Olympics.)  Even finding things in grocery stores feels a little less foreign, maybe just because I have a better concept of what sort of food they're liable to have and what sorts of other food to find it with.

Speaking of food, my team ate an incredibly delicious lunch today.  We ordered five different dishes, I think, and they were all winners.  The restaurant also had Egyptian wall paper. 

Why?  Who knows.  It's China.

I am very grateful that I got to spend a semester here before jumping into a year -- I can't imagine doing this otherwise -- and I'm glad to have some Chinese.  I can survive, I tell people, just not have conversations. 

But I'm really excited to get the opportunity to work on learning some more.  It is exasperating to not know what's being said to me a lot of the time.  (And it's probably just as exasperating for the people who I don't understand.)

It's good to be back here.  :)