JZ's Journal: First Weekend and School Day at ACC

Arriving in Beijing - First Thoughts:

Getting off the plane and leaving to airport, I was surprised to find that Beijing wasn't as hot as I thought it would be, although it may be because Nanjing was much worse, and coming from bad to not so bad, I was thankful for the improvement.
The roads are really nice, but wow - so many cars! Traffic was jam packed, especially right around Capital Economics University where ACC is located.. It was a frustrating feeling always getting passed by pedestrians...

Random Observations:

I'm surprised by the large number of foreigners in Beijing! On the other hand, it's probably because ACC is located in one of Beijing's affluent financial districts, and on the weekend, we went to San Li Tuan (or as Beijing locals like to call it, San Li Tunrrrrrr), which is where foreigners like to get together and party. Also, I thought it was be hard to meet up with other Yalies doing bulldogs and other language programs in Beijing, but this weekend, within an hour of arriving at San Li Tuan, I ran into most of the Beijing bulldogs and a whole group of friends from HBA!
Everything in China may be cheaper, but instead of spending lavishly, we all seem to have become thriftier! I think it's because, even though determining the dollar amount for a meal means dividing the price by eight, seeing the RMB amount - which is usually in the hundreds - is often still rather startling. I've also noticed that when we students go out to eat, we order a lot less than the typical Chinese. Every meal we have leftover food and so we vow to order less next time. In contrast, when I ate with Chinese people in Yunnan and Nanjing, each time the table was crammed with dishes, and by the end of the meal, most plates were left almost untouched. And it doesn't even bother them that so much is going to waste! This of course has a lot to do with a show of politeness (kao4ke4), but I'm still surprised by this attitude. Having grown up in a family used to the traditions of China in the early 1990s, I'm not used to the mentality of these modern Chinese families; my parents scold me when I don't make an effort to clean every grain of rice from my plate, and so it's so strange for me to see so much food being wasted...

ACC News

I placed into Level 4! (There are three levels at ACC: 2,3 and 4) Last night was kind of brutal - I had to really push myself to keep going, because I knew that if I stopped to take a break, it would be harder for me to start studying again, and then I wouldn't be able to finish memorizing my 80+ new word phrases. Today's class was really good! I really like ACC's class schedule with its Da Ban (Big Class [9 people]), Xiao Ban (Small Class [4 people]), Dui Hua Ban (Debate Class [2 people]), and Dan Ban (similar to Tutorial [one person]). These four classes comprise what I feel like is an ideal combination of lecture, drill, and independent practice. I've also perused the book and was happy to find that many of the lessons are centered around rather controversial issues; for example, our current lesson is on plastic surgery and how its growing prevalence is influencing society.
I joined Jin Bu, the nearby gym that ACC encourages its students to join. AH, it's absolutely amazing!! I spent almost four hours there yesterday because I find the atmosphere really conducive to studying (apparently memorizing words is less painful when your physical body is also in pain, and there is a nice lounge with really good lighting). I’m also really impressed by how much emphasis the management puts on sanitation. Seeing people following the pool's rule of spitting in cups is a total contrast to the constant spitting that occurs in the streets!

Other ACC Students:

There’s a mix of those who lie on the spectrum of cultural rejection and integration… A perfect example was when a group of us went out for lunch to celebrate the end of our painful two-hour placement test. The other students told me to pick out something “adventurous,” and I picked chicken feet. Some people were reluctant to try it, saying that the chicken feet looked like baby’s hands, while others were very enthusiastic and even wanted to ask the waiter for a recipe to make chicken feet at home... I think, however, that we're all slowly moving towards cultural integration, just that we all have our different starting points.

Thanks Light:

Without the Yale medication that Light gave us, my first couple of days at ACC would have been hell. I woke up the second morning upon arriving puking my guts out as well as la du zhi (during orientation Jin Lao Shi explained to us how we better get used to talking about this issue, and that in China, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and so I’m following her advice). It was so bad that I couldn't leave the toilet.. I took the la du zi medication and almost immediately I felt better.

One Last Comment Before I Post Pictures:

I’m beginning to develop a Beijing kou3yin1 (accent)! On one hand it’s a good sign because it means that I’m quickly adapting to my surroundings and frequently practicing my spoken Chinese (kou2yu3). On the other hand, I might get slaughtered by my Nanjing relatives. Ah, the North-South rivalry.

A Picture (plus a caption) is Worth a Thousand Words: