Beijing Daze

--From Tom--

We seem to be falling into a bit of a routine here, although I suppose that happens in any situation. Everyone in the apartment wakes up at Derek's 7:30 alarm (he has to go teach). He then bikes around the corner to get some fried bread for breakfast, which we all eat around the card table. Once he goes off to work, Lisa generally sleeps a bit more, and I'll read or write in my journal. Then, we go to an internet cafe, go somewhere nearby for lunch, and then head somewhere else in the city by public transportation.

Yesterday, our destination was the Bookworm on Sanlitun (a trendy road where lots of expats hang out in east Beijing). The Bookworm is a cafe with a giant collection of English-language books. It acts as kind of a library, and you can get a memership there for a monthly or annual fee. It offered a nice place to kick back, relax, get out of the heat, and read.

At the Bookworm, I came across a book called China Road by Rob Gifford, an NPR correspondent. The book is about how he traveled the 312, which goes all the way from Shanghai to Kazakhstan (which is around 3000 miles), and reported all along the journey. The interesting thing, though, is his background. He studied European languages in high school, and then decided to take Chinese in college, spent a semester in Beijing, and returned when he graduated. Strange - that last sentence could also be used to describe both Lisa and me.

After the Bookworm, we didn't do too much. Hung out at the apartment, watched a movie, and went to dinner with Derek.

Also, the weather is finally relenting a bit. It rained hard last night, so it actually feels pleasant here (minus the pollution). The humidity's dropped, and it's cool outside. I was astonished that, upon returning from my early morning walk to the bathroom, I was not sweating buckets.

Tomorrow morning, I have my first job interview. It is withe the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Although I'd still prefer the other job, I'm using this one as a backup. Hopefully that means I won't be too nervous.

That's all for now, folks.