Just another day . . . (Nov. 2016)
Although our weeks and months are filled with all sorts of exciting, educational, once-in-a-lifetime adventures, our days are usually quite ordinary. I followed Brigg around on one such day (how do you say "stalker" in Chinese?) to offer a glimpse into our day-to-day world. This is our apartment (you can see Brigg in the window--I guess he's on to me) and courtyard where we find a cafe (never been there), a post office (been there once--postcards!), a few businesses (no idea what happens inside), and a hotel. We live in Building 9, Unit 5, Room 402.
You can see Brigg a bit ahead of me in a couple of these pictures. Our water man came and left some bottled water outside our apartment while we were away, so Brigg is carrying the "empties" back to his little place of business. As we leave our courtyard and walk down a couple of alleyways toward the main thoroughfare, we are actually walking through history. You students of the Cultural Revolution (1960s and 70s) out there may recall that Mao's Red Guard began their attack on "intellectualism" right here at Peking University, from which it spread throughout the country. It was right here in this alleyway that many professors were dragged from their apartments, forced to kneel with their arms trussed up behind them, and brutally beaten prior to being sent to the rural communes for "re-education." I think about this every day when I walk or ride my bike through here--sooooooo grateful for the freedom to read and to learn and to share ideas! Right down the alleyways we find our neighborhood's main square. Looks pretty quiet right now, but behind those closed doors you can find a "fast food" place (not a fan of the baozi), our convenience store (yea, Twix bars!), our print shop (wo yao wu shi), a laundry, a barber, the water guy, our vegetable lady, our bike lady, and our egg place (yes, we purchase our fresh eggs in a toy store! This is China!) These pictures were taken quite early, but usually this place is bustling with activity ranging from tai chi to the weekend open-air market to ordinary daily foot/bike traffic. That "playground equipment" is actually for adults--kind of like the "Curves" strength/conditioning circuit. These "playgrounds" can be found everywhere--and they give your muscles a pretty good workout!
As we pass the gate guard and turn left, you can see our subway station about a block down (and you can also see Brigg about a block down--good-looking guy, blue jacket, backpack . . . ) And here we are (this is for you, Marjory!) . . . just two stops, a quick line change, and another two stops--Chinese Walmart!! (Click on the pictures below)
By far the best part of our "ordinary" days takes place on campus. Brigg and I are standing here in front of the famous West Gate of Peking University, but we usually enter through the East Gate, seen in the next couple of pictures. Although Brigg and I both ride our bikes around the city quite often, Brigg actually prefers pedaling, while I prefer walking.
I keep office hours on Wednesdays from 9:30 until 12:30 while Brigg is teaching classes. Then we usually walk across campus for some lunch at our favorite school cafeteria -- the Western Restaurant. They have a "spicy chicken roll" that is a cross between a gyro and La Sirena's veggie quesadilla --- sooooooo good!
Of course, we adore our students! And I am especially glad that I "volunteered" to teach an additional class--oral English for children. Provides this lonely grandma with a weekly "fix" . . .
And as a nice reminder that even the most "ordinary" days here are filled with fun and adventure, click on the next pictures. Brigg and I ventured into a new area of Beijing looking for the famous "Santa" mall--and had a great time! Merry Christmas, grandkids!!
