"You give me joke price, no?"

Above is a video from the day we went to the Great Wall. It is a little shaky but I think the video captures more of the intense beauty the wall and the day we were there offers. Hope you like it :)

The past two days have been pretty low key. We started our training and finally I have my official title for the Olympics: Venue Media Center Press Tribune Assistant. It sounds pretty cool, unfortunately I have yet to figure out just exactly what I will be doing.



The other day a few of us went to the Wanfuijing Snack Street. It is the epitome of modern Beijing. There is everything from a Nike store to a Starbucks. There are also a ton of shops that remind me of something similar to a Wet Seal or Forever 21. I went into one and decided to try on a dress that looked cute. If you didn't know, people are much smaller in China than they are in America. So when I went to the dressing room to try on the size Small I had picked out, the sales lady laughed, shook her head and ran back into the front of the store where the dress was. A few minutes later she returned with a size Large. At first, I was a little insulted. However, upon trying on the dress I was very grateful that I did not attempt to put on the small. I got the dress on and it fit fine but after inspecting myself in the mirror I decided not to get the dress and began to take it off. The only problem was: the dress would not get over my head. I panicked at first but then retried and literally could not get the dress off! I reached my head out and my friend Joanna saw what was going on. So did the sales lady who decided to come into the dressing room with me to help me get the dress off. Needless to say, I did not get the dress and will never be returning to that store again. The poor sales lady who was helping me had to reach around and help me pull the dress off for a good five minutes. Maybe it's a sign I should stop shopping? Or adopt the Chinese lifestyle in order to fit into their clothes properly.

That night we went to this bar/restaurant that I found online. There was a "Chinese American Ukelele Band" coming into the bar "Salud." About 12 of us got dropped off and wandered around the cutest street I have ever seen. If I lived in Biejing, I would undoubtedly live in the Sanlitun District where shops, bars and restaurants stay open forever. People were riding around on their bicycles, drinking fresh watermelon smoothies and sitting on rooftop lounges enjoying late night dinners. I have finally found my favorite part of Beijing! So, we go into Salud and sit down at long wooden table and order draft beers that come with a free tapa (bread with red pepper spread and a potato and cheese pancake wedge) all for 20 Yuan (under $3). The ukelele players consisted of one Chinese guy and an American-looking guy who was actually from Ireland. They were really great and I enjoyed the crowd of both westerners and locals that filled the seats of the cozy Spanish bar.

Last night, after our first day of training which mainly consisted of a tour of the National Indoor Stadium and sitting around for a couple hours, me, Lauren and Amy decided to go to a bar/lounge called 16 mm. We had seen it the night before when we went to Salud and saw that they played movies inside for free. Last night they were playing Atonement. We got there around 9pm and ordered some popcorn (it was sweet and cold instead of salty and hot) and relaxed on the comfy couches with young Beijingers. The movie was in English with Chinese subtitles. The place had such a cool atmosphere and was so relaxing. I felt like I was anywhere except the bustling, polluted streets of Beijing.

In the last few days I also ventured to Beijing's Pearl Market where my blond hair is an easy target for Chinese woman to yell things like: "Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, you like?" "Pretty lady, you want this Gucci?" or my favorite during negotiations: "No, you take my money. That joking price!" As stressful and chaotic as my experiences at the Pearl Markets were, I truly enjoy the haggling process. A wallet that starts at 280 Yuan gets down to 30 Yuan through tactics like the hard walk. Walking away from the vendor can almost guarantee a 50 percent price decrease.

After being in Beijing for over two weeks and discovering what the city really has to offer, I have decided that I want to have a job in restaurant researching. I have found so many restaurants/bars/cafes/etc. that I want to try out before I leave. There are a ton of really cool hole-in-the-wall places that look like they should be set in New York or somewhere in Europe. I finally feel less like a tourist and more like a person who lives in Beijing.

Miss and love everyone at home!
XOXOXO,
P