Time for a Quick Update, 美国加油， 中国加油 (I guess)

I've been so busy lately so I haven't had the chance to write a new blog post. I'll tell you about the most recent updates since I don't have pictures (I'm not using my computer) and I have little time.

With the Olympics now in full blast, we've been feeling the full effects of Olympic Fever, also considering that China has the most gold medals in the games. China, for the first time in years, has been leading the count in gold medals for much of the duration of the Olympics. But what led me to talk about the effects of the Olympics was an experience that occurred the other day. So I know I've told you guys about the experiences I've had with Olympic athletes. Admiring from afar, whether it be around 20-100 feet away, close, but nonetheless...still far. I finally experienced meeting one of the Olympic athletes face to face and talking to her for a short walk.

We were getting in from shopping for traveling gear when we ran into a 6'2'' girl at the gates of BNU (our school), she had the most upset and distraught face, speaking to the guards in English, though we all knew that they didn't understand a single word or gesture coming from her. So as we start talking to her she explains how she is so lucky and relieved to hear English again and to be out of that taxi she was just in for around 1 hour. The trip she told us she took should have been about 10 minutes...wow, they really do rip off foreigners. Nevertheless, she was happy again to have talked to us about it and then we walked with her and found out she was on the USA Women's Volleyball Team. It was really cool talking with her and listening to how she spoke, so American....by that I mean she used profanity openly and knew our "Norcal slang - 'hella'" because she was from Irvine herself. After saying bye and taking a quick picture (though we realized after we should have gotten a signature or some TICKETS), we looked her up and she is BOWN from the team, the one who was DOMINATING. Oh man, was that cool.

But in addition to the random occasion in which we met an Olympic Athlete face to face, I also went with Derrick and Angela to a USA vs. Greece basketball game, probably ranked 3 out of the 3 games I've watched but still very memorable. I took millions of pictures of all the players and cool videos of dunks and blocks, only to exhaust the hell out of my battery and my SD card, poor camera. I'm soo glad I bought it though, as it is my first camera, I'm fully enjoying the feeling of being picture happy and using any and all opportunities to take a picture. Anyway, at the game we ALMOST got our tickets signed by Deron Williams, just like we got our tennis tickets signed, but missed out on the chance because we got to the side too late and there were far too many people trying to butt in and lean over the spectator bars. Nevertheless, I got really close up pictures of many of the players who each looked at me (or at least in my direction) for a good period of time. The ranking of events in my book, after today 8/19 (my final event), goes #1 tennis (because of the amazing seats and because we got to see so many events and it was also our first event to see), #2 athletics (because we got to see so many events, though far away, but also it was in the National Stadium - the Niao Chao with the torch), #3 basketball (just because we had level A seating, but also got to move up even closer after the USA team had left and Argentina, another good team, started playing). I think the totality of my Olympic game experience has been really amazing. I chose the right games to go to.

Aside from that, we met at strange cab driver who blasted music in his car off his tape and continuously asked if we liked the Chinese music. We also met with our haircut people, who came out with us on Janelle's last night in Beijing. Janelle, who has been a loyal customer to the haircut people, invited them out to karaoke and buffet all for 45 yuan, what a great deal. You can never get that in the states. 4 hours of singing until your throat bleeds in Chinese AND English and a free buffet and drink stand. But to mention that I must also mention how it is sad to see all the Summer Session EAPers leave. We've spent about 2 months with the same people and not seeing them often in the halls anymore makes a lot of us feel lonely and missing our own respective homes. Nonetheless, we will be going on a trip (us fall people), I think it might just be Tammy, Ivy, and me, but that should be really cool, I think 4 is perfect, but 3 is good too. We will be going to Qingdao --> Anhui --> Shanghai --> Fujian --> Guangxi --> Yunnan --> back to Beijing for Fall Session in late September. We might make a stop in Guangdong for some Cantonese food and nice dian xin (dim sum). Oh boy, can't wait.

Hope that was enough for you guys for now, sorry I don't have pictures at this time, computer is away in storage. BTW, the Athletics events, including all the Finals events and the Medals Ceremonies were SICK, there were soo many US wins. It was amazing, so was the atmosphere. Too bad stupid Chinese hopeful for the 110M Men's Hurdles Liu Xiang had to hurt himself, I think since he wasn't in the event I paid too much for the ticket. But it was still an experience that I can never replicate. I'm glad I have 300+ pictures for that event alone, a good 4 hours spent the night before I leave for Qingdao. I just love it here in Beijing, especially during the hectic, crazy Olympic times.

中国加油！