The CP Epidemic.
I’m in Beijing! I’ve been here for 3 days now and it feels like I’ve been here for longer than that. The people on the trip are pretty great and it’s amazing how quickly everyone gets to know each other on so short a period of time. I knew this from Mali, but I’m still amazed by it. I’ve taught a lot of people how to play Chinese poker and it caught on pretty quickly. We’ve stayed up until 4:30 in the morning last night playing in our (me and Monica’s) living room. Yup, we get a living room because we’re one of 4 doubles (everyone got singles), and ours is definitely the coolest. All of a sudden, I love having a roommate-hmmm, I wonder why! I’ve taken a bunch of pictures with Rock Family. They’re kind of blurry though. I’ll try to post one if I can.
I got in Thursday morning (US, Wednesday the night before) and a girl from Beijing Normal picked me up from the airport. I met everyone later on for lunch, toured the campus, had dinner, and went out to this area called Bar Street. I was so tired but it was still a lot of fun. They make the worst drinks that night though (blah)!
Anyways, on Friday, we all got up at 7:30 for breakfast and then left for the Great Wall. Pretty much everyone on the trip climbed all the way to the top. Every one except March, our TA for the trip, but that’s okay-he’s climbed it like tens time already before (or so he says). Monica and I played CP every time we were on the bus the whole day. My legs still hurt every time I have to walk down stairs. We all stayed in that night and played 2 rounds of Texas Hold’em. I won the last one and took everyone out because I had no strategy and beginner’s luck (like no other) and I won 32 yuan, in profit! It was helluva funny; JoJo didn’t play but he couldn’t shut the hell up. He was funny because he just kept talking nonstop the entire whole night.
Yesterday (Saturday), we moved out of the where we were staying temporarily and then went to the Summer Palace, which is where the Emperor stayed in the summertime. It was beautiful there. Monica and I taught Jacques and Mike how to play on the ride there and every time we got back on the bus, we played. When we got back, we all moved into the Liyuan Aparthotel and got settled in. If I failed to mention it, the rooms are so nice. We went to an acrobatic show later that evening and the way their bodies bent was amazing. It was a great show. I started falling asleep during one of the acts because it was heavily underscored with loud music (loud music puts me to sleep faster than you can say, “grande double mocha malt frappuccino”). We played CP during the intermission, and Claudia was our table. She was very good at being an inanimate object. We were all so tired by the end of the night but we still wanted to go out. We ended up going to JJs, this techno club nearby. After we paid to get in, we traveled thought this tunnel to end up in this huge place. There was a separate room for people to drink before going on the dance floor and that’s where we went. It’s kinda painful to recollect the beginning of the night because it pretty much sucked until the end, when we started getting into some of the music they were playing, and JoJo got up on the stands and danced and had a showdown on the dance floor with this Chinese dude wearing tight white pants. I mean, the people who stayed had fun. I had given up hope when we were in the room, watching the pole dancer do her stuff, and this skinny guy in a sweater over plaid with pink shades and pointy shoes with the coolness factor of William Hung got on stage after she left with his saxophone and started playing Silent Night. You think I am kidding…I kid you not. Some people left quickly after that. When we all got back, we played Chinese poker till 4:30AM.
Today, Sunday, we got up for lunch and went to this antiques market for an hour and a half. It’s been a pretty chill day. I’m off to find people to play more CP with, and I think they’ve probably been playing since dinner. Classes start tomorrow. Let the fun begin.
I got in Thursday morning (US, Wednesday the night before) and a girl from Beijing Normal picked me up from the airport. I met everyone later on for lunch, toured the campus, had dinner, and went out to this area called Bar Street. I was so tired but it was still a lot of fun. They make the worst drinks that night though (blah)!
Anyways, on Friday, we all got up at 7:30 for breakfast and then left for the Great Wall. Pretty much everyone on the trip climbed all the way to the top. Every one except March, our TA for the trip, but that’s okay-he’s climbed it like tens time already before (or so he says). Monica and I played CP every time we were on the bus the whole day. My legs still hurt every time I have to walk down stairs. We all stayed in that night and played 2 rounds of Texas Hold’em. I won the last one and took everyone out because I had no strategy and beginner’s luck (like no other) and I won 32 yuan, in profit! It was helluva funny; JoJo didn’t play but he couldn’t shut the hell up. He was funny because he just kept talking nonstop the entire whole night.
Yesterday (Saturday), we moved out of the where we were staying temporarily and then went to the Summer Palace, which is where the Emperor stayed in the summertime. It was beautiful there. Monica and I taught Jacques and Mike how to play on the ride there and every time we got back on the bus, we played. When we got back, we all moved into the Liyuan Aparthotel and got settled in. If I failed to mention it, the rooms are so nice. We went to an acrobatic show later that evening and the way their bodies bent was amazing. It was a great show. I started falling asleep during one of the acts because it was heavily underscored with loud music (loud music puts me to sleep faster than you can say, “grande double mocha malt frappuccino”). We played CP during the intermission, and Claudia was our table. She was very good at being an inanimate object. We were all so tired by the end of the night but we still wanted to go out. We ended up going to JJs, this techno club nearby. After we paid to get in, we traveled thought this tunnel to end up in this huge place. There was a separate room for people to drink before going on the dance floor and that’s where we went. It’s kinda painful to recollect the beginning of the night because it pretty much sucked until the end, when we started getting into some of the music they were playing, and JoJo got up on the stands and danced and had a showdown on the dance floor with this Chinese dude wearing tight white pants. I mean, the people who stayed had fun. I had given up hope when we were in the room, watching the pole dancer do her stuff, and this skinny guy in a sweater over plaid with pink shades and pointy shoes with the coolness factor of William Hung got on stage after she left with his saxophone and started playing Silent Night. You think I am kidding…I kid you not. Some people left quickly after that. When we all got back, we played Chinese poker till 4:30AM.
Today, Sunday, we got up for lunch and went to this antiques market for an hour and a half. It’s been a pretty chill day. I’m off to find people to play more CP with, and I think they’ve probably been playing since dinner. Classes start tomorrow. Let the fun begin.