So now I’m physically back in Beijing another year older and hopefully a little bit more wise. It has been a while since I last wrote since I took the summer off to travel. I managed to cross overland from Beijing to Almaty, Kazakhstan before flying to Paris for a week and then Canada for a couple of weeks. I just got back to Beijing just last week and I think I’m still getting over my jet lag.
Practically the only reason I left Beijing in the first place was simply to get away from the place. I’d been in the city since December of the previous year and hadn’t left until the Dragon Boat Festival on June 22. Although I made a week-long sojourn out to Shanghai as exams were winding down, I didn’t leave Beijing until the second week of July. My original goal was to go overland from Beijing to Lisbon, Portugal, kinda like what Paul Theroux has done a couple of times, but I never got that far. Ultimately, however, I did cross the world, as in, geographically speaking, I went West and continued in the same direction, albeit with one or two retracements for logistical reasons.
I landed last Thursday expecting to get right into meetings and lectures only to be told that everything has been pushed back a week. That wasn’t such a big deal as the weather was still nice with the rare Beijing Blue above us. It didn’t last however, as the faint scent of a fireplace returned on Sunday night and by Monday it was hazy.
Anyway, in the short time that I have been away I’ve already noticed that Beijing has changed. Even my university has made a few adjustments that I had no idea they were doing. An added car lane in front of the Olympic gym; new grass and plants alongside one building; and a new construction zone where there used to be a parking lot. Most notably there has been a change up in faculty with quite a few members leaving, some new and some veterans. That being the case, I’ve been made team lead of three courses which sounds great, but really simply means more work and the same pay. Quite the change up from last year.
Further, the Chinese teacher I had for a few months last year has decided to move to Germany to pursue further education and to practice her German. I hope I wasn’t part of the decision to leave! As a result, I’ve been on the hunt for a new Chinese teacher and have found two that may work. Both are experienced teachers with more than eight years of teaching Chinese to foreigners. One focuses more on teaching Chinese as a subject, complete with reading and writing exercises, while the other seems to be more focused on oral Chinese. Since our schedules conflict with one another I’ve decided to try them both for this semester and see how it goes. I am eager to work on my reading and writing a little more.
Other than that, although my summer vacation was busy with travel, I can say that I am satisfied with what I accomplished. I’ll be updating my travel page with three more countries and 13 or 14 more cities, mostly from within China. For me, however, the relaxation begins with the start of the semester. This year I know what to expect and I’m a little more prepared for what needs to happen. Not only that, but the security of being here for at least another semester gives me time to think and write, which is important to me.
In all, I’m interested and both nervous and excited for what this next year holds. I hope your summers were as good or better than mine!