Chinese New Year! Part 1

Wow! Long time no see, I know! But it's still the Chinese New Year and I have had a very long fulfilling break so far. So the next few posts I will write about what I got to do.

Right before we left for Beijing, my school hosted traditional calligraphers for the community. It's custom to get calligraphy for decoration for the New Year, and honestly, the whole year.

(Decorations don't come down in China. The mall still has the Christmas tree up. Stores still have signs saying "Merry Christmas". Teachers tore down last year's New Year calligraphy off their doors to put up this year's.)

They like to drag out the partying as long as possible here,
to which I give mad respect.

So here is a glimpse of a traditional calligrapher at work:

After that fun day, we were off to Beijing. Beijing had great weather! Hardly any smog (for Beijing) and it was really sunny. The first few days we explored the Forbidden City, Silk Market and then the zoo.

Forbidden City Mao so humbly put his picture on.

I found this video to be a great example of some of the daily struggles I have here in China. Such as avoiding rockets of spit from old men.

That same night we went to the Silk Market, which is a very touristy spot to buy weird and cheap stuff. Like weird things even the Chinese think is weird.

Normal Chinese people don't eat sea horses and starfish and scorpions, 

but vendors know tourists will pay to say they did, haaa.

Entrance to the market

A sugar horse for a horse :)

This vender here was like "Buy! Buy! Beautiful girl buy!" To which I replied: "Mayo chen"
Which means I have no money, only to turn around and buy that sugar horse. The guy thought that was really hilarious. He yelled out in English "I thought you say no money!" Then laughed.

Yummy.

The next day we went to the zoo and we surprised to discover we were the animals on exhibit apparently. I've included gifs of my reaction to this type of behavior now.

This was on the subway on the way to the zoo. After Dionne took
the picture of them taking a picture of us, I showed it to
them and they got embarrassed.
SERVES THEM RIGHT.
Yah, we're foreigners. Yah, we're here.

I enjoy making faces at them sometimes.

There are more photos like this, that's the sad part.