Third and Fourth Weeks

這兩個星期很不錯。可以說我完全適應了普北班的學習節奏。這個週末是我們所謂的長週末，但只不過有三天而已。週三和週四有了期中考試。星期三是口試，就是說話的那個部分，然後星期四有筆試。這次筆試簡直太過分了。一共需要寫一千字的作文，最後只能以亂寫了事。

上個上個星期我們去看一出雜技，蠻好看的。表演比較像"cirque de soleil"，但規模小點。第二天我跟一位老師打乒乓球。可以說我遭到了一頓痛打，所以我們就不談這個了。還沒打過網球，但這個週末可能有機會了。這個週末我本來打算去上海看看世博會，可是聽到同學關於世博會的經歷以後，就改變了主意。他們都贊美世博會是一個排隊的好機會。必須排兩三個小時的隊才能進去一個國家的館。

我雖然決定不去上海，但還是肯定要騎馬一次離開北京。結果，我們昨天去了一趟天津。我們是坐彈速快車去的，特別快！我們達到了330公里/小時，所以只要半個小時就到了！大體上說天津有點枯燥無味，但我還是享受看中國的另外一座城市。至少天津的老外比北京少多了，討厭那些洋鬼子！吃晚飯的時候，有一對兒男女朋友跟我們一起吃。看到他們是怎麼對彼此說話什麼的讓我很想美麗:(。

今天我們有安排去盲人按摩院，應該很有意思。我也很想去看那部"inception"的電影。有人看過嗎？我聽說在科幻方面比"matrix"還厲害。好，今天就寫到這兒！

These have been two pretty good weeks. I can say that I have adapted completely to the tempo of PiB. This weekend was a “long weekend”, but it was only three days. We had midterm exams on Wednesday and Thursday, an oral exam on Wednesday and a written exam on Thursday. The written exam was excessive, requiring a composition of one thousand words. In the end, I could only scribble to get it over with.

We saw an acrobatic show the week before last. It was entertaining. The performance was much like “cirque du soleil," but on a smaller scale. I played table tennis with my teacher the next day and got defeated badly. Therefore I shall drop the topic. I haven’t played tennis yet, but I may have an opportunity to play tennis this weekend. I was going to Shanghai to see the World Expo, but changed my mind after hearing my classmate’s experience. They said the World Expo is an excellent opportunity for standing in line. You have to wait for 2-3 hours before getting into any country’s exhibit.

Even though we decided not to go to Shanghai, we still wanted to get out of Beiijng. Therefore we took a trip to Tianjin yesterday. We took the super fast bullet train. The train reached 330 km per hour. It took only half an hour. Generally speaking, Tianjin is a bit dull, but we enjoyed seeing a different city in China. There are fewer foreigners in Tianjin than Beijing. Foreigners are such a nuisance. At supper time, I saw a young couple at the restaurant. Watching how they talked to each other made me miss Emily very much. :(

Today we are going to visit a blind-massage parlor. (They trained blind people to work as massage therapists as a way of making a living.) It should be interesting. I would like to see the movie “Inception”. Has anyone seen it yet? I heard that the special effects are even better than “The Matrix”. OK, I'll stop writing here today.

Second Week

第二個星期終於結束了！工作量比第一個星期大一些，但因為學生適應了項目的節奏，所以第二個興起和第一個還是差不了多少。今天終於“打開了”我的iPhone，就可以用它打電話什麼的。我本打算不買手機或者SIM卡，轉念一想就發現跟同學保持聯系還是挺重要的。這兩天一直在下雨。雖然這種天氣不適合在外面運動，可是溫度變得很涼快，舒服多了。今天我也洗了衣服。宿舍有一些洗衣機，但只有一台乾衣機。不知道為什麼，但中國人比較喜歡掛衣服，而不用乾衣機。按照入鄉隨俗這個概念，我也掛，要不然我會冒被視為外國人的風險。

昨天晚上喝了點啤酒。宿舍裡有一個小商店，非常方便！礦泉水，洋酒，小吃都買得到。還有，你可以隨便在任何地方喝酒。在大學我習慣了把宿舍房間的門鎖上才開始偷偷地喝酒。怎麼也想不到在這對大學生那麼重要的一個方面，中國的思想比美國的開放多了。

The second week is finally over! The workload this week was greater than the first week, but because we students adapt to the pace of the program, the first week we summoned up our courage and the second week we rose to the challenge. Today I finally "opened" my iPhone and can use it to make phone calls. Originally I had not intended to buy a cell phone or SIM card. But on second thought, I think it is important to keep in touch with my classmates. The past two days have been rainy. Although it is not suitable to exercise outdoors in this weather, the temperature is much cooler and more comfortable. I also washed my laundry today. There are some washing machines in the dormitory, but only one dryer. For some reason, Chinese people prefer to line dry their laundry instead of using a dryer. Following the local custom, I line dry my laundry as well in order to avoid being seen as a foreigner.

Last night I drank some beer. There is a small store in the dormitory, which is very convenient. You can buy mineral water, alcoholic beverages, and snacks. And you can openly drink alcohol anywhere. In college, I used to lock my dormitory door before secretly drinking any alcohol. I never would have imagined that in this important aspect of college life that the Chinese are more liberal than Americans.

First Week Report

(The English translation follows.)

第一個星期忙得不可開交。每天七點半就上課。五年級只有“中班”，就是說不是小班，也不是大班。在一節課上有四五個同學，但一共有十七個五年級的學生。十點半下課，而去吃午餐。一般來講，吃飯的時候我們去北京師範大學附近的中國餐廳。校園也有食堂，但飯館提供的服務和吃的選擇好一些。吃完中飯以後，就有“個別談話”，就是一個一對一的中文課。這是學生跟老師比較自由聊天的機會。上早上的課的時候，很少學到口語方面的詞，可是單班課讓老師強調學生的興趣。單班課以後，我就馬上開始做功課。我一直做到晚餐的時間，然後休息一會兒，就繼續做到要睡覺的時間。有的同學早上兩三點鐘才睡覺，單在我看來這種睡眠習慣是不可持續的，而且一定會影響到學生課上的表現。雖然告訴別人的時候感到一點不好意思，可是我天天都九點半左右就去睡覺。

基本上迄今為止我有兩個好朋友，就是我的同物和他的朋友。來到普北班（PiB)以前他們已經是好朋友。從第一天開始，我只是跟著他們一起去吃飯，學習什麼的。他們沒有別的選擇，只好和我交朋友。他們都是IU的本科生，但中文水平跟我差不多一樣。

就我而言，普北班執行的語言誓約（無一例外學生只能講普通話）算是一個挑戰，不過我覺得對二年級的學生來說，語言誓約帶來很多溝通上的困難。聽他們盡最大的努力討論甚至最簡單的話題很有意思，就讓我的中文水平想起我跟他們一樣底的時候。

這個星期六普北班給學生安排一個去爬長城的活動。我們去的一段叫做“金山”，而離北京比較遠（兩個半小時）。我們早上八點出發了，然後爬了四五個小時，疲累死了！

The first week has been extremely busy. The classes start at 7:30 every morning. The 5th level is only a “medium-sized group,” meaning not a small group and not a large group. There are about 4-5 students in each class. There are seventeen 5th level students in total. The classes are dismissed at 10:30 a.m. for lunch. Generally speaking, we go to a Chinese restaurant near Beijing Normal University. There is food service on the campus, too, but the service and menu selection is better in the restaurants. After lunch we have “individual dialogue,” a one-on-one Chinese lesson. This is an opportunity for free conversation between the teacher and the student. Morning classes don’t teach vernacular terms, but during the individual lesson, the teacher emphasizes the student’s interest. After my individual lesson, I start my homework right away and work until dinner time. After dinner I take a short break, then continue doing homework until bedtime. Some students stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. I think this kind of sleeping habit is not sustainable and will interfere with their performance in the classroom. Even though I am a bit embarrassed to tell people, I go to bed about 9:30 every night.

So far I have made two good friends, my roommate and his friend. They were already

good friends before coming to PiB. From the first day, I have been taking my meals and going to class with them. They don’t have a choice but to be friends with me. They are Chinese

majors at IU and about the same level as me.

As for me, the language pledge (Students can speak only Mandarin--no exceptions!) is a

challenge. The language pledge has brought many communication difficulties for the level 2

students. Hearing them spend a lot of effort expressing the simplest idea is interesting. It reminds me of when I was at that level.

This Saturday PiB arranged a field trip to the Great Wall. We went to the section of the wall

named “Gold Mountain,” a bit farther away from Beijing (2.5 hours). We started our trip at 8:00 a.m. and climbed for 4-5 hrs, after which we felt exhausted.