Friday, March 27, 2009

圆明园

我喜欢旅游但是还没有去过很远的地方因为我的汉语水平现在不太高。我希望三,四个月以后,我可以容易交流跟中国人。

我刚去过圆明园。你看看我的照片吧。圆明园像希腊一样,你觉得怎么样?


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I like to travel but I haven't been to any far off places yet because right now my Chinese isn't that good. I hope that in 3-4 months, I'll be able to easily communicate with Chinese people.

I just went to Yuan Ming Yuan. Have a look at the pics. Yuan Ming Yuan seems a lot like Greece, what do you think?

Thursday, March 26, 2009

大钟寺

大钟寺是一个很可爱的寺,钟有很多有意思的特点。


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Dazhongsi is a very cute temple. The bells have a lot of interesting characteristics.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

三个例子

第一个例子: 坐地铁。
在美国,一般坐地铁的人准备下车以后到了地铁站。在中国,每个人准备好下车以前到了地铁站,所以他们会问你,“你下车吗?” 以前我很
惊讶因为我觉得他们没有礼貌,但是我的思想改变了,觉得这个办法省时间。如果你让他们出去,你不要下车,吵架,等等。结果是很快的地铁。

第二个例子: 卫生间。
哦。。。我不知道怎么说。美国卫生间和中国卫生间真不一样。为什么?没有纸,没有肥皂,很臭。当然,中国有很干净,很舒服的卫生间,可是大部分不是这样。

第三个例子: 吃饭的时候
在校园的食堂,我觉得吃饭的时候很有意思。中国学生吃得很快。看他们吃的时候,大部分就要五分钟吃饭,吃饱了,走了.再说,你在桌子吃饭,如果桌子有空的位子,他们不会问你可以用,就在用。以前我觉得这是一点奇怪,但是我现在知道有很多人,桌子不够了。

天坛公园:


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"3 examples"

1st example: riding the subway.
In the USA, usually people prepare to get off the subway after the car has reached the next stop. In China, everyone prepares to get off the subway before the car has reached the next stop so they will ask you, "Are you getting off?" Before, I thought this was a lack of courtesy but my opinion has changed a bit. I think this method saves time. If you're not getting off at the stop, you don't have to get out of the car to let others off. It all results in a faster subway ride.

2nd example: restrooms.
Oh...I don't know what to say. American restrooms and Chinese restrooms are really not the same. Why? No toilet paper, no soap, very smelly. Of course, China has some bathrooms that are very clean and comfortable, but the majority are not like this.

3rd example: eating.
Eating at the campus cafeteria is very interesting. Chinese students eat very fast, only take 5 minutes to finish and then leave. If you are sitting at a table and there is an empty seat, they will sit down next to you or across from you without asking permission. At first I thought this was very strange and awkward, but now I realize how many people there are, and how few tables there are.

(Pictures: Summer Palace)

Thursday, March 19, 2009

你吃什么?

我一般每天在食堂吃饭,很便宜也很好吃。大部分菜是四元到六元。这是真正的中国菜。刚到北京的时候还没有习惯不过现在已经习惯了。食堂有很多菜系,四川菜,北京菜,等等。我越来越胖了,哈哈。。。

当然每个星期我还去找到汉堡包和薯条!




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"What are you eating?"

I usually eat in the cafeteria; it's really cheap and also tasty. Most dishes are 4 to 6 RMB ($0.59 to $0.89 USD). This is really authentic Chinese food. When I first arrived in Beijing I wasn't used to it, but now I am. The cafeteria has a lot of different dishes, Sichuan dishes, Beijing dishes, etc. I am getting fatter, haha...

Of course, every week I go look for a hamburger and French fries!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

司马台,长城

密云县,长城

昨天我跟我的朋友一起去长城。我们出发的时候原来想去怀柔,长城慕田峪的地方,但是在汽车站有一人告诉我们慕田峪就是马马虎虎,司马台是最漂亮的地方。所以我们去了司马台。哎呀,我觉得有一点麻烦了,因为先坐地铁,然后坐公共汽车差不多两个小时。再要打的,还要开车一个小时。我们从金山岭到司马台爬上是差不多九个公里,要四个小时。有的地方有一点危险,可是大部分还可以,小心小心,慢慢走了。虽然我们很累,但是很兴奋。长城真的是很美。





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(note: to avoid Chinglish, this is not a word-for-word translation)

Yesterday my friend and I visited the Great Wall. We originally thought about going to the Mutianyu section of the wall, but a person at the bus station said that Simatai was the most beautiful part, so we went to Simatai instead. It's a bit of a hassle to get there. First we took the subway, then rode a crowded bus for 2 hours, then rode in a car for an hour. Once at the wall, we walked about 9 kilometers and it took 4 hours. Some parts of the wall are a little dangerous as they are old and run-down, but most of it is walkable, just be careful and take your time. The Great Wall is really beautiful...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

自行车

北京,中国

你好!这是我的旅行日记。对不起,我的汉语现在不太好,可是我正在学,所以我要练习。我已经住在中国快到一个月了。身体很好,已经习惯了中国的生活,觉得中国的生活很有意思。

好的。。。 北京的地铁又干净又快,我很惊讶。买地铁票就是两块钱,很便宜。北京也有很多出租车,很多公共汽车,一张汽车票是一块钱。虽然有地铁,汽车,和出租车,最常见是自行车。每个人有自己的自行车,所以我买了一辆自行车,是九十块。是一辆很旧的自行车不过没有人想把车拿走了。还有,过马路的时候有点儿危险应为红路灯的时候,他们还不会停车。

这是我的自行车:


很多自行车:


堵车:

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Beijing, China

Hi, this is my travel journal! My Chinese isn't that good right now, but I'm studying and I hope to use this journal to practice. I've lived in China for almost a month now. Everything's fine and I've adjusted to the lifestyle here, which is really interesting.

The subway in Beijing is surprisingly clean and really fast, and tickets are just 2 RMB ($0.29 USD). There are lots of taxis and buses. Bus tickets are just 1 RMB ($0.15 USD). But the most common transportation method is the bicycle. I bought my own bike for 90 RMB ($13.16 USD). It's really old but also probably theft-proof. Also, crossing the street is a bit dangerous because cars basically ignore red traffic lights!

Pictures (my bike, lots of bikes, traffic)