My feet hurt soo bad. 
Today was jam packed with endless activities, so it's no wonder. We meet with our specified Chinese tutors that we will meet with once a week, and got a tour of the campus. My tutor helped me buy a Chinese cellphone too (the carrier is called "Unicorn" so I knew it was the right choice). 
A girl in my group had her birthday today, and since ours are so close, we are organizing a joint-birthday party for Friday where we are going to have Chang Shou Mian or Chinese longevity noodles. The idea of those is that the noodles are really long, just like the life you are celebrating. 


My program also organized a group trip to Tiananmen Square, Chairman Mao's memorial and a locally famous restaurant that sells Beijing Duck. 




This is the view from my dorm room this morning. No, those aren't clouds, and yes, that is the sun. For the first time in my life, I can look at it freely and don't get weird flashies in my eyes. 

As you walk to Tiananmen Square, you pass by the Forbidden City. This is the pathway that the emperors took from the forbidden city to Tiananmen Square. It is called "The Center of the Universe" for that reason. 

This is the tunnel you have to take from The Center of the Universe to Tiananmen Square. For reference. Right about where the doorway is, is the famous portait of Chairman Mao looking over Tiananmen. 

Me, being a tourist. 

 Because roads are at best absolutely terrifying, most crosswalks are above or underground.

Chairman Mao's memorial building (in the far back) and the Memorial to the People's Martyr. In the memorial building is where Chairman Mao's body is kept for display. There are extremely strict rules that people must meet before they can enter the building. A dress code is strongly enforced, and people must remain absolutely silent inside the building. You can buy white carnations and lay them in front of his statue in the lobby for around 75 cents. 

PS: Seeing a dead persons body on display was strange. 

The restaurant we went to with the rotating table. There was literally so much food that plates had to be placed on top of each other. Beijing Duck is positively delicious, and depending on where you go, relatively inexpensive. This particular place charges by the person.  

While on a self-guided campus tour with my new friend Olivia, we found this beautiful building. It is one of the few places on campus that is quiet. I have found my new study location. 

This is the underside of the roof. Everything was very clearly hand painted. 

The main entrance to Beijing DaXue or Peking University. You must have a student or staff ID card to get inside the gates of the campus, that is why there are scary security guards. 

The smog this morning wasn't too bad, but by 5:30, the air quality had significantly deteriorated, as you can see in this photograph. Visibility is poor at best, and breathing sucks. Strangely enough, there is no smell or taste, like smog often found in other places. In Beijing, it is only visible and felt in your lungs.