I have a little less than 10 full days left in Beijing at this point. I've been putting a bunch of stuff off for a long time, and now I'm feeling the pressure. I am still hoping to go to the Forbidden City again, and I still have MAJOR shopping to do (although I did get a ton done today). I love China and Beijing, but I am 100% ready to come home. It's been real Beijing, it's been real.
There are a lot of things I will miss in Beijing, a lot of it revolving around how extraordinarily cheap everything is in this country. A complete meal for $2? Sounds good. I will die when I get to the US. However, I am ready to not slowly die from lung cancer, but mostly I am ready to escape the insane amount of rain Beijing has been having recently. The rain hasn't ever really stopped since the deadly flash flooding from last week, but I was never really affected by it in ways other than my favorite supermarket being closed because it flooded to the point where severe structural repairs are necessary.
However, that all changed last night when I found myself outside in one of the more severe times of torrential downpour this week. It was all fun and games until I was trudging home in water that was up to my ankles. Not the best thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, Beijing has been getting A LOT of rain recently, but by NW standards, it's pretty normal spring weather. The problem is, Beijing's sewage system is so poorly constructed/outdated that severe rain causes a lot of back up and problems. It's just not meant to handle that kind of thing. Southern Chinese cities can handle typhoons just fine, and usually escape with minor injury.
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Today I went to the Silk Market again, and to a similar discount shopping center called the Zoo Market (it's near the zoo). I'm a big fan of the Silk Market as opposed to other markets. There is a lot more freedom with bargaining, and everyone speaks English. I'm so used to hearing Chinese background talk, so when someone said "excuse me" to me, I almost fainted. It's the little things that make a difference.
In other news, the Olympics are HUGE here. Although the United States are ahead in the number of medals, China is leading in the number of Gold medals. China is dominating this year, and national spirit here is feeling those wins. It's hard to avoid it too. Every time China wins a Gold medal, every subway in the Beijing subway systems plays the Chinese national anthem over the speak system. I experienced it today while I was going to the Silk Market. It's actually really cool. Plus, their anthem is surprisingly pleasant.
After reading this, every time I see a gold medal won by a Chinese athlete, I chuckle thinking the national anthem is playing in the subways there. It's actually pretty cool :-)
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