it's a new day!

♫ ♪ ♪  Yeah I woke up this morning

Feeling brand new  ♫ ♪ ♫

Well, maybe not spankin‘ brand new. Lets just say I had a little too much fun the night before and I didn’t get out of bed until 2 pm.

But hey, like will.i.am says, IT’S A NEW DAY!

After reading over my last post, I realized I seemed a bit…negative towards China.  So I thought I would dedicate today’s post to letting y’all know what I love about being here!

1. The food. DUH. I lOvE the food. It’s supercalifragilisticexpiali-delicious. Especially Korean food (not by any means ruling out Chinese food of course!) On Wednesday, I went to Wudaokou and discovered the hidden Korean town there. In the back of a small alley, I stumbled into this restaurant.

everyone was eating Korean BBQ...looked sooo good

I would tell you the name of this restaurant, but it was in Korean and there was no English anywhere. Not even the menus. So I used these bright colorful pictures to help me.

I wanted everything here.

When you dine in a Korean restaurant, they always bring out some complementary appetizers as you sit down. Just like at Mexican restaurants you get chips and salsa. A lot of places give you kimchi…but sadly they didn’t bring any out that day. Still really good, although I have no idea what they were.  I ordered a rice dish with Canadian bacon, peppers, onions and an egg.

 

this may just be one of the main reasons why I like korean restaurants...

love runny yolks

I ate that plate clean. Squeaky clean. Keeping up with the Korean theme that night, I headed down the street to hit up a street vendor that was selling some Korean dessert!

the anticipation was killing me

waffles with strawberry and cream spread and jam to top it off

ooey gooey

I think I’ve made my point.

2. Everyday, I am presented with new challenges. There are days, when everything feels so out of this world to me, no matter how hard I try to adapt, but by the end of the day, there’s always a lesson to be learned. Hopefully these challenges will shape me into a better, more understanding person in the future.

3. I get to see things like this everyday.

one stop shop!

a street lined with restaurants in Dongzhimen

3. I can get fresh fruit anywhere, anytime.

you'll see these guys everywhere, even on rainy days

4. I love the flower delivery services here….

Valentines day? Better get a clown!

Here's the number in case anyone wants it...

I wonder who the lucky person is....

Hmm, red button nose, insanely red lips, pale skin… I’ve seen him somewhere before…

resemblance?

Oh yeah, in my nightmares.

5. Food in bags. This phenomenon of putting all to-go foods in small plastic bags has got me head over heels (Although not so environment-friendly considering no one here recycles). Plastic bags are also used as silverware utensils! Imagine that!

tofu in a bag!

no chopsticks? no problem!

6. I’ve never laughed so much that at least once a day, food flies out of my mouth. So many awkward things happen here on a day-to-day basis that laughing is simply unavoidable. Take for instance, this email I received as a reply to my ad on thebeijinger in a search to find a roommate.

—————————————-

Subject:	let’s go out and have fun
From:	nicecaring
To:	anicawu
Date:	July 2nd, 2010 2:32pm

Hi Anica,

Nice to meet you. Let’s go out and do things together and enjoy as friends.
We can also have fun of course and I will make wonderful love to you to relieve your pressure from work and whatever. Making you feel wonderful in all the right places and most importantly, you will feel happy. Why other people can have fun and not us right?
I am speak Native English, clean, single, friendly, caring. There’s more, but I will leave it for you to find out Smile
Let’s go for it and try:) Can’t wait to get ur reply. Cheers.

—————————————

Yes, laugh it out…I sure did!

7. My family. I love being here and seeing my family. I love that they call me to check up on me. I love that they tell me if I am bored to go visit them. My family makes me feel at home when I feel lonely and lost here. I love them for that.

her cheeks are so sqeezable

the little ones love photo booth

hey gpa hey!

I gotta admit, my family and I are photo booth whores.

I’m sure I’ll find so much more to love about Beijing tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. That’s whats so wonderful about this place.  You’re constantly being exposed to different things everyday. You’re never bored because there is always something to do, something to see, something to eat.  Its been a slow process getting adjusted to life in Beijing, but I never forget the reasons for me coming here. To explore, to eat, to learn and to be my own version of Anthony Bourdain….

♫ ♪ ♪   Yeah I woke up this morning

Feeling brand new

Cause the dreams that I’ve been dreaming

Have finally come true

It’s a new day

It’s a new day

It’s a new day

It’s a new day-ay-ay-ay-ay  ♫ ♪ ♫

 

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