home is where the heart is

Summer went by so fast, I can hardly believe it’s September already.  I remember it was this time last year when I was celebrating Y-lime’s birthday at Lincoln Park Noodle House, our favorite neighborhood restaurant.  It was a rough summer for the both of us.  We had just moved to Chicago and everything was one big mess.

But no matter how difficult life was, we always had our amazing apartment on Greenview Avenue where we would have heart-to-hearts till whenever.  But more importantly, when things got rough, we always had each other.  For that, I was so grateful.

Registration at BLCU started last Wednesday. It took me three days to register for classes. Three.  I was running around campus like a crazy woman trying to get all the right documents so I could pay for my class.  Unfortunately, due to this school’s lack of organization, what could have been done in one hour took me three days.  BLCU is pretty small compared to other universities here.  Most foreign students come here to study Mandarin, so it was pretty easy to meet people from all over the world. So far, I’ve met students from Russia, Canada, Thailand, England, France, Hungary, Spain and Italy.

This door leads to the gym.  I’m obsessed with it. Who doesn’t love a turquoise colored door?

Fast Street food saved my life during those 3 days.  On this particular afternoon, I chose to buy a Tianjin specialty, the egg crepe/pancake, also called jian bing 煎饼. I wasn’t able to take a picture while it was being made, but luckily I had taken one while in Shanghai.

This jian bing consisted of dough, one egg, a strip of fried bean curd, green onions, cilantro, oyster sauce, hot sauce and sesame seeds.  These ingredients are fried, then folded together and stuffed into a plastic bag.

It’s a great grab and go food. Fast, easy, not healthy, and delicious.

I also learned about a new snack Hungarians love to eat…

Bread with a honey/butter dip. Interesting right?

Reka says when she is too lazy to mix the butter and honey, she just takes a bite of the butter, dip the bread in the honey, and shoves it in her mouth. I could not stop laughing at how excited she gets when eating this.

I’ve met so many people here, its hard to remember everyone’s names. Everyone is so nice and I’ve already made plans to take a couple of trips around China with a group of students.  Its been a crazy couple of days, and I’ve started to miss everyone from back home.  I can’t wait for them to visit me.  I’ve realized no matter where you are in this world or how exciting a city is,  having your friends with you makes the experience a million times better. I miss you guys!

 

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