Those Americans are so funny!
Yesterday, around 1:00 PM my class piled into buses to start our two hour journey to the Beijing countryside. The drive was pretty uneventful until we reached the base of the mountains (I actually slept until then 
). After about 20 minutes of twists and turns as our bus driver tried to follow the tiny road, we finally arrived at our destination.
I should preface this experience my elaborating on what it means to go to Beijing’s countryside. According to my teacher, “Beijing’s countryside is much different than the country of more remote areas, say Shanxi province.” What we visited was more of a small town, not very rural country-country China. However, the trip was still very exciting. Note: I plan to visit country-country China eventually!
The first thing we did when we got to our destination was unload our things. I was lodged in a very large house, it almost looked like a very small dorm. There was a central area where everyone gathered to eat and talk, and there were rooms on the outer perimeter of the house. Me and five other guys slept in the back room. The beds were your typical hard Chinese mattress, but at least we had our own beds. The four girls in my group all slept in what is called a kang. A kang is essentially a really big bed that people can share. In the winter, it can be heated with coal from underneath. These style beds are popular in Northern China.
After we settled in, we went on a hike up a nearby mountain. It took about an hour an half to climb up. I liked it because at regular intervals you could see ancient pagodas, bell towers, prayer sights, etc. Look at the pictures I uploaded to see the scenery and the amazing views.
After our hike, we returned to our respective houses for a traditional country dinner. The food wasn’t bad. Although, I do have to say I prefer the food I’ve eaten in the city. Maybe that’s because I had my first opportunity to gnaw on a chicken’s foot! Chinese people love chicken feet because they hold a lot of flavor. But I wasn’t a huge fan because it was only skin (very think skin), no meat. Next time, I think I’m going to work up the courage to eat the chicken’s head. Baby steps…baby steps.
Following our hike, we had the opportunity to sit down with some of the locals and talk about they’re lives. Many of the questions focused on how their lives in the country have changed in the wake of Beijing’s modernization. The townspeople were happy and eager to talk with us and were very patient answering all the questions.
Next, we headed over to an empty courtyard where we held a bonfire. Before the fire was lit, I knew it was going to be a ridiculously large fire. They practically had a tree sitting in the middle of the courtyard ready to burn. The festivities even included roasting marshmallows and dancing to some outdated American music.
Finally, after about two hours of being scorched by the small forest fire, I went to another family’s home and played a Chinese game called Mahjong. I still don’t quite understand all the rules. Imagine having a foreign gamed explained to you in a foreign language by people who weren’t too sure how to play themselves. It wasn’t easy, but I had fun and I plan to learn more about it while I’m here.
The following day, they woke us up around 7:00 am. Now that shouldn’t be a big deal if I went to bed at 12:00, right? Wrong! Around three in morning, a rooster outside my window started to crow. The damn rooster was a little too eager to do his job and couldn’t wait til the sun rose!
Funny Story – I was the first one to return to the house where we slept. I didn’t think any one else was home at the time. So I proceed to change out of my clothes and throw some water on my face before I went to sleep. I was wrong about nobody being home. The house mom, wearing her silk-like PJs and hair-curlers, walked in on me in my underoos! I don’t know who was more embarrassed - her or me.
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