// just for my own future reference, Wudaoying Hutong is totally the new NLGX//

NLGX is so full of fucking tourists, and shops that we’ve all been to like 50 billion times

also, there’s no more Qinghai Lao Suannai there…

// let’s continue with more stories (of what I can remember)//

OK. So I’m going to try and recount all the stuff I can remember from the end of the Lafayette delegation.

On their last day in Beijing, we held a symposium at BeiDa, for which we invited various student organizations from around BeiDa. We had a pretty good turn out. A lot of Chinese and foreign students came and participated in the discussions, lectures and group activities. Then we had lunch at Ho’s Restaurant, had more discussions, and went back to the office. This is when the fun began.

Professor Paul was in the middle of giving a lecture, when Matt got a phone call. We were expecting guests, and they had just arrived. We pushed the students back and got some chairs ready. After about three minutes of explaining how to get up to our office (which is really confusing, because we’re on the second floor of floor X), Matt led four north Korean representatives of the Korea International Youth and Children Travel Company into our office. When the door opened, they stopped, dead in their tracks, like a deer in headlights. These four north Koreans were all of a sudden face-to-face with a group of around 30 American college students and their professors. They sat uncomfortably for a while, but then Mr. Ri took the stage and decided to talk a bit about the DPRK. This raelly helped to diffuse the tension. He spoke, and let the students ask questions, and then when he finished, they all politely said their thank yous and good byes, and went with Matt and Michael to a cafe.

Professor Paul continued his lecture, and I took a nap. Then we dragged all the kids over to the Yonghegong/Guozijian (Guozijian is the area around the Confucius Temple), where we [Mengtong] and I took the kids around while the professors ate with the aforementioned Korean officials, Matt and Michael. 

Let me preface this a bit. After the Korean officials left, Matt set Mengtong and I on the track to make a reservation for dinner for the entire student group and the officials, at the famous 24-hour dimsum restaurant, Jindingxuan. We called, only to learn that it was too late to reserve a table. So, when we got there, we bargained with them to reach some stupid conclusion that I didn’t quite understand, and then I wound up taking a group of kids to dinner. Our dinner was meh and overpriced. We ate at one of those 聚德华天 (Jude Huatian, a halal chain of restaurants) restaurants. Then, we rushed them all to Beijing Station, where they got on the train.

At the last minute, I decided to go with them on the train, and 15 minutes of finding a scalped ticket later, I was on the way with the Lafayette group to Shenyang!

// ok, so…//

Tumblr is being mean and not letting upload videos

so, some pictures in lieu of videos and stories.

I’ll include stories with the pictures

// video time!//

HI EVERYONE!

no, I’ve not forgotten about the blog

school and work is just very busy

so, I will now upload a bunch of videos from our time in China!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenjoy

Anonymous asked: Ooooh I found your tumblr! Which is slightly creepy. I didn't know you made entries about us Lafayette kids. Smizing all the way. Have a nice trip fellow comrade. ;) Bangapsumnida!

haha, well, I’m glad you liked it

there’s still more to come even though I’ve returned to the US

// dearest followers, I have returned!//

// Tales from the other side: A carp dinner//

So, let’s get back to where we left off! 

In the last installment, you read about how we went with the Lafayette group to the Great Wall; here’s what happened afterwards. 

We drove around the suburbs of Beijing for about an hour and a half. I fell asleep, and woke up when we were in this weird Highland Park/Bemidji-esque town with really nice apartments and grass and nicely paved roads. It was kind of like a dream world, but rather nightmare-ish because it was the suburbs of Beijing. This was Huairou, a district about 2 ½ hours north of Beijing proper, famous for two things: roasted chestnuts and carp.

So, we drove around and around, our crazy van driver rambling along about his 30+ years as a van driver or some shit that I don’t care about, until we finally drive up into this “Peasant Family Restaurant” with two large pools out front.

We all got out of the vans and immediately got to work. The mission: catch our dinner. Several Lafayette students and Chinese students tried their hands at catching the fish, though Matt set the bar fairly high by snatching a pole and with one swift swing catching one up in 15 seconds. The rest took a bit longer. Then, the highlight of the evening, Phil – one of the Lafayette students – took it upon himself to kill one of the fish, but not in a conventional way. Rather, he just punched that fish straight across the face, and, like, in three good rounds.

The other highlight of the evening was the sleazy, fat owner of the restaurant, and his tricky wife. They tried to fuck us over not only by only suggesting crappy expensive dishes that no one would have wanted to eaten, but also by blatantly trying to overcharge us for the fish. They tried to argue that 10 10-inch carps weighted something ridiculous like over 80 kilos. Matt got fucking pissed and went off on the guy, threatening to call the cops, and saying how he’d take it to all the way to National People’s Congress if necessary. We argued back and forth, finding different scales and reweighing the fish, until we finally got a legitimate reading for the weight of the fish. We had it both roasted and as sashimi. It was quite delicious. Then we drove back to Beijing. And finished the night off there. We may have gone to P’ojang Macha with the professors, I don’t quite recall.

The next day was the students’ last day in Beijing; many interesting things were planned.

// I do apologize!//

Hello all!

I have spoken to some of you, but not many of you: and for this, I apologize!

It has just been an insane month, and now things are finally winding down, so I will have time to catch everyone up on what has happened. 

Things to look forward to reading about:

1. the end of the Lafayette program
2. the few days I had to myself in Beijing
3. the (travesty that was my) trip to Inner Mongolia (please note: Inner Mongolia is not part of the country of a similar name)
4. the August Program and our trip to the DPRK

PLUS, many awesome pictures

(in case you haven’t heard, I have lost my iPhone. we don’t need to discuss it. Let’s just continue on with our lives.)

updates will begin today