Between my jet lag and the adrenaline of finally being in China it was easy to wake up for my three hour Chinese language course and the course went well. The professor tried to teach us how to barter in Chinese and we tried to pretend like we were comprehending the language and retaining the information. After class we all grabbed a quick Chinese lunch and headed to our first meeting with Professor Akin. Professor Akin is perhaps the most relaxed professor I have ever met. Our classroom setting was extremely laid back and the conversation was focused on how we were all adjusting to life in China and the upcoming activities in which we would be participating. The meeting was scheduled for three hours but it ended after about forty-five minutes. A small group of us decided to head back to Sanlitun to try and find a famous pizza restaurant named The Tree. After a forty-five minute subway ride and two hours of aimless searching (we were pointed in each of the four compass directions at least three times apiece) we finally found The Tree tucked away in the back corner of Sanlitun’s bar street. The pizza was good and they had a great selection of microbrews, but the setting made you feel like you were in a dark beach bar instead of in the city of Beijing. After some more aimless exploring our group headed back and decided that we would go out in Wudaokou that night. The walk to Wudaokou consisted of more beer drinking on the streets. Our group moved slowly stopping in front of various buildings to take a break and to try to construct a plan of action for the rest of the night. At one point we were sitting across the street from the corner where Lush is located and a Chinese promoter came up to a group of us and gave us VIP passes to Global Club (a dance club that is located below the building that is across the street from the building that contains Lush). Russell and I decided that it was worth checking out. As we walked to the door the promoter waved us past a group of Chinese individuals who were paying a 50 rmb cover and we went downstairs. Global Club was every bit the opposite of what Propaganda had been the night before. There were private rooms, everyone was dressed in nice attire, there were plush white couches, a DJ on an elevated stage and a clean feel to the entire place. After these quick observations Russell and I went back upstairs to bring everyone else downstairs. After a long night of dancing and complimentary drinks I grabbed a taxi home with two other people. The only way I got the taxi to take us anywhere was yelling “DONG MEN BEIDA” (East Gate of Peking University) as loud as I could. I have a theory that taxi drivers discriminate against Americans in Beijing.
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