Midterms! And Nanjing!

Kouyu:
Our exam consisted of several parts. Part 1: read several sentences with the correct tones (didn't know 2 characters...). Part 2: Make sentences and finish dialogues using the appropriate grammar structure (we learnt 49). Part 3: Describe what a character means, only using Chinese (I was super mad because one of my words wasn't in our new vocabulary and I had no clue what it was). Part 4: Tell a story using the pictures in front of you.

The story was about a Dad and his daughter finding a Christmas tree. The girl makes all these animal friends, and then they all celebrate Christmas together. How cute. A guy in our class forgot how to say Christmas so made up a word instead, no good.

After the exam I went to the cafe on campus to study. Katie later met me there. By 9:00 I was just so ready to get the test over with I couldn't study anymore!

Hanyu:
Just a lot of fill in the blanks, grammar, vocab, reading, writing etc. I didn't think it was too bad, but you really never know on Chinese tests. It depends so much on how hard teachers grade, and if you messed up the location of one word, or wrote the wrong tone for one. It was so nice to be finished though! Such a relief.

The Bridge Cafe:
A very interesting experience. A guy from our program randomly came and met us there. He had been drinking since the morning and didn't take his exam. He was being super inappropriate and creepy. I wasn't going to go to the Bridge, it was just going to be Katie, but thankfully I did. Anyway we left ASAP. Sadly didn't have the lazy afternoon of writing in our journals with a Caesar salad- vegetables! But we had a lazy afternoon in the dorm room instead. Rachel and Heather were switching rooms so they could room together for the rest of our time here.

Nanjing:
I bought a yoghurt from Wumei- it was so good! Too bad it has whole chunks of fruit in it. Marco had sent me a card and the CIEE people gave it to me on the bus. We drove to Beijing South Train Station. It's so much nicer than the West one! Waited around for a little, looked in all the touristy shops and ate some McDonald's fries (actually Rachel's McDonald's fries). Then we boarded the train on SOFT sleepers, I appreciate them a million times more after hard sleepers. Us four all got a room together so we were very happy. We chatted with other CIEE people, had some wine, and then went to bed.