Sick

Today was not a good day. Last night, I got braised beef and a weird blue soda from a nearby resturant. While everything tasted good at the time, I woke up this morning with a sore throat and an upset stomach. I decided I could tough it out and went to Tai Chi this morning anyways. I felt worse and worse as the morning went on, but decided to go to class anyways. By the time I got there, I knew that I probably couldn't make it through the next few hours without passing out or throwing up. I went back to my room and the next several hours were spent unconcious on my bed or in the bathroom. On a happy note, Monica brought by some Tylenol, water, and cookies (thanks again if you're reading this!). I can't remember the last time I've felt this bad and this has definitely been the worst experience I've had on this trip so far. I was about to ask Dr. Liu to take me to the health center, but I felt a little bit better when I woke up an hour ago. All I know is that I'm never going to eat at Seaside Scenery Coffee again and I hope that I'll be well enough to go back to class tomorrow.

On the other hand, this weekend was pretty fun. I was a little bit tired when we left for Beijing on Saturday morning, but I was excited to visit some of the great tourist attractions of China. First we visited Tiananmen Square, which is one of the largest squares in the world. We visited the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong and the influence he still has on the Chinese people was especially apparent here. One man even got down on his knees to bow to the body before being pulled up by the everpresent guards. We visited the Forbidden City, which was pretty amazing, considering the size and antiquity of the structures located within. One thing I've noticed about China is the commercialization of historical sites. At almost every place we've visited, there have been merchants trying to sell us trinkets and souvenirs. It bothers me that no place is untouchable (even the room right next to the one where Mao's body is kept is a gift shop), but I guess you can't really blame these people for trying to make a little money.

Unfortunately, it was raining by the time we got to the summer palace. It probably would have been a beautiful sight on a clear day, but everything was just wet and foggy. The Peking Opera we saw was an interesting experience, but I doubt I'd ever go to for my own enjoyment. The voices of the singers are too high for my tastes and in my opinion, it doesn't sound very musical. The skill of the actors was apparent though, especially in the martial arts scenes. The next day, the class visited part of the Great Wall. It was foggy and rainy again and I feel like I missed out on some great picture oppurtunities; the surrounding mountains and scenery would have been beautiful if I were able to see them. Nevertheless, the fog added a sense of mystery to the climb and made it feel as if I were inside a cloud.

The hotel we stayed in was a nice surprise. The rooms were spacious and each of them had a balcony. I was even able to catch a glimpse of an unobscured night sky, something I haven't been able to do in Tianjin due to smog and fog. Although we visited some great historical sites, I wish we could have had more time in Beijing to explore the modern aspect of China. Hopefully, I'll feel better in time for our trip to Xi'An this weekend.