You have to agree on that - it really has been a while.

I’ve been in Beijing almost a year and loads to show for it, and not all of it good. First, a firmer grasp on a language I barely understood. Second, a lot of friends that I know I will find awfully difficult to stay in contact with. Third, an absurdly different view on the world from when I first set foot on the hazy Beijing streets.

College is coming up, and I am a bundle of emotions: I’m excited, nervous, hesitant, and full of unconcious expectations. My sheets have been ordered, my room assigned, my dining card paid for, but still clueless as to what life in Pittsburgh will be like. I even know my roommate’s name, where he’s from, and what his voice sounds like, but no clue how i’ll cope with a junior sharing the same living space as me. It shouldn’t be a problem, right?

As for now? I’m excited with the Olympic games just around the corner. The people in Beijing have never been commended for their manners, but the improvements from when I first arrived, are not small. There are still the occassional taxi drivers that no matter how patient I am, still manage to get on my nerves. Or the grocer, who will not care whether a born and raised in beijing or clearly a ‘laowai’ is standing accross the counter, and will insist that she can speak understandable english. The Olympics are coming up, and the locals are trying their best to welcome what is now a steady stream of incomming foreigners.

I heard somewhere President Bush has taken up residence at the westin hotel (all to himself) along with a enterouge of 600+ FBI security agents. Our president can never be too careful.

And for anyone that can read:

??????