Week 3 of the Dumpling report

The last few weeks have been full of observations and I've been trying to keep running track so I could update you ... below are just a few:

• The only person with a bike helmet in all of Beijing seems to be the McD's bike delivery guy.
• The first words a non English speaking person would learn upon arrival in the States are 'like' and 'yeah.' I know this for sure because the most common sounds I hear are 'jegah jegah' and 'doi doi doi', meaning 'like' and 'sure, whatevs'. So my vocab constants of only basic fillers and pleasantries right now. Not really cutting it. Also, accent placement is everything - the same letter combo with different emphasis can mean ear, #2, or you're stupid.
• It is apparently bad form to eat a fish before seeing it brought to the table alive in a bucket for your inspection. If that fish looks like more than your group could eat or is not looking chipper, you send it back to suffer a bit longer and ask to see one of his buddies. Brutal.
• I am super tall here. A good example would be that I saw the changing of the guard at Tiananmen Square from 6 rows back. Amazing!
• One should have full faith in the meteorologist report here. I mean, they can MAKE it snow.
• The Opening and Closing ceremonies of the 2008 were apparently the most amazing events to ever occur. They can be found playing on the government TV channel at any point of the day, as well as on large screens in public squares.
• If you think about it, the empress selection process is not too far off from the modern day hit 'The Bachelor.'
• A person should never watch Locked Up Abroad while living in a strange land. Never.

I have seen SO many really impressive things (they've got this really big wall here) and have tried an assortment of new foods (jellyfish is not my favorite). And next weekend I am travelling to Xi'an to eat these amazing dumplings in shapes like flowers and goldfish and turkeys... Oh yeah, and seem some warriors. Will be good!