Grossest Bathroom of all time! (So far...)

Last night after work most of the teachers went out to celebrate the close of the first half of our summer term. Claire told us about a great restaurant area called the Muslim Quarter because it has a large Muslim population and Muslim shops and restaurants.

We took a quick subway ride to the area and walked around for a bit trying to find it. It was one of the least developed areas of Beijing that I have seen so far. As with all parts of Beijing, there is a lot of construction, but a lot of it was pretty run down. There wasn't any true sidewalks and the streets were either in need of great repair or just dirt roads. However, the mood outside was festival and there were a lot of people out enjoying our much cooler weather.

We ordered a lot of food to share and it was all incredible. Lots of vegetables and varying types of tofu. We had some Japanese tofu which is fried on the outside and all gooey in the middle covered in a tomato sauce. We also ordered a dish of tomatoes and it arrived with tons of sugar on top. It was actually really good. We had fresh Naan bread that was delicious. We also had cheap beer.

After dinner, people started making trips to the bathroom. I went on one of these expeditions with Claire and Laura. One of the men at the restaurant led us by flashlight down a few streets. The bathroom had no lighting and it was just holes in the floor to squat over. That part wasn't so bad, but the worst part was the smell. The ammonia was pungent to say the least. We laughed so hard on our walk back. Claire and Laura officially declared me a true Beijing resident! We came back and met up the others from their own bathroom experiences. There was many rounds of beer and toasts celebrating victories great and small from the past four weeks (and that evening!). I felt that the ammonia was stuck in my throat for awhile and so did everyone else. It was a pretty awesome night. Three months ago I didn't know these people and now here I am! I also came early this morning to read that one of my good friend's from college is engaged! I have a fantastic excuse to visit Hawaii in the future!

Luckily, today was a non student day at work today and we didn't have to be work until twelve. I talked to my Mom and Patrick in the morning after sleeping in. We were all a bit nursing varying degrees of hangovers at work so it wasn't the most productive day at work, but I think we have bonded a bit more!

Tonight, I went to my favorite farmer's market after the gym to pick up vegetables and fruit. I'm starting to make friends there. It's fun to practice my numbers with one of the owners that gets a kick out of my butchered pronunciation of everything!

Happy August!

Captain's Log! 12 Weeks Down