February is here already...

It's exactly one month from when I arrived in Beijing in January. My, has time flown by! As I'm starting to realize how little time I have left in Beijing, I feel pressed for time. I've seen so little of Beijing, and yet, my time is up when I leave for the US at the end of March. From tourist sites such as the Great Wall to getting to know Beijing's different neighborhoods more intimately, I have so much left to do and see. I will admit that for the first 3 or so weeks here in Beijing, I was extremely homesick and even frustrated at times. Yep, so many times during those first few weeks, I wanted to go home and was sick and tired of the cultural and language barriers, rude and pushy strangers, crazy taxi experiences, different way of living, and culture shock. But now, I am starting to slowly but surely accept that 1) yes, China is full of rude and pushy strangers, but the friends that I have made here are so incredibly warm and welcoming; 2) although the language and cultural barriers have been frustrating, I've pushed myself to new limits; and 3) that while I perceive certain things such as the way of driving, line queueing, and spitting on the streets here as crazy and nonsensical, that's how things are here and I must let go some of my American perceptions and habits.

And so, as my time here is dwindling down, I hope to take advantage of every opportunity to get to know the city better. I have a good feeling that when it comes time to leave, I will be very sad -- something that, during my first few weeks here, I would have never anticipated happening.