Return to Beijing

So far, every time I have been in Beijing I am amazed at how much the city has changed since I was last here. Only 6 months have passed since the Olympics, but already the shine and formality of hosting the games has faded from the city. Restrictions have been lifted, life has returned to more normal patterns. The large plans to present the best face of the city were executed brilliantly. The streets were clean, plants green, questionable activities removed, manners learned. I am happy to report that most of this has faded, life has mostly returned to normal. The manners have made what seems to be a somewhat permanent return to the city, but the vendors have returned which brings back so much life to the city.

Cars have also returned to the streets, bringing with them pollution and the tendency to see the sun every few days. That said, I will take the compromise though. Beijing is a city that I first fell in love with covered with smog, full of vendors and life. While the Olympics were an amazing event, the city that was presented to the world had little resemblance to the city I know. It was too shiny, too clean and too well behaved.

The other big change has been the weather. Apparently, with my return I also brought snow. For the first time ever during my time in Beijing, we had three days of measurable snow. It provided a nice white covering to campus and a chance to see my students actually acting like kids, playing in the snow, having snowball fights and generally forgetting that they were as formal as they normally are. Accompanying the snow has been a prolonged period of cold weather. I do not remember this from last year, but it reminiscent of my first year here.

School is different while at the same time seeming similar. My classes are the same, but life at school is a lot different. I am spending a lot more time in the office, getting work done, meeting with students and trying to be a presence at the school. Coursework is a bit more than last year, but that is mostly due to the unfamiliarity of Geography. The classes are going well and the lack of a textbook gives me a lot more flexibility in lesson planning.