East Asian term is almost over...

So we just arrived at our last stop in China... Beijing! Reasons I am happy to be in Beijing:

1) One step closer to the things I miss in life like cheese and cranberry juice.
2) No more long bus rides from one city to another.
3) It's the capital city of China!

Reasons I despise being in Beijing right now:

1) Tomorrow we have a test. Tuesday we have a project due. Wednesday we have a paper due. Thursday we have a final. And there will be no reviews (reference down further in the blog for this).
2) This is the LAST place we will visit in Asia.
3) I will feel strange not being with these people every day soon.

Anyway, first and most important piece of news for those who haven't heard... Van had a heart attack. He has stayed back with Ma Laoshi and his family is flying in tonight to be with him. He will not be joining us again and this means that we have lost our history teacher. We don't get little history lessons at important historic sites and we do not get a review for the exam or feedback on our papers (I turned in my rough draft to him just one day too late)... so my grade is kind of screwed. It also means we have lost our art teacher for the time being and will not get feedback on work for our art project. Overall, the situation is lousy for everyone. And pretty terrible for Van in general.

On the plus side, the most exciting thing so far in China (probably) happened today. We climbed the great wall! And I mean climbed too... we walked it, we jogged it, and we climbed it. It was pretty intense. Most of us went the way that has more of the original wall (has not been repaired for walking tourists yet) so it wasn't just strenuous stone steps the entire way. The wall is amazing though.

Also, pictures on my camera may be working from the great wall on... we'll see. I might have figured out how to avoid it deleting them on me. Of course, it is relatively late to help me much at this point.

We have done lots of great things lately like the Summer Palace in Chengde and the countryside in Yan'an, but the constant/daily bus rides have taken their toll on me. And work is catching up too quickly. I'm just hoping I'll have enough free time in Beijing. I want to go to the zoo (to see pandas... xiong mao), see some Beijing Opera, and do some shopping.

Honolulu is soon though, and I think we will all be ready to relax. I plan to sleep a lot and maybe read something good as well (no more articles about tropical soils in the guidebook). But I do not want to go home. Sorry guys.