Niujie Mosque

Today was a free day so I actually spent most all of it with Henry. He had never been to the Muslim part of town and I haven't been anywhere so I said I would go with him. The university arranged for a car to take us so it was Henry, the driver, our student guide and me. We didn't see that much of the Muslim area but our guide did take us to the Niujie Mosque where we walked around and took pictures.

Our guide was the best so far. Her name was Li Rah and she will be serving as an interpreter for the Olympics. When I asked her if Beijing is ready for the Olympics she grinned and jumped up and down and said Beijing is ready! If she has anything to do with it I am sure they will be.

After we went to the mosque our guide took us to a Muslim restaurant. She said they wouldn't serve pork or snake. I was surprised but not disappointed that I wouldn't be able to enjoy any snake. The food was fantastic. We ordered several dishes and then ate sort of family style. My chopstick skills have improved a bit but I still struggle if the food is too slippery. I prefer the cheap wooden chopsticks at home that any food will stick to.

The driver also came in to eat with us. He did not speak much English but would speak through her. He was funny and nice and kept my tea cup full of jasmine tea. I learned several things at lunch, including what to do when someone fills your cup, no, yes, thank you, you're welcome, that one and this one. I think there may have been a couple of others but since I can't remember I don't think I can say that I learned them. The driver put some sort of fried/grilled eggplant on my plate that was probably the best thing there. I had not interest in trying it but felt obligated once he added it to my plate.

The Chinese often give themselves English names (at least the ones who speak English) to make it easier to pronounce their names. Our guide today had chosen Karen as her English name. She also speaks German, by the way. On the way back we told her that we felt we needed Chinese names. She spent a lot of time thinking about appropriate names for each of us. She ended up with something Long (dragon) for Henry and chose Quieng Chi Nu for me. Quieng has a similar sound as Jones in Chinese so that was easy. The Chi Nu part is actually a combination of meanings as most of their words are. It essentially means an angel in heaven near the mythical lake. Much more suitable than Myra I thought :) She wrote down both the Pinyin and the Chinese characters for me. I wish I could remember how to pronounce it...

The students who have been with us are really interesting to me. This student was no exception. We kept thanking her for spending time with us and she explained that it was an honor and a duty for her. She is proud of her country and enjoys showing it to people. Vickie said much the same thing. They are very patriotic these students.

After lunch Henry took me down to the nearest mall. There are actually two where we went, one older and one much newer. The mall is basically a bunch of small booths with serpentine walkways. We didn't purchase anything but it was interesting to look around. I will eventually have to purchase something but I know that my bargaining skills will be laughable.

Afterward we walked about two miles in some direction of the school. No clue which way but it was fun to walk around looking at the shops and watching the people. I have learned that if I look directly at someone and smile about 50% of the time they will smile back. Never broadly but they will at least acknowledge your smile. We are constantly pointed at, looked at and occasionally openly gawked. We are relatively close to the venue for the Olympic bicycling event. Maybe after August Westerners will no longer seem quiet so foreign to the Beijingers.

Looking forward to tomorrow - the Taoism Temple, the Beijing Enamel Factory (because who doesn't love enamel) and the Beijing Opera tomorrow night.