Oh, China!

Well, I decided that slamming my camera on my desk would be a good idea...and oh it was because MY CAMERA WORKS!!! I am totally excited and I have taken lots more pictures (check them out: http://picasaweb.google.com/BrittneyABaker/

I don't have a ton of time to update right now, so I will give you a flavor for some of the things I have noticed/experienced and if you want the full play by play story of my adventures you can ask :-)

Snack Foods: WILD flavors!! So far, I have tried lots of different Popsicles for SUPER CHEAP, thirty-five cents (USD) and less...and they are delicious. I also ate Chips Ahoy that were coffee flavored, which I am pretty much in love with. The potato chip flavors are endless. Today I had Italian Red Meat Flavor, which surprised me in how good they actually were. I also enjoy this apple nutrient milk...I have no idea what it is really called because it is written in Chinese. It looks like milk, but isn't refrigerated and tastes like a caramel apple.

Smog Reduction: In the past few days we have seen a significant reduction in the amount of smog. One of our first days in China we went to Tienanmen square and you could barely make out the picture of Chairman Mao across the square, but we went back today and it was crystal clear. I have even seen blue skies the last few days. China has really pulled it together for the Olympics!

Fashion: Men wear their shirts half rolled up so that their stomachs and sometimes even nipples hang out. I thought that this would just occur on the hottest days, but no...it happens all of the time. Other men prefer to wear their button down shirts completely open. Today I had a pretty good sighting of a man wearing a shirt rolled up to his neck and a button down shirt over it that was completely open. Heels and looking very trendy or not matching at all are the trends in women's fashion here. I saw someone walking down the Great Wall in 3 inch pointy-toed heels....ridiculous! The babies don't wear diapers, but just have the butt slits so that they can easily use the bathroom in the streets.

Celeb Status: Pretty much wherever we go people want to take pictures of us. Today we had a free day and a small group of us hung out around Tienanmen Square. During that time we took about 50 pictures with different Chinese people. Many of those pictures were with the Mongolian Army Band, who were in Beijing to play in the opening ceremony. Many of these mens rocked the mullet! They each wanted to take a picture with us individually.

Driving: There are basically no enforceable traffic laws. People just merge when they want to. They swerve around the streets and it is basically crazy. Tonight I almost died and our taxi driver almost killed about 15 people on bikes.

I'll try to update more writing soon, but I will definitely update the pictures!

Miss you! Love you!
B