Track Meet and Tiananmen Square

One of my teachers savoring our victory.

we aren't conceited at all.

This is Kyle and a girl whose name I forget from Korea. Kyle is 6'6 and she is about 4'9.

This is Chinese jump rope.

Me and Puge, a girl I met from Mongolia.

My 4 X 200 teammates.

A guard and the cleaning crew at Tiananmen at sundown when the flag is being lowered.

The Olympic mascots at Tiananmen.

A statue of Confucius at the Confucius temple.

As you can probably already tell, today I participated in a track meet. Every year at all schools across Beijing, there is a track meet and the different classes within the grades compete. The SYA students at our school participated in the 11th grade category. I ran the 2 x 400, the 100, and did shot put. The 2 x 400 did well, we got 2nd. I earned our team some points in shot put, which was good, but the 100 didn't go so well. I was also going to participate in the jump rope, but the last time I tried, I twisted my ankle pretty bad, so I've sworn off jump rope for awhile. The Chinese jump ropers are pretty good and have been doing it forever, so we got anilihated, but thats ok, we had fun. Over all, SYA came in 2nd in the 11th grade, which is apparently a feat unprecendeted, so our teachers were pretty happy, as you can see. While at the track meet, I met some kids from a boarding school also associated with our school. Many of them were Korean, but a few were Mongolian, which was so cool. We talked with them for awhile, its not like we didn't have the time. We had to be at school at 7 and didn't leave until 5, it was a pretty long day.

Yesterday, we went on a class trip to the Lama Temple and the Confucius Temple. The Lama temple I had already been to, but it was cool to go again. The Confucius temple is smaller, but much much older. All the trees were twisted and old. It was really pretty. Then my friend and I made our way to Tiananmen Square because neither of us had been yet and it seems like a place you just need to go if you are in Beijing. We got to see the guards taking the flag down at sunset and Tiananmen Square at night, which is so pretty. However, the cartoonish Olympic mascots added a different feel to Tiananmen Square. Most of the tourists were more interested in them than anything else. After visiting the square, we wandered down some alleys and say a little of Beijing's shadier side, but it was so cool. A lot of tea shops and places selling fruit. We only saw a little bit, but it went on forever. We could have spent hours there, but we thought that we should be home because we have to be at school tomorrow.

Tomorrow I am leaving for Si Chuan for vacation with my family. Next week is a national holiday here, almost like the 4th of July, but everyone gets a week off from work or school. I am pretty excited, its supposed to be really pretty there.
sorry all the pictures are out of order, but I can't figure out how to move them without downloading them again, and I am just too lazy.
Stephanie