Well, its that time of year again. Classes started today accompanied with the usual onslaught of homework and frantic mornings. Yup, panic on the first morning. Shaping up to be a good semester so far! 

Made the prerequisite trip to the Forbidden City this past Sunday, as arranged by my program. Luckily, both the pollution and crowds were less overbearing than usual due to a rainstorm in the morning. 

 Crazy clear day at the Forbidden City

Oh my....
sometimes it really pays off to have your camera handy

 Hot pot to celebrate the start of classes!
Hot pot is kind of like Chinese fondu, only vaguely healthier and much more fun

I decided to start keeping a log of the pollution in Beijing to show everyone how bad it can really get. I use the official pollution count published by the US Embassy, which continues to exist despite the best efforts of the Chinese government. A pollution count of 0-50 is healthy, 51-100 moderate, 101-150 unhealthy for "sensitive groups" (begin to moderate outdoor exercise), 151-200 unhealthy (severely moderate outdoor exercise), 201-300 very unhealthy (don't even bother putting on your running shoes), and over 300 is classified as "crazy bad" by the US Embassy (as in go outside at your own risk). The first few days in Beijing were rather depressing, but recently we are experiencing unusually amazing weather. Needless to say, I'm not going to get used to it!

September 2, 2012: Official US Embassy Pollution Count: 6 (!!!)

Looking forward to exploring more of Beijing this weekend with my roommate and friends from my program. Lots has changed since I have been here (3 years ago) and Im looking forward to getting to know the newer Beijing. Lucky for me, the best parts of Beijing have not changed (I have already gotten a few people hooked to bubble tea :) ).