Friday and Saturday

Friday
Because we start classes next week, we opened a legal text for the first time in over a month. This time, however, we did so in a "French" bakery just west of BeiDa, and learned what the recent death of a Chinese migrant worker tells us about the role of magistrates in Chinese law, both today and during imperial times. Unfortunately, the professor assigned some reading that's bit too philosophical for my tastes, and so I am not looking forward to the inevitable discussion of Max Weber come Tuesday.

Post-Weber, we looked for a Mandarin tutor. I was planning on working part-time for a law firm here in Beijing during the school year, but after talking with some attorneys here in Beijing, I think my efforts will be better spent learning Mandarin. After all, it would be terrible to leave Beijing knowing how to do foreign direct investment in China, but not knowing how to speak with the other side of the bargaining table. So, we have an appointment with 1-on-1 Mandarin for Monday afternoon, and we'll get to take a sample class before we sign on the dotted line. And the firm I'd like to work for is happy to have me next semester, after I know more Chinese.

We also found a closer "Western" grocery store than Jenny Lou's. Pancake mix was finally found, as were chips and salsa. Guess what we had for dinner?

Oh, and we watched "Hot Fuzz." If you haven't seen it, we highly recommend getting it when it comes out on DVD in the US.

Saturday
Despite the small snag of getting kicked out of yet another cab this morning, we got out of Haidian. Our second driver was more than happy to take us to our destination, although I had to give him some directions when he started trying to run up the meter with a particularly circuitous route. Thank goodness for the Mandarin Phrasebook.

Eventually made it to the Beijing Botanical Gardens, which are nestled up against the mountains in the northwest corner of the city. After more than a week spent being urban, it was nice to walk in some grass among the trees. Granted, the pooping, diaperless babies still intruded upon our tranquility, but that was a small price to pay for some flaura and fauna.

Within the gardens is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. It's a pretty huge series of buildings, and the last structure contains a statue of the reclining Buddha, a 250,000 kilos sculpture made entirely of solid copper. Perhaps because Buddhism is Indian in origin, all of the statues within the temple resemble Indian figures, and not Chinese people.

After making our way back down the hill, we went looking for a restaurant nearby that is listed in a book given to us by some friends. We must have gone right by it, or our map must have been bad, because we ended up about two miles too far down the road. And that was two miles that involved the sweltering heat, an open sewer, and seeing a man washing his hair in a bucket on the sidewalk. So we hopped in a cab and headed to Kro's Nest for some pints and pizza, on the recommendation of some other friends.

Tonight we're reading a bit more for class, studying Chinese, and watching Happy Feet. Should be fun...