oral midterm complete! i can't say the second part of it was my most stellar performance, but i didn't throw up or anything in the middle of it, so i guess it's cool regardless of the grade. boy, my standards sure are high.

as a celebration i went to my favorite "hole in the wall" restaurant to eat jidan chao bing, which is like strips of bread fried with egg, chinese cabbage, and lots of MSG. there was no room for me in the restaurant (there are like 7 seats), so i was sitting outside on the ground by the kitchen happily munching away when i noticed a lot of... scurrying in the bushes. intrigued by the possibility that it might be a bird eating some scraps (i've seen like 4 birds in beijing) i got up to take a closer look. the bushes were obscuring my view, so i sat back down and continued eating. suddenly, the person sitting next to me on the ground, an 80 year old man wearing traditional communist era work clothes, turns, looks me straight in the eye and says in perfect english: "there are many rats in china." i was too stunned to say anything except for "oh," but he had already turned his full attention back to his food. gotta love these china-specific "snapshot" moments.

additionally, my mom sent me a package! i've never been so excited about dried pineapple and chocolate before in my life. (the chinese still haven't quite gotten down the idea that chocolate should not have a chalky texture). i also got some halloween goodies (including some cool socks... made all the more cool by the fact that they are clean and pure as fresh fallen snow. i'll save them for a special day.) and two new english language books! so tomorrow, after i finish the last part of my midterm, i can read and eat chocolate! or... sleep and drink. both are cool with me.