This week the pollution here in Beijing has been really bad. This has meant that we have avoided being outside at all cost, staying in on lunch breaks and staying away from tourist attractions outside as it is very unpleasant outside and difficult to breathe. The air makes you feel tired as well as not being able to see more than one building ahead of you – not making Beijing very attractive for photographs this week.
Regardless of this, however, I have still managed to have a great week. On Tuesday we went to KTV with the interns that were leaving and had a great night singing away to (Western) songs. We had a private room and pizza so it was a great opportunity to relax and say goodbye to some of the good friends I had made that were leaving, albeit a tad emotional at the end!
On Wednesday we went for a Mexican salad at the mall called Indigo not far from the accommodation. We went into a store looking for desert and came across some turtles that were tiny and all on top of each other in a tiny bowl. We decided to buy one each to save them and free them! Apparently Buddhists believe it is good karma to free an animal. I wanted to buy all of them as they were being sold for only one pound fifty. My turtle was named Sally. I’m sure she was thankful.
On Friday I organized a meal for the HR team from work and so we headed to Sanlitun to go to a Western restaurant. The meal was a success and it all went smoothly, with the managers thanking me for joining everyone together outside of work. It is not common for Chinese employees to go out after work together so it was a rare occurrence. We stayed in the restaurant’s bar until late and I had a good opportunity to learn about my managers and the other staff that are usually very busy at work in a social environment.
This weekend we decided to relax and avoid the weather so we went to the Silk Market which is the nearest market to us that is also inside so we didn’t have to face the weather. Here I managed to buy some small souvenirs for loved ones at home as well as going to a pizzeria for lunch. Sunday consisted of a swim and heading to Lakers to end the week with a chicken and cheese Panini and chips. I am worried about my waistline out here as all of my clothes have started feeling tight!
Tomorrow I am presenting a lunch and learn session at work and so far 40 people have signed up to it! Although I know everyone is very kind and lovely here I am still so nervous! I am worried that I will get too flustered, whilst everyone else who has given presentations has been so calm and collected. I shall update in my next blog post how it goes!
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