Nothing Much of Note

I’m not sure what is going on. My hair is in incredible condition right now. I don’t know if it’s the dirty water I’m washing it with, or the increased amount of tofu I’m eating. Regardless of the cause, my hair is shiny and thick, and it has never looked like this before. Thank you, China.

As you can probably tell, because I’m writing about my hair, nothing much is happening lately. I’m really just settling in right now and meeting a lot of people. Last night I experienced a bit of Beijing nightlife when I went to a dance club on Sanlitun with a bunch of friends. I don’t know why, but I really wasn’t expecting what I saw at Sanlitun.

The streets were lined with bars and dance clubs, and there was music everywhere. It looked nothing like the Beijing I know so far. Flashing lights covered the awnings of buildings, and drunk people stumbled around the streets. I tend to think of Beijing as more reserved than the scene I observed last night. I guess that I was quite wrong in my preconceived notion.

I was skeptical about going to a dance club because of how I have heard they are in the states. Last night, though, I figured that because I was with four guys who think of me as their younger sister, it would probably be fine. Indeed, it was fine, and even a little fun. I could have definitely done without smoke machines and being in such close proximity to other people, but it wasn’t the awful scene I was expecting a dance club to be. My friends kept an eye out for me, too, and I stuck with them the entire time.

I don’t see myself going very often, just because large situations like that aren’t exactly my cup of jasmine tea. I can say, however, that I won’t immediately disregard the possibility of going in the future if I’m invited by a large group of friends. I got a good chance to speak Chinese last night, too, when locals looked interested in hanging out with our large group of foreigners. It was extremely loud, so communication was somewhat limited. Nevertheless, we were all dancing with the locals and having a nice time. So, all in all, my first dance club experience was a good one.