Well, I have officially finished my first week of uni. Overall, its a bit easy at the moment (we're learning family members right now, as opposed to such enthralling topics as desalinization and social security like we were studying at ANU, but at least I understand this!) but it gets harder later in the semester. And, at the rate we're going, we'll be finished our first text book in a few weeks, as we're averaging one lesson per day (with around 30 new words to remember every day).

The weather is warming up, hopefully for good. I think in the two weeks I've been here, I've experienced enough Beijing winter for a lifetime. This may just be a coincidence though, but whenever it is cold here, the sky is clear. So clear it is blue. Alas today we're back to grey.

Anyway, on Saturday night Luchi, Rod and I hit the town. We started off the night at The Den, which I guess is some sort of rugby club. There was hardly a Chinese person in the joint, but it was packed with laowai. Then we somehow managed to score a free feed at a hotel a few doors down with some Beijing and Shanghai rugby teams... We didn't really last long there, then we walked over the road to Sanlitun Bar Street, to SHOOTERS! Yes, they have Shooters in Beijing, and it is (dare I say it) better than the one in Canberra! 10 Yuan shots, free entry, hardly any "pub rock", and there was actually a DJ. So, after a few hours and 10 shots each, we stumbled into taxis and went home. I had a pretty impressive hangover the next day too.

Anyway, here are some pics. I don't have any from the first couple of days, because they're on Dad's digi... But I'm working on it.



Nigga and I rocking it on the way to the airport




My room at ISC - bigger than Burgmann!




The view from my room - note the sky colour




Crossing the road in Sanlitun




Luchi and I at Shooters




Rod with a seedy mo at Shooters