Wait, Where am I again?

Well, the sun was out and the smog was very low by Chinese standards on my first day here in China. My host sister Song Yu (English name Rayna) is so sweet. She spent 3 days doing her vacation homework before I got here so that she could be my tour guide and accompany me while I get things that I need to settle in. Among these items you will find: hangers, conditioner, removable wall hooks, a bath towel and peanut butter - no protein bars to be found. We were also successful in finding an ATM that would let me withdraw cash - success. 

 Last night when when I arrived here I was pleasantly surprised to learn that we would be driving to the apartment and not taking the subway (which is what I originally thought would happen). My host family consists of my sister Song Yu, her parents and her grandparents that are currently living in the house above us. Exhausted from the 14 hour flight and little sleep the night before, I took a shower and called it a night. Showerjng here is quite the experience, especially for someone like me who doesn't like to make a mess. You basically shower right in the middle of the bathroom... There is no "shower". 

 This is morning it was off to the races after breakfast. We did a lot of walking. At the first store we went to the smell near the meat counter turned my stomach. The second store wasn't so bad. 

As I suspected, food here will be challenging for me. My host family is amazing with me seeing as how I told them I don't eat beef, chicken or pork. I got broccoli, fish, rice and tofu for my first meal. Initially it was okay, the rice winning top prize in the taste category, but by the end the bites weren't going down so easily. I had to stop. After a nap that was way longer than planned, dinner was build your own dumplings and the uneaten remaining broccoli from lunch. I managed to avoid eating the "porridge".

ill wait until he end of the week before deciding how I feel about Beijing as a city. 

*** Also, VPNs are not as reliable as they should be!