They said that they would be giving us free foot massages so that we could tell the world about Chinese medicine and the holistic health benefits. Supposedly, the foot has pressure points that can affect all of the major organs in the body. In actuality, we were brought into the facility to be guinea pigs for the medical students so they could practice their skills. I don't know how I feel about being a guinea pig but I'm not gonna say no to a free foot massage. I guess it was a win-win-win scenario. The jury is still out about Chinese medicine.
I private tutored an adult student studying Chinese medicine. I don't know if she had a hard time expressing herself in English or if she really didn't know that much about her field of study, but when probed she always had trouble explaining Chinese medicine.
While at the health center in China, a medical palm reader diagnosed our bodies by looking at our palms. Curiously, no one was deemed healthy. I was diagnosed with major liver problems and others had problems that ranged from intestinal to hormonal. It is a good sales pitch. Captive audience having their feet massaged being told they might have terminal illnesses and should shell out money for herbal remedies.
We also went to a Chinese tea shop which was much more to my liking than the health clinic. We sampled a variety of teas, my favorites of which were lychee and oolong.
Which do you prefer massages or tea? (Not that either are remotely related and require you to choose one over the other.)
On the first day we went to the silk and pearl market. It was a six story building with vendors elbow to elbow competing for your money. They were vicious. If you've ever been splattered with blood and then dropped into a tank full of two pound pirahanas you might have an idea of what the market was like.
I saw a coat that I like but wasn't in the least bit interested in buying. The lady quoted me a figure of 3,200 yuan (approximately $450 US). I played along and we went back and forth. In the end she was willing to accept 400 yuan (approx. $60 US). I almost talked her down to one tenth of her original quoted price. I was actually very tempted to buy it but I was sufficiently turned off when as I walked away she barred my path and later grabbed my bag to keep me there. Vicious! 
We were lucky enough to arrive at the temple in the middle of a traditional Chinese theater performance. The characters were absurd and hilarious and I was pleasantly surprised at how well acted it was. 
Ever actor stayed in character throughout, even when they were off stage. The costumes and make-up were colorfully vibrant and made the performance that much more enjoyable. 
The grounds were laid out ancestral shrines and prayer markers. We even saw a rather modern looking monk with tennis shoes and a backpack.
Both temples were completely different from those I've visited in Korea. It was shocking how different the Buddhist temple was compared to the 
Beijing has to be the cycling capital of the world with huge numbers of its residents taking to these two wheeled machines as the primary form of transportation. So many people bike that the city has built special traffic lanes specifically for bikes and the also installed crosswalk lights for bikers. (We're gonna have to develop a new word for these lights because you clearly don't walk and 'traffic light' implies some sort of motorized vehicle.)
These 'bike lights' work in sequence with the pedestrian crosswalk lights but give bikers a five second head start....very valuable when racing quick footed pedestrians.
The theme is 'One World - One Dream' and the Olympics are represented by not one but 
Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing."
This building will house all of the swimming events and was designed to be visually stunning. The exterior of the building is meant to imitate water. The picture I snapped of it from the bus didn't capture the glory it was meant to reflect. 
But the artist interpretations are quite impressive, inside and out.
Despite the stadiums being built, Beijing still has a lot of work to do to be ready. One clear downfall is the transportation system. The subway routes are adequate but the trains are short and run at infrequent intervals. They have attendants whose sole purpose is to forcefully shove people onto an already over crowded train car to ensure that the doors close. We were victims of said forceful shoving and nearly toppled out backwards when the train arrived at the next stop.
The buses are no better. Buses in the city are numerous but so many people ride the bus that they are already overcrowded with Beijingers. I can't imagine adding the thousands more who with surely swarm the city to attend the Games.
Don't even get me started on taxis! Accessibility is nice. One hardly has to wait 30 seconds to be able to hail a cab. But don't plan on going anywhere fast during rush hour. The twelve miles from the Summer Palace to our hotel took an hour and a half. The one nice thing about all the public transportation (taxis included) is that it is incredibly cheap.
The city of Beijing won the Olympic bid with reservation from the Olympic committee. They would be allowed to host only with conditions. First, they must improve the humanitarian efforts for their own people. 
Second, this Olympic Games would be billed as a 'green' Olympics. 'Green' Olympics in Beijing? Who are they kidding? It has to have one of the worst air pollution problems in the world. Their proposed solution is to take a million cars off the road by the start of the Games. My questions: How? and Won't it just worsen the already problematic public transportation system?
It was chaos and the kids had a blast. They dug as many as they could find. 
After digging potatoes, we went to Mrs. Lee's house and picnicked on the lawn. She has a great lawn (rare in Korea to have a lawn at all) and persimmon trees in the yard. We got to play with her border collie and a new collie puppy. 
Mrs. Lee is a part time school principal and part time deer farmer. At her house, she had four deer in the back yard. She never ceases to amaze me.
The kids were so tuckered out on the bus ride back that they crashed.
We all ended up with some sweet potatoes that will made a good dinner some time.
What was your favorite field trip from school?
Mind means 'to be careful of' in this sense of use. One can be careful of ice and step around icy spots. One can be careful of hot coffee and prevent the possibility of spilling it. But how does one go about being careful of a hill?!? Is the hill going to jump out at you? Is it going to rise and fall with such speed that your legs will be swept out from under you? Enlighten me.
The thinly sliced meat is dipped in sauce and then eaten with a kind of rice tortilla. The chef also splits open the head so you can eat out the brains. I couldn't stomach that part.
The duck was very good though. It is marinated and then sered to create a crispy skin. The duck is then cooked in an oven of fruitwood or straw fire until the meat inside the skin is nice and tender.
Our favorite meal was our very last at one of the local hutong restaurants. We had chili chicken, sauteed shrimp, and deep fried fruit.
