“This past week a group of us traveled to Lake Xihu (West Lake) in Hangzhou. Although it was raining on and off during the day, the lake was pleasant and we found ourselves walking through some of the trails and walkways along it. In the middle of the lake is an island, on which we wandered about and watched the water show that plays on the lake. The water spouts are choreographed to music that plays about every 15 to 20 minutes. While in the Lake Xihu area, we wandered around one of the malls and ate at one of the many restaurants.

Aside from that, however, were our Chinese placement exams. Although the written exam did not last more than an hour, and conversational exams no longer than 15 minutes, they were still nerve wracking. Despite our nerves, though, we all did very well. Many of us were placed into our desired class bracket or higher. Class orientation was Monday and our first real classes began today.

Finally, this last weekend was my birthday! So, Professor Lin organized a group dinner at the hotel next to the city’s international book store. We were all treated to more food than we could eat, including a cake that Cherry brought for us. A handful of us got lost trying to get to the hotel, but our knowledge of Chinese allowed for us to communicate effectively with one of the locals who led us straight there.

All in all, I’d say this week was just as busy as the one prior!” -Loren