Happy 4th of July!

So, after getting caught up with my Chinese family and a sick Beiyu student, I missed the outing to the Peking opera. However, having spent Saturday morning exploring the hutongr ("alleyways"--not a good translation, but a standard one) of old Beijing across from Tian'anmen, and the afternoon at a very akward, even outrageous, meal with my Chinese family (the subject of an earlier, now deleted, post), I'd had about enough China for the day anyhow. I went to McDonald's for dinner, anticipating the 4th, and enjoyed my McChicken. I had planned to at least watch Germany vs. Argentina, but I fell asleep early in the game. I then slept long.

I must say, being in China makes the 4th of July all the more special. Today, for many reasons, I am really happy I am an American.

Academics: next Friday is cumulative midterm. So many characters to review! This week's oral went super (I outdid myself again), and the written test went okay.

All those rambling notes past, happy 4th of July to everyone! May God bless America!