"Beijing is very dry. Never have a lot of rain." (*)

Pah. Liars, the lot of them! Pah also to the people who designed the windows in my apartment building just so it would look like it'd been raining earlier, not like it was still pouring down from the heavens (which of course it was). To add insult to injury, many of the roads were closed off in Haidian district yesterday morning to allow for a trial marathon to take place. When I stepped outside not only did I recognise my fatal mistake, but I also realised that my only umbrella was in the place where I seem to spend most of my life these days- the office. So I was in for a ride. Well, not a ride exactly, because there were no buses going my way, and all the cabs I saw were carrying people who'd been just a bit luckier than me. What to do? On I walked, past hordes of brave marathon runners making their way through what was turning into a lake as opposed to a street, and past hundreds of even braver spectators who were cheering the runners on, standing in the pouring rain in what must have been the coldest temperatures since the end of winter.

Naturally, when I arrived at work eventually, I was soaked to my bones- luckily my crazy, loving friend stole a shirt from some unsuspecting member of the sales team. Today is my day off, it's still cold out but I couldn't care less- I'm still in bed, lazin' away the effects of another long week. Nice.

By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if the marathon-related road closings were portrayed as some act of surpression on certain news sites- "Beijing government now terrorises own people" or something to that effect. The western media seem to be making up for their blind spots with a streck of creativity these days.

Anyway.

Bis dann,

Nadine












My brilliant, bigarse street of Zhichun Lu







(*) Disclaimer: My Chinese is much worse than that.