September 2014:
Much to our amazement, our time here is quickly disappearing, and our weekends left in Beijing are slim to none. This realization hit us like a ton of bricks. It was time to soak up as much of the Chinese culture as we could.
Much to our amazement, our time here is quickly disappearing, and our weekends left in Beijing are slim to none. This realization hit us like a ton of bricks. It was time to soak up as much of the Chinese culture as we could.
This past weekend, we did just that.
On Friday, I joined Grant and his colleagues for a
celebratory night out on the town.
It started at a Vietnamese restaurant in a very hidden hutong. The meal was spectacular…food kept
arriving, as quickly as it would disappear (as did the alcohol!). True to the Chinese custom, platters
kept whizzing by as we all dined family-style, giving us the opportunity to try
a number of Vietnamese dishes.
Afterwards, we all made our way over to Sanlitun (Beijing’s
Soho area) for KTV. We’ve heard so
much about KTV, and how popular it is here…finally, it was our chance to be a
part of it!
They take their karaoke very seriously over here. First, you’re directed into your own
private, themed room. Our theme
that evening? James Bond. Awesome. And the singing quickly began.
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but this was my very FIRST
time to partake in karaoke. How
I’ve managed to avoid it for 29+ years, I don’t know, but after hearing the
harmonious voices of our Chinese friends, I was SUPER nervous (and no, I’m not
being sarcastic…they were all REALLY good!).
I survived, even though the first song they chose for me was
YMCA. I mean, who sings YMCA
outside of a wedding reception?
Oh, and let’s not forget that NO ONE had heard it before. It. Was.
Awkward.
Towards the end of the night though, I was joining in on
songs I had never heard before – it was great! I think this bada$$ microphone had something to do with my
eagerness to join in on the fun…
On Saturday, our friend, Dany, invited us over for his
famous, homemade hot pot!
I love the Chinese house parties, as they’re extremely
relaxed, and all about lazily catching up over plenty of food and drinks.
We finished off the night by begging them to teach us
Mahjong, and had an absolute blast (plus, winning a few hands!). If you love dominos, you’ll love
Mahjong. We can’t wait to
introduce you all to it once we’re back in the west!
Best apron EVER! haha
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