Fireworks

I cannot even begin to hope to describe last night. First, around 5:30, Aijia came by my room to ask if I wanted to go to the park, which of course I did.

When we finally got to the park, it was closed, but it was a long and interesting walk, with fireworks exploding in every direction. We decided we were hungry, so we went to a very cozy restaurant and had dinner. (Chinese food again. Did you ever think about what it would be like to have Chinese food for every meal, every single day, for eight months? Not that it's bad, I love Chinese food, but still. Think about it. Think about the MSG.)

Later that evening, Shuyi, Lili, Jia Jia, Aijia, Mengen, and I went out to Pure Girl Bar again. I mean, Pure Girl Bar is apparently the cheapest bar in Beijing, and has a very nice, relaxed atmosphere, but still. We drank sweet, girlie drinks and gossiped and played pool. We kept hearing explosions, but, as I said, I've been hearing explosions all week. If there is one thing the Chinese LOVE it is fireworks. But eventually we went outside to see what could be seen, and I am so glad we did.

I have never, never seen anything even remotely as intense. The noise, the explosions in every direction. Jia Jia and I ran down the block to get a better view, and we kept nudging each other to look at spectacular pyrotechnics in every direction, hugging ourselves and jumping up and down (we had not bothered with anything so mundane as coats), and screaming. "I LOVE CHINA!" we shouted at the top of our lungs. And I do. Oh, I do.

We ran back up the block to where Aijia was standing, and then the three of us ran and leaped and shouted down four blocks, surrounded on all sides by explosions and flashes of light. The air was thick with smoke, and I was convinced that at any moment I would be blinded, but at the same time I felt that it would be kind of okay, since I have seen New Year's in Beijing.

"This is unreal!" Jia Jia cried. It really was. I'm simply not doing justice to the experience. You'll just have to trust me. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

Eventually, we went back to the bar for more drinking, dancing, and talking. A very tall guy who did not speak Chinese bought me a drink, which was kind of nice even though it was, he said, "Jack and Coke," which is nasty. I'm really not much of a drinker. Last semester I think I had one beer, after the Washburn Halloween Party. And there comes a point when discussing some drunk guy's views on feminism at three a.m. is just boring, so I got my coat and got Aijia, who'd had a bit too much to drink, to get in a cab and go home.

Please don't send me emails about not drinking. You know who you are. Please trust me to be responsible, because I am. And Happy New Year.