Welcome - First Post
Welcome to my blog. 
I'm going to try to update this site regularly with stories of my experiences in Beijing (北京). I've just started a year long program at Tsinghua University Law School (清华大学法学院). This first week has been a challenge adapting to a different culture and language. My chinese (汉语) is very rusty, and I only remember a few phrases. However, when I got lost yesterday in the Haidian District (海淀区) shopping area, I was able to communicate well enought to get directions to where I needed to go. The locals could sort of understand my questions, and I could understand that I should go where they were pointing.
This morning I picked up an english version of a local weekly paper "Beijing Today." It has several stories I wouldn't expect to see in a US newspaper.
1. "Pet mercy killer faces criticism" - A woman admits to euthanizing over 10,000 stray dogs with lethal injections. The article points out that none of the dogs were rescued from local restaurants.
2. "Man uses old, blind beggar for profit" - Apparently, a local man gave free room and board to an 80 year-old, blind man in exchange for all profits from his panhandling. The police assured that they are cracking down on this type of arrangement.
3. "Families sue hospital over 21-year twin mix-up" - A hospital accidentally switched two baby boys in 1986, and one of the switched babies has an identical twin. The families discovered the mistake this year when the twins, separated at birth, accidentally met each other. DNA tests confirm that the families have been raising the wrong sons for 21 years. They are now suing the hospital for $150,000 US.
I'll update soon with cultural observations.
