Today's trek to the capital

Wow, I do know quite a bit of Chinese
Little confidence builders along the way can do wonders for the self-esteem in regards to language acquisition. My piecemeal conversation with a taxi driver while on the way to the train station did just that.

Subway shuffle
Navigating the subway in Beijing is actually quite easy. Maintaining physical stamina during said subway rides is somewhat difficult. Why? If you are looking for a good leg workout, I suggest spending the day on the subway. Need to work your calves and glutes? Multiple transfers mean hundreds of steps and strides (and I thought DisneyWorld queue lines were never ending). In all seriousness, the subway stairs provide you with your own personal space, as the locals prefer to take the jammed escalator, and a good workout. Another workout is maintaining your position in a moving subway car when a railing or handgrip is unavailable. Shifting your weight at just the right time is quite important, unless you want to head face first into a stranger’s armpit.

I’m always amazed at the ebb and flow of subway traffic: the human kind. As I transferred from line 10 to line 1, I longed to have my camera within reach. There were easily six or seven “lanes” of people walking towards Line 1 and at least three lanes of people exiting Line 1. All of us walking together in a rhythm of our own and coming together as a unified stream of traffic.

Snow
As I walked up the exit to the Tiananmen East subway station, light, airy snowflakes greeted me. Yay. The cold drove away most of the tourists, but there still were a few people scattered about in the square. As I walked past a mom and daughter, I heard the little girl delightfully sing, “Bei jing huan ying ni” (Welcome to Beijing), a song from the 2008 Olympics.

Wow, I really don’t know much Chinese
In my attempt to exchange my train ticket for an earlier time, I managed to flub up the Chinese words I needed to use and was quickly waved away by the lady behind the glass window. It was almost as if she had a gong behind the counter; and when I opened my mouth to say “wo bu yao zhei ge…”, she immediately rang it. NEXT. Fortunately the ladies behind the second floor counter were more patient. So much for my morning confidence booster.