I'm sitting here in my fairly-sweet apartment near Beijing's 北五环路/Fifth Ring Road - to give an idea of how far away that is from everything, the Sixth Ring Road is just a planner's dream. I'm eating 烧茄子 (eggplant in sweet brown sauce) and some Lay's stewed bean curd meat flavor potato chips (no actual meat) - you lose a lot foodwise when you come to China, but you also definitely gain some important things. I'm listening to The Smiths, reading people's blogs, and feeling leisured for the first time in about a month.
The main problem is applying to grad school, but I've at last finished a rough draft of the personal statement and sent off transcript requests today. Granted, I'm willfully ignoring half a dozen other things that really should have been taken care of by now, not to mention the great looming need to deal with a writing sample, but the time pressure feels slightly diminished. Applying to grad school isn't really a hardship, but it is a constant pain in the ass with task after task that must get done, accompanied by nagging anxiety on whether you'll actually get in.
In any case, China is treating me well, aside from the pollution-induced headaches. Sorry to fall mute to everyone, as the grad school stuff continues to diminish I'll try to keep in touch better.
