茶 (chá) - Tea

Let me preface this with a piece about Americans students abroad. 
It mentions both Northwestern University AND Peking University. How about that?

@The Onion - here we are having a cultural experience that involves drinking! ...tea.

The Onion does have a point, though. Admittedly, I haven't been dedicating all my time to studying while I've been here, but I also haven't been "dicking around," either! Knowing that I'll be here for only two months - longer than the average vacation but shorter than the average study abroad program - I'm allowing myself to fall into some kitschy tourist traps while also trying to become better acquainted with the area around Beida, which has been my home for the past two weeks (and will continue to be for another month and a half). And you know what? I quite enjoy being a tourist :)

The term "touristy-traditional" suits Laoshe to a T!

Since it wasn't already a pre-scheduled excursion, the "first grade Chinese" class organized a group outing to the Laoshe Teahouse for Sunday evening. Having spent an entire chapter in our second year Chinese textbook learning teahouse vocabulary at Northwestern, my fellow third years and I didn't want to miss this opportunity! Located near Tiananmen Square, the teahouse was pretty touristy and a little pricey, but it was an awesome cultural experience. People dressed in traditional Chinese costumes served us green tea and snacks, and performances included kung fu demonstrations, Peking opera, instrumental music, dancing, singing, and even stand-up comedy (all in Chinese, of course).

The act I was most anticipating was the tea acrobatics. There is something inherently badass about twirling around a long-necked pot of hot tea before pouring it neatly into a tiny teacup, all without spilling a single drop. Don't believe me? Check it:

So basically, I want to be the girl in the middle. After three years of spinning flag and two years of spinning rifle on color guard, teapot spinning should be the next logical step up, right? I've been meaning to pick up a new hobby...