I've found this add on to firefox incredibly useful for both character study and communication, especially when I don't have time to open a dictionary and go hunting for radicals.

Basically, its an instant Chinese character dictionary. You just have to highlight the character and a definition will instantly appear.

This can be a huge asset for MSN conversations and email communication with Chinese friends.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3349

Check it out and let me know what you think!

I want to take the opportunity to belatedly wish everyone a happy year of the OX.

It has been an interesting week out here in Beijing. The firework ban was lifted for the week, causing fireworks stands to appear on every corner like it's the 4th of July.

I enjoyed the beginning of the New Year Holiday by making and eating piles of dumplings with my host family. We relaxed, watched TV, and then prepared to watch the fireworks from our 10th floor apartment.

Even coming from the USA and enjoying the 4th of July, I have to say nothing can really prepare you for the size and scale of fireworks at the beginning of the New Year. Even from my limited vantage point, the display was simply incredible. A combination of professional, and amateur fire work artists all seemed determined to put on a show from every street corner of the city, lasting until around 2am

Other students went downtown to the Grand Hyatt to enjoy the view from Bar China, located on the 65th floor of the hotel. They shot a video of the skyline from one of the windows...it seemed almost as if every street in Beijing was flashing with red, green, and blue explosions. I will try to upload it later.

After that unforgettable first night, Beijing has since seemed like a war zone, with minor aftershocks of fireworks continuing throughout the week.. Unfortunately I caught a terrible cold after the New Year, so I've been forced to spend much of my vacation hiding in an apartment recovering.

I did manage to make it to another Chinese spring festival institution, the Temple Fair. Basically it's the Chinese equivalent of a carnival, with exciting games, performers, and colorful decorations. The atmosphere is festive and happy, making a visit to at least one fair (there are several throughout the city) a must, especially if you have family or loved ones with you. 新年快乐!

Spending Christmas in China, whether you are a resident or a traveler, can often feel a bit weird. Christmas trees appear everywhere and Santa hats suddenly seem listed as employee dress code for employees in shops. KFC even runs ad campaigns featuring gift wrapped buckets of chicken dropping down chimneys with an excited family waiting around a Christmas tree. This can all feel a little surreal, particularly when your family is far away and most Chinese don’t actually celebrate Christmas in the western sense. However, I managed to find some Christmas cheer by going to the Bird's Nest on Christmas Eve. I was astonished to find an eloquently decorated Christmas wonderland among the famous Olympic landmarks. It featured rows of Christmas trees spanning more than a half mile, with a massive tree right in front of the Bird’s Nest. The stadium’s lights were complimented by the Water Cube’s glow, mixing perfectly with the lights of the surrounding Christmas trees. Anyone in the area next year should stop by and take a look. I have to say, for the moment the spell was broken when I noticed a small army of women clad in Santa suits selling merchandise and a stage with a break dancing competition. I guess you can’t fault another culture for putting its own spin on Christmas, especially when people around you are smiling and enjoying the evening with their loved ones. For New Years Eve, I would recommend San Li Tun, a bar street and shopping area in the Chaoyangdistrict. The sheer variety of bars, pubs, and clubs of varying nationality and theme makes it easy to move about and find a scene that best suits you. Now of course the Chinese New Year is upon us. Fireworks stalls are appearing on every corner of Beijing and my host mother is excited about making dumplings together. However, aside from fireworks and dumplings, I am not sure how to properly bring in the year of the Ox. Does anyone have suggestions about places to go or things to do in Beijing?

After you live in China for a while, you will inevitably learn that the law of osmosis doesn’t apply to its language or culture. If you don’t take steps to actively interact, study, and improve, the sites and sounds of your everyday life will probably be just as baffling as when you first arrived. More familiar, but still baffling. In other words, a plane ticket and an apartment will only get you to the door. It’s up to you to work your way in and explore.

Counting myself among the many foreigners who have decided to call China home for a while, I can honestly say that most people (myself included) bump into this problem sooner or later. My first solution was trying to teach myself Mandarin and leaving my apt more often, but this plan resulted in lots of random “Learn Chinese Quickly” book purchases and only a little bit of spoken language.

After enjoying structure and classmates for a while, I’m sure that signing up for an actual Chinese class was a step in the right direction. Hopefully I’ve made another one by deciding to move in with a host family. Fortunately, my Mandarin school had an opening in one family after their previous guests, a Vietnamese couple, returned to their home country.

A few days ago I moved from the ground floor of my student dorm to a cozy apartment overlooking the Beijing skyline, with the infamous Water Cube and Bird’s Nest glowing softly in the distance. Nothing too fancy, but definitely a nice place to call home. So far it has been a big challenge. My two hosts, an old Chinese couple, have been very welcoming and friendly but don’t speak a word of English. While I can’t complain about the food my host mom cooks (amazing), our nightly conversations are still pretty rough around the edges. More often than not, I have to use guess work to communicate but it forces me to talk, listen and think instead of staring at the internet or heading to the bar.

Culturally, I've quickly learned that both real and host Chinese mothers hate it when you leave the house without warm headgear and socks during winter. I wouldn't recommend trying it, unless you like being cold and making your host mom worry. It will be interesting to see how things develop over the next few months, particularly with Chinese New Year approaching.

I have been living Beijing since November 4th, and although I still have a lot of the city to explore and experience, right now I'm pretty sure their subway system is the best thing that has ever happened to me. After growing up in suburbia and living about an 1 hour away from the nearest subway stop in Shenzhen, Beijing's metro system feels like a godsend. Crossing the city can still take around an hour, but a smooth ride on the subway or train beats a crowded bus anytime.

Currently I'm living in a student dorm in Beijing's Haidian District. The Beijing Foreign Student's Activity Center is an independently owned international student residence. It has a great location, only about 10 min from the Wudaokou subway stop by bus (30min by foot). I've been enjoying hot showers in my private bathroom and a quite study environment. The mini mart has also really come in handy for random breakfasts consisting of croissants and doughnuts. Anyone looking for a safe place with basic comforts to start out in Beijing should consider it...it's a good base for people studying Chinese at nearby universities and private schools. I've even bumped into a few expats that are semi permanent residents

The Haidian district encompasses the northwestern part of Beijing. From what I can tell it seems to a hub for academia and high tech companies. Peking University, China's top University, is located out here along with several other prestigious schools. Lots of college students, both Chinese and international, are usually roaming around.

Nearby Zhongguancun street is also apparently a household name. I've heard it referred to as China's "Silicon Valley", which seems appropriate since familiar names such as Microsoft seem to pop up here and there as you take in sites from the metro. I'll be visiting the Wal Mart I spotted at the Zhichunlu subway stop (intersection of Lines 13 and 10) as soon as possible for some badly needed winter gear.

For those of you who don't care about prestigious universities or high tech companies, Haidian offers a great base for some important site seeing. The Summer Palace is about a 20 RMB cab ride away. The Bird's Nest and Water Cube are also easily within walking distance.

Other key locations nearby include a student bar at the Wudaokou subway stop. You have access to three floors, with a Mexican Restaurant called La Bamba up top, a bar called Propaganda on the 2nd floor, and below a dance club that gets pretty packed late night as the bar flys migrate downstairs. I haven't tried La Bamba's Mexican food....I am still skeptical in part from enjoying Mexican Food in Southern California , and in part because Shenzhen's expat Mexican restaurants never seemed to get things quite right. However, drink prices are reasonable and it's good to have a place to mingle with random expats from countries throughout the world.

Homesick Americans should also take some time to visit the Krow's Nest, located near Peking University's West gate. They were originally an independently owned restaurant that gained momentum with their massive pizzas, and have since opened up two new restaurants in other areas of Beijing. (http://www.thekrosnest.com/). There's no better cure for culture shock than a massive dose of extra large cheese pizza...hands down the best I've found in China so far. It's refreshing to see someone besides Domino's and Papa John's stepping into the Chinese pizza market.