I'm happy that spring has finally made its way north to Beijing. The warm weather hasn't really kicked in yet, but I'm down to two layers of clothing, which is a start. Sometimes I miss my old home of Shenzhen in the south, but then again Beijing dosen't have an insane typhoon season so I guess I shouldn't complain.

It's exciting to see plant life returning to the city in the form of green fuzz and white flowers popping out of trees. I took a cab by Tiananmen at night after bowling this weekend and was treated to the surreal sight of trees filled with white blossoms and hanging lights. 

My Mandarin school also released an online newsletter for March.

Some of you might find it interesting because it features interviews with a grad student from Finland, a translator and mother from Germany, and a British woman who used to work with addicts in the UK.

Check it out:

http://www.glexchange.net/Newsletter/Jan-Mar/Newsletter-3.html

It's facinating to see how people of all shapes and sizes somehow all end up in Beijing studying Mandarin. It makes life here really interesting.