Eric's Beijing Diary

They're doing some building in the park. Building a new set of steps going up the mountain, I guess. This kind of thing always makes me nervous, because it suggests that they are trying to get ready to accommodate a lot more people. The subway is coming out this way. I guess I shouldn't be so selfish, because there are a lot of working people in Beijing who really need a place to "get away" so to speak. But it just isn't going to be the same if this place gets swallowed up by the urban sprawl afflicting Beijing. The whole thing is aggravated by the fact that the government seems to think that they will have less trouble managing the countryside if they can encourage everyone to move to the cities. Madness. Better enjoy it while I have it.

I lost one of my Chinese textbooks today. I took the bus to McDonald's to get some breakfast and do some studying. As soon as I got off the bus, I realized I had left my book on the bus. Nothing for it. What hope do you have if you leave your book in a bus? Can't chase it down. Fortunately it was not an expensive book.

After studying for a few hours, I came out and walked to the bus stop. Can you believe I got on the very same bus I had ridden that morning? What are the odds of that? As soon as the ticket lady saw me, she said, "I have your book." She had left it at the other end of the line. She told me to come back to the bus yard at Fragrant Hills in the afternoon. Jordan came out today, and after we had eaten lunch, we walked over to the bus yard, and there it was. God was looking out for me. Guess He wants me to take that book a little more seriously.