sirens went off for 13 straight minutes this morning. At first I thought it was just regarding the sort of car accident you might expect from Chinese drivers. But later I found out it was because today is the day Japan invaded China.

I haven't done any reading for my Chinese culture class because of the amounts of homework my indefatigable Chinese professors assign. Every night I have to memorize new characters for the tingxie, write an essay to read aloud before the teacher, figure out complicated grammar exercises, and translate texts. To add insult to injury, the lighting in my dorm room is about what you would expect in a low-security prison. There is no light at my desk so I hunch over by my suitcase. My body keeps flinching as if it wants to get up and turn on the light, only to remember that the pathetic blueish glow illuminating the corner closest to the door is the climax of our room's brightness.

I find this stressful.

in other news, I finally discovered a Chinese dish that I didn't find completely awful. Yunnan is famous for its water-fried cheese. It's the only province in China where you can even find cheese, unless you want the carrot-flavored stuff found in select grocery stores. It tastes like thin crispy slices of mild goat cheese, and is probably also the most unhealthy food in China. Oh wait, except for everything else. Today I think I actually improved the nutritional content of my lunch by adding a diet coke and a Snicker's bar. I am dying to eat something not slathered in chilis and drenched in oil. Indian again tonight.

People who say Chinese food is good are lying.

Some very exciting activities are on the horizon. This weekend we are going to the Stone Forest, one of the coolest places in China and coincidentally only a few hours' bus ride from Kunming. During National Week, where Chinese people go on a free-for-all, a few of us are going trekking in Xishuangbanna, the southern part of Yunnan and the only part of China located in a tropical rainforest. It's supposed to be interesting because of its Dai people and its elephants, and I look forward to exploring some villages.

The groups we learn about in lecture are right outside, waiting to sell you noodles, or right in the hallways, attending classes. There's the Dai, the Bai, the Yi, the Miao, the Naxi. I can't keep track of all of them but it's very cool. In November I am going to be spending a month on Lugu Lake studying the Mosuo people, in a place rumored to be more Tibetan than Tibet. Looking forward to some yak butter tea (...) (...) (no). But the rest of it should be awesome!

I can't believe I spent this much time on my blog instead of doing homework.