Rice paddies

Yesterday was my first day of actual work! Dr. Kang called at around 7:30 in the morning:

Dr. Kang: Hello Gwen, are you awake?

Gwen: Yes, I’m awake.

Dr. Kang: You still want to go visit the rice paddies?

Gwen: Of course!

Dr. Kang: Okay, come very quickly, I’ll meet you on the road!

So I dashed out the door and hoofed it toward the biology building. Halfway there I met Dr. Kang coming with our bikes, and we rode to the campus entrance where we caught a cab to a nearby university. There we met a group of students crammed into a van. They squeezed me into the front seat and off we went through Beijing! I had no idea where exactly we were going, or even which student I was supposed to follow, since Dr. Kang had left in a rush. But once we arrived at the rice paddies (which were part of the university’s experimental fields), and students started leaving every which way, two very nice girls came up to me and said “This way, please.” I hung out with them and another student for the rest of the day. Lucky me, there’s always an English-speaker to the rescue!
We spent the day (well, maybe 10 – 4 ) weeding the rice paddies. Which, though hard on the knees is easier than most gardens because the soil is saturated. It was nice and cool outside, though a little rainy. But when it started drizzling, we just pulled the canopy over the rice, and we could work under that.
Back at PKU, Dr. Kang recommended I try eggplant dumplings, which were very good. He thought I might not like the garlic sauce, but I insisted that no, I would like garlic very much! And I did. ☺