Beijing Update

It is Sunday here in China and the first week of the of the CSSS is done. The school has moved from the Fragrant Villa, on the edge of Beijing, to the campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the Haidian district. In this area are several major universities in addition to the Chinese Academy.

I think that the first week went well. I was pleased with how my lectures went, especially the ones on Thursday and Friday, which contained some new material. The students seem to be doing a good job of forming groups for their projects. On balance it was a pretty fun week. And now that my lectures are over I should have more time to enjoy Beijing and the other lecturers and to hang out with the students and other faculty. Beijing is a great city. The food is fantastic, and there's tons to see and explore and do.

The weather has been hot and smoggy, but it's actually slightly better than I remember last year. I don't know if it's just luck or if there has actually been some progress made on improving the air quality. I suspect the former.

Doreen arrived Friday evening after an epic two-day journey from the Amazon. She'll be here until approximately Wednesday, at which point she embarks on a tour of large Asian cities: Hong Kong, Manilla, Dehli, and then back to Beijing on or around August 2. We'll then have a few days together in Beijing. We both leave for the U.S. on the 7th.