Tiananmen Square is around the corner

Hey everyone
I am in Beijing now...Its 730 pm and it feels like 730 am because there is a 12 hour time difference, so needless to say I am exhausted. The flight wasnt bad as we took the northern route over the north pole to get here.
Anyway...Its been raining here since I got here and were hoping the weather changes by tomorrow so we can go hiking down an old section of the Great Wall.
Right now its dark and the Tiananmen Square is all lit up..its pretty crazy that yesterday I was back in the USA and now I am on the opposite side of the globe chilling out next to Mao Tse Dong's Tomb....and chilling is the literal word as they lower it down each night to cryofreeze it. My friend here has had some crazy stories....I'll have to share when I get back.
There are some crazy jobs over here...like girls walking around with brooms to sweep the water down the drains in the street and guys with red flags that wave pedestrians across the street as if we needed them, they also yell at you if you cross his imaginary line. And ladies with mops that continually wipe down the entrances to these huge malls. I guess when you have 1.3 billion people you need to make up things to do for everyone. Not to mention the countless cops and military on every corner just standing there. And a lot of the corner cops look like they belong in my youth group.
I ordered Rice and diced chicken for dinner and the chicken breast came out with a hard bone running through it and the meat was light pink, suffice it to say I didnt eat the chicken and whent the waitress took the plate away she smiled and giggled.
I also had another waitress giggle at me as I fumbled around with the chopsticks.
Anyway...nothing too exciting yet. I will keep everyone posted.
Wan An and Zaijian