BACK!

So I'm back in Beijing! And back 'for good' this time, or for better in any case. I'll be staying quite a lot longer than the last time, about twice as long- and I'm looking forward to it. 
My nice old roommates are living in Dongzhimen, the popular area somewhat closer to Sanlitun, so I didn't feel much like going back to my old apartment. Instead, I asked the school for other options, and am proud to present myself as the sole inhabitant of a little flat in the booming centre of a Hutong. And I mean, HUTONG. We're talking poop and other substances thrown away everywhere, toilets on the streets because some homes do not own them (!), small grey buildings made of bricks and adorned by faded dirty red lanterns, kitchy shiny poster-like items portraying welcoming cats and other rarities all around and thick black cables hanging low over the buildings twisting into... well 'things' hairdressers would be jealous of. All in all; amazing! And very much China. What makes the situation even more fun is that whilst my particular part of the Hutong is kind of quiet, I'm 10 minutes away from the booming Hutongs where Chinese people are starting to invest in really getting the tourism and culture to the Hutongs- Pretty little shops are springing into existence before my very eyes and bars and cafés with english menus are coming up. And my school is at a 14-minute walking distance from my house. 
Actually coming back was almost like coming back home. I was greeted by an old friend and by a LOT of pollution. It was easy enough to find the way to the gate outside the Hutong, but it was slightly more complicated inside, so we had a little help from a nice guy who had lived in the apartment himself. It was really fantastic, he could tell us in 5 minutes how to reach all the important areas from the apartment (small shops, subway, big shops, school, places to go out)!
China is so recognizable... like I'm back in this intricate dream I had woken up from for a while. The difference is that now it's a cold dream! There is ice everywhere on account of people throwing liquid waste out on the streets. The air is really cold, but for some reason (maybe because it's very dry) it doesn't feel as bad as expected. By now I've had my first kouyu and hanzi classes. Chinese comes back to the mind really quickly, I don't think I've forgotten much since I left. I am working on getting my room and apartment liveable, and am looking forward to getting a new roommate ^^, although it's nice to have some time to figure out the neighbourhood and apartment alone.
I'll write soon. To those who are worried: skype bailed on me... I'm trying to get back on it, but it might take a while.
Love,
Su Fei