Part II - The Bird's Nest

Behold the Olympic Bird’s Nest. (Do I look tired?)

 

I feel high and proud that an Olympic Nest was built in the country that is half my culture.

But really I’m small and puny, and Dad’s students tower over me.

 

The inside of the Olympic Nest is awesome. On to the Giant Friendly! (the big red thing with big eyes in the background) Friendlies are the cute Olympic symbols of the four parts of China – North, South, East and West. (P.S. You can remember North, South, East and West by saying “Never Eat Sour Watermelons”). North is a yellow/orange antelope, YingYing. West is a panda, JingJing. South is a blue fish, BeiBei. East is a green bird/kite, NiNi. There is also a red Olympic flame Friendly named HuanHuan. They are everywhere.

 

Lots of people like the gynormous Friendlies. They take pictures in front of them.

There are lots of guards in China.

 

This man wanted to take a picture with me. When you’re traveling, sometimes local people are as interested in you as you are in them. One of Dad’s students, whose name is Dawn, is African American, and everyone wants to take pictures with her. My Mom likes it when people are interested in us. She says that if we are looking at them, they should get the chance to look at us.

All of a sudden, out of the stadium door came huge dancing Friendlies. When they danced together it looked like they were kissing, but really their heads were just too big. The cow Friendly symbolized the ParaOlympics, which were also held in Beijing.

 

A little girl kept going under the fence and posing with the Friendlies.

So I did it too.

I did it again.

But then the guard stopped me.

 

I ran a couple of laps. 

 

Then we went to the water cube.

 

Popsicles galore. Coconut, banana, grape ­– love them all.

 

I feel like Richard Nixon walking on the beach in the movie Dick.

Fish face!

Cool water fountains (except that they didn’t work). Do you like the spectacular light coming out of my head?
  

As usual, we played some hacky sack.

Then we went to a restaurant that served the famous Peking Duck. I was so tired that I fell asleep before supper was served. Dad had to carry me home.