The Beijing Color Run

This past week (the 7th week of class - jeez! so fast!) was like any other; nothing super eventful happened at IUP. I'm definitely starting to miss home, though. This week, I realized that I've been making a mental calendar and ticking down the days one by one as they passed. 

I wouldn't really call it homesickness though, but sometimes you just need a little taste of home. And what luck! Today was the first Beijing Color Run! It was awesome!!!

Let me paint the picture for you. It is a hot August day in one of the most polluted cities in the world. AQI is -- I forget what it is number-wise, but definitely in the hazardous zone. It is also 3:30 PM, probably the hottest hour of this hot August day (in one of the most polluted cities in the world, mind you). Everywhere around you, you see hoards and hoards of people proudly wearing "Color Run" t-shirts and other theme-related garb. 

For those that are unfamiliar with the concept, the premise of the Color Run is fairly straightforward. You run a 5k and at the end of every k, you get color thrown on you (either in the form of paint or corn starch powder or other whatnots). Beijing's Color Run is pretty historic because it is the first Color Run in all of Asia! 

Color warriors!

I have always wanted freckles...

The ride back on the subway was hilarious. The run was held at the Beijing Garden Expo, which is about an hour and a half away from the Wudaokou subway station (the stop closest to my apartment). The first couple of stops leaving from the garden expo were alright -- there were hoards of us together on the subway, and people had a pretty good idea what we were doing. However, as we got closer and closer to inner Beijing, as the crowds of color-ridden people dispersed to their various destinations, the horrified and interested stares became more and more commonplace.

Anyhow, this was definitely a fun thing to do! The rest of this weekend will be spent studying for finals, which are (gasp!) in a week! Ahhh!