Griddable » 中国农业大学－ China Agricultural University

中国农业大学－ China Agricultural University

Monday, July 26th, 2010 in: News, Travel

So, I can’t believe it took me so long to find this place, considering I was walking by it my very first week here on the way to the bank and the China Mobile shop. The entrance to the school is a little intimidating, with a huge marble statue of Chairman Mao with his coattails billowing in the wind just beyond the gates. Of course, the guards do little more than idly watch people go in and out of the gates.

When the new group of students arrived, they wanted to go out and play soccer somewhere. I knew that BLCU (Beijing Language and Culture University) had a soccer field, but I had never been there, and thought it was too far to cart so many people to a place I didn’t know. The middle school next to our dorm has a beautiful soccer field that we aren’t allowed to use. Oh China, you tease us so.

There were 17 new students and at least 10 of them wanted to go do something, and it was up to me to provide the location. Nevertheless, getting the crowd moving was a challenge. The phrase “herding cats” came to mind. I decided we would check out the fields at the Agricultural University, and despite never having been there, I blindly led the group to the school and confidently strode through the gates. Surely it would have the same kind of offerings as BLCU and Beida, I muttered quietly to myself. Indeed it did. Tennis, Soccer, Basketball, even a climbing wall comparable to the one at Beida. This was a pleasant surprise, although the climbers there told us we needed to be students to use it. I later learned this wasn’t necessarily true with a little perseverance. On a subsequent visit, after talking to the climbers for a while they even brought out a pair of shoes for me to borrow for a bit. Even later, I randomly met a lecturer at the university from the states who was an unofficial advisor for the climbing club. “If they give you any grief, just tell them Andy sent you,” he assured me.

The soccer field was broken up into several small pickup games, and we grabbed an open goal and started playing. The astroturf was littered with small rubber pellets from the track surrounding the field, which made their way into our shoes like sand at the beach. Some of us ended up running around without shoes. This crowd is much younger than the rest of us, with most of them having been born in the 90’s. Herding cats has quickly changed to herding kittens. We had great fun on the field and after a while sat down on the sidelines to take a breather. I noticed one of the girls hunched over with her hands over her head, and asked her if she was alright. One of the others informed me she had a heart condition and just needed a quiet moment to recover. I grabbed Sahil, a young Indian guy from Atlanta, and ran off to get water for everyone. When I got back, Megan was sitting upright again, and I made it a point to give her a water bottle first, partially out of concern for her condition and also as an apology for disturbing her when all she needed was quiet. This only happens 3 or 4 times a year, she said. Don’t worry about it, you didn’t know.

On our way out, I spot a couple of nice trees near the soccer field and set up my slackline. It’s a big hit with the kittens, including Sahil’s visiting friend Chad, the only one with any experience on the line. The locals are also curious as usual, gathering around with a few bold enough to venture an attempt to stand on the line. The trees are surrounded by concrete, which is not ideal for such a potentially dangerous sport, but at least no one is running up to scream at us for being on the grass. Next I lead the group to a local restaurant that micro-brews Qingdao beer, and we start the evening off with a few pints. I noticed ruefully that Megan and another new student had gone home early. Even after her episode, she took a few steps on the slackline, which says something about her. Foolhardy? I like it!

We’ve been back to the university many times since then, climbing, playing soccer, ultimate frisbee, and slacklining. In the absence of sport, we’ve found a delightful cafe in the heart of the campus built in an old water tower. The Motion Cafe must be subsidized by the university, because the drinks are ridiculously good and ridiculously cheap. Their beans are from Colombia, which is considerably more impressive from the mystery blends present at other cafes in the city. The atmosphere and service is pleasant, and there’s even a cute, albeit mangy orange tabby that hangs around outside, alternating between sunning on the sidewalks and running up and down the trees.