A star in the sky!

We saw a star in the sky tonight and the moon too. The clearing of pollution seems to be pretty effective, though the new restrictions on vehicles being allowed on the roads every other days are slightly inconvenient, especially during rush hour when the buses become packed. New subway lines have opened; there's an Olympic line to many of the Olympic venues, an airport line, and line 10 which is simply convenient because the Bagou stop is pretty close to the Wanliu apartment, within walking distance, but about 2-3 bus stops away.

Donna and I tested out the new subway lines on Tuesday, and we were unable to get onto the Olympic line (possibly still closed for security reasons?) but we did end up taking the light rail to see the Hutong in the outskirts of the city from view of the train, which was a suggestion given to us on the second week by the guest speaker on rural to urban migration. Security on the subway seemed to be making an attempt to get stricter, and though there were x-ray machines, they were easily bypassed and there were no metal detectors, so for the moment they seem pretty ineffective, but possibly that will change. Getting onto campus, however, is quite different, as all IDs are actually checked.

A lot has also changed in the city, and the rapid speed at which improvements are being made is quite amazing. Within 2 weeks, we saw the shelter and the large hole where the new subway stations are being built completely disappear to be replaced by clean sidewalk, a trash can, and a public telephone. Trees and flowers are popping up everywhere, as are Olympic volunteers dressed in blue and white Adidas gear. Next year it will be interesting to see the remnants of the Olympics and whether the improvements remain in the long run.