The secret to surviving the Beijing winter (which, with the wind, is arguably colder than a winter on the Hill) is to embrace it and not become complacent. Sooo, I decided to go ice skating! Ice skating at Shichahai was a beautiful combination of an ~almost~ New England feel with a Chinese twist; skating on a frozen lake surrounded by ancient Chinese hutongs. It was so much fun and brought me back to my days skating as a kid. It was also a great opportunity to talk to some locals who were super intrigued about us being the only foreigners on the entire lake.
