Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Catching up...
The internet isn't always consistent and I am trying to catch up on the blog. I just posted a few, so read them! I will likely post some more when I wake up in the morning. Only in the morning hours or at a restaraunt with wifi is the internet good enough. I am determined to catch up before returning home (July 24th), so you all will have lots to read! I love and miss you all! See you soon!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Lazy Day
Tuesday June 29, 2010
I could not focus in class today. It was very difficult. It got better as the day went on, but I was very happy when the bell rang to end class. For lunch I just had some ramen noodles, because I wasn’t very hungry. I started doing some laundry. I was going to attend Tea Ceremony class today, but it was cancelled. We watched Sherlock Holmes, but I stopped because I couldn’t hear very well, so I worked on my journal and talked to Mallori instead.
Afterward, Kayla, Rachel, and I had girl time and went to the Box for dinner. We got pizzas and did some things using their good internet that we can’t get done at the hotel. I also got some chocolate ice cream, which made my night. :) The boys called us and gave us a hard time about not inviting them. We came back, hung out in our room a bit, then I read and slept while Rachel watched Jeremy play Spider Solitare.
I could not focus in class today. It was very difficult. It got better as the day went on, but I was very happy when the bell rang to end class. For lunch I just had some ramen noodles, because I wasn’t very hungry. I started doing some laundry. I was going to attend Tea Ceremony class today, but it was cancelled. We watched Sherlock Holmes, but I stopped because I couldn’t hear very well, so I worked on my journal and talked to Mallori instead.
Afterward, Kayla, Rachel, and I had girl time and went to the Box for dinner. We got pizzas and did some things using their good internet that we can’t get done at the hotel. I also got some chocolate ice cream, which made my night. :) The boys called us and gave us a hard time about not inviting them. We came back, hung out in our room a bit, then I read and slept while Rachel watched Jeremy play Spider Solitare.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Back to school
Monday June 28, 2010
We got off the train at about 7:20 and battled our way through a sea of Chinese people. Yang Laoshi was waiting for us, and after a few minutes we all made it out alive. We were tired the whole way back, and wanted to nap before going to class two hours later. Rachel and I had to do our hw for calligraphy, however. We ended up not really having time, and went to class tired. I did get in a ten minute nap, though. Our normal teacher was getting a physical for a job, so Yang Yang Laoshi was our teacher. He made us use our brains a lot more than we had been intending (having our teacher play hangman with us and getting him to let us out early) and we hardly had any of our break time. There were only three of us there, which meant we had to talk even more. It was really helpful and I learned a lot, but I was hardly able to speak clearly by the end of class.
After class I napped before calligraphy. Calligraphy went by slowly, so I worked on my character workbook to prevent myself from falling asleep. We hung out a bit after class, and then Rachel and I went to dinner. We chose the restaurant that we went to on our first day, Heavenly Manna. The boys wanted to go to Mei er Mei, which we have been going to a lot lately, so we went off on our own. It was delicious. We had been missing food like that, meaning not just noodles. We had spicy potatoes, spicy pork, a beef and pepper dish, rice, and broccoli with mushrooms. We were really full, and very happy. We spent about as much as we would have at Taco Bell in America. We got some sorbet/gelato after we ate, which was also delicious. Very full we were, but in very good moods.
We went to Tai Chi a little bit later, and learned some new, fun kung fu moves. I plan to master them and have a random new talent. Haha. When we got back I took a warm shower and drank hot chocolate and read. It was very relaxing. I have decided to start taking showers at night, as it guarantees me hot water. Also, I decided after my stressful week of hating people that I need a night to relax each week, if not more. I think it is a good decision. I got to sleep about 10:15, but woke up about 11 because my stomach hurt. I couldn’t go back to sleep for a while, but didn’t want to continue reading, because I knew I was to a part where I would be sucked in. I eventually fell asleep though, thank goodness.
We got off the train at about 7:20 and battled our way through a sea of Chinese people. Yang Laoshi was waiting for us, and after a few minutes we all made it out alive. We were tired the whole way back, and wanted to nap before going to class two hours later. Rachel and I had to do our hw for calligraphy, however. We ended up not really having time, and went to class tired. I did get in a ten minute nap, though. Our normal teacher was getting a physical for a job, so Yang Yang Laoshi was our teacher. He made us use our brains a lot more than we had been intending (having our teacher play hangman with us and getting him to let us out early) and we hardly had any of our break time. There were only three of us there, which meant we had to talk even more. It was really helpful and I learned a lot, but I was hardly able to speak clearly by the end of class.
After class I napped before calligraphy. Calligraphy went by slowly, so I worked on my character workbook to prevent myself from falling asleep. We hung out a bit after class, and then Rachel and I went to dinner. We chose the restaurant that we went to on our first day, Heavenly Manna. The boys wanted to go to Mei er Mei, which we have been going to a lot lately, so we went off on our own. It was delicious. We had been missing food like that, meaning not just noodles. We had spicy potatoes, spicy pork, a beef and pepper dish, rice, and broccoli with mushrooms. We were really full, and very happy. We spent about as much as we would have at Taco Bell in America. We got some sorbet/gelato after we ate, which was also delicious. Very full we were, but in very good moods.
We went to Tai Chi a little bit later, and learned some new, fun kung fu moves. I plan to master them and have a random new talent. Haha. When we got back I took a warm shower and drank hot chocolate and read. It was very relaxing. I have decided to start taking showers at night, as it guarantees me hot water. Also, I decided after my stressful week of hating people that I need a night to relax each week, if not more. I think it is a good decision. I got to sleep about 10:15, but woke up about 11 because my stomach hurt. I couldn’t go back to sleep for a while, but didn’t want to continue reading, because I knew I was to a part where I would be sucked in. I eventually fell asleep though, thank goodness.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Bad luck, Shopping, and Train again
Sunday June 27, 2010
Today we woke up, realized that our shower had no hot water(ironic since our room in Kunming is titled “Jank Room”, and so we showered in the boys room. Rachel and I are cursed with bad rooms. Kayla, Rachel, and I were all staying in a triple room. We ate some snacks, and then went to lunch with the tour guide to make up for the bad lunch the day before. We shopped for a very long time. This is because our checkout time was noon, and we weren’t meeting until 8:30 that night. All around our hotel was “Old Town.” This area was mostly all walking, and was basically one huge market. We did lots of bargaining, and I made a few friends with shopkeepers. Some, however, ended up getting mad at us because we knew they were trying to rip us off. We walked down to the Black Dragon Pool, which was pretty fun. I got some Chinese painting there, which was the main thing I wanted from this trip. I love them. We ate dinner at a random restaurant we found, which was open air and overlooked the alleys. People kept taking pictures of us while we were eating, which was interesting. At one point, workers lined the road on both sides and started singing. It was fun. We were all exhausted, but couldn’t go back yet. We kept shopping, and finally it was time to go. We went to the train station, which was a lot smaller and not as nice compared to Kunming. Our train ride was more interesting, because we were surrounded by drunk people. One guy kept following Justin, which was very interesting. We forced Jeremy to make a door our of his blanket again because of it.
Today we woke up, realized that our shower had no hot water(ironic since our room in Kunming is titled “Jank Room”, and so we showered in the boys room. Rachel and I are cursed with bad rooms. Kayla, Rachel, and I were all staying in a triple room. We ate some snacks, and then went to lunch with the tour guide to make up for the bad lunch the day before. We shopped for a very long time. This is because our checkout time was noon, and we weren’t meeting until 8:30 that night. All around our hotel was “Old Town.” This area was mostly all walking, and was basically one huge market. We did lots of bargaining, and I made a few friends with shopkeepers. Some, however, ended up getting mad at us because we knew they were trying to rip us off. We walked down to the Black Dragon Pool, which was pretty fun. I got some Chinese painting there, which was the main thing I wanted from this trip. I love them. We ate dinner at a random restaurant we found, which was open air and overlooked the alleys. People kept taking pictures of us while we were eating, which was interesting. At one point, workers lined the road on both sides and started singing. It was fun. We were all exhausted, but couldn’t go back yet. We kept shopping, and finally it was time to go. We went to the train station, which was a lot smaller and not as nice compared to Kunming. Our train ride was more interesting, because we were surrounded by drunk people. One guy kept following Justin, which was very interesting. We forced Jeremy to make a door our of his blanket again because of it.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Hitler?
Saturday June 26, 2010
We woke up very early on the train- 6 o’clock. I looked out the window for a long time, admiring the beautiful mountains and sunrise. We got to the train station, and it was a mob scene. We eventually all found each other and realized we had to fish out our train tickets so they would let us leave. We met our Tour Guide, who seems to be pretty nice. He has the best English I have ever heard. Lijiang is very pretty. We went to our hotel, which was looked like a traditional Chinese building, and was set up in a walking street that had the same style buildings. We could only put our things away though, because we couldn’t check in until after 12. We ate breakfast at the hotel and then freshened up from the train ride. We then went to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We met Chinese people in line for the mountain “tour bus”, and had a miniature photo shoot. We also discovered walnut cakes while we were waiting. They were delicious. They were small, shaped like walnuts, and had a very tiny nut and tiny bit of red bean sauce. I titled them “om nom noms,” because they tasted so good.
We rode a gondola up the mountain. Jeremy, Rachel, Kayla, Justin, and I rode with our tour guide. We had an interesting conversation that left us all speechless. This is roughly it:
Me: “It is so pretty up here.”
Tour Guide: “Yes, nature is so good. It is unfortunate though, people are killing it. We really need less people in the world. What Hitler did was a good thing. Maybe his reasons weren’t so good, but it was a good thing. We need something like that again.”
Us: …..
That is about all I have to say about that. Haha. We were silent the rest of the ride, which there luckily wasn’t much of. We all got off and asked each other if that really just happened. We walked down a path for a while to the Grazing Land. It was a huge field with a path going around it. There were trees with blessings people had tied all over. We then went to the White Water River that came off of the mountain. It was gorgeous blue/turquoise water. We only got ten minutes there, but we went over time. I would have loved to spend more time there. We then drove to Dongba Valley. Dongba is the religion in the Lijiang area. It seems more to be a way of life than a religion, however. We had a weird lunch and did some shopping. We crossed a rope bridge and walked along a path. The path had lots of funny signs and gates/games. There was one gate and tree for money and wealth. Another was a series of metal bars to lift up. The more you lifted, the more wealthy you would be. We then went to the Jade Water Village. It began raining a little, so we went through kind of quickly. We saw some crazy statues of people with gold animal heads. The village held the Dongba Temple, which was a little different than the Buddhist temples. It had a statue in the middle with different colored cloths wrapped around for each element. There were murals that described the history of the world according to Dongba. It seemed to have a strong regard for Good and Evil, but focused on Gods in general, not a God or a certain few Gods. It was nice to see something different, it being a minority religion.
We went back to our hotel, rested, and then went to get pizza for dinner. We found that the food around our hotel is really expensive, because it is a tourist area. I got water, and receive a cup that had boiling water in it. I was never able to drink it, but I knew the water wasn’t from a bottle or filter, so I wouldn’t have trusted it much anyway. Lijiang is apparently the city of clubs, and so our tour guide took us out to “the best one.” It was very interesting. There were too many Chinese men. Some were really old, and one was about 12. By the time we left, most of them were without shirts. Our tour guide ended up acting kind of creepy, so we avoided him. We came back to the hotel to watch the USA world cup game, but we fell asleep right before it started.
We woke up very early on the train- 6 o’clock. I looked out the window for a long time, admiring the beautiful mountains and sunrise. We got to the train station, and it was a mob scene. We eventually all found each other and realized we had to fish out our train tickets so they would let us leave. We met our Tour Guide, who seems to be pretty nice. He has the best English I have ever heard. Lijiang is very pretty. We went to our hotel, which was looked like a traditional Chinese building, and was set up in a walking street that had the same style buildings. We could only put our things away though, because we couldn’t check in until after 12. We ate breakfast at the hotel and then freshened up from the train ride. We then went to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We met Chinese people in line for the mountain “tour bus”, and had a miniature photo shoot. We also discovered walnut cakes while we were waiting. They were delicious. They were small, shaped like walnuts, and had a very tiny nut and tiny bit of red bean sauce. I titled them “om nom noms,” because they tasted so good.
We rode a gondola up the mountain. Jeremy, Rachel, Kayla, Justin, and I rode with our tour guide. We had an interesting conversation that left us all speechless. This is roughly it:
Me: “It is so pretty up here.”
Tour Guide: “Yes, nature is so good. It is unfortunate though, people are killing it. We really need less people in the world. What Hitler did was a good thing. Maybe his reasons weren’t so good, but it was a good thing. We need something like that again.”
Us: …..
That is about all I have to say about that. Haha. We were silent the rest of the ride, which there luckily wasn’t much of. We all got off and asked each other if that really just happened. We walked down a path for a while to the Grazing Land. It was a huge field with a path going around it. There were trees with blessings people had tied all over. We then went to the White Water River that came off of the mountain. It was gorgeous blue/turquoise water. We only got ten minutes there, but we went over time. I would have loved to spend more time there. We then drove to Dongba Valley. Dongba is the religion in the Lijiang area. It seems more to be a way of life than a religion, however. We had a weird lunch and did some shopping. We crossed a rope bridge and walked along a path. The path had lots of funny signs and gates/games. There was one gate and tree for money and wealth. Another was a series of metal bars to lift up. The more you lifted, the more wealthy you would be. We then went to the Jade Water Village. It began raining a little, so we went through kind of quickly. We saw some crazy statues of people with gold animal heads. The village held the Dongba Temple, which was a little different than the Buddhist temples. It had a statue in the middle with different colored cloths wrapped around for each element. There were murals that described the history of the world according to Dongba. It seemed to have a strong regard for Good and Evil, but focused on Gods in general, not a God or a certain few Gods. It was nice to see something different, it being a minority religion.
We went back to our hotel, rested, and then went to get pizza for dinner. We found that the food around our hotel is really expensive, because it is a tourist area. I got water, and receive a cup that had boiling water in it. I was never able to drink it, but I knew the water wasn’t from a bottle or filter, so I wouldn’t have trusted it much anyway. Lijiang is apparently the city of clubs, and so our tour guide took us out to “the best one.” It was very interesting. There were too many Chinese men. Some were really old, and one was about 12. By the time we left, most of them were without shirts. Our tour guide ended up acting kind of creepy, so we avoided him. We came back to the hotel to watch the USA world cup game, but we fell asleep right before it started.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday June 25, 2010
Today we woke up, finished our homework, and went to class. After class we came back, packed a little for our weekend trip to Lijiang, and finished watching Slumdog Millionaire. I went and bought a raincoat, got dumplings, and finished packing. I showered and cleaned up, hiding important/expensive things and messing up our beds(so they didn’t realize we were out of town). We all met downstairs and then went to the Train Station. We had to go through a security slightly similar to the airport. They wouldn’t let people take aersol cans, which surprised me. Our car on the train had 4 beds. Kayla, Jeremy, Rachel, and I were in the same compartment. It was strange, because unlike the European trains, these had no doors. Also, the toilets were squatty pottys. I don’t know who would have that putting a squatty potty on a train was a good idea. Crazy Chinese people. It was lights out at 11, and no minute later. We fell asleep eventually, but not before Jeremy and I used the flashlights on our phone for a laser light show.
Today we woke up, finished our homework, and went to class. After class we came back, packed a little for our weekend trip to Lijiang, and finished watching Slumdog Millionaire. I went and bought a raincoat, got dumplings, and finished packing. I showered and cleaned up, hiding important/expensive things and messing up our beds(so they didn’t realize we were out of town). We all met downstairs and then went to the Train Station. We had to go through a security slightly similar to the airport. They wouldn’t let people take aersol cans, which surprised me. Our car on the train had 4 beds. Kayla, Jeremy, Rachel, and I were in the same compartment. It was strange, because unlike the European trains, these had no doors. Also, the toilets were squatty pottys. I don’t know who would have that putting a squatty potty on a train was a good idea. Crazy Chinese people. It was lights out at 11, and no minute later. We fell asleep eventually, but not before Jeremy and I used the flashlights on our phone for a laser light show.
Not too eventful
Thursday June 24, 2010
Today Jeremy, Kayla, Rachel, and I skipped Hulusi class. We went to mcdonalds for lunch, and then went shopping. We got umbrellas for gifts to people and looked for North Face jackets. We found some, but they were very expensive. After that, we took a cab home. We started watching Slumdog Millionaire, but stopped halfway through to go to sleep.
Today Jeremy, Kayla, Rachel, and I skipped Hulusi class. We went to mcdonalds for lunch, and then went shopping. We got umbrellas for gifts to people and looked for North Face jackets. We found some, but they were very expensive. After that, we took a cab home. We started watching Slumdog Millionaire, but stopped halfway through to go to sleep.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Suan Le!
Wednesday June 23, 2010
It was another tired day in class, but it was not bad. I still can’t believe I wake up at 6 am every day, and that bedtime is at 10 pm. In Song Laoshi’s class (our speaking teacher) we learned a tongue twister, that they call a rap. Next week we will try to recite them as fast as possible. I am very excited about this. After class I got ramen noodles (fang bian mian- convenient noodles) because I don’t trust the cafeteria right now. I really don’t want to be sick for a long time again. After eating, I took a nap while the Justin, Jeremy, and Rachel went to play ping pong. I woke up when they came back, apparently quite a few hours later. We wanted dinner, and so we hopped on a bus to McDonalds. Once again, it was amazing and didn’t hurt my stomach, so I was happy.
Jeremy set a new goal- to find salsa in china. We found the Wal-Mart, which was smaller than the Carrefore, but had no luck. I tried finding a foot scrubber, but apparently they don’t understand the concept of pretty feet here in China. Oh well. Then I wanted to find Ma Jiang, but also had no luck. We asked one person, who wouldn’t let it go, and that led to about 5 people trying to help figure out what it was we were looking for. We drew out what the game looks like, and even some of the tiles. They still didn’t understand. I then said it goes on a table, and we were led back to fabric. I think she thought we wanted a table cloth. At that point, we just said, “suan le,” which means forget about it. We laughed and parted ways. We don’t know why they didn’t understand us, since it is a Chinese game. We are going to ask our teachers tomorrow in class.
When we got back, I decided to shower since there was hot water. My shower turned into a bath though, because I really wanted to just lay in the water. I had to rig a shower mat and my foot over the drain, so the water filled very slowly. But it was very relaxing, and I actually feel completely clean for once. It kept me up past my bedtime, but at least I had taken a nap earlier, and was relaxing. I watched a little bit of the Terminal with Rachel and Jeremy, and went to bed about 11.
It was another tired day in class, but it was not bad. I still can’t believe I wake up at 6 am every day, and that bedtime is at 10 pm. In Song Laoshi’s class (our speaking teacher) we learned a tongue twister, that they call a rap. Next week we will try to recite them as fast as possible. I am very excited about this. After class I got ramen noodles (fang bian mian- convenient noodles) because I don’t trust the cafeteria right now. I really don’t want to be sick for a long time again. After eating, I took a nap while the Justin, Jeremy, and Rachel went to play ping pong. I woke up when they came back, apparently quite a few hours later. We wanted dinner, and so we hopped on a bus to McDonalds. Once again, it was amazing and didn’t hurt my stomach, so I was happy.
Jeremy set a new goal- to find salsa in china. We found the Wal-Mart, which was smaller than the Carrefore, but had no luck. I tried finding a foot scrubber, but apparently they don’t understand the concept of pretty feet here in China. Oh well. Then I wanted to find Ma Jiang, but also had no luck. We asked one person, who wouldn’t let it go, and that led to about 5 people trying to help figure out what it was we were looking for. We drew out what the game looks like, and even some of the tiles. They still didn’t understand. I then said it goes on a table, and we were led back to fabric. I think she thought we wanted a table cloth. At that point, we just said, “suan le,” which means forget about it. We laughed and parted ways. We don’t know why they didn’t understand us, since it is a Chinese game. We are going to ask our teachers tomorrow in class.
When we got back, I decided to shower since there was hot water. My shower turned into a bath though, because I really wanted to just lay in the water. I had to rig a shower mat and my foot over the drain, so the water filled very slowly. But it was very relaxing, and I actually feel completely clean for once. It kept me up past my bedtime, but at least I had taken a nap earlier, and was relaxing. I watched a little bit of the Terminal with Rachel and Jeremy, and went to bed about 11.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Too frustrated
Tuesday June 22, 2010
The mosquitos as getting feisty and more tricky. They are difficult to avoid, and have gotten worse because of the rain. I can’t live without mosquito repellant on. After class, we had to go to a random meeting. They tend to not tell us about things we need to go to until the day of, so we weren’t the most happy about it. I am now the group leader for our weekend trip to Li Jiang, because no teachers will be going with us. Afterward, Justin and I got caught in the rain without an umbrella. Rachel and Jeremy ran away from us with an umbrella. It was a little frustrating. I didn’t want to mess up my shoes, so I took them off and went barefoot. When I got mad I asked Jeremy and Rachel about why they wouldn’t walk with us, and ended up getting mad at people again. I really need to sleep for about a week. I am starting to get sick again, which is definitely not helping. After I spent some time alone, we finished watching the 2nd season of True Blood. We went to eat at French Café, where I got a margherita pizza to be easy on my tummy.
The mosquitos as getting feisty and more tricky. They are difficult to avoid, and have gotten worse because of the rain. I can’t live without mosquito repellant on. After class, we had to go to a random meeting. They tend to not tell us about things we need to go to until the day of, so we weren’t the most happy about it. I am now the group leader for our weekend trip to Li Jiang, because no teachers will be going with us. Afterward, Justin and I got caught in the rain without an umbrella. Rachel and Jeremy ran away from us with an umbrella. It was a little frustrating. I didn’t want to mess up my shoes, so I took them off and went barefoot. When I got mad I asked Jeremy and Rachel about why they wouldn’t walk with us, and ended up getting mad at people again. I really need to sleep for about a week. I am starting to get sick again, which is definitely not helping. After I spent some time alone, we finished watching the 2nd season of True Blood. We went to eat at French Café, where I got a margherita pizza to be easy on my tummy.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sillyness and Classes
Monday, June 21, 2010
I called home this morning. The family has gone to the lake this week. I really wish I could be there! I have always loved the lake. I could really use some sun and I would almost kill to swim right now.
Today was test day again. Aside from that, it was a really fun day in class. Rachel and I were being silly with our dialogue, which always makes for a good time. Today in Calligraphy class we practiced the overall look of our characters. Still no brush pens, but after our next lesson we will start! We are all very excited. Tonight we had our first Tai Chi class, in a sort of park on campus. I didn’t think to wear mosquito repellant, but I will definitely remember next time. It was really fun though.
I called home this morning. The family has gone to the lake this week. I really wish I could be there! I have always loved the lake. I could really use some sun and I would almost kill to swim right now.
Today was test day again. Aside from that, it was a really fun day in class. Rachel and I were being silly with our dialogue, which always makes for a good time. Today in Calligraphy class we practiced the overall look of our characters. Still no brush pens, but after our next lesson we will start! We are all very excited. Tonight we had our first Tai Chi class, in a sort of park on campus. I didn’t think to wear mosquito repellant, but I will definitely remember next time. It was really fun though.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Knock Knock, Who's There?
Sunday June 20, 2010
I wanted to sleep in, but woke up very early. I was unable to go back to sleep because people kept knocking on our door. Rachel easily sleeps through all disturbances (including plane landings), and I wish I had that ability. One was Xie Laoshi, a teacher for the other class. He was asking to borrow my umbrella. It rained all day, right until the end of the night. Without an umbrella, I really didn’t want to go anywhere. Especially because I just didn’t feel like dealing with the rain. After I woke up, I was lazy all day. We went to dinner at the chicken sandwich place because it was quick and close. The mosquitos have gotten really bad, and all came inside. I slept in bug repellant.
I wanted to sleep in, but woke up very early. I was unable to go back to sleep because people kept knocking on our door. Rachel easily sleeps through all disturbances (including plane landings), and I wish I had that ability. One was Xie Laoshi, a teacher for the other class. He was asking to borrow my umbrella. It rained all day, right until the end of the night. Without an umbrella, I really didn’t want to go anywhere. Especially because I just didn’t feel like dealing with the rain. After I woke up, I was lazy all day. We went to dinner at the chicken sandwich place because it was quick and close. The mosquitos have gotten really bad, and all came inside. I slept in bug repellant.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Xi Shan, Chinese Stories, and more Birthdays
Saturday June 19, 2010
Today our field trip was to Xi Shan or West Mountain. It was in Kunming, but quite a distance away. On the mountain is Long Men or Dragon Gate. The Dragon Gate was supposedly carved by a Daoist Monk with a spoon. I took a video of what he “carved.” The gate itself has a good story: If a fish from the lake below can make its way up the mountain and through the gate, it will turn into a dragon. But as we found out later, it doesn’t count if you carry the fish through- the fish must do it on its own. I think if you are a young girl, you will change into a beautiful women. I am not positive on that though. Also, the west mountain apparently began as a woman whose man went away. She cried all the time, waiting there for him. The tears turned into the lake, and she waited so long that she turned into the mountain. I love the Chinese stories, and I hope that I get to learn more.
At first we climbed up the wrong part of the mountain. (Note- this is not like hiking, but climbing lots of stares and seeing random Chinese buildings/temples on the way.) We had to go back down and up again. The climbing itself wasn’t too bad (the stairs to class everyday have helped our legs a lot), but the air is very thin here. I just wanted an oxygen tank. We took a ski lift back down. It went really slow and was very beautiful. I rode with Kayla, and we had a good time talking about silly things and life.
We went to lunch, and all the students sat together. We decided we didn’t like it, because it messed up the flow of things. The tables in restaurants here are generally round with very large turntables. People kept turning the turntable without any consideration of others, even if they were in the middle of serving themselves food. The restaurant was interesting though, because they gave us a packet of powder, that could only be described to us as medicine. We had a chicken soup that you were to put the medicine in. The best translation we got was that it was probably vitamins. I put mine in my soup, but suggested to Jeremy to put it in his Coke, as he was not having soup. Rachel did the same. It was very odd- best described as dirty coke.
We then went to Guan Du Ancient Town, which we thought would be a good market area. It was actually more of an outdoor Chinese architecture mall. There were hardly any traditional items, and we weren’t very pleased. We peaked around at a temple, and ended up having a mini photo shoot with Chinese people. We also went to an umbrella store, and the workers took pictures of us on a webcam. Kayla and I both bought really pretty umbrellas. Since the women here don’t want sun, they are really into decorative umbrellas. This area was not used to seeing foreigners, so we got many stares. It was kind of boring, but the sun was out. While we waited I stood in the sun while others sat in the shade. I had a little pink on my cheeks by the end of the day though, so I was very happy!
This night we celebrated Diedra’s (one of the girls) birthday. I was very tired, but went out because it was her birthday. We went from place to place in search for good music to dance to. We didn’t have the most luck. Eventually we found a place and I woke up a little bit. I ended up getting really tired though, so Rachel and I came home.
Today our field trip was to Xi Shan or West Mountain. It was in Kunming, but quite a distance away. On the mountain is Long Men or Dragon Gate. The Dragon Gate was supposedly carved by a Daoist Monk with a spoon. I took a video of what he “carved.” The gate itself has a good story: If a fish from the lake below can make its way up the mountain and through the gate, it will turn into a dragon. But as we found out later, it doesn’t count if you carry the fish through- the fish must do it on its own. I think if you are a young girl, you will change into a beautiful women. I am not positive on that though. Also, the west mountain apparently began as a woman whose man went away. She cried all the time, waiting there for him. The tears turned into the lake, and she waited so long that she turned into the mountain. I love the Chinese stories, and I hope that I get to learn more.
At first we climbed up the wrong part of the mountain. (Note- this is not like hiking, but climbing lots of stares and seeing random Chinese buildings/temples on the way.) We had to go back down and up again. The climbing itself wasn’t too bad (the stairs to class everyday have helped our legs a lot), but the air is very thin here. I just wanted an oxygen tank. We took a ski lift back down. It went really slow and was very beautiful. I rode with Kayla, and we had a good time talking about silly things and life.
We went to lunch, and all the students sat together. We decided we didn’t like it, because it messed up the flow of things. The tables in restaurants here are generally round with very large turntables. People kept turning the turntable without any consideration of others, even if they were in the middle of serving themselves food. The restaurant was interesting though, because they gave us a packet of powder, that could only be described to us as medicine. We had a chicken soup that you were to put the medicine in. The best translation we got was that it was probably vitamins. I put mine in my soup, but suggested to Jeremy to put it in his Coke, as he was not having soup. Rachel did the same. It was very odd- best described as dirty coke.
We then went to Guan Du Ancient Town, which we thought would be a good market area. It was actually more of an outdoor Chinese architecture mall. There were hardly any traditional items, and we weren’t very pleased. We peaked around at a temple, and ended up having a mini photo shoot with Chinese people. We also went to an umbrella store, and the workers took pictures of us on a webcam. Kayla and I both bought really pretty umbrellas. Since the women here don’t want sun, they are really into decorative umbrellas. This area was not used to seeing foreigners, so we got many stares. It was kind of boring, but the sun was out. While we waited I stood in the sun while others sat in the shade. I had a little pink on my cheeks by the end of the day though, so I was very happy!
This night we celebrated Diedra’s (one of the girls) birthday. I was very tired, but went out because it was her birthday. We went from place to place in search for good music to dance to. We didn’t have the most luck. Eventually we found a place and I woke up a little bit. I ended up getting really tired though, so Rachel and I came home.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Bottles and Ball Games
Friday June 18, 2010
Today after class, Rachel and I went to watch our male teachers, Jeremy, and Justin play basketball. They joined up with some Chinese guys who were playing, and it was very entertaining. It was also one of the first sunny days in a while, so I really enjoyed it. There were some Chinese ladies going around collecting plastic bottles. I asked if they could sell them, and Song Laoshi said yes. He said however that it is more of a game for them. If you were to offer them money or a bottle, they would likely take the bottle. They were stalking us slightly to finish our bottles. We decided that one lady was the best, so we made sure to give our bottles to her.
At night we went out to watch the USA game. At first it was weird, but then we made friends with a Chinese girl named Jun Jun. She was a lot of fun, and introduced us to all of her friends. We met even more people, who wanted to meet the American girls, and it was very funny. Jun Jun kept reassuring us that they were good people and to not be afraid. James ended up finding us and hanging out with us as well. Alyssa stopped by for a little bit but then left. USA caught up in the game, and then made a winning goal. However, the goal didn’t count, so we were all sad. After the game we went home.
Today after class, Rachel and I went to watch our male teachers, Jeremy, and Justin play basketball. They joined up with some Chinese guys who were playing, and it was very entertaining. It was also one of the first sunny days in a while, so I really enjoyed it. There were some Chinese ladies going around collecting plastic bottles. I asked if they could sell them, and Song Laoshi said yes. He said however that it is more of a game for them. If you were to offer them money or a bottle, they would likely take the bottle. They were stalking us slightly to finish our bottles. We decided that one lady was the best, so we made sure to give our bottles to her.
At night we went out to watch the USA game. At first it was weird, but then we made friends with a Chinese girl named Jun Jun. She was a lot of fun, and introduced us to all of her friends. We met even more people, who wanted to meet the American girls, and it was very funny. Jun Jun kept reassuring us that they were good people and to not be afraid. James ended up finding us and hanging out with us as well. Alyssa stopped by for a little bit but then left. USA caught up in the game, and then made a winning goal. However, the goal didn’t count, so we were all sad. After the game we went home.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Free Expensive Food
Thursday June 17, 2010
Today during Hulusi class, I was able to nap a little. There weren’t as many of us in class, so Justin and our teacher kept doing duets. It was actually very enjoyable. With more students, the class tends to get a little annoying. After class, we had a ceremony to open the OU Study office at Yunan University. There was a really funny translator. For dinner, we went to a really nice place with extremely good food. We cheered glasses about a million times with the teachers and each other. We were supposed to have a vocabulary quiz the next day, along with a ton of homework. We were able to easily convince our teacher to not have the vocabulary quiz though. It was a successful day.
Today during Hulusi class, I was able to nap a little. There weren’t as many of us in class, so Justin and our teacher kept doing duets. It was actually very enjoyable. With more students, the class tends to get a little annoying. After class, we had a ceremony to open the OU Study office at Yunan University. There was a really funny translator. For dinner, we went to a really nice place with extremely good food. We cheered glasses about a million times with the teachers and each other. We were supposed to have a vocabulary quiz the next day, along with a ton of homework. We were able to easily convince our teacher to not have the vocabulary quiz though. It was a successful day.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Duan Wu Jie
Wednesday June 16, 2010
Today was the Duan Wu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival). It is based off a guy Chu Yuan who at one time killed himself in a river and the people didn’t want the fish to eat his body, so they fed the fish rice wrapped in bamboo leaves(zao zi). Google it/Wikipedia it for more. Class was out for the day. We met early and Yang Laoshi took us to the Cui Hu (Green Lake), and it was really pretty. There were lily pads that were 3-4 feet tall. Some people were boating on the side with small lily pads, and tried to take the flowers. One boat ran into the lilies, but everyone else did a good job. Kayla got really sick and went home. When we got back we took care of her. Yang laoshi really wanted her to go to the hospital, so we had to look up her insurance information. We ended up not taking her after convincing Yang Laoshi that she was fine. He had already called Zach however, so we hung out with him for a while. We went to eat at a restaurant Salvador’s, and I had a delicious Tuna sandwich. We then went to a dvd store, farmer’s market, and coffee shop. The farmer’s market was interesting, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The coffee shop was pleasant. We sat around and talked for a while, and that was about it. It helped me get over not liking people, because it was a change of people.
Today was the Duan Wu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival). It is based off a guy Chu Yuan who at one time killed himself in a river and the people didn’t want the fish to eat his body, so they fed the fish rice wrapped in bamboo leaves(zao zi). Google it/Wikipedia it for more. Class was out for the day. We met early and Yang Laoshi took us to the Cui Hu (Green Lake), and it was really pretty. There were lily pads that were 3-4 feet tall. Some people were boating on the side with small lily pads, and tried to take the flowers. One boat ran into the lilies, but everyone else did a good job. Kayla got really sick and went home. When we got back we took care of her. Yang laoshi really wanted her to go to the hospital, so we had to look up her insurance information. We ended up not taking her after convincing Yang Laoshi that she was fine. He had already called Zach however, so we hung out with him for a while. We went to eat at a restaurant Salvador’s, and I had a delicious Tuna sandwich. We then went to a dvd store, farmer’s market, and coffee shop. The farmer’s market was interesting, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The coffee shop was pleasant. We sat around and talked for a while, and that was about it. It helped me get over not liking people, because it was a change of people.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Pu Tao Ya!
Tuesday June 15, 2010
Today I am just really fed up with people. I walked to class alone and grabbed a breakfast of Bao Zi (filled bread dumpling type things). After Tea Ceremony class, we headed to our friend Luis’s apartment for some Portuguese food. He made Shepard’s Pie and a cod fish dish, along with some desert. It was amazing. After dinner we went to Lazy Bone’s Bar/restaurant to watch the Portugal/Ivory Coast game. It was tied at 0, sadly. Unfortunately, my patience with people was still very low, and found myself outside for a lot of the game. I ended up making some friends that are studying abroad here. One is from Melbourne, Australia- where my friend Elizabeth has been studying abroad, and the other two were from America. Afterward we headed home to sleep and be up by 9:30.
*Pu Tao Ya= Portugal
Today I am just really fed up with people. I walked to class alone and grabbed a breakfast of Bao Zi (filled bread dumpling type things). After Tea Ceremony class, we headed to our friend Luis’s apartment for some Portuguese food. He made Shepard’s Pie and a cod fish dish, along with some desert. It was amazing. After dinner we went to Lazy Bone’s Bar/restaurant to watch the Portugal/Ivory Coast game. It was tied at 0, sadly. Unfortunately, my patience with people was still very low, and found myself outside for a lot of the game. I ended up making some friends that are studying abroad here. One is from Melbourne, Australia- where my friend Elizabeth has been studying abroad, and the other two were from America. Afterward we headed home to sleep and be up by 9:30.
*Pu Tao Ya= Portugal
Monday, June 14, 2010
Where's the Cheese?
Monday June 14, 2010
Today was test day. We were completely unsure of what to expect. The first test was brought to us by Yang Laoshi(teacher who organizes everything for us), but our real teacher never came. We had two class periods to take the test, which was plenty of time. It really wasn’t too bad, as long as you payed attention in class you pretty much knew everything, except for a few characters here and there. The second test was for speaking, which also was not bad whatsoever. Our teacher, Song Laoshi came in, read a paragraph to us twice, and individually asked us questions about it. We had the list of questions and were able to talk through the questions with everyone before we met him individually in the hall. We also created a dialogue with a partner. Rachel and I both wrote ours down wrong, but in different places, but other than that it was just fine. He laughed at us and said, “Sometimes in Chinese, what is wrong is the director.” It was a funny moment.
For lunch, we went to the cafeteria. Today they had jiao zi (dumplings), which made my day. I had a lot, and became very happy. We sat with Yang Laoshi, and I got to practice my Chinese. He also told us the name of a dish that we really like so that we can order it without pointing at someone else’s food.
We had Calligraphy class, which is still just practicing characters. For dinner, we went to French Café again. I had a Panini, and it was delicious. I also got Hot Chocolate, which made me very happy. We then watched True Blood and went to bed.
Today was test day. We were completely unsure of what to expect. The first test was brought to us by Yang Laoshi(teacher who organizes everything for us), but our real teacher never came. We had two class periods to take the test, which was plenty of time. It really wasn’t too bad, as long as you payed attention in class you pretty much knew everything, except for a few characters here and there. The second test was for speaking, which also was not bad whatsoever. Our teacher, Song Laoshi came in, read a paragraph to us twice, and individually asked us questions about it. We had the list of questions and were able to talk through the questions with everyone before we met him individually in the hall. We also created a dialogue with a partner. Rachel and I both wrote ours down wrong, but in different places, but other than that it was just fine. He laughed at us and said, “Sometimes in Chinese, what is wrong is the director.” It was a funny moment.
For lunch, we went to the cafeteria. Today they had jiao zi (dumplings), which made my day. I had a lot, and became very happy. We sat with Yang Laoshi, and I got to practice my Chinese. He also told us the name of a dish that we really like so that we can order it without pointing at someone else’s food.
We had Calligraphy class, which is still just practicing characters. For dinner, we went to French Café again. I had a Panini, and it was delicious. I also got Hot Chocolate, which made me very happy. We then watched True Blood and went to bed.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Another day...
Sunday June 13, 2010
I slept in and then Jeremy, Justin, Rachel, and I went to lunch at our new favorite place, Mei er Mei. We found out yesterday that we have a test tomorrow, so we tried figure out what to study. We did some homework for calligraphy class. The boys all napped and the girls just relaxed for a few hours. Rachel and I decided we would eat dinner at a French Café we found, and we were joined by Justin. The place was AMAZING. It will be my favorite place for a while, I can tell. They had apple juice (without vinegar, which is what we have found so far), coffee drinks for Rachel, deserts, pizzas, pastas, paninis, burgers, and sandwiches. Most importantly—they have CHEESE! Cheese just seems to be a rare commodity here, and I miss it very much. We all got grilled ham and cheese-esque sandwiches, that was drowned in cheese. It was glorious. We were going to study there, but ended up chatting for a long time. I made us head back at 9:30. I really want to eat breakfast there some weekend. We stayed up studying, and I went to sleep about 11 o’clock.
I slept in and then Jeremy, Justin, Rachel, and I went to lunch at our new favorite place, Mei er Mei. We found out yesterday that we have a test tomorrow, so we tried figure out what to study. We did some homework for calligraphy class. The boys all napped and the girls just relaxed for a few hours. Rachel and I decided we would eat dinner at a French Café we found, and we were joined by Justin. The place was AMAZING. It will be my favorite place for a while, I can tell. They had apple juice (without vinegar, which is what we have found so far), coffee drinks for Rachel, deserts, pizzas, pastas, paninis, burgers, and sandwiches. Most importantly—they have CHEESE! Cheese just seems to be a rare commodity here, and I miss it very much. We all got grilled ham and cheese-esque sandwiches, that was drowned in cheese. It was glorious. We were going to study there, but ended up chatting for a long time. I made us head back at 9:30. I really want to eat breakfast there some weekend. We stayed up studying, and I went to sleep about 11 o’clock.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Exploring Kunming and Shi Jie Bei!
Saturday June 12, 2010
Today was an amazing day. We had another field trip, and we first went to the Black Dragon Pool, on the outskirts of Kunming. It took over 30 minutes to get there. It was really cool, it had small lake things and some hiking paths if you took the back way, which we did. The dean from the College of Arts and Sciences is here for the week, and hiked around with us. He seems to be a really cool person. We ended up finding a dragon gate thing, and we were really glad to take the road less travelled by. 5 points to anyone catching the reference. After that, Rachel, Jeremy, and I climbed up to the top of the main path to see a pagoda statue. We ended up climbing up a rough trail towards the top of the mountain hill to see an amazing view of Kunming. We only had a few minutes left, so Jeremy ran up to see if it was worth it. Up there, we found some graves, and it was just really neat. The graves are above the ground, and look like a small hut, with grass growing on the top. Some were slightly decorated with fake flowers and shiny things.
After running back to the group, we went to the Botanical Gardens. The greenhouses were closed, and there really wasn’t much to see. We were only there for 30 minutes, which was good. We walked around, which was nice, but we would have rather had 30 minutes left at the Black Dragon Pool. Both of the outdoorsy activities really made me want to go camping. At the Black Dragon Pool we could smell a fire, and that woodsy smell. I definitely miss that about America.
After, we went to a Hot Pot restaurant with the Dean of Int’l Students at Yunan University. The food was amazing, and we got to eat bell peppers that were supposed to make the soup spicy. If anyone doesn’t know what Hot Pot is, here you go: You sit at a table and there is a big pot in the middle. Sometimes the pot is split in half, one spicy, one not. You order food and cook it in the pot, then eat it. It is pretty simple, and a fun way to eat.
We then went to a huge lake in Southern Kunming. The sun was out, and it was wonderful to feel it on my skin. We were only there for about 20 minutes, but I got to pet dogs and we talked to some Chinese children. The lake is heavily polluted, so it was very dark and smelled awful. But it was great to see a lake and feel the sun again. The lake sort of had a boardwalk alongside, where people could run, walk, fly kites, and rent car-scooter things. We then went to our translators apartment, which was absolutely beautiful. It was two stories, and had gorgeous Chinese red wood furniture and decorations everywhere. They had a tea ceremony set, and Kayla practiced what we learned in class. The mother, grandmother, and father were all there. The mom kept force feeding us fruit and candies. I had two bananas that were twice the size as American bananas. I didn’t want the second one, but didn’t have a choice, haha. It was the kind of Chinese hospitality I have been missing so far. The translator taught us mahjong, while Kayla taught some others how to play Gin Rummy. Apparently they are pretty much the same game. I ended up winning most of the mahjong games, and I am going to buy a set to take home and teach everyone. I absolutely love it! Someone joked they were going to take me to play on the streets, where they play with money.
For dinner, we went next door to a restaurant hotel, that looks like an authentic Chinese building- what you picture when you think of Chinese buildings. They arranged for us to eat food from the ancient Bai People of China. Most of it was really good, but it was definitely a lot different than what I have had before. The translator’s father had us all try the “white wine” of China, which is called Bai Jiu. I had tasted it before in Beijing, and didn’t want to try again. But yet again, I didn’t have a choice. It is rude to not accept something like that in China, unfortunately. It was literally finger nail polish remover, and I did not like it one bit. Then they gave us a little red wine, which was apparently really good, but the waiter poured mine right on top of the Bai Jiu. It was not pleasant.
After, we came back to the hotel and hung out a little bit. We went out to try and find USA soccer jersey’s, but had no luck. Then we napped from about 11:30pm to 1:40am, waking up to go watch the USA vs England World Cup game. I now officially like soccer. The game was amazing, and being in a place filled with mostly USA supporters, and some England fans was a lot of fun. When England scored in the first 4 minutes, we were worried. But then the England goalie made his Epic fail of stopping the ball, and then letting go giving us a point, redeeming us. I love being in a city/country that actually cares about the world cup. It is a lot of fun. I have never cheered so much for USA before. It was a great experience, especially as odds were 7 to 1 that England would win. :)
-Shi Jie Bei= Chinese for The World Cup
Today was an amazing day. We had another field trip, and we first went to the Black Dragon Pool, on the outskirts of Kunming. It took over 30 minutes to get there. It was really cool, it had small lake things and some hiking paths if you took the back way, which we did. The dean from the College of Arts and Sciences is here for the week, and hiked around with us. He seems to be a really cool person. We ended up finding a dragon gate thing, and we were really glad to take the road less travelled by. 5 points to anyone catching the reference. After that, Rachel, Jeremy, and I climbed up to the top of the main path to see a pagoda statue. We ended up climbing up a rough trail towards the top of the mountain hill to see an amazing view of Kunming. We only had a few minutes left, so Jeremy ran up to see if it was worth it. Up there, we found some graves, and it was just really neat. The graves are above the ground, and look like a small hut, with grass growing on the top. Some were slightly decorated with fake flowers and shiny things.
After running back to the group, we went to the Botanical Gardens. The greenhouses were closed, and there really wasn’t much to see. We were only there for 30 minutes, which was good. We walked around, which was nice, but we would have rather had 30 minutes left at the Black Dragon Pool. Both of the outdoorsy activities really made me want to go camping. At the Black Dragon Pool we could smell a fire, and that woodsy smell. I definitely miss that about America.
After, we went to a Hot Pot restaurant with the Dean of Int’l Students at Yunan University. The food was amazing, and we got to eat bell peppers that were supposed to make the soup spicy. If anyone doesn’t know what Hot Pot is, here you go: You sit at a table and there is a big pot in the middle. Sometimes the pot is split in half, one spicy, one not. You order food and cook it in the pot, then eat it. It is pretty simple, and a fun way to eat.
We then went to a huge lake in Southern Kunming. The sun was out, and it was wonderful to feel it on my skin. We were only there for about 20 minutes, but I got to pet dogs and we talked to some Chinese children. The lake is heavily polluted, so it was very dark and smelled awful. But it was great to see a lake and feel the sun again. The lake sort of had a boardwalk alongside, where people could run, walk, fly kites, and rent car-scooter things. We then went to our translators apartment, which was absolutely beautiful. It was two stories, and had gorgeous Chinese red wood furniture and decorations everywhere. They had a tea ceremony set, and Kayla practiced what we learned in class. The mother, grandmother, and father were all there. The mom kept force feeding us fruit and candies. I had two bananas that were twice the size as American bananas. I didn’t want the second one, but didn’t have a choice, haha. It was the kind of Chinese hospitality I have been missing so far. The translator taught us mahjong, while Kayla taught some others how to play Gin Rummy. Apparently they are pretty much the same game. I ended up winning most of the mahjong games, and I am going to buy a set to take home and teach everyone. I absolutely love it! Someone joked they were going to take me to play on the streets, where they play with money.
For dinner, we went next door to a restaurant hotel, that looks like an authentic Chinese building- what you picture when you think of Chinese buildings. They arranged for us to eat food from the ancient Bai People of China. Most of it was really good, but it was definitely a lot different than what I have had before. The translator’s father had us all try the “white wine” of China, which is called Bai Jiu. I had tasted it before in Beijing, and didn’t want to try again. But yet again, I didn’t have a choice. It is rude to not accept something like that in China, unfortunately. It was literally finger nail polish remover, and I did not like it one bit. Then they gave us a little red wine, which was apparently really good, but the waiter poured mine right on top of the Bai Jiu. It was not pleasant.
After, we came back to the hotel and hung out a little bit. We went out to try and find USA soccer jersey’s, but had no luck. Then we napped from about 11:30pm to 1:40am, waking up to go watch the USA vs England World Cup game. I now officially like soccer. The game was amazing, and being in a place filled with mostly USA supporters, and some England fans was a lot of fun. When England scored in the first 4 minutes, we were worried. But then the England goalie made his Epic fail of stopping the ball, and then letting go giving us a point, redeeming us. I love being in a city/country that actually cares about the world cup. It is a lot of fun. I have never cheered so much for USA before. It was a great experience, especially as odds were 7 to 1 that England would win. :)
-Shi Jie Bei= Chinese for The World Cup
Friday, June 11, 2010
Lazy Day and The World Cup
Friday June 11, 2010
After class, today became a lazy day. We watched Dexter and napped a little. Then we relaxed some more and went to go watch the world cup. We went to a place in Luis’s apartment complex called Lazy Bones. Rachel and I were starving, so we ordered pizza and breadsticks. We accidently took Luis’s pizza, not realizing that he had ordered one before he got there. We traded pizzas, but ended up being really full and begging people to help us eat it. The breadsticks took over an hour to get after we ordered them. They were really good, but were too full to eat them. I got really tired, and almost fell asleep.
After class, today became a lazy day. We watched Dexter and napped a little. Then we relaxed some more and went to go watch the world cup. We went to a place in Luis’s apartment complex called Lazy Bones. Rachel and I were starving, so we ordered pizza and breadsticks. We accidently took Luis’s pizza, not realizing that he had ordered one before he got there. We traded pizzas, but ended up being really full and begging people to help us eat it. The breadsticks took over an hour to get after we ordered them. They were really good, but were too full to eat them. I got really tired, and almost fell asleep.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Taylor Swift and Hot Pot
Thursday June 10, 2010
After class today, we were walking back and a Taylor Swift song was blaring from campus building speakers. We debated whether it was her or not at first, but it definitely was. We were really thrown off and didn’t understand why. I asked a teacher later, and they said that it is the University Radio Station. We came back and watched Dexter, and then went to Hu Lu Si class. When we were meeting downstairs for dinner, a man I met in our hotel from Ghana asked me out. It was really entertaining. He asked if I wanted to go to dinner with he and his friends from India, but I declined. It helped that I got to say I was going to dinner. He was nice, and I loved all the people from India, so I was glad to not seem to hurt anyone’s feelings.
For dinner all of us went to a Hot Pot restaurant with Luis and Zach. Luis is Zach’s friend from Portugal. This Hot Pot was really cool. The pot was split- half spicy, half not. It was really delicious, but I ended up having to combine some of the spicy and not. The spicy gets spicier and spicier with every minute. After dinner, Luis invited us over. We all hung out and met his friends/roommates, and he gave us Portugal tie/sash/scarf things. He came in the room and asked who would cheer for Portugal in the world cup. I, having no attachment to soccer, yell, “I will, I will!” I got one, and then he ended up giving each girl one. It was exciting. :)
After class today, we were walking back and a Taylor Swift song was blaring from campus building speakers. We debated whether it was her or not at first, but it definitely was. We were really thrown off and didn’t understand why. I asked a teacher later, and they said that it is the University Radio Station. We came back and watched Dexter, and then went to Hu Lu Si class. When we were meeting downstairs for dinner, a man I met in our hotel from Ghana asked me out. It was really entertaining. He asked if I wanted to go to dinner with he and his friends from India, but I declined. It helped that I got to say I was going to dinner. He was nice, and I loved all the people from India, so I was glad to not seem to hurt anyone’s feelings.
For dinner all of us went to a Hot Pot restaurant with Luis and Zach. Luis is Zach’s friend from Portugal. This Hot Pot was really cool. The pot was split- half spicy, half not. It was really delicious, but I ended up having to combine some of the spicy and not. The spicy gets spicier and spicier with every minute. After dinner, Luis invited us over. We all hung out and met his friends/roommates, and he gave us Portugal tie/sash/scarf things. He came in the room and asked who would cheer for Portugal in the world cup. I, having no attachment to soccer, yell, “I will, I will!” I got one, and then he ended up giving each girl one. It was exciting. :)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
No sports bras?
Wednesday June 9, 2010
Today class was same ol’ same ol’. I finished doing laundry. To do laundry, I have to boil water and put it into a large tub that we bought. I bought powdered stain remover, that I mix in a glass. I scrub the stains with a hotel toothbrush, and then wash with the tide I brought in the tub. I actually like doing laundry this way. I find it relaxing. Washing my jeans was interesting, as they are new. I washed them in the tub, sitting in the bathtub since the jeans took up most of the room. The water was as dark as the jeans themself. I never realized just how much dye was in a pair of jeans. Surprisingly, they were still dark when I was done. I used some fabric softener that I put in a travel bottle when I was packing. It wasn’t perfect, but much better than not using any.
We played some rounds of UNO, and decided to go to a Chinese place that had burgers on their menu. We really wanted burgers, and when we got there, they said they didn’t have any. We left and went to McDonalds. Mainly, this was because Kayla really really wanted some McDonalds. It was very entertaining. We walked around and looked in some sports stores to try to find a sports bra for one of the girls on the trip, but there were none. Apparently Chinese women don’t exercise intensely enough to need them. It was very interesting.
Today class was same ol’ same ol’. I finished doing laundry. To do laundry, I have to boil water and put it into a large tub that we bought. I bought powdered stain remover, that I mix in a glass. I scrub the stains with a hotel toothbrush, and then wash with the tide I brought in the tub. I actually like doing laundry this way. I find it relaxing. Washing my jeans was interesting, as they are new. I washed them in the tub, sitting in the bathtub since the jeans took up most of the room. The water was as dark as the jeans themself. I never realized just how much dye was in a pair of jeans. Surprisingly, they were still dark when I was done. I used some fabric softener that I put in a travel bottle when I was packing. It wasn’t perfect, but much better than not using any.
We played some rounds of UNO, and decided to go to a Chinese place that had burgers on their menu. We really wanted burgers, and when we got there, they said they didn’t have any. We left and went to McDonalds. Mainly, this was because Kayla really really wanted some McDonalds. It was very entertaining. We walked around and looked in some sports stores to try to find a sports bra for one of the girls on the trip, but there were none. Apparently Chinese women don’t exercise intensely enough to need them. It was very interesting.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Massages, Subtitles, and Cheese
Tuesday June 8, 2010
Class ended early today to get a massage! We tried a sketchy place first, but then they didn’t have enough people. We didn’t really mind. We ended up going to a different place and it was a lot nicer. We paid 30 kuai for an hour- which is not even 5 dollars. We might be going every week. It was my first massage, and it was wonderful despite the random tickles. I then did some laundry and went to Tea Ceremony class. The class was an exact repeat of last week. Apparently with each type of tea, we have the same lesson twice. Seeing as how I don’t like tea, and the repetition, I decided this class is the least relevant class to my life that I have ever taken. After class, I got some more ramen. My stomach is still weird and I have not been too hungry. Kayla found cheese flavored cheetos (I have only found meat flavor so far) and I got two bags. I have been craving cheese, especially cheesy crackers like no other. They don’t like cheese here- and things like goldfish and cheez-its don’t seem to exist. These Cheetos as saving my life. I am already halfway through my goldfish because of being sick. I got better for a few days, but think I may be getting worse again. We shall see.
Then we decided to watch Prince of Persia that Rachel bought at the DVD store yesterday. The movie is in Chinese with horrible English subtitles, and was difficult to understand, but funny. We guess the copyright laws are different and that’s why we could buy the Chinese version.
Class ended early today to get a massage! We tried a sketchy place first, but then they didn’t have enough people. We didn’t really mind. We ended up going to a different place and it was a lot nicer. We paid 30 kuai for an hour- which is not even 5 dollars. We might be going every week. It was my first massage, and it was wonderful despite the random tickles. I then did some laundry and went to Tea Ceremony class. The class was an exact repeat of last week. Apparently with each type of tea, we have the same lesson twice. Seeing as how I don’t like tea, and the repetition, I decided this class is the least relevant class to my life that I have ever taken. After class, I got some more ramen. My stomach is still weird and I have not been too hungry. Kayla found cheese flavored cheetos (I have only found meat flavor so far) and I got two bags. I have been craving cheese, especially cheesy crackers like no other. They don’t like cheese here- and things like goldfish and cheez-its don’t seem to exist. These Cheetos as saving my life. I am already halfway through my goldfish because of being sick. I got better for a few days, but think I may be getting worse again. We shall see.
Then we decided to watch Prince of Persia that Rachel bought at the DVD store yesterday. The movie is in Chinese with horrible English subtitles, and was difficult to understand, but funny. We guess the copyright laws are different and that’s why we could buy the Chinese version.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Movies and Muslim Chinese Food
Monday June 7, 2010
Today I was very tired in class. We had our Calligraphy class today, but we aren’t using the brush pens yet- just practicing characters with pencil and paper. For lunch, I tried Chinese Ramen Noodles and they weren’t bad. They have some weird looking flavors, but I think I got chicken. It tasted just like the ones at home.
Kayla, Justin, Rachel and I went to a Chinese DVD store. The DVDs are very cheap, just about a dollar. Kayla bought Dexter on DVD, so we will probably be watching that. After, we went and bought a hair straightener, and tried to find the restaurant that had the delicious food our teacher ordered for us. We couldn’t find it, but tried this hole in the wall muslim/kosher place. It ended up being really good and cost us each about 75 cents. There was a cat that kept rubbing up against our legs during the meal; it was very interesting. We stayed and talked for a while, then headed back and watched When in Rome that Kayla bought for 10 kuai, roughly $1.30. We were all tired and then went to bed. Rachel and I had trouble at first, realizing that we now go to bed at 10 and think nothing of it. Our usual bedtimes are 2 o’ clock am. I also thought that it was weird because I wake up at 6 everyday, when 8:30 used to be the death of me.
Today I was very tired in class. We had our Calligraphy class today, but we aren’t using the brush pens yet- just practicing characters with pencil and paper. For lunch, I tried Chinese Ramen Noodles and they weren’t bad. They have some weird looking flavors, but I think I got chicken. It tasted just like the ones at home.
Kayla, Justin, Rachel and I went to a Chinese DVD store. The DVDs are very cheap, just about a dollar. Kayla bought Dexter on DVD, so we will probably be watching that. After, we went and bought a hair straightener, and tried to find the restaurant that had the delicious food our teacher ordered for us. We couldn’t find it, but tried this hole in the wall muslim/kosher place. It ended up being really good and cost us each about 75 cents. There was a cat that kept rubbing up against our legs during the meal; it was very interesting. We stayed and talked for a while, then headed back and watched When in Rome that Kayla bought for 10 kuai, roughly $1.30. We were all tired and then went to bed. Rachel and I had trouble at first, realizing that we now go to bed at 10 and think nothing of it. Our usual bedtimes are 2 o’ clock am. I also thought that it was weird because I wake up at 6 everyday, when 8:30 used to be the death of me.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sleep sleep sleep
Sunday June 6, 2010
Today I slept in for a very long time. It was very nice. After we woke up, Jeremy, Rachel, and I went to the city center to eat and shop around. We went to Papa Johns, which was really nice. It is a classy looking sit down restaurant. We got lots of food, which tasted amazing. The breadsticks weren’t quite as good, but they still came with the delicious dipping sauce. The water they gave us had things floating in it, and appeared to have beans in Rachel and Jeremy’s glasses. Jeremy finally tried it, realizing that it was lemon in the water. I tried it, but it tasted like lemon cleaner. Michael joined us at the end, and then we were too full to shop. We tried but after walking around a bit we decided to come back and nap. On the way back we stopped at an outdoor store and looked at some North Face and Columbia jackets. Jeremy and I are probably going to go back to buy rain jackets. Rachel napped at 6 pm, and I stayed up emailing and reading the news till about 8. Our naps lasted all night, aside from me waking up between 2am- 4:30am. Rachel was dead to the world until morning.
Today I slept in for a very long time. It was very nice. After we woke up, Jeremy, Rachel, and I went to the city center to eat and shop around. We went to Papa Johns, which was really nice. It is a classy looking sit down restaurant. We got lots of food, which tasted amazing. The breadsticks weren’t quite as good, but they still came with the delicious dipping sauce. The water they gave us had things floating in it, and appeared to have beans in Rachel and Jeremy’s glasses. Jeremy finally tried it, realizing that it was lemon in the water. I tried it, but it tasted like lemon cleaner. Michael joined us at the end, and then we were too full to shop. We tried but after walking around a bit we decided to come back and nap. On the way back we stopped at an outdoor store and looked at some North Face and Columbia jackets. Jeremy and I are probably going to go back to buy rain jackets. Rachel napped at 6 pm, and I stayed up emailing and reading the news till about 8. Our naps lasted all night, aside from me waking up between 2am- 4:30am. Rachel was dead to the world until morning.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Wo de Sheng Ri Kuai Le! (My birthday happy)
Saturday June 5, 2010
Our field trip today started at the normal time we start class, so no sleeping in. We went on a bus ride for a trip about 1hr ½ away from Kunming. We went to a flower market, which is apparently the biggest in the area- where everyone gets their flowers. It was a slightly run down area, definitely not in the city. Many people have definitely never seen Americans, because we got the biggest stares here. People would walk and turn their heads as they past us, just to stare. It was great. When we got on the bus, they gave me BEAUTIFUL flowers for my birthday. I have no idea what to call them, but I kept wanting to call them lilies, which I know is wrong. They were giant, and smelled amazing.
We then went to Shu Lin- Stone Forest. I would google it to get an idea of what it looks like. It is literally a forest of stones (this is ironic because on my 18th birthday, we went to Stonehenge). The stones are really tall and really cool looking. I think I heard that the story is that the stones are men that were turned into stone. The true story is that they were once under sea. It was wet and rainy, so we had some trouble with slips along the way- there are lots of stairs that don’t quite have enough grip. Despite the rain, there were TONS of Chinese people there. There were a number of stones that you had to touch or not touch for good luck. Shu Lin is huge, and we only saw a small part. The tour guide we had spoke Chinese, and they wouldn’t let us wander around. It was still fun though. We wanted to go down the “Narrowest Passage” and Dr. Atkinson (the teacher with the Journey to China trip) told us to go quickly so that the other tour guide and Chinese teachers wouldn’t see us. It was truly narrow, but it led us upward to a great view. We ended up finding everyone without a problem. A few people slipped, including myself on one set of stairs. After that, half the group got lost, but we eventually found each other.
After Shu Lin, we all wanted water. There are a series of stores after Shu Lin, and everyone headed to the first store. I felt bad for the other stores, since they probably get the least business, so I went to the second store. However, I made a bad decision. They cheated me. I opened the refrigerator for water, which was on the bottom shelf. When I grabbed one, coke bottles came flying out at me. I tried catching them all, and looked to the lady working for help. She just stood there watching. I was able to get some of them back, and then the lady was holding a coke that had spilled to me. She was making me buy it. I then realized that they had been stacking coke on top of the water, which was not good- because they would always fall. I told the man working that this was not okay. He began taking some of them out, which made me feel like I helped future customers from my same problem. (I don’t even like to drink soda.) I talked with Jeremy and Rachel for a minute, looking around the store. I looked back at the refrigerator and saw the coke bottles were put right back in place on top of the water. They were doing this on purpose- to make people pay more. I was very, very angry. I got the man’s attention again, telling him this was not okay. I yelled at him a little, feeling like my mom. Haha. I told him he was not a good person. (This was all in Chinese.) I was very angry, and couldn’t believe they did that. It was not right.
On the way back, we drove around a lake, which made me really miss summer. I love swimming and lakes, and I don’t get to swim here. :( When we got back to the hotel, Yang Laoshi ordered food for us, and it was amazing. I want to find out where it came from. I ordered noodles, because you are supposed to eat noodles on your birthday for longevity. Yang Laoshi gave me a present, which was a bobble head little girl, with Chinese type cuteness. It wasn’t something I would pick for myself, but it was sweet and made me happy. We invited him out for Karaoke, which made him really happy.
We went to the best KTV (Chinese karaoke places that are more common than starbucks) in Kunming, called Top One. It is in the Kun Du district, which is filled with clubs. With Karaoke in China, you get a private room. It was really nice. The school arranged for me to have a cake, which was truly amazing. I want to find out where it came from. I wanted to take the rest home, but they said it would go bad overnight. The Chinese just don’t understand cake, apparently. We sang Miley Cyrus, had a girls and boys “duet” of Grease, learned a popular Chinese dice game, and got Yang Laoshi to sing. Alyssa’s new Chinese roommate gave me a really pretty metal bracelet.
After Karaoke, we went dancing at the Top One club, which was just around the corner. It was packed, and it took a minute to get a table. I made some Chinese friends at the table next to us, especially two that kept telling me I was really pretty. They were gorgeous, however. They probably loved how white I was. In China, girls try to be as white as possible. So, the whiter you are, the prettier. All and all, it was a fantastic birthday.
Our field trip today started at the normal time we start class, so no sleeping in. We went on a bus ride for a trip about 1hr ½ away from Kunming. We went to a flower market, which is apparently the biggest in the area- where everyone gets their flowers. It was a slightly run down area, definitely not in the city. Many people have definitely never seen Americans, because we got the biggest stares here. People would walk and turn their heads as they past us, just to stare. It was great. When we got on the bus, they gave me BEAUTIFUL flowers for my birthday. I have no idea what to call them, but I kept wanting to call them lilies, which I know is wrong. They were giant, and smelled amazing.
We then went to Shu Lin- Stone Forest. I would google it to get an idea of what it looks like. It is literally a forest of stones (this is ironic because on my 18th birthday, we went to Stonehenge). The stones are really tall and really cool looking. I think I heard that the story is that the stones are men that were turned into stone. The true story is that they were once under sea. It was wet and rainy, so we had some trouble with slips along the way- there are lots of stairs that don’t quite have enough grip. Despite the rain, there were TONS of Chinese people there. There were a number of stones that you had to touch or not touch for good luck. Shu Lin is huge, and we only saw a small part. The tour guide we had spoke Chinese, and they wouldn’t let us wander around. It was still fun though. We wanted to go down the “Narrowest Passage” and Dr. Atkinson (the teacher with the Journey to China trip) told us to go quickly so that the other tour guide and Chinese teachers wouldn’t see us. It was truly narrow, but it led us upward to a great view. We ended up finding everyone without a problem. A few people slipped, including myself on one set of stairs. After that, half the group got lost, but we eventually found each other.
After Shu Lin, we all wanted water. There are a series of stores after Shu Lin, and everyone headed to the first store. I felt bad for the other stores, since they probably get the least business, so I went to the second store. However, I made a bad decision. They cheated me. I opened the refrigerator for water, which was on the bottom shelf. When I grabbed one, coke bottles came flying out at me. I tried catching them all, and looked to the lady working for help. She just stood there watching. I was able to get some of them back, and then the lady was holding a coke that had spilled to me. She was making me buy it. I then realized that they had been stacking coke on top of the water, which was not good- because they would always fall. I told the man working that this was not okay. He began taking some of them out, which made me feel like I helped future customers from my same problem. (I don’t even like to drink soda.) I talked with Jeremy and Rachel for a minute, looking around the store. I looked back at the refrigerator and saw the coke bottles were put right back in place on top of the water. They were doing this on purpose- to make people pay more. I was very, very angry. I got the man’s attention again, telling him this was not okay. I yelled at him a little, feeling like my mom. Haha. I told him he was not a good person. (This was all in Chinese.) I was very angry, and couldn’t believe they did that. It was not right.
On the way back, we drove around a lake, which made me really miss summer. I love swimming and lakes, and I don’t get to swim here. :( When we got back to the hotel, Yang Laoshi ordered food for us, and it was amazing. I want to find out where it came from. I ordered noodles, because you are supposed to eat noodles on your birthday for longevity. Yang Laoshi gave me a present, which was a bobble head little girl, with Chinese type cuteness. It wasn’t something I would pick for myself, but it was sweet and made me happy. We invited him out for Karaoke, which made him really happy.
We went to the best KTV (Chinese karaoke places that are more common than starbucks) in Kunming, called Top One. It is in the Kun Du district, which is filled with clubs. With Karaoke in China, you get a private room. It was really nice. The school arranged for me to have a cake, which was truly amazing. I want to find out where it came from. I wanted to take the rest home, but they said it would go bad overnight. The Chinese just don’t understand cake, apparently. We sang Miley Cyrus, had a girls and boys “duet” of Grease, learned a popular Chinese dice game, and got Yang Laoshi to sing. Alyssa’s new Chinese roommate gave me a really pretty metal bracelet.
After Karaoke, we went dancing at the Top One club, which was just around the corner. It was packed, and it took a minute to get a table. I made some Chinese friends at the table next to us, especially two that kept telling me I was really pretty. They were gorgeous, however. They probably loved how white I was. In China, girls try to be as white as possible. So, the whiter you are, the prettier. All and all, it was a fantastic birthday.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Let the Birthday Begin
Friday June 4, 2010
I was really tired in Class today, but very glad it was Friday! We found out that we didn’t have time to get our nails done today, because we had to go to the bank to cash our traveler’s checks and what not to pay our tuition. You have to go to the main Bank of China, because they apparently have a lot of trouble with counterfeit things. It was a really long process- filling paperwork out and standing in lines. It took hours, so Jeremy and I sat and shared life stories to pass the time. Afterward, we headed to dinner at The Box. I had an Italian pizza that was delicious. We also found out that we could maybe use facebook there. We shall see.
Tonight we celebrated part one of my birthday. We went to Ganesh, a bar/restaurant down the street. After, we went to a place called The Hump, which is apparently a youth hostel as well. We danced and made lots of new friends. I got to practice my Chinese some too, which was a lot of fun.
I was really tired in Class today, but very glad it was Friday! We found out that we didn’t have time to get our nails done today, because we had to go to the bank to cash our traveler’s checks and what not to pay our tuition. You have to go to the main Bank of China, because they apparently have a lot of trouble with counterfeit things. It was a really long process- filling paperwork out and standing in lines. It took hours, so Jeremy and I sat and shared life stories to pass the time. Afterward, we headed to dinner at The Box. I had an Italian pizza that was delicious. We also found out that we could maybe use facebook there. We shall see.
Tonight we celebrated part one of my birthday. We went to Ganesh, a bar/restaurant down the street. After, we went to a place called The Hump, which is apparently a youth hostel as well. We danced and made lots of new friends. I got to practice my Chinese some too, which was a lot of fun.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Yoga, McDonalds, and Warm Water
Thursday June 03, 2010
“Day 6- warm water”
This morning Rachel came out of the bathroom saying that she has finally gotten warm water in the shower. You can only get it out of the bath faucet, but that is better than nothing! Finally, warm water. :)
Class was a lot of fun today. The girls all got off a tangent with Liu Laoshi (Comprehensive Chinese Teacher) about how to get our nails done and how much it would be. It equals just a few dollars American. We were very excited. We decided to go tomorrow after class, and our teacher will come with us! Our teachers are wonderful.
We had our first Hulusi class today, which is a Chinese gourd wind instrument. Our teacher doesn’t speak any English, and we didn’t get a translator. He would put music on the board, and the 12 of us would play. It was very noisy. Our teacher would be off on his own in the corner practicing. He looked like he really didn’t want to do this.
We decided today to do the P90X Yoga that Michael had. It was pretty intense, but fun. Afterward, we decided we would make the trip to the city center for Mcdonalds. It was the greatest Mcdonalds I have ever had. We were all very, very happy. We went to one store to see if it was a Polo brand store, but it was just another Polo-like brand. I got a wallet there though, that would fit my Chinese money. We then went to Carrefore, which is a French Wal-mart. It was gigantic. It was Michael, Jeremy, Rachel, and I. There were about 4 floors, and the guys wanted to leave almost immediately (after finding fans for their rooms) but of course Rachel and I wanted to look around a bit. We ended up finding a children’s book section, and I bought some to help me learn.
“Day 6- warm water”
This morning Rachel came out of the bathroom saying that she has finally gotten warm water in the shower. You can only get it out of the bath faucet, but that is better than nothing! Finally, warm water. :)
Class was a lot of fun today. The girls all got off a tangent with Liu Laoshi (Comprehensive Chinese Teacher) about how to get our nails done and how much it would be. It equals just a few dollars American. We were very excited. We decided to go tomorrow after class, and our teacher will come with us! Our teachers are wonderful.
We had our first Hulusi class today, which is a Chinese gourd wind instrument. Our teacher doesn’t speak any English, and we didn’t get a translator. He would put music on the board, and the 12 of us would play. It was very noisy. Our teacher would be off on his own in the corner practicing. He looked like he really didn’t want to do this.
We decided today to do the P90X Yoga that Michael had. It was pretty intense, but fun. Afterward, we decided we would make the trip to the city center for Mcdonalds. It was the greatest Mcdonalds I have ever had. We were all very, very happy. We went to one store to see if it was a Polo brand store, but it was just another Polo-like brand. I got a wallet there though, that would fit my Chinese money. We then went to Carrefore, which is a French Wal-mart. It was gigantic. It was Michael, Jeremy, Rachel, and I. There were about 4 floors, and the guys wanted to leave almost immediately (after finding fans for their rooms) but of course Rachel and I wanted to look around a bit. We ended up finding a children’s book section, and I bought some to help me learn.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Dynamic Yunan
Wednesday June 2, 2010
Today Class was a lot of fun. It is getting easier to listen and speak in Chinese for 4 hours. We went to dinner with the OU Journey to China group who is here for the week. We went to a really nice place where we had the Kunming traditional Cross Bridge Noodles. They give you a giant bowl with soup stuff in it, and plates filled with random foods, a lot of which we had no idea what it was. I took a picture, and will try to get them posted soon. Oh- they also put noodles in our bowl. It tasted really good, and I ate rose petals for the first time. Haha. The dinner had a small performance in it. The performance had 3-4 songs, girls dancing randomly, and guys randomly playing instruments. They were dressed in something like traditional clothing.
Then we went to what they called, “a bigger performance.” It was called Dynamic Yunan, and it was amazing. It was a show that was expressing the cultures of Yunan Province, which there are many. There was lots of dancing, drumming, and singing. They were all dressed in amazing costumes, and the show was just absolutely wonderful. There was this really cool little girl that was in it, and she rule the show for sure. The show is award winning at the Chinese Lotus Festival, or something like that. I definitely know why.
Today Class was a lot of fun. It is getting easier to listen and speak in Chinese for 4 hours. We went to dinner with the OU Journey to China group who is here for the week. We went to a really nice place where we had the Kunming traditional Cross Bridge Noodles. They give you a giant bowl with soup stuff in it, and plates filled with random foods, a lot of which we had no idea what it was. I took a picture, and will try to get them posted soon. Oh- they also put noodles in our bowl. It tasted really good, and I ate rose petals for the first time. Haha. The dinner had a small performance in it. The performance had 3-4 songs, girls dancing randomly, and guys randomly playing instruments. They were dressed in something like traditional clothing.
Then we went to what they called, “a bigger performance.” It was called Dynamic Yunan, and it was amazing. It was a show that was expressing the cultures of Yunan Province, which there are many. There was lots of dancing, drumming, and singing. They were all dressed in amazing costumes, and the show was just absolutely wonderful. There was this really cool little girl that was in it, and she rule the show for sure. The show is award winning at the Chinese Lotus Festival, or something like that. I definitely know why.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Let the Classes Begin
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Today was our first day of classes. We started with two classes of Speaking and Listening, and two classes of Comprehensive Chinese. The classes are only 40 minutes long, and one of our teachers said that in America our classes are too long, and she would fall asleep. Haha. Then we rushed to get to lunch, and pointed at other people’s plates to say what we wanted. Then we came back and I almost finished my book, and then we had Tea Ceremony class. Walking to Class, I met our Tea Ceremony translator, Jane. She was adorable and thought she had horrible English, though it was very good. She is a student majoring in Chinese Teaching as a Second Language. We first watched a powerpoint and video in a very hot room, which made it difficult for me to stay awake. Then we went to a room that we made tea in. Our teacher took us through the process of making the tea, rinsing, etc., and the proper hand position when doing so. When we were finishing up, the cd playing Chinese music started playing 90s American music. Including Enrique Iglesias’s “Hero”, the song that goes, “1, you’re like a dream come true. 2, just want to be with you, etc.”, and Backstreet Boys. We had a good karaoke session while making the tea.
After class we began in another round of Uno that lasted forever. We now call it “Yao” which is Kunming dialect for “One.”
My stomach has gotten worse, and none of my medicine seems to be helping. I am trying to figure out if it is something I am eating that is making my stomach hurt, but I am being careful to stay away from lactose- just in case.
After Uno, Rachel and Jeremy started throwing things at each other. This somehow turned into playing soccer with a towel in our living room thing, in which I was eventually tagged in. It was more like wrestling combined with towel soccer. It was a lot of fun, and our bodies were slightly beat up, especially our feet. We name it Chinese Towel Soccer. We weren’t really hungry, so Rachel and I just went to get snack food for dinner.
Today was our first day of classes. We started with two classes of Speaking and Listening, and two classes of Comprehensive Chinese. The classes are only 40 minutes long, and one of our teachers said that in America our classes are too long, and she would fall asleep. Haha. Then we rushed to get to lunch, and pointed at other people’s plates to say what we wanted. Then we came back and I almost finished my book, and then we had Tea Ceremony class. Walking to Class, I met our Tea Ceremony translator, Jane. She was adorable and thought she had horrible English, though it was very good. She is a student majoring in Chinese Teaching as a Second Language. We first watched a powerpoint and video in a very hot room, which made it difficult for me to stay awake. Then we went to a room that we made tea in. Our teacher took us through the process of making the tea, rinsing, etc., and the proper hand position when doing so. When we were finishing up, the cd playing Chinese music started playing 90s American music. Including Enrique Iglesias’s “Hero”, the song that goes, “1, you’re like a dream come true. 2, just want to be with you, etc.”, and Backstreet Boys. We had a good karaoke session while making the tea.
After class we began in another round of Uno that lasted forever. We now call it “Yao” which is Kunming dialect for “One.”
My stomach has gotten worse, and none of my medicine seems to be helping. I am trying to figure out if it is something I am eating that is making my stomach hurt, but I am being careful to stay away from lactose- just in case.
After Uno, Rachel and Jeremy started throwing things at each other. This somehow turned into playing soccer with a towel in our living room thing, in which I was eventually tagged in. It was more like wrestling combined with towel soccer. It was a lot of fun, and our bodies were slightly beat up, especially our feet. We name it Chinese Towel Soccer. We weren’t really hungry, so Rachel and I just went to get snack food for dinner.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Class and Korean food
Monday, May 31, 2010
We woke up early so that we could get our meal cards and eat breakfast. We were supposed to do a ton of other things, but ended up just having free time. Then we got ID pictures taken, and had free time again. We went to lunch at a restaurant down the road. Rachel, Jeremy, and Michael went. We attempted ordering, but were having a lot of trouble until the woman found a menu with English translations. The food was amazing, and I had the best rice so far since I have been here, and the best tasting broccoli I have ever had. We then went to watch a movie about Yunan Geography and Culture. In the movie, they said that Yunan was the treasure house of medical herbs and wild animal genes. It was wonderful. After that, we had free time again, and continued with the Uno. We are now incorporating Chinese words into the game. For dinner we went past the afternoon’s restaurant to what ended up being a Korean restaurant. They had stove things built into the tables. We had our own little room (it was Kacee, Kayla, Rachel, Michael, and Jeremy). The waitress cooked in front of us on what looked like a lid. The food was really good, even though we didn’t really know what we were ordering.
I got sick today, I think because of my lactose-intolerance. I had some hostess-esque cake things that I didn’t think about, and so my stomach has been bothering me. Rachel and I were both reading Nicholas Sparks books, and got to the sad parts at the same time. We stayed up till midnight reading.
We woke up early so that we could get our meal cards and eat breakfast. We were supposed to do a ton of other things, but ended up just having free time. Then we got ID pictures taken, and had free time again. We went to lunch at a restaurant down the road. Rachel, Jeremy, and Michael went. We attempted ordering, but were having a lot of trouble until the woman found a menu with English translations. The food was amazing, and I had the best rice so far since I have been here, and the best tasting broccoli I have ever had. We then went to watch a movie about Yunan Geography and Culture. In the movie, they said that Yunan was the treasure house of medical herbs and wild animal genes. It was wonderful. After that, we had free time again, and continued with the Uno. We are now incorporating Chinese words into the game. For dinner we went past the afternoon’s restaurant to what ended up being a Korean restaurant. They had stove things built into the tables. We had our own little room (it was Kacee, Kayla, Rachel, Michael, and Jeremy). The waitress cooked in front of us on what looked like a lid. The food was really good, even though we didn’t really know what we were ordering.
I got sick today, I think because of my lactose-intolerance. I had some hostess-esque cake things that I didn’t think about, and so my stomach has been bothering me. Rachel and I were both reading Nicholas Sparks books, and got to the sad parts at the same time. We stayed up till midnight reading.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Discovering Kunming
Sunday, May 30, 2010
I woke up at 5:50, but ended up getting to chat with Marc, which was very nice. We still have no word on when we will leave this room, yet more people keep arriving. So it is looking doubtful that we will leave anytime soon. The students met early (9) to go grab some food at a bakery down the street. I had a blueberry filling with bread thing that was wonderful. I didn’t have enough though, and got hungry very quickly.
We met at 9:30 and took the bus to the city center. Zach took us around to some markets in some older, authentic Chinese looking buildings. The girls all ended up getting some jewelry, but we were all not really in to buying things just yet. I ended up talking in Chinese to the storekeeper of a teapot shop, which was fun. We went to lunch with another teacher, Xie Laoshi, who is 24. He is my favorite so far. He wants to teach us everything, and is good at it. I think the teachers don’t think that we know much Chinese, because Yang Laoshi (head of our program) told them we couldn’t because we didn’t speak much Chinese on the first day. We were all tired though, and needed some warm up time. We had some free time in which Jeremy, Rachel, Kayla and I all play some intense Uno. Then we had a welcome banquet where we met the Dean of the International Student College and our teachers. They told us we would be tested on our Chinese knowledge on Monday morning, but then surprised us with a test right after dinner when we were all super tired/exhausted, and caught off guard and were unprepared. And yes, I know that was a run-on sentence.
Afterward I ended up being the one to fall asleep at 9 on the couch. The couch is much more comfortable than our beds, and I really needed sleep. Many people were in our room, and Rachel was using my computer. When I woke up, Rachel was laying on the floor reading, and everyone else was gone.
I had pictures to put here, but it won't let me add them. :(
I woke up at 5:50, but ended up getting to chat with Marc, which was very nice. We still have no word on when we will leave this room, yet more people keep arriving. So it is looking doubtful that we will leave anytime soon. The students met early (9) to go grab some food at a bakery down the street. I had a blueberry filling with bread thing that was wonderful. I didn’t have enough though, and got hungry very quickly.
We met at 9:30 and took the bus to the city center. Zach took us around to some markets in some older, authentic Chinese looking buildings. The girls all ended up getting some jewelry, but we were all not really in to buying things just yet. I ended up talking in Chinese to the storekeeper of a teapot shop, which was fun. We went to lunch with another teacher, Xie Laoshi, who is 24. He is my favorite so far. He wants to teach us everything, and is good at it. I think the teachers don’t think that we know much Chinese, because Yang Laoshi (head of our program) told them we couldn’t because we didn’t speak much Chinese on the first day. We were all tired though, and needed some warm up time. We had some free time in which Jeremy, Rachel, Kayla and I all play some intense Uno. Then we had a welcome banquet where we met the Dean of the International Student College and our teachers. They told us we would be tested on our Chinese knowledge on Monday morning, but then surprised us with a test right after dinner when we were all super tired/exhausted, and caught off guard and were unprepared. And yes, I know that was a run-on sentence.
Afterward I ended up being the one to fall asleep at 9 on the couch. The couch is much more comfortable than our beds, and I really needed sleep. Many people were in our room, and Rachel was using my computer. When I woke up, Rachel was laying on the floor reading, and everyone else was gone.
I had pictures to put here, but it won't let me add them. :(
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Access Granted
I have found a way to update my blog! Yay! Mallori was going to do it, but I was too lazy to get everything organized as of yet to send her.
I will start updating maybe twice a day to catch up, but we shall see. I want to try and add pictures, so it may take a little longer than it would otherwise.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The rest of the flights were very interesting. On the long flight, Rachel’s seat was right behind me and there was no switching. I was sitting next to an Indian(asian) couple that was heading back from LA. They kept invading my space, which I am normally fine with except it was during a 13 hours flight. They kept switching seats, and the woman would lay in his seat when he was up. At one point, when I got up, she was even laying in my own seat. At one point, he randomly told me, “You are like my son.” He really meant that I was about the same age as his grandson. He thought I was in my mid twenties, however. He ended up telling my all about how he has a million grandsons that are all doctors in America. Not just doctors though, specialty doctors. When I told him that my dad is a doctor, he was confused that he was not a specialty doctor. It ok a while to explain what a specialty doctor was, but eventually he got it. He was also wearing a turban. After that, we had a meal in which he gave me his vegetarian dish. I said, “maybe,” but then he put it down on my tray table. It was interesting. I ate my normal non vegetarian meal instead- but ate the rice from his because I didn’t want to be rude. They had a ten year visa that was ending, so that was their last trip to America. They were in their 70s, and I had thought they were no older than early 50s. It makes me feel like American’s age much more quickly than other cultures. Also, the wife had two knee replacement surgeries, which ended up explain her trying to lay down everywhere.
In LA, I made a new friend. His name is Diego, and he is a mechanical engineering major at USC. He and his friend Kevin, who I met as well, were heading to Nanjing for an internship. They ended up being our LA and Beijing airport buddies. The Beijing airport has changed a lot since I was there in 9th grade, most likely because of the Olympics. Going through customs was much simpler. We walked through a gate that checked our temperature with a thermal camera. I guess this is to ward of disease, but we were all really hot and that made us nervous. We made it through though! Also, I got to go through the Chinese National line instead of the Foreigner line. We got there so early that customs wasn’t even open, and none of the restaurants were either. We waited and walked around, and ended up eating random bread things from a café called Kiss and Bake. The bread was delicious, and even though it was airport food (and water) it only cost a few dollars. I love China.
When we got to Kunming, we were greeted by Mia, one of the teachers (who won’t really be our teacher). Rachel used her first squatty potty. As we were leaving, someone threw two advertisements in the window, one in the front seat and one in the backseat, even though they only threw it in one window. The precise skill of Chinese people never ceases to amaze me.
We got to the Hotel, which is the equivalent of our dorms. They ran out of standard rooms, so Rachel and I got a Deluxe Suite. They are supposed to move us when a standard opens up, however. The difference is that we have a living room and a “sink room”- a kitchen-esque room, but that only has a sink. We found out we had to pay a room deposit- which was unexpected and all of the students were upset, especially because they keep charging us differently. Then we went to lunch with Mia and Zach (an OU student who is getting his masters and came on this trip last year, and has been living here since February). Zach speaks very well, but apparently couldn’t speak well before he came here. That makes me feel hopeful. We ate at Heavenly Manna, and ate some traditional mashed potatoes with spices, amongst other things. We came back and settled in a little, and met up with the American students who had already arrived. They attempted to give us cell phones, yet Jeremy’s and mine didn’t work. We then went to dinner at some Chinese restaurant. We came back and some of the boys went out for literally5 minutes. Rachel fell asleep on the couch at 9, and after about 5 minutes of trying to wake her up, we both went to bed. We discovered that lying on top of our comforter is best, as the mattresses in china are very, very firm. Think floor firmness.
Oh, and our room is the only one with internet. There is a very angry lady who works the front desk at nights, and she said that nobody should have internet in the building at all. Oh, the lies. Especially because she was playing Café World, which was partly why she was so upset to talk with us.
Tonight we also went to buy a hairdryer, and I was reunited with bargaining for things. It was great.
I will start updating maybe twice a day to catch up, but we shall see. I want to try and add pictures, so it may take a little longer than it would otherwise.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The rest of the flights were very interesting. On the long flight, Rachel’s seat was right behind me and there was no switching. I was sitting next to an Indian(asian) couple that was heading back from LA. They kept invading my space, which I am normally fine with except it was during a 13 hours flight. They kept switching seats, and the woman would lay in his seat when he was up. At one point, when I got up, she was even laying in my own seat. At one point, he randomly told me, “You are like my son.” He really meant that I was about the same age as his grandson. He thought I was in my mid twenties, however. He ended up telling my all about how he has a million grandsons that are all doctors in America. Not just doctors though, specialty doctors. When I told him that my dad is a doctor, he was confused that he was not a specialty doctor. It ok a while to explain what a specialty doctor was, but eventually he got it. He was also wearing a turban. After that, we had a meal in which he gave me his vegetarian dish. I said, “maybe,” but then he put it down on my tray table. It was interesting. I ate my normal non vegetarian meal instead- but ate the rice from his because I didn’t want to be rude. They had a ten year visa that was ending, so that was their last trip to America. They were in their 70s, and I had thought they were no older than early 50s. It makes me feel like American’s age much more quickly than other cultures. Also, the wife had two knee replacement surgeries, which ended up explain her trying to lay down everywhere.
In LA, I made a new friend. His name is Diego, and he is a mechanical engineering major at USC. He and his friend Kevin, who I met as well, were heading to Nanjing for an internship. They ended up being our LA and Beijing airport buddies. The Beijing airport has changed a lot since I was there in 9th grade, most likely because of the Olympics. Going through customs was much simpler. We walked through a gate that checked our temperature with a thermal camera. I guess this is to ward of disease, but we were all really hot and that made us nervous. We made it through though! Also, I got to go through the Chinese National line instead of the Foreigner line. We got there so early that customs wasn’t even open, and none of the restaurants were either. We waited and walked around, and ended up eating random bread things from a café called Kiss and Bake. The bread was delicious, and even though it was airport food (and water) it only cost a few dollars. I love China.
When we got to Kunming, we were greeted by Mia, one of the teachers (who won’t really be our teacher). Rachel used her first squatty potty. As we were leaving, someone threw two advertisements in the window, one in the front seat and one in the backseat, even though they only threw it in one window. The precise skill of Chinese people never ceases to amaze me.
We got to the Hotel, which is the equivalent of our dorms. They ran out of standard rooms, so Rachel and I got a Deluxe Suite. They are supposed to move us when a standard opens up, however. The difference is that we have a living room and a “sink room”- a kitchen-esque room, but that only has a sink. We found out we had to pay a room deposit- which was unexpected and all of the students were upset, especially because they keep charging us differently. Then we went to lunch with Mia and Zach (an OU student who is getting his masters and came on this trip last year, and has been living here since February). Zach speaks very well, but apparently couldn’t speak well before he came here. That makes me feel hopeful. We ate at Heavenly Manna, and ate some traditional mashed potatoes with spices, amongst other things. We came back and settled in a little, and met up with the American students who had already arrived. They attempted to give us cell phones, yet Jeremy’s and mine didn’t work. We then went to dinner at some Chinese restaurant. We came back and some of the boys went out for literally5 minutes. Rachel fell asleep on the couch at 9, and after about 5 minutes of trying to wake her up, we both went to bed. We discovered that lying on top of our comforter is best, as the mattresses in china are very, very firm. Think floor firmness.
Oh, and our room is the only one with internet. There is a very angry lady who works the front desk at nights, and she said that nobody should have internet in the building at all. Oh, the lies. Especially because she was playing Café World, which was partly why she was so upset to talk with us.
Tonight we also went to buy a hairdryer, and I was reunited with bargaining for things. It was great.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Leavin' on a Jet Plane
T-minus 1.5 hours and I will be lifting off on my way to LA, where I will have a 7 hour layover. Then I will be meeting my friend Rachel and we will head to Beijing, and then Kunming. We will be arriving at 11 am, so it won't mess with our sleep schedules too badly!
I am very excited. I cried telling my dad bye, but I think that is about the end of the tears. Gotta love my pops! I love my mom too!
I think I overpacked, but I tried not to! I think the last minute thoughts made me want to pack more. Oh well! I will be gone for two months, so I think I will be just fine.
I will miss you all!
P.S.- This picture is the Optimus Prime statue located in Kunming, where I will be staying. I am going to see this, and it will be amazing to say the least.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
T-minus 8 Days
My trip is growing near!
While out shopping for supplies today, I kind of got in a wreck. It was a 6 car pile up that turned into 8. I am completely fine! My car is fine, too- just a couple scratches on the corner of my bumper. I had just switched lanes and all of a sudden people were slamming the breaks. I tried slamming mine as well, but there wasn't enough distance. I waited to pass a light pole and drove over the curb into the grass, nicking the car in front of me. She was really cool about it though. However, on of the cars in front of us was not okay. Two cars ended up hitting her-again. The last car hit her really hard. Her car is definitely totaled. So 6-8 car pile-up with no injuries. Marc was with me and says he is bad luck, but I personally feel that it was good luck that it wasn't any worse. :)
Pictures:
<--Their car
<--My car
^The poor other car (not my doing).Sunday, May 16, 2010
Beginning
I decided to make a new blog so that people could creepily observe what I am doing while I am in China this summer. I will probably keep it going after, simply because I like blogging. I hope you enjoy.
I will be staying in Kunming, China in Yunan Province for 2 months. I will be an International Student in a Chinese Intensive Language program. This is where I will be staying:
The campus will look like:
The squirrels look like this:
The weather will be beautiful everyday. The city is nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring." The weather will be around 70 each day. I know we are making a couple weekend trips, but I don't know where. I will write about it when we do!
:) Zai Jian (Goodbye in Chinese).
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