XinXing and Hong Kong Feb 12-17

Feb 12 After landing in Guangzhou, we got a ride with Jie, our school's driver. We barely all fit into the van. It had 7 seats, but we had 7 people and luggage! It was a pretty uncomfortable 2-hour ride to XinXing, but we made it.

The first thing we did was find some food. We ate at the coffee shop close to our school. It is western food and pretty good. That afternoon we spent taking a tour of my school campus and at home. I repacked and did some laundry, and we spent some time relaxing until Cathy took us out for supper. We had hot pot with Cathy, Mr. Cui and his son, Jimmy, the Hu's, and the Wu's. Then we went to the hot springs. The one we usually go to was closed so we went to a different one. I liked this one better. It was more like I would imagine hot springs to be. There were more private pools so I didn't feel stared at so much. The air was cold, but the water was soo warm! It was wonderful after being so cold all the time :)

Feb 13 This morning I took my family out to breakfast for my favorite: long rice noodle. They all liked it! Yay! Then we went on a tour of the town. First stop: the market. The sights and smells in a Chinese market are really interesting. I still don't like the smells, but the sights are still amazing to me. Every season brings some new kind of food or animal I haven't seen before. With my family, we walked around by the poultry and fish and saw them preparing the fresh meat and looked at all the strange fruits and vegetables. Then we headed into town. We stopped by the "lake" where a group of boys was throwing firecrackers into the water. Then we did a little shopping. My favorite street of shops was really dead, though. Many of the shops were closed for the holiday. We also explored the supermarket and ate lunch at MFC. We spent the evening at home again getting ready to go to Hong Kong.

Feb 14 We took the 7:30am bus to HK. It is a 5 hour bus ride with stops for customs and bathrooms. Then we had to find the YMCA where we would be staying. We got checked in, found some lunch and got cleaned up before going over to Mark and Susan's for a pizza dinner with some of our friends from around China. This weekend was set aside as a group get-together to share stories and encouragements for the second term. Almost all of our group was there and we had a really good time. Many of us had recently been to Thailand so we were able to trade stories of our adventures there.

Feb 15 Today we met the group at the Seminary before going to have Dim Sum for lunch. It was so delicious, but Connie ordered too much food! It kept coming and coming! Then we took a ferry over to Lamma Island for a hike to talk and take pictures. At the end of the walk, we arrived at a seafood restaurant where we had another large meal. We were still not hungry from lunch and they ordered a lot of food again! I'm not complaining, though. We spent a lot of days on our trip not eating enough, so it was nice to have too much food. :)

After dinner we headed back across the water to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong (not HK Island). Every night there is a light show on the water. There is a large viewing deck and you can watch the lights of the buildings on the shore. It's pretty cool! After that, the excitement continued... we went across the water again to HK Island. And then took the tram up to Victoria's Peak. From the top you can see all of the skyscrapers and the harbor. It's an amazing view. The Number One thing to do in Hong Kong!

Feb 16 Stanley! There is a place on the south side of Hong Kong Island called Stanley. There is a big market to bargain and buy souvenirs, and many restaurants along the shore. Our big group split up into smaller groups and made our way through the maze of shops. I found some good things and I think everyone else did, too. We were given free reign to spend as long as we wanted shopping, as long as we got to the Seminary by 5pm for a service. After the service we all went out to Fat Angelo's for Italian food. It was sooo delicious! Then a group of us went out to a popular bar area to do some dancing and chatting on our last night together.

Feb 17 My family's last day together. :( We went to the south side of HK Island again to Ocean Park. We saw several shows and went to most of the animal exhibits there. I love seeing the animals! I think the jellyfish and pandas were the most popular! For supper we went to the Hard Rock Cafe and I ordered ribs. Mmmmm! I miss ribs, steak and beef so much!

Feb 18 We all went back home today. I was so sad to see everyone leave. I am anxious to see them again in July.

Three Gorges Cruise Feb 8-12

It's feeling warmer, we must be heading south!

We took a cruise on the Yangtze River between Chongqing and Yichang. It wasn't the ideal time of year to be on a Chinese cruise (No heat and no warm water for showers...), but it was an experience! We took a Chinese cruise boat and paid for an English speaking guide, Tracy, to come with us. Tracy was great! We really enjoyed her and were glad she came. It would have been really difficult and no fun without someone to tell us what was going on. We had two cabins: one for 4 women, and one for 2 men. We spent most of our time in the women's cabin cuz it's easier for 2 men to relocate than 4 women :) Also, we had gone to a supermarket in Chongqing to get food for 4 days. We mostly ate pb&j, chips, apples and pears the whole time.

The cruise was a nice transition in the middle of our hectic trip to be forced to relax for a couple days. My memory of what happened what day is fuzzy now, so I'll just tell you what we did as I think of it. We got off the boat a couple times each day, usually in the morning or evening. We stopped at Ghost City which was pretty cool, and a couple temples. Also, there were the gorges. We thought it was 3 gorges, but we were surprised to find out that it was 3 Gorges, Little 3 Gorges, and Mini 3 Gorges! They kept on coming! We all thought the Mini Gorges were the most beautiful. That day we transferred from our cruise boat to a smaller boat to go thru the Little 3 Gorges, and then transferred again to several mini boats which were wonderful. The ambiance was amazing.

The main reason we went on the cruise was because the Chinese are building a large dam on the Yangtze that will eventually fill up the gorges. There were signs everywhere showing how high the water level will be. So at the end of the cruise, we took a bus to view 'the whole dam site'. The best part about it was that we had to get off the bus and walk thru a metal detector. They are worried about people (Americans especially...) bringing bombs to destroy the dam. WHAT?! Why do Americans care about the dam? It's not going to flood my land! Anyway, the funniest part was that we left everything on the bus and walked thru a metal detector and got back on the bus. What about our luggage?? Hmm... at least they try... At the viewing point, the sun was setting so we got some really pretty pictures.

Then we got back on the bus and drove into Yichang where we stayed overnight before going to the airport very early in the morning. Sara and I are on our way home!

Xi'an Feb 6-8

Xi'an is an old capital of China so it is full of history. This was my favorite city. There were so many things to do and places to see that we couldn't fit it all in with only one full day and two half days. I would like to go back again. Our first night, we didn't have time to do much besides find our hotel and walk around a little before going to bed.

Feb 7 Happy New Year! We started off the celebrations with loads of firecrackers! At the mall across the street from our hotel, they covered the sidewalks and stairways with firecrackers and set them off. This was one of Greg's favorite parts of the trip :) Then we set off to see the Terracotta Warriors. We didn't get very clear directions on what bus to take out there and ended up finding a tour group that offered to take our family alone for a somewhat expensive rate. We decided that was ok. Well, it came with a catch – we had to stop at a store where the people were selling souvenirs for way more than they were worth and wouldn't bargain very much. We didn't buy much there. Then we went to the TW site.

One of the pits was closed, but the other two were pretty cool. It was so elaborate and detailed. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to make all of those warriors and horses. Wow. There was also a small museum which held two bronze chariots. They were really small and difficult to photograph in the strange lighting, but we got a couple decent pictures between the 6 of us :) Outside the park were some shops with the loudest, most aggressive hagglers I've ever heard. My sister was a little nervous. But we got a couple good deals anyway.

After that, our tour bus took us back to town. They wanted to stop at more places and tried to be very convincing, but I was not having it because we had such a short time in Xi'an. No time to waste! So they took us back begrudgingly and we headed to the Drum Tower. My Mom and Greg each took a turn hitting a very large drum, and we waited to see a performance, but it was rather disappointing. To end the evening, we went to a Muslim Market Street my sister wanted to explore. That was really cool! I've seen a lot of market streets all over China and Thailand, but this was a reasonably cool street. Most of the items were familiar, but they had a few unique things on display, too.

Feb 8 we had time to see the Bell Tower and have lunch before heading to the airport and on our way to Chongqing in the center of China. The Bell Tower wasn't as cool as the Drum Tower. There wasn't as many bells, but you could play one of them, too.

Like I said before, I wish we had more time in Xi'an. There were several more sights we wanted to see.

Beijing Feb 1-6

I finally finished writing my blog entries for my vacation around China with my family. Enjoy! :)

 

Our trip started off in Beijing. Sara and I went up there two days before my family arrived to do some extra sight-seeing. We stayed in a friend's apartment which was so wonderful! They gave us directions on how to get around and what places were nearby. So our first day in Beijing, we spent time at some Special Bookstores looking for gifts for our friends. One was really cool because we could make our own banners with verses printed on them in Chinese. I'm really excited about them! While at the banner store, some friends (Naomi and her brother Adam who was also visiting) we had planned to meet later arrived! We spent time with them picking out pictures and sizes and verses and then went out for supper.

Feb 3 we went to the Silk Market. It is a big building filled with people selling things. It was a great place to find souvenirs and bargain. If you go there, you MUST go way low. You think it's too low, but even when you think you got a deal, you still spent too much. Amazing. After that, we wanted to check out Olympic Stadium before going to get my family at the airport. We were on the subway and didn't know where to get off so I just said "Does anyone speak English?" One guy said he spoke a little. So he helped us figure out where to get off and then came with us! We weren't able to get inside any of the buildings. The aquatic center was being used for an event and the bird's nest wasn't open yet, but we were able to see them and take some photos. Then it was off to the airport for my family's arrival! I was soo excited to see them!

Feb 4 we went to the Great Wall (Chang Cheng). It took longer than expected to get there with the New Year coming. There were fewer buses running and we missed it so had to take a different way. We met a nice man who helped us get directions and found us a driver for a reasonable price. The driver took us to a less touristy part of the wall (JuYongGuan), so it wasn't too busy. At times we were able to take photos without a single person in them! The wall was really steep and we were pretty cold, so we didn't go too far, but if you wanted, there is always another tower that looks inviting!

After the Great Wall, we planned to get back to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe and then go to an acrobat show. The HRC was closed so we found a little Italian place around the corner which was excellent. Then decided to walk to the acrobat show – BIG mistake! It took much longer than expected but we arrived just as the show was about to begin. Yikes! The show was pretty cool, though. I think everyone enjoyed it.

Feb 5 we met up with our friends again and we planned to explore the big attractions in the middle of the city: Forbidden City, T-Square, and the Temple of Heaven. The FC was cool, but sooo big! It kept going and going and we took a long time stopping to take pictures so we didn't have as much time to see the other things later. We walked thru the Square and found a little restaurant across the street. The food wasn't great, but ok. There isn't anywhere close to eat there which is really inconvenient. By the time we arrived at the Temple, the attractions were closed and only the park area was open. It was really disappointing.

That evening my family had their first taste of real Chinese food. We had a hotpot dish where they bring the ingredients you want, you put them into the hot pot under which is a stove. Then when the food is cooked, reach in with your chopsticks and eat! It was really delicious, but a bit of a challenge for my family who are not very skilled with their chopsticks!

Feb 6 we went to the Summer Palace. The apartment we stayed at was very close to the palace, so we were able to take a bus there. We spent a few hours there seeing all the major sights and a couple other little ones that looked interesting. It was a beautiful day although still very cold, so we got some nice photos there. I really enjoyed the peaceful setting there.

That afternoon our flight to Xi'an left at 5:30, so we got our things and went on to city #2!

Earthquake Update

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for my friends. I found out that Colline's family is fine! His parents had already moved in with him and his wife here at school to care for the baby. His uncles lost their homes, but they are safe. Thank God!

Important News Update

I have in my hands (well not really cuz I'm typing), a plane ticket that says I will be arriving in Madison at

10:25pm on Monday, June 30, 2008!

Just six more weeks in China.

Earthquake

Hello Everyone,

I hear there was an earthquake in China recently... no, we didn't feel it. It occurred in Southwestern China and I live in Southeastern China. I am surprised there are reports that it was felt as far away as Beijing and Vietnam and we are not any further away than them and yet didn't feel anything. It probably has something to do with where the mountains are.

When my family was here, we were pretty close to that area at the start of our cruise in Chongqing. But the center of the earthquake was still more West than that near the capital of Sichuan: Chengdu.

Thank you for your concerns about Sara and I. We are fine. Nothing exciting happening these days :) Pray that none of my friend's families were affected by the earthquake. One of my friends, Colline, is from Chengdu and is awaiting his baby in June.

Olympic Torch - Guangzhou

Wow, this trip was crazy. It started off great! We got to Starbucks in Guangzhou with no problems and hung out there for a little while until Stefic arrived. Then we walked to the metro (subway) and went to the hotel her father owns. By this time it's almost 7pm and we're pretty hungry. They took us to dinner. The food was delicious but they didn't believe that we liked it. Also, her father kept asking why we chose XX over GZ and kept suggesting that we teach in GZ instead. It was really exhausting dealing with them. Finally we got back to the hotel and planned what time to leave in the morning, and we were alone. We stayed up watching a movie until 12 and then I couldn't sleep for a long time. It was too hot, we had coffee too late in the day, and the bed was uncomfortable. Eventually I could feel the AC after turning it WAY down and getting Sara cold, then I put my ipod on and drifted off to sleep.
Today we planned to leave at 9:30 but didn't get going till close to 10. We got to the place we planned to catch the torch at by 10:30 and it wasn't supposed to arrive until close to 12 but the place was PACKED with people already. We were the only foreigners and everyone was surprised to see us so they wanted to take pictures of us. At one time a reporter with a cameraman came over and I snubbed them, but we were suddenly surrounded by people. Sara talked to the reporter for a question or two while I covered my face from everyone. I do NOT like that at all. I'm so glad I'm not famous. We spent a while dodging people, but eventually we didn't have any more problems.
Since no one knew when the torch would arrive exactly, there were many surges of excitement and we got stuck in a crowd for a long time. We actually would have had a good sight of the torch from where we were, but it never came. We ducked out of that crowd and just stood outside of it for a while after that. We lost Stefic then until after the torch went by. I met a guy, Frank (university student studying public relations), who told me that the torch bearers had stopped to have lunch which caused the delay. Finally, at about 1:30, the torch came through. I was able to get fairly close to see the beginning of the parade of people, but I was soon shoved out of the way and I couldn't find anywhere to go, so I gave up and walked back out of the crowds. I was able to see the flame through the people and got a video to prove it, but that was all. :(
Then, after we found Stefic, we went out to lunch (on the way, I saw a group of guys with a bunch of t-shirts that say "I *heart* China", so we bought some). At lunch we had more annoying questions to deal with between her and her dad about GZ vs. XX, if we regretted coming/trying to see the torch, and if we liked the food or not. We finally got out of there alive, and went back to where we saw the torch (we had to in order to catch the metro). It looked very different since all of the people were gone... but across the street was a Subway restaurant so we got food for later (mmm!), and went down to the metro to go back to catch a bus home.
So here we are at home again. It was a whirlwind trip... I don't regret going. I have very few regrets in life because without experiences I wouldn't be who I am now. I'm disappointed about what happened and that we weren't able to see the torch after all that planning and anticipation, but it was a good trip over all. Just the excitement of being in the crowd was worth it.

Dinner Party

We had a really fun evening today.
I've been thinking about doing my other job lately but being scared of how to do it. So finally we did it. I invited friends over (there was 8 of us), shopped and made supper (everyone brought something). When our friends arrived, we ate supper, told the story of the spring holiday we like to celebrate, and played some games. I was really happy with how it all went.
So our friends seemed interested in the story. They knew some of it but not all of it, and were making comments and questions along the way. Then we just played some Uno and some other games. I think everyone had a really good time. I'm really happy we did it. I didn't want to go home regretting that I didn't take every opportunity I had to talk to my friends. And this is one step closer to that. It's never too late.
For supper we had spaghetti, mashed potatoes and gravy, dumplings, "bacon" (it looked more like a hot dog, but wasn't too bad), some green vegetable, apples and oranges. It was quite good. I made the first two myself. Our friends were so funny! They wouldn't go thru the line first cuz they didn't know how to eat the food. They needed to watch us to see how to do it :) I'm pretty sure they all liked the food. It was almost all finished.

Wushu Performance

Tonight was so much fun! I was a little embarrassed at first because I was wearing a costume that looked like purple silk pajamas for my wushu performance. But once I got over that, it was a lot of fun. As Stephen told me, “It doesn't matter. We are actors.” That's easy for him to say, he looked like he was wearing a suit!
Anyway, the Senior 2 classes had a performance back in December (Sara played her flute), so now it was time for Senior 1 to show what they could do. I loved it so much! The majority of the classes were mine, so I got to watch them in action. They were hilarious to watch even though I didn't know what they were saying.
Well finally it was my turn to perform. When I stepped out on the stage, the roar of cheers was amazing! It's hard to concentrate when you feel like a celebrity! My performance went really well. I had practiced and practiced so I wouldn't fall and I still did, but not as bad as other times.
After the show, I got to take pictures with some of my students who were still in costume, so that was really fun, too. I'm so proud of them!
ps. I don't have any photos of my performance, only a video which took a long time to load on facebook, so I'll have to load it when I get back to America. Until then, you'll just have to enjoy the other pictures.