National Holiday Vacation continued

After an amazing, yet exhausting day of hiking through the rice terraces and spending the night in Dazhi Village, we were ready to get back to Guilin. We took an early bus back so that we could arrive in time to shower, relax, and unwind a little before another big night ahead. Once back in Guilin, we had a late lunch, then got ready and went to a DreamLike Show. The show would be the equivalent to Cirqu De Sol, so as you can imagine it was absolutely amazing! We bought VIP seats, which definitely came in handy when a clown came down, grabbed Tricia’s hand and pulled her on stage – She stole the show – It was HILARIOUS! We had a great time - and especially felt like celebrities when everyone around us insisted on taking our picture!

Outdoor Excursions - National Holiday Vacation!

The long anticipated National Holiday vacation blog is finally here – Better late than never right? I’m splitting it into a couple days at a time so that I can add optimal pictures for your enjoyment! Ok, so here it goes…. October 1 we flied out of Shanghai and arrived in Guilin, located in the Guangxi province of southern China. After a surprising nice flight with China Southern Airlines (arguable the nicest and best travel experience I’ve come across) we made it to Backstreet Youth Hostel, conveniently located directly across from the beginning of shopping stalls and booths galore! The first night there we walked around a little, did some shopping, had dinner, and went to bed early in order to be well rested for what the rest of the week had to bring!

Saturday was a day of hiking and exploring! We (Blair, Tricia, Camden and I) woke up at 5:30 and caught a bus to our first destination, Ping-An Village. Once we finally arrived, it was around 11:00 so we grabbed a quick lunch of local dishes consisting of bamboo chicken (not something we will ever order again) rice, and veggies before beginning our 4 hour hike from Ping-An to Dazhi through the most amazing and beautiful rice terraces ever! We followed signs to “Nine Dragons and Five Tigers” and by signs I mean there were a total of 2! Along the way we were chased and followed by Yao Village women (scary long haired women that insist on showing you the way and then expect payment for their services to tell you to continue going straight…) as well as scary roosters (one of which who succeeded in biting Camden while the rest of us screamed and ran away! – good thing we were prepared with a first aid kit!) So after a long and quite eventful hiking excursion (to say the least) we made it Dazhi Village and Minority Youth Hostel where we stayed the night. This was definitely not a hostel I would recommend or ever even think about returning for a second stay. It was very cheap (about $6 a person/night) but I guess you pay for what you get…. BUGS, a toilet that doesn’t flush, and a freezing cold room without heat…)

Better City, Better Life - World Expo 2010

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the World’s Expo with some friends. I didn’t really know what to expect initially, but it was definitely worth going and is something I would really like to do again before it ends in October. For those of you that may not know much about the World Expo (previously known as The World’s Fair) it originated in Paris as a national exposition to display the culture, beauty, and fashion industry in France. Other national expositions followed in Europe, but it wasn’t until 1851 that London held the first international exposition to showcase industrialization, cultural exchange, and images of various nations through pavilions.

The theme for this year’s expo is “Better City, Better Life.” The slogan combines traditional Chinese philosophy with Western utopia ideals for a better union of rural and urban life. “Better City, Better Life” strives to portray an identity where technology, science, economic development, human space, and culture exist and thrive in harmony. –Graham Land (Shanghai World Expo 2010 Better City, Better Life?)

From what I've gathered, the pavilions are set up by the country to showcase their nation and ways to become further developed and improved for “a perfect world.” The pavilions promote the nation and encourage tourism while frequently highlighting typical life in that particular country as well as pointing out things the country is known for. The Spain Pavilion, for example, had a flamenco dancer performing, while the pavilion for Greece had herbs, wine, feta cheese, and olive oil on display. In Venezuela there was an entire room of hammocks to lay on and relax, in the Netherlands there were bright flashing lights and signs of “Happy Steet.” I was there for over 5 hours and still wasn’t even close to seeing everything I would have liked. It was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to go back again soon.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Mid Autumn Festival, also known as The Moon Festival, is one of the biggest and most important holidays in China each year. It is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the Chinese, Gregorian calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. It marks the new harvest and is traditionally a time to spend with family, worship the moon, and eat lots and lots of mooncakes while welcoming the new harvest. Well, being in China during this time and celebrating the moon festival was great. Many of my students gave me gifts for the holiday and we even had off from school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. But, after trying a couple different mooncakes, I think it is safe to say I will never try them again. One of my students gave me a box of 6, all different varieties. Looking at the outside, one would expect a normal cake but OMG the surprise you find once you bite into it for the first time. They are all filled with different things ranging from fruits and nuts to meat and other surprises. The first one I opened was dark green with pinenuts inside. Another was brown with nasty stringy looking things, another was lemon, and I think the other was red bean. Other fillings that I’ve heard about include lotus seed, pumpkin seed, watermelon seed, ham, egg yolk, and even lard! Moral of the story – I don’t think I will be bringing any of these home as souvenirs!

The Smartest Kids in School!!!

This is William, he is a second grader at my school. I saw him sitting in Ms. Davies' class yesterday with this awesome shirt so I obviously had to get his picture. He told me he was a huge State fan! What a smart kid!!!

Yesterday, our morning writing journal topic was, "When I grow up, I want to be a ________."

Some of my students wrote about being astronauts, doctors, artists, bakers, and fire fighters, then little miss Irene said she wanted to be Ms. V. -Precious!

Home Sweet Home!!!

yayyyyy After nearly a month of deciding on furniture and figuring out how to get it delivered and assembled, my apartment is now complete! Words can honestly not describe the excitement and relief I now feel. Having everything put together brings this amazing sense of homeliness and comfort. I love my new couch, coffee table, rug, and adorable pillows and matching blanket! They're all so cheery, so colorful, and SO ME!!! I can't wait to start having my new friends over to relax and hang out! (And start having visitors from home! hint hint...) Happy Wednesday!

Touring the Old City!!

After such a fun and exciting night last night, I was ready to continue the thrill and tour more of Shanghai. I went with three other girls and took the metro to the Old City. Instead of sky scrapers and modern architecture, we were taken back in time to a place of ancient buildings and lifestyle. It looked like your typical Chinese town with small streets and alleyways and vendors selling just about anything you could ever imagine. From purses and watches, to hair accessories, dresses, shoes, and household items, they had it all. It was truly amazing and the buildings were beautiful! We had a wonderful time walking around, taking pictures and site seeing. It felt like an entirely different and new city from downtown Shanghai. I loved it here and can’t wait to go back soon!