My Life as of Now
So I have been back from China for almost a week. It will be a week tomorrow at 1pm. That was when my plane landed at LAX. My trip was interesting. I notice that everytime someone asks me how it went, I always have a different answer. Sometimes I see my trip as refreshing, stressful, or sometimes a mixture of everything at once. The teaching aspect of the trip was not what I expected. We expected to only be teaching a two periods in the morning and then a couple in the afternoon. It turned out that the school overbooked the camp and I was teaching five periods all by myself of 50 kids per class. I had a total of 250 students! I was a little nervous and stressed out and didn't know what to do, but somehow I managed. I don't feel as if I was quite as interesting as the other teachers since I was alone and didn't have any help to do big, fun things. I was scared to take 50 kids outside to play games by myself so I stuck to the more conventional way of teaching, if you wanna call it that.
We stayed for two weeks at a hotel called Changshu International Hotel. The hotel is located in Changshu, which is in the Jiangsu Province. Another city in this province is Suzhou, which is famous for its canals and gardens. While in Changshu, I did not only improve myself as a human being, but I made many friends, not only from my CSUF group, but also friends from China. The teachers assistants were wonderful and I really hit it off with Iverson (yes, he named himself after Allan Iverson), George, and Peter. I didn't have George or Peter as my assistants, but they were Amy and Laura's assistants, so after hanging out with them, they became my friends too. We still keep in touch through emails and on MySpace.
After Changshu, we moved on to Hangzhou, where they make green tea and stayed at this hotel called The Hangzhouan. It was nothing special. It reminded me of some 70s disco lovers place. We only stayed there for one night. We then went to Shanghai by bus. When we got to Shanghai they took us to this blackmarket place where they sold fake Coach, Prada, and Chanel. I didn't buy any of that stuff because I would rather have the real thing. While in Shanghai, we visited a museum where there were many artifacts of historical significance, and also walked down Nanjing Road, which is a shopping street for pedestrians only. You don't find many places strictly for pedestrians in China. While there we stayed at this place, which I don't remember the name. I wanna say it had the word Menjia in it. I believe it was international too. It was much nicer than the previous night's hotel, but it smelled like paint. We slept and then in the morning we were off to the Pudong airport to fly to Beijing.
My first day in Beijing was hard. I had a splitting headache from not having breakfast and from the bumpy plane ride. When we got there, I was wishing so badly that we could have rested, but we couldn't. We met up with our tour guide Julie and got on the bus. We went to our hotel, which I was excited for but later found out was pretty bad. It was called the Twenty-First Century Hotel. It was only a three star hotel. We had to pay to use everything and the bathrooms were very strange. I can only describe them as being like a motorhome's bathroom. It didn't fit with the room. The room itself was okay, except for the badly stained carpet.
During our first day in Beijing, we ate lunch at our hotel and then we went to the Forbidden City and then to Tiananmen Square. Both places were pretty cool. After that we ate Peking Duck at supposedly the best restaurant in Beijing. After dinner, the tour guide could tell we were tired so we went back to the hotel. I was pretty grateful for that because I was able to get some rest so I wouldn't have a headache the next day. The second day, we headed to the Jade factory where I spent a bit of money, and then to the Great Wall. It was really foggy that day so it was hard to see the wall. I was able to climb half of it without having a heart attack, but something inside me tells me I could have reached the top...I was just letting the tired people influence me. I sort of regret that I didn't and now I would like to go back again someday so I could do the whole thing. I bought a lot of things after that at the souvenir shops for family.
After the Great Wall and after lunch, we went to the Ming Tombs. This is the place where the emperors had their tombs laid out for them when they died, as well as the tombs for their emperesses and concubines. It was a nice, cool day, so it made it easy to get around here and it made it all the more enjoyable. Ming Tombs was before dinner and after dinner, we retired back to the hotel.
The third day in Beijing we went to the Summer Palace, which is where the emperor and his family went when the summers got too hot. After that, we went to the pearl factory. I didn't buy any pearls, because honestly, I am not really into pearls. I did buy the pearl cream for anti-aging and got one set free to give to my mom. I actually like the cream. It makes my skin feel good. Haha. After the pearl factory, we went to lunch, and then to the Temple of Heaven, which is an old Buddhist temple. Now it is a place where senior citizens hang out and sing songs and play games. After the Temple of Heaven, we went to see the acrobat show. Once the acrobat show was over, we ate dinner and then retired.
On our last full day in Beijing, we went on what is called the Hutong Tour. The Hutong Tour is where we got on a rickshaw and it took us into an actual place where people live. This lady let us into her house, where we sat in her living room and she served us tea. We asked her questions and she asked us questions too. It was really cool. After that, the rickshaw took us back to the park and we went to a place called Wang Fu Jing Road which is also a shopping road. That is a road where you can do a lot of bargaining. It was really cool. We went to lunch down the road from there, and then we were free to do whatever we wanted, so I, along with Wendy, Laura, and Jackie went back to Wang Fu Jing and shopped until it was time to get back to the hotel for dinner.
After dinner, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe and bought our final souvenirs and then ate some appetizers and had some drinks. It was really nice. Afterwards we just walked back on our own to the hotel to get some refreshing night air and enjoy the streets of China for one last night. Then, the next morning, it was off to the airport, where we got held-over for an extra couple hours due to poor weather, and then to Shanghai to catch our final 4pm flight to Los Angeles.
Now that I recap on this trip, as lacking as it is of detail, I realize that I loved China. I really, really loved it and I am so thankful for the experience. I wish I would have realized that more while I was there. I hope to go back again someday. I did miss many people while I was gone. I really missed Gerry, but I knew that he would be there when I got back. The best thing was that he surprised me when I got back. He called my mom and told her he took the day off to come to the airport and told her not to tell me. He drove to the airport with my mom and grandma and surprised me! It was so sweet. I fell in love with him all over again when he did that. It really made my day seeing that I was extremely tired and overwhelmed.
So yea, aside from my trip, life is going alright. I am really happy in my relationship and with how things are progressing. I don't know if we are really happy just because I'm home, but I feel really happy and really secure. I wouldn't trade what I have for the world. I wouldn't trade my friends, family, or any relationships. I am so grateful for all that has come from this journey. I am so happy that I was able to be free of all of my past burdens and do what I wanted to do. I came out of my shell and did the unthinkable...at least for me. I am so proud and satisfied right now that I can't even explain. I love life right now.
*Steph*
P.S. I don't know if this link will work, but it contains pictures. I am going to put them on Photobucket soon. I think all you need to do is make an account and then you can view them.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=45780150211.63851292211.1154932541799&page=1&sort_order=0&navfolderid=0&folderid=0&ownerid=0
We stayed for two weeks at a hotel called Changshu International Hotel. The hotel is located in Changshu, which is in the Jiangsu Province. Another city in this province is Suzhou, which is famous for its canals and gardens. While in Changshu, I did not only improve myself as a human being, but I made many friends, not only from my CSUF group, but also friends from China. The teachers assistants were wonderful and I really hit it off with Iverson (yes, he named himself after Allan Iverson), George, and Peter. I didn't have George or Peter as my assistants, but they were Amy and Laura's assistants, so after hanging out with them, they became my friends too. We still keep in touch through emails and on MySpace.
After Changshu, we moved on to Hangzhou, where they make green tea and stayed at this hotel called The Hangzhouan. It was nothing special. It reminded me of some 70s disco lovers place. We only stayed there for one night. We then went to Shanghai by bus. When we got to Shanghai they took us to this blackmarket place where they sold fake Coach, Prada, and Chanel. I didn't buy any of that stuff because I would rather have the real thing. While in Shanghai, we visited a museum where there were many artifacts of historical significance, and also walked down Nanjing Road, which is a shopping street for pedestrians only. You don't find many places strictly for pedestrians in China. While there we stayed at this place, which I don't remember the name. I wanna say it had the word Menjia in it. I believe it was international too. It was much nicer than the previous night's hotel, but it smelled like paint. We slept and then in the morning we were off to the Pudong airport to fly to Beijing.
My first day in Beijing was hard. I had a splitting headache from not having breakfast and from the bumpy plane ride. When we got there, I was wishing so badly that we could have rested, but we couldn't. We met up with our tour guide Julie and got on the bus. We went to our hotel, which I was excited for but later found out was pretty bad. It was called the Twenty-First Century Hotel. It was only a three star hotel. We had to pay to use everything and the bathrooms were very strange. I can only describe them as being like a motorhome's bathroom. It didn't fit with the room. The room itself was okay, except for the badly stained carpet.
During our first day in Beijing, we ate lunch at our hotel and then we went to the Forbidden City and then to Tiananmen Square. Both places were pretty cool. After that we ate Peking Duck at supposedly the best restaurant in Beijing. After dinner, the tour guide could tell we were tired so we went back to the hotel. I was pretty grateful for that because I was able to get some rest so I wouldn't have a headache the next day. The second day, we headed to the Jade factory where I spent a bit of money, and then to the Great Wall. It was really foggy that day so it was hard to see the wall. I was able to climb half of it without having a heart attack, but something inside me tells me I could have reached the top...I was just letting the tired people influence me. I sort of regret that I didn't and now I would like to go back again someday so I could do the whole thing. I bought a lot of things after that at the souvenir shops for family.
After the Great Wall and after lunch, we went to the Ming Tombs. This is the place where the emperors had their tombs laid out for them when they died, as well as the tombs for their emperesses and concubines. It was a nice, cool day, so it made it easy to get around here and it made it all the more enjoyable. Ming Tombs was before dinner and after dinner, we retired back to the hotel.
The third day in Beijing we went to the Summer Palace, which is where the emperor and his family went when the summers got too hot. After that, we went to the pearl factory. I didn't buy any pearls, because honestly, I am not really into pearls. I did buy the pearl cream for anti-aging and got one set free to give to my mom. I actually like the cream. It makes my skin feel good. Haha. After the pearl factory, we went to lunch, and then to the Temple of Heaven, which is an old Buddhist temple. Now it is a place where senior citizens hang out and sing songs and play games. After the Temple of Heaven, we went to see the acrobat show. Once the acrobat show was over, we ate dinner and then retired.
On our last full day in Beijing, we went on what is called the Hutong Tour. The Hutong Tour is where we got on a rickshaw and it took us into an actual place where people live. This lady let us into her house, where we sat in her living room and she served us tea. We asked her questions and she asked us questions too. It was really cool. After that, the rickshaw took us back to the park and we went to a place called Wang Fu Jing Road which is also a shopping road. That is a road where you can do a lot of bargaining. It was really cool. We went to lunch down the road from there, and then we were free to do whatever we wanted, so I, along with Wendy, Laura, and Jackie went back to Wang Fu Jing and shopped until it was time to get back to the hotel for dinner.
After dinner, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe and bought our final souvenirs and then ate some appetizers and had some drinks. It was really nice. Afterwards we just walked back on our own to the hotel to get some refreshing night air and enjoy the streets of China for one last night. Then, the next morning, it was off to the airport, where we got held-over for an extra couple hours due to poor weather, and then to Shanghai to catch our final 4pm flight to Los Angeles.
Now that I recap on this trip, as lacking as it is of detail, I realize that I loved China. I really, really loved it and I am so thankful for the experience. I wish I would have realized that more while I was there. I hope to go back again someday. I did miss many people while I was gone. I really missed Gerry, but I knew that he would be there when I got back. The best thing was that he surprised me when I got back. He called my mom and told her he took the day off to come to the airport and told her not to tell me. He drove to the airport with my mom and grandma and surprised me! It was so sweet. I fell in love with him all over again when he did that. It really made my day seeing that I was extremely tired and overwhelmed.
So yea, aside from my trip, life is going alright. I am really happy in my relationship and with how things are progressing. I don't know if we are really happy just because I'm home, but I feel really happy and really secure. I wouldn't trade what I have for the world. I wouldn't trade my friends, family, or any relationships. I am so grateful for all that has come from this journey. I am so happy that I was able to be free of all of my past burdens and do what I wanted to do. I came out of my shell and did the unthinkable...at least for me. I am so proud and satisfied right now that I can't even explain. I love life right now.
*Steph*
P.S. I don't know if this link will work, but it contains pictures. I am going to put them on Photobucket soon. I think all you need to do is make an account and then you can view them.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=45780150211.63851292211.1154932541799&page=1&sort_order=0&navfolderid=0&folderid=0&ownerid=0