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Elyse!!! I keep missing you on the internet. :( I'm sorry. I hope you're having an amazing Barcelona experience!
I'm back from China, and I go to Chicago tomorrow for a few days.
China was amazing. I have lots of pictures and videos for people to see when we go back to school. (or if you are in Kansas, you can see them here.) I went to Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai. I climbed up the great wall, so I am a hero. There is a saying in China that you are not a real man/woman until you've been to the great wall, and if you climb it you are a hero. So I am now a real woman and a hero. I saw all the typical sights, such as the wall, the terracotta soldiers, the temple of heaven, the bell tower, etc. I bargained a lot, which was really fun sometimes and frustrating other times, like when we had the evil saleswoman of death who told me she didn't believe that I only had 120 yuan and wanted to see in my wallet. (It was in fact a lie, but still. Asking to see my wallet is going too far.)
I totally had a dream about being in China last night. I was in a store and they were fixing up a present I bought for Lauren with thicker rubber bands and then we (me and gyls people) went to the beach. Weird.
I met some great people from all over, such as Australia (AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OY OY OY!!!), Bosnia, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Trinidad, Cayman Islands, many US states, etc. I also met lots of students who live in China, which was fantastic. It was so fascinating to talk with them about life and school and... the Olympics. The Chinese are totally obsessed with the Olympics. Like, OBSESSED. Like, not even joking obsessed. There is a huge Olympic sign next to the great wall, and a counter in Tienanmen Square which counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the Olympics. There are schools, as in regular schools, which teach elementary children all about sports and stuff. Everyone is so excited. It's awesome. I forgot to buy a thing with the mascots on it. There are five colorful anime type creatures named Bei, Jing, something, something, and something. I might have to get something off e-bay. I took a picture with a giant one at the airport while two hasidic Jews walked by and chuckled. I love China. I don't love the suffocating smog, but China itself is cool.
The water was pretty gross. Everybody's skin was peeling all over from the harshness of it. The food actually was NOT all that different from American Chinese food. They had sweet and sour pork with like every meal. There were more KFCs than I ever thought possible, too. I ate there three times in desperation. I actually did not eat all my Zone bars, though. We went to a dumpling restaurant where they make dumplings in the shapes of animals and bugs and leafs and stuff. They look so realistic it's awesome!
I went to a tea house, which was way cool. I learned the proper method of tea drinking with the tiny cups and tall smelling cup. I got a reflexology foot massage which hurt like hell, but fixed my body up good. I saw silk being made and the nicest comforters, bed sheets, and clothing ever made from it for way cheep. There are more cheep real pearls in China than I thought existed in the world. I didn't get any pearls though. I really wish I had bought a pearl necklace and a silk dress or something. So cheep, such good quality. I went to the Xi'an welcome ceremony and got a key to the city. I met the foreign minister of China. I met the ambassador of Albania. And overall, I had a really good time.
In an elevator I saw a menu with a giant picture of a bar-b-qued wiener dog standing on a plate. mmmmmmmmmm tasty. I forgot to take a picture, though.
So yeah, that's it for now. I did a lot of other stuff, but I can't think right this second. Peace.
I'm back from China, and I go to Chicago tomorrow for a few days.
China was amazing. I have lots of pictures and videos for people to see when we go back to school. (or if you are in Kansas, you can see them here.) I went to Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai. I climbed up the great wall, so I am a hero. There is a saying in China that you are not a real man/woman until you've been to the great wall, and if you climb it you are a hero. So I am now a real woman and a hero. I saw all the typical sights, such as the wall, the terracotta soldiers, the temple of heaven, the bell tower, etc. I bargained a lot, which was really fun sometimes and frustrating other times, like when we had the evil saleswoman of death who told me she didn't believe that I only had 120 yuan and wanted to see in my wallet. (It was in fact a lie, but still. Asking to see my wallet is going too far.)
I totally had a dream about being in China last night. I was in a store and they were fixing up a present I bought for Lauren with thicker rubber bands and then we (me and gyls people) went to the beach. Weird.
I met some great people from all over, such as Australia (AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OY OY OY!!!), Bosnia, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Trinidad, Cayman Islands, many US states, etc. I also met lots of students who live in China, which was fantastic. It was so fascinating to talk with them about life and school and... the Olympics. The Chinese are totally obsessed with the Olympics. Like, OBSESSED. Like, not even joking obsessed. There is a huge Olympic sign next to the great wall, and a counter in Tienanmen Square which counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the Olympics. There are schools, as in regular schools, which teach elementary children all about sports and stuff. Everyone is so excited. It's awesome. I forgot to buy a thing with the mascots on it. There are five colorful anime type creatures named Bei, Jing, something, something, and something. I might have to get something off e-bay. I took a picture with a giant one at the airport while two hasidic Jews walked by and chuckled. I love China. I don't love the suffocating smog, but China itself is cool.
The water was pretty gross. Everybody's skin was peeling all over from the harshness of it. The food actually was NOT all that different from American Chinese food. They had sweet and sour pork with like every meal. There were more KFCs than I ever thought possible, too. I ate there three times in desperation. I actually did not eat all my Zone bars, though. We went to a dumpling restaurant where they make dumplings in the shapes of animals and bugs and leafs and stuff. They look so realistic it's awesome!
I went to a tea house, which was way cool. I learned the proper method of tea drinking with the tiny cups and tall smelling cup. I got a reflexology foot massage which hurt like hell, but fixed my body up good. I saw silk being made and the nicest comforters, bed sheets, and clothing ever made from it for way cheep. There are more cheep real pearls in China than I thought existed in the world. I didn't get any pearls though. I really wish I had bought a pearl necklace and a silk dress or something. So cheep, such good quality. I went to the Xi'an welcome ceremony and got a key to the city. I met the foreign minister of China. I met the ambassador of Albania. And overall, I had a really good time.
In an elevator I saw a menu with a giant picture of a bar-b-qued wiener dog standing on a plate. mmmmmmmmmm tasty. I forgot to take a picture, though.
So yeah, that's it for now. I did a lot of other stuff, but I can't think right this second. Peace.