Experiences in China Video

For my group project, we had to create a video that sums up our journey in China. So if you ask me, "How was China?" I will tell you that no words can truly express how magical it was. I am happy to share this short video with you filled with pictures and footage of our semester. I'm done with my semester and back in the U.S... for now... See You in the Fall Beijing!

ENJOY!

Watch it in HD 720

Anyang Excursion to the farmland

Waking up with only ten minutes to spare, I woke my roommate up, threw on my clothes, grabbed all of my bags, and ran to the taxi going to the train station. The program took us on the bullet train going 300kg per hour instead of the sleeper train to Shanghai (thank God!). Once we all arrived in the Hunan province, next was a two hour bus ride to Anyang where the trip was mainly held. But not before going on a four hour hike which nearly killed us! 

The hike up the mountains were definitely not safe because of the height and long drop down. Plus it was hailing. I’m just glad everyone made it out alive. On the top of the mountain, I learned how to handmake baskets. Despite my fingers almost falling off, it was a very memorable experience.

Haha the guesthouse~~ Well it wasn’t what I expected. The food dishes the owners served were excellent and the locals were very nice. But the horror struck once we entered our rooms. Before I could even open my door, I hear screaming and someone literally getting sick. So I finally enter the room and got hit with the worst odor in my life. In addition, there was no heat for the entire night. Alas, I put a smile on my face and got over it to enjoy my time.

For the rest of the trip we did a six hour hike, bonded over a bonfire, rapelled down a mountain, and took a cave boat ride! I must sat, that was the funnest getaway from the city ever!! 

First day in the farmland

Making dumplings and bonding over the bonfire (our only source of heat)

Half way through the six hour hike. Lunch time! We had the Chinese version of KFC.

Rainy day learning how to weave baskets

High Speed Bullet Train

Knocked OUT!

ALIVE!

We all fit through that crack in the mountain

We repelled down that!

Photo up with some curious strangers

The slide down the mountain

Boat ride through the cave

Vacation/Break in Hainan, Sanya

April 1st was the start of an amazing Tomb Sweeping break on the island of Sanya. The exact location is near the South China Sea by Taiwan. The weather was in the mid 80’s all week and humid! Everyone knows how much I love humidity! The island had clear blue skies and clean sea air. I was in heaven!

The hotel my friend and I stayed in was booked for a steal! $250 for six nights at a five star hotel seemed impossible, but dreams do come true. Our hotel included a private beach, pool, hammocks, breakfast, etc. The room itself had a balcony view of palm trees. As for the hotel workers, my friend and I always kept them entertained by using our body language to go places and ordering room service.

The people in Sanya were relatively nice and friendly. Only a tiny percentage of people spoke English, so I improved my Chinese because my friend’s Chinese was really poor. The taxi drivers were by far the coolest people I met on vacation because we would get lost most of the time. So all of us would make conversation in the cab. Visiting lower Sanya was the first time I experienced angry stares. The area in itself was filled with negative energy, so we decided never to go back down there. But ultimately the natives were very nice.

Nice taxi drivers show us a great time in Upper Sanya

During the vacation, I only wanted to relax, rest, and recharge my batteries because I was so busy in Beijing. So all I did was eat, sleep, exercise, go to the beach, and study by the pool. But during the weekend, I spent my nights exploring Hainan night life.

Food in Hainan was quite a hassle trying to find. The hotel supplied us with a map, but even that wasn’t helpful. My friend and I got lost so much! One evening we got lost at ten pm and the only nearby restaurant open was at the Sheraton hotel. I ordered a Chicago styled hot-dog ($14) and got hit on by old Norwegian steamboat racers. But once we got use to transportation, we ate out comfortably. Sanya has the freshest seafood I've ever eaten!

The most relaxing part of the trip was my friend’s birthday. I was cool with the hotel manager, so I asked him to prepare a birthday cake and send it to the room. He happily put in the request and afterwards helped me study Chinese. An hour later, a couple hotel staff came to our room and sang the Chinese happy birthday song. For the rest of the night, my friend and I ordered room service and watched movies on tv. It was such a chill night.

Lexi's birthday cake with whipped frosting, dragon fruit, apples, cantaloupe, and kiwi

My vacation came to an end after six days and I was ready to part ways with Sanya. Once we arrived at the airport at 9am, the flight was delayed twice. We finally took off at 10:50pm! In between the time, we checked back into our hotel and slept. After a medical emergency, two passengers getting sick, and experiencing the worst turbulence of my life, we landed in Beijing at 2:15am. I did not get back to my dorm until 4am because the line to get a taxi was really long. But a week of relaxation made me smile through the nightmare. 

Despite the torture coming back to Beijing, I am extremely grateful that I had the chance to spend my break in Hainan. Chilling on the beach and doing everything I wanted (which was absolutely nothing) helped me recharge my batteries. Midterms bring it on!

McDonald's (China Version)

Even though I need my American food fix from time to time, I didn't eat there. I just walked in and took pictures.

Tianmen Square, Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace

Finally on a warm and sunny day, we all visited the famous landmarks of China. The places that I've only seen in movies and read in books were finally made a reality. That day was filled with nothing but positive energy and excitement! Even though I dropped my camera at the Forbidden City (the lens is broken). At least it's a great story though..."Oh one of the most wonderful memories was when I dropped and broke my camera at the Forbidden City. I was so struck by the majestic place."

Funny situation! My program has two African-Americans (including myself), one Hispanic, and the rest Asian and Caucasian. The minorities were basically the main attraction! Strangers were either staring or snapping pictures of us. Random strangers were also sneaking up beside us to get a picture or kindly asking by flashing a smile. Parents were encouraging their kids to take pictures with the obvious foreigners too! It's safe to say that we were all celebrities that day. I BET that the strangers are saying "Oh yeah I have lots of foreign friends. We visited Tianmen Square together. Look at our pictures." Either that or our faces will appear on Facebook tagged with a random American name.

Ahh so fascinating!

Welcome to Beijing!

Tianmen Square

FIERCE!!!!