Tag Archives: Global Citizenship

Kia Ora (New Zealand Day 4)

This morning we visited a local farm in Rotorua, and spent some time looking at the hand-knit items made of alpaca, sheep, and possum yarn. New Zealand is well known for these high quality products. Following our gift shop stop, we headed to the Redwood Forests.

Driving through New Zealand

Driving through New Zealand

Whakarewarewa Forest

As you may have guessed, Redwood trees are not native to Australia, but were introduced from California. In 1899, 170 species of trees from all over the world were originally planted in the Whakarewarewa Forest, making it the first exotic forest in New Zealand. The intention was to see which species would grow successfully as timber trees in the central North Island. While many did not survive, 15 acres of the Californian Redwoods thrived due to the rich soils. Redwood’s lifespan is 600 years, and they can grow as tall as 360 feet. In this reserve, the tallest stand at around 236 feet and 66.5 inches in diameter.

Steps throughout the Redwood Forest

Steps throughout the Redwood Forest

Redwoods of the forest

Today, the Whakarewarewa Forest spans for 13993 acres, joining Lake Tikitapu (Blue) and Rotokakahi (Green), and the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. Thoughout this area, the redwoods do a great job in providing shade for New Zealand’s natural flora. In addition to mountain biking, orienteering & explorer trails, and horseback riding, there are six walking/hiking paths leading through the forest. The shortest trail is a half hour loop that is wheel chair accessible, with the longest trail being 8 hours long and requiring a decent fitness level. We hiked the hour and a half option, which looped up stairs and through boardwalk observation trails, to a rock lookout point, then back down around to the visitor’s center. The beginning of the trail was thick with redwoods, leading up the mountain through other species of trees, with numerous fun photo-ops along the way!

Lookout point of the trail

Lookout point of the trail

A fallen tree over the walking path

A fallen tree over the walking path

Kerosene Creek

Rotorua is a major geothermal area, bubbling with geothermal activity, geysers, mud pools, and hot thermal springs all throughout the area. In fact, the town has been nicknamed “Sulphur City” due to the hydrogen sulphide emissions that gives the area a wonderful rotten eggs smell. Not too sure if I could live there with the constant smell, but it does make for a bunch of really cool places to visit.

So, our next stop was Kerosene Creek, a place we found online prior to traveling, and also was told to visit by multiple people. This location is a bit tricky to find, given that Google Maps has the road name wrong, but we were determined to check it out. This creek is naturally hot since it runs out of and through a thermal valley. With rock structures throughout the creek, there are natural hot tubs built into the land. The main swimming area encompasses a large pool, with a waterfall, small cliff overhang, and dam. We spent about an hour relaxing in the water, then made our way back to the hostel.

Kerosene Creek

Kerosene Creek

Waterfall at Kerosene Creek

Waterfall at Kerosene Creek

Maori Village

This evening we joined a local tribe to learn about the culture of New Zealand. We enjoyed words of welcome, introducing 15 different nations that were present for the evening, and inviting all these nations to come together forming a family tribe for the evening. Next we walked down to a river, where the Maori warriors were introduced by rowing through the channel on an authentic hand-carved canoe, performing traditional chants and motions. During a short lesson on canoe making, we saw a replica of a canoe that was designed and created specifically for the movie Piano.

Maori warriors canoeing

After learning about how Maori meals (typically consisting mainly of lamb and potatoes) are slow-cooked in an underground fire for several hours, we saw a cultural performance hosted by the Maori people, which included dancing and singing, both of which were beautifully done. The chief of the tribe also introduced information on different dances, cultural traditions, weapons, and facial tattoos that are used in their culture. Most importantly, he explained a few terms that are used in their native language. Kia Ora is a very well known phrase in New Zealand, meaning hello, welcome, thank you, or often just a general greeting exchanged between people. We also enjoyed the aforementioned meal, with additional sides and desserts.

Maori dancers during their cultural performance

The Kiwi Bird

Following dinner, we took a guided night tour through Rainbow Springs, a wildlife and nature reserve. In addition to seeing many iconic animals of New Zealand, we got to see the country’s national bird, the Kiwi, up close and personal. Many plant and animal species currently existing in New Zealand were not native, but rather introduced from other countries of the world. In fact, birds were the only animals that originally inhabited New Zealand. This is easy to believe because most of the attractions of New Zealand involved the landscape, and there are not rodent or mammals pests running around the ground (like how America has squirrels/rabbits/rodents).

The kiwi is one of these native birds, however due to its odd features, it has had some difficulty surviving and is protected nationally. Kiwi’s are flightless birds, because originally they had no predators. Kiwi’s are about the size of a chicken, but do in fact have tiny wings despite being flightless, about the size of your pinky nail. They have hair that looks and feels similar to human hair, two strong legs and feet with three toes, and a long beak used for digging for insects in the dirt. In addition to whiskers for sensing the area, they have nostrils at the end of their beak, giving them excellent smelling capabilities, and two ears, giving them excellent hearing. These birds are also nocturnal, burrowing in the ground and sleeping up to 18 hours a day, then becoming active at night. Odd but very interesting creatures!

The Maori cultural experience was a fantastic way to learn about the heritage of New Zealand, and also enjoy a quality performance, meal, and park visit. I would highly recommend this experience to other travelers!

Who knew a piece of my heart was in Florence?

The other day, I was sitting in my favorite place. The one where David and Andrea work. It sits on the Arno, and we call it “Caffè.” The sun illuminated the rough, uneven white-brick walls and the golden brown wood of the tables. Adam sat across from me. It was his birthday; he turned 32. David sat at a table behind me on his late lunch break. Andrea behind the counter continuing the daily grind of Caffè work.

IMG_6765David and Andrea are brothers, (“i fratelli”), and they look like twins (“i gemelli”), but Andrea is two years older than David. David is but 22, and I am 20. I could easily fall in love, but it surely isn’t meant to be. They brought out an omelet with a little heart reading, “With love! 32” on it, and their classic goofy smiles. (Earlier that day they gave Adam a two day old piece of cake with two candles that were shaped like 22, which wasn’t even the right age, and then another slice of cake after the omelet. So funny and sweet!) They are just cute for the fun of it, and they enjoy life. It’s refreshing.

Alexxus sat behind me and to my left at the barrel with her iced cappuccino and biography of Tiziano Ferro, her favorite Italian singer and songwriter. Alexxus is younger than I am, I learned this just yesterday. She is a deep thinker, and coming without knowing a single soul, brave indeed. The sun warmed my soul as did the presence of my friends.

The romance of a moment, irrepeatable.

I was wearing my favorite dress in my favorite caffè, where I always do my work while Adam does his, and we joked with David and Andrea that “we all work together.” My hair was neat in my ballerina bun as usual with the wispy tendrils framing my face, IMG_6762and my soft tan dress tied at the waste by my dark blue denim collared shirt–a bit warm on this sunny day but just perfect for me. I sat at the table with my laptop and phone in front of me, hard at work on my photography homework. Beside my computer was a copy of a letter. It was addressed to the editor of one of the english speaking newspapers in Florence where I hope to remain for the summer months. I had just submitted it online the evening prior.

In part, it read: “…before I arrived in Florence, I thought I wanted to see the whole world, but once I arrived here, everything changed. I fell in love with this charming city. As I enter my fourth and final month in my study abroad program, I can’t even fathom leaving…”

I held the paper in my hands with my shoulders back and the warm sunshine on my face. With one ear available for the sounds of the caffè and an earphone in the other, the soft music of Ben Rector’s Sailboat awoke me to the romance of this moment. Suddenly, I realized just how intricate it was, irrepeatable. This moment of longing, of loving, hoping, and desiring for this experience to last a little longer–a moment that defines my 20-year-old life in a way that I am now different, somehow transformed from who I was before.

Who knew a piece of my heart was in Florence?

Who knew I would find part of myself here of all places? I have grown a lot from this experience. Annie has taught me to be myself. Elizabeth says not to care what others think. Why need we be all the same? Santi Apostoli has given me a home and a mission. Gianna and Giovanna have made me smile with authentic zeal. Alessio teaches me to be free, to always try, and to never fear failure. Screen Shot 2016-04-09 at 2.08.46 AMAnd, my Florence family, and Cici, and Katie, and the staff of my school, and everyone! Florence especially, if I may personify the city. Everyone has taught me to love so deeply, so deeply that I am drunk off the sweetness of life–figuratively of course, but so deep that it almost feels literal.

The bliss, the riding of a wave that feels like a natural forever… But, in the back of my mind, and somewhere in my heart, I know I have to leave. I know the wave will eventually break against the shore. But, I just don’t know… how long will this loveliness last? And, I praise the Lord. I praise His holy name for giving it to me in the first place, and I hope desperately that my desires match His will. But, I also know that I need to trust Him. He is goodness and depth itself, while I am a little whisp… here and then gone in the blink of an eye in the whole history of human existence. My sight is so limited, tethered to here and now, latching onto the best thing I know in this world.

Fr. Mike Schmitz once said, “God knows us better than we know ourselves, and he loves us better than we love ourselves.” I love this. It reminds me that God has created me, His will is always and forever better than mine, and whatever He has planned for me is good. He has handcrafted this perfect bliss, one that speaks to my heart in ways nothing else can. And, whatever is to come is what is best. God is the bliss.

“The threshold which the world crosses in him
is the threshold of wonderment.” -Saint Pope John Paul II
“My soul doth magnify the Lord.” -Mother Mary

More sweet moments

Last night I went to Adam’s birthday party. It was an apperitivo at La Petite, near Piazza della Repubblica. Rena and Alexxus came too. There we had a drink and some Italian food and enjoyed conversation about nothing yet everything with Melinda. Melinda is a writer and expat here in Florence, a woman who fell in love with Florence just like I am beginning to drink up its sweetness, only three months deep. Little did I know I would come across a former writer from the very publication I was applying to. What a truly lovely surprise this was.

Long story long, I am loving it here, the friends I’ve had the pleasure to meet, and all life’s serendipity. More photos to come!

Ciaooo

Angela

xoxo

Marseille: Joie de Vivre

This week was pretty great since Mardi Gras was celebrated last Tuesday. I had the chance to go to the Mardi Gras parade in downtown Montpellier. There were a lot of dancers, instruments, and spectators gathered at the Place de la comédie. Apparently, Mardi Gras is not a big holiday here, although lots of people go out and drink. As I made my way to Monoprix, a chain market store, I noticed the alcohol section was entirely blocked off. It turns out that alcohol is not sold on Mardi Gras and other huge holidays since contributing to the drinking problem would not help when it comes to some inconveniences throughout the night.

Wednesday I finally had the time to take advantage of some “soldes,” or sales. These sales are usually from the beginning of January until around the second week of February. France, and other parts of Europe, usually have these sales that are similar to the “end-of-the-season” sales back in the US. I am happy to say that I bought what I needed and still managed to stay under my budget. Oh how I love soldes, but mostly shopping in general, but who doesn’t?

This weekend I got to go to Marseille with the entire group. The weather was pretty unpleasant when we left, which was around 7AM. The day did, however, get much nicer, especially when the sun came out. We got to see Marseille’s new museum MUCEM. We had a guided tour that showed us ancient religion, culture, and even architecture throughout the Mediterranean Sea and around the area now known as Marseille. My favorite part was taking the “petit train” up to Notre Dame de la Garde. We took a pretty good city tour of Marseille, which means I got some pretty amazing pictures and videos. By this time, the sun was fully out and the temperature was just right. I have to say that being at the very top of Notre Dame de la Garde was absolutely breathtaking.

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The old port of Marseille

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Mediterranean Sea

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View from Notre Dame de la Garde and the cool scope

This coming week is the last week of classes before our two-week break. I am extremely excited for the first week of vacation, as I will be spending it touring great places in Europe like Paris, Nice, Rome, and even Vatican City. As of now, I am in the midst of planning my second week of vacation hopefully in Budapest, Prague, and Eastern Europe. À bientôt IMG_6985


Location: Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France

Before I leave…

My name is Georgina Aguirre López and I am currently a junior at Penn State majoring in Communication, arts & sciences with a double minor in French and Spanish. Currently, I am scrambling to get everything ready for my exciting study abroad experience in Montpellier, France for the spring semester.

I live in a very small town outside of Gettysburg, PA that has a population of a little over a thousand people. I live in a rural area with an abundance of agriculture, especially the apple industry. There are orchards and mountains all around me, which I suppose helped in deciding where to study abroad. Montpellier is a culturally rich city in the Southern part of France, just a few miles from the Mediterranean Sea. I chose this area because it is geographically different than what I am used to. Imagine going from a rural, mountainous area to an urban, populated city.

One of my main goals in studying abroad will definitely be bettering my French language skills. I have taken French since I was about 14, and I have continued in college. At Penn State I am almost finished with the requirements for my minor, but that did not stop me from pursuing an international experience in a French-speaking country.

It is 2:35PM on December 30th, 2015, and I am currently rushing to get all of my stuff done before leaving. I am scheduled to depart Sunday January 3rd at 6:25PM, arriving in Paris at 10AM the next morning. From Paris I have to take a train to Montpellier, which will be about 3 and a half hours. Once I arrive to Montpellier I will have to go to a youth hostel where I will meet up with other people studying abroad. I am going through so many emotions as these last few days go by. I am absolutely excited that I will be able to be apart of this trip and such a wonderful experience. At the same time, this moment is quite bittersweet since I will be leaving friends and family behind for such a long period of time. I am sure to meet a lot of new people and gain many new experiences abroad.

Days until I leave: 4


Location: Biglerville, PA 17307

Lesson Six: Giving is Universal

Location: Rabat, Morocco

Now that we’d settled into normal life in Rabat, explored some of the country, and now were used to local practices and the changes that come with Ramadan, it was now time to make Rabat a little more like a home, to feel more connected to it. This was helped primarily by finally becoming comfortable with knowing our way around and confidently not looking like a tourist lost in the maze of streets in the medina. It gave me a huge sense of pride one morning when I was able to walk through the middle of the market and not get any strange glances or curious stares; I knew I was walking comfortably and casually enough to look like someone who lived there and not a visitor gawking at everything. It’s also really nice to be able to greet people and make small talk in darija. It really makes a difference, especially when shopping because it means that vendors realise that you’re not just a tourist, but actually know some of the language and are therefore less easily sold things at more expensive prices. We aren’t just passing through and therefore only have a small chance to find what we want at a good price but instead can afford to walk away and spend the time looking for other options if the price offered is too high (which it always is, I can’t do anything to change my skin colour, which is the first giveaway allowing people to hike up the price). I had a really good time one afternoon after school this week just walking through the medina window-shopping and enquiring prices and bartering in a mixture of french and darija just to see how low I could get the prices, but often not buying anything, confident that I can find a better deal sometime later. When the shopkeepers insist that this is the best price I’m going to find, I tell that I’m in Rabat for a few more weeks so have plenty of time to search harder. They usually have no response. (thinking inside my head: yeah you’re not going to pressure me into buying anything hastily, nice try)

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cooling off in the anteroom of a mosque in Meknes

Balglas (Moroccan slippers)

Balglas (Moroccan slippers)

Another thing that really connected us to Rabat a bit more was doing some local volunteer work. First we took plastic bags down to the beach to pick up trash. It was so nice to get calls from males that weren’t cat-calls, but calls of thanks. Multiple people came up to us and thanked us directly, and one bloke even asked if he could help as well. A few people outrightly asked why we were doing this, confused as to why American students would be cleaning up a tiny beach in Morocco. My favourite though was the entire class of schoolboys who swarmed around us and each picked up a few bits of trash to put in our bag on their way leaving the beach.

Then a few days later we went to the Moroccans equivalent of a soup kitchen that makes and serves an iftar meal for those who are homeless or who cannot afford a large iftar. We helped prepare food and set the tables for 144 people. Each table had to be set with dishes, glasses, milk, yogurt, orange juice, a hunk of bread, and napkins, and then we prepared all the plates (with a wedge of cheese, egg, dates, shebeka, those bread cake things, and meat pitas) and bowls of harira soup and set them at each spot in time for everyone to come rushing in. We helped everyone cram into a seat, made sure everyone was taking their fair share, and then went around with tea and coffee at the end. Everyone was very appreciative and thanked up in a variety of languages. However I think that this association has lots of groups come and volunteer for them so the recipients were more used to foreigners helping here. I was in my element because it was essentially a more chaotic and less structured version of the restaurants I work in at home, so it was a brief gap of familiarity for me.

I really enjoyed the fact that we had the opportunity to give back to Rabat a little. People appreciate benevolence anywhere you are, and it was refreshing to be the ones giving; when you’re away from home in a strange place the hospitality  of where you’re staying gives so much to you. And it just reminded me that there is need everywhere in the world. While volun-tourism isn’t exactly the most helpful thing for a place sometimes, there is never a time when you shouldn’t be looking to help people. However, it was mostly just nice to be showing people a good and giving image of Americans. I study diplomacy, but I’m convinced that no matter what relations are like between governments and heads of state, the real international relations is between the everyday citizens.

Sunset over Meknes

Sunset over Meknes


Location: Rabat, Morocco

In One Place and Thinking of Another

Tomorrow is my final exam in my university class, and I have been trying to study hard. But don’t worry, writing this blog is just a short break from studying for my exam. It will be an oral cumulative final exam in Spanish, of course. I have no hints as to what the questions will be or how it is structured. So I am pretty nervous for it, even though my professors are very patient and kind. Oh, and the exam also worth my entire grade for the course.

Despite my anxiety for the exam, I am finding it very hard to concentrate on studying. For one, many people left over the weekend or on Monday, so I spent a lot of time with them enjoying the last sights and tastes of Buenos Aires. Before we said our goodbyes, we went to some of our favorite cafes across the city to chat and enjoy good coffee. Yesterday, I went to a Peruvian restaurant with my friends because I surely will not find that in my suburban town or in State College.

I hadn’t really realized that I was leaving Buenos Aires so soon until I started saying goodbyes to friends leaving BA. We gave each other besos on the cheek and big hugs and agreed to see each other back in the States. Gratefully, many of the friends I have made here live in Northeast, so it will be easy to visit them and stay in touch. I have even made friends who go to Penn State, so I’m especially excited to hang out with them on campus next year! But when saying goodbye/ see you later to them, I think gee, I’m going to have to say goodbye to more friends, my lovely homestay family, my buddies at the tea house, and this city in a few days!

 

Besides spending time with my friends, I am trying to check off my own bucket list in Buenos Aires. I went to another cafe/ bookstore that I’ve been wanting to go to and studied there for a while in Palermo. I plan on going to the tea house a lot on my last days here. I am also running around buying the last few gifts I have on my list for friends and stopping at bookstores to pick up more books in Spanish to take back with me to the US.

So, it has definitely been difficult to study.

Today, I have been studying a lot. But  last night at dinner, my host parents asked me a few questions about Argentine history to help me practice for my exam and that made me feel a lot better and more confident. No matter what grade I receive on this exam, I will be really proud of myself for taking this course. I never could have had this experience at Penn State. The course really improved my Spanish comprehension, and I learned modern Argentine history with Argentine students and learned more about their own political perspectives.

Studying abroad has been an unforgettably unique experience. I have learned so much academically and culturally. I have experienced economic instability first hand. I have learned to manage the public transportation of a developing country. I have come to love Argentines: their ability to adapt, their pride, and their interminable hope for a better future.
On my last day of class at the local university, my teacher brought in a t-shirt she made to show to the class.

Last lesson

As always, she passionately tried to inspire pride of country. The shirt has the Argentine flag and says “Yo amo Argentina”, “I love Argentina”. She warned the class that this shirt was not for pajamas, but was to be worn proudly out to the previa (pre-game) or the boliche (club). Although the class laughed at her jokes, my professor truly does love her country, dedicates herself to teaching Argentine history with the hope of inspiring patriotism and political activism in her students.

She asked us if the foreigners if we loved Argentina, and we all responded yes. My professor asked what we thought of peronism and how we would describe it to Americans. We replied that we would explain peronism is quite complicated. The class laughed.

So with all that I have learned in Argentina, I hope to carry these lessons home with me. I hope to be as warm and welcoming as Argentines: warmly greeting colleagues, friends, and family with kisses and hugs; to read more and watch more films in Spanish; to have the insight to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee without thinking about everything else I need to accomplish; to be more flexible in my own country when things go wrong or plans change; and to share what I learned in Latin America with friends and family.


Location: Carlos Pellegrini 1069 Buenos Aires, Argentina

I don’t wear a watch, but I’ve got time.

Our guide on our trip to Salta and Jujuy provinces shared the aphorism in the title of this blog with us, and it really sums up the most important lessons I’ve learned in Argentina.

Time

At Penn State, I have an alarm set almost everyday to wake up, get to class on time, or accomplish some work. I have almost every minute of my day planned out from the moment my alarm goes off, and I have this all organized on my Google calendar. I have multiple calendars to organize which events are for the Red Cross and which are for the Society of Women Engineerings; I make sure I spend enough time in the research lab every week; and I have reminders set on my phone fifteen minutes before every event in case I am immersed in a problem set. I know— I am very anal retentive. But, I love being busy and love the work that I do for school and for different clubs on campus.

However, coming to Argentina, I knew I wouldn’t have so much homework or so many extracurriculars and would have more free time for other important things like exploring the city and traveling. I adjusted easily to this change, but I didn’t consider other cultural adjustments that I would have to make. However, staying in South America for sixth months, I quickly realized that there is a completely different concept of time here.

For example, pretty much nothing starts on time: whether it be a class, a touristic event, or an activity organized by IES. My teachers in university normally show up about ten minutes late. Sometimes I even am on the same bus with my professor, and we both arrive to the university a half hour early before class. So, I know she is on the campus, yet she still arrives 15 minutes late to our class.  It’s also not like at Penn State where if the professor isn’t there fifteen minutes into the scheduled time for class, all the students leave. In the US, it is generally understood that students could be doing something better with our time if the teacher failed to notify them that he or she would be late or absent. But, in my university course here, we have sat more than a half hour two times during the semester for our professor.

Transportation also complicates being timely here. There are no schedules, no general rules of intervals for buses nor subways here.  So any American that is pretty concerned about punctuality or preoccupied with timeliness would feel culture shock coming to Argentina. But for me, with my very type A personality, adjusting to their conception of time was my biggest challenge.

Flexibility

Argentines adapt easily, not only because they have a looser concept of time, but also because they have suffered a lot of drastic political and economic changes in their lifetimes. Democracy in Argentina is less than 40 years old, and before it was established, Argentina suffered dictatorship after dictatorship. In 2001, they also suffered an economic default that closed the banks for an entire year and still affects their economy today. I mentioned in my last post about inflation here: about forty percent annually. Because of high inflation, there is also a lack of printed money here. In the provinces, people can go to the bank and there can often be no money in the ATM to make a withdraw. Also because it is a developing country, there are some times when electricity is cut because there isn’t enough of it to go around between industry and the population. However, Argentines learn to adapt to these issues and have proven very resilient despite these political and economic difficulties. So I could learn how to be more flexible from some of the best.

So, I learned how to adapt adeptly in Argentina. To be honest, I pretty much have left my type A personality behind so that I do not have a mental breakdown. Nevertheless, I have learned so much from my newfound type B personality.

I now relish the moments where I can just enjoy time pass by without any worry. For advising appointments here I don´t arrive 15 minutes early and fill the time before the appointment with homework. I arrive right on time, and normally my advisor is late anyways. But I don’t worry about it; I just sit and relax for a few minutes.

I will go to a café after school to savor a rich café and sweet scone in solitude. While I wait for the bus  to arrive, I can people watch on the sidewalk or appreciate the changing colors of a sunset. I can enjoy taking a simple photo of a vine on an urban wall or of grapes, hanging from a verdant vine.

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Ironically, I didn’t bring my watch to Argentina. I love my beautiful watch, so I feared losing it or having it stolen while abroad. So I not only lost the tan line from my daily worn watch, but also lost my overwhelming preoccupation with optimizing time and productivity while in Argentina. When I return to the States next week, I will be happy to wear my lovely watch once again, but I will try to remember what I learned about being flexible and present in every moment.

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Location: Carlos Pelegrini 1069, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina

我想上海

I’ve officially been home for a week and a half and I think I’ve gotten over my jet lag. So far, I’ve gone to the beach, met up with some friends and spent way too much time watching tv. Although I am glad to be back in the States where there’s fresh air, real pizza, and fast Internet, I miss Shanghai. I miss the daily baozi, the struggle to understand the language, the convenient metro system, my friends and so much more. There were so many aspects of living in a city as interesting as Shanghai that I don’t have at home. With that, I also don’t have any of my study abroad friends around. I know they’re all having their own adventures in Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia and all around the US, but I still miss our daily meet-ups in the CIEE library and our weekend hangouts at Ellen’s. (Luckily, we still have WeChat to communicate.)

I know that I’ll see some friends again when I head back to Penn State but I am sad to be so far away from the others. Although these are the more depressing aspects of the end of studying abroad, I am still so happy and thankful to have had the opportunity to spend three months in China. In addition to improving my Chinese, I was able to learn more about China than I’ve ever known in my life and travel to places I’ve only dreamed of. I couldn’t be more appreciative of what I experienced  and I can only start thinking about the next adventure.

As this is my last post as a blogger here, I hope you have enjoyed my posts about my adventure in China!

Looking at Shanghai from the observatory deck at the Pearl Tower

Looking at Shanghai from the observatory deck at the Pearl Tower

Finding Pittsburgh In China

Our last day on the boat was nice. We were given a really nice dinner the night before and they even brought us a pizza. The boat had a good chef so the pizza was actually better than a lot of the pizza I have had in America. That night we hung out and made friends with some of the people who were on the cruise. We all sat in a big circle and they spoke Chinese and we spoke English, but we just danced and laughed and had a good time. That night, I learned that it is even more difficult to understand Chinese when it is coming from someone who is drunk. In the morning, we had one last breakfast on the boat and then we left to take a bus to Chongqing. When we got off the boat, there were so many stairs that we needed to climb to reach the bus. If I were to guess, I would say there were about 60 stairs we had to haul our luggage up. Some of the local people were standing at the bottom of the stairs because they charge a small fee and will carry your luggage on their back up the stairs for you. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was really sweaty. Everyone was. When we got on the bus, the driver did not have the AC turned on so the windows started to fog up. We all thought that was pretty funny.

Fancy napkins on the cruise ship.

Fancy napkins on the cruise ship.

When we finally got to Chongqing, we were trying to turn around so we could get all of our luggage off the bus, and while we were doing that, our bus hit a car. There really don’t seem to be any rules when it comes to driving in China, and because of that, I have absolutely no idea whose fault it was.

Good noodles right next to the hotel! Perfect!

Good noodles right next to the hotel! Perfect!

 

Once we got to the hotel we got some lunch and headed over to the Three Gorges Museum.

Three Gorges Museum Plaza

Three Gorges Museum Plaza. The landscape upkeep in China is amazing. Especially on highways and city streets.

We explored the museum for a few hours and watched a 360 degree movie. It was mostly in Chinese, so a lot of it was hard to understand, but it was cool to be able to look all around you, even behind, and see the movie. I wondered how the made the movie and fit each of the screens together so perfectly. It was like an IMAX movie but the film extended the whole way around the theater.

After visiting the museum, we went to the zoo for an hour. We got to see pandas, tigers, yaks, hippos, rhinos, camels and a lot more animals. The zoo in China is a lot more lenient than the zoo in America. There were people throwing Cheeto type food directly into the animal cages and there were no guards yelling at them or anything. I feel like you could walk right into the cage and not get caught for a minute or two.

I saw this woman walking down the street and thought I had to get a picture. We saw this occasionally. Seems like a lot of work.

I saw this woman walking down the street and thought I had to get a picture. We saw this occasionally. Seems like a lot of work.

 

After visiting the zoo, we were on the way back to our hotel when our bus broke down. We waited an hour for a repairman to come fix it, but once he did we were able to get back to the hotel.

It was bound to happen eventual, and of course we were all interested.

It was bound to happen eventual, and of course we were all interested (and slightly aggravated?)

That night, a lot of us went to Pizza Hut for dinner. My Chinese teacher told me that Pizza Hut in China was a lot different than Pizza Hut in America, so I wanted to check it out for myself. The biggest differences were the elegance and the portion size. The medium pizzas were a lot smaller than they would be in America. A medium was basically equivalent to a small. And they also charge you extra money to get cheese on the pizza. I guess they usually don’t get cheese on their pizzas?

Better than pizza hut, my friend bragged about where she ate instead.

Better than Pizza Hut, my friend bragged about where she ate instead.

Sometimes I don't think people would believe me unless I had pictures.

Sometimes I don’t think people would believe my stories unless I had pictures. This was our bus driver for about two weeks…he became our friend.

After dinner I talked to family and then went straight to bed. I have been sick for a week and I am still hoping that I can just sleep it off one night and wake up perfectly fine, so I have been going to bed as early as I can.

The next day in Chongqing, we went to visit the Changan Ford assembly line. I have watched a lot of How It’s Made episodes, and this was a dream come true for me. As we were walking through the factory I felt like I was watching How It’s Made in person. The CEO of the factory was explaining everything as we went, so it was really amazing me. I think I had my jaw dropped for 75% of the tour. There were a lot of automated steps along the line and a lot of robots assisting the employees. I was amazed at how calm it was in there. There really wasn’t much noise because everyone was focused on doing their job. There also was almost no dust or debris. The factory was very near perfectly clean.

We were told that Ford caters these cars specifically for the Chinese market. They add more seating in a lot of their cars due to the fact that many people live with their grandparents, parents, and children all in one household. In the smaller cars, they give a more luxurious backseat than we may be accustomed to in the United States. They say the main reason they do this is because a lot of Chinese businessmen will have a driver, so they want to accommodate their needs and give them a nice backseat.  They also told us that the most popular color of vehicle in the Chinese market is white. They said that 50% of the cars sold per year are white, so most of the cars coming off the assembly line were white.

After viewing the factory, we got to ask some questions. I found it really interesting that the employees of the factory work 11 hour shifts 6 days a week. That seemed insane to me. And instead of closing the factory at night, they just have another set of workers work the night shift. So the factory is able to really increase production and maximize the factory’s capabilities.

After leaving the factory, we went to meet the CEO of Changan Ford. He talked about the company for a while and then he gave us a very motivational speech about making the most of our lives and believing in yourself. The visit with Changan Ford was definitely my favorite part of the trip so far and I think it will be hard to top.

With the president of Changan Ford

With the president of Changan Ford

After visiting Changan Ford we went to see a building that starts on one street level and leads you out onto another street level. Chongqing is kind of like San Francisco so there are a lot of hills the city is built around. We climbed up a bunch of stairs from the ground level of one street and when we got through the building, we were at the ground level of another building. I have never seen anything like it before. It was really cool. It was like going around the block, but instead of walking around on a sidewalk you can zigzag up some steps and make it to the same place in just as much time – although I thought the stairs were pretty tiring.

After visiting this building (I have no idea if it has a name) we went to dinner. Ting’s Dad does a lot of business in Chongqing so he hosted us for dinner at a really nice restaurant. It was really good food and a lot of fun. We got to see the city light up at night. It was really beautiful, especially because it is alongside the Yangtze River.

The Yangtze River from Chongqing. The city reminded me of Pittsburgh.

The Yangtze River from Chongqing. The city reminded me of Pittsburgh.


Location: Chongqing, China

Boats and Soldiers, Or Soldiers and Boats

Over the next week, we visited the historical city of Xian and had a more relaxing week aboard a cruise.

(5/18) When we arrived in Xian, we boarded a bus and went to see the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. We then went to dinner at a theater that had a huge buffet on the second floor (there were french fries here and this had everyone jumping for joy). After dinner, we went to see the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

We didn't have access to the Pagoda at night, but it was still beautiful from far away.

We didn’t have access to the Pagoda at night, but it was still beautiful from far away.

 

The lighting made the shot magnificent.

The lighting made the shot magnificent. This is the entrance to the fountain and pagoda.

We got to go to see the City Fountain. There was a light and music fountain show. It was really neat. There were so many people there watching and a lot of other tourists too.

They were playing music and coordinated the water with the music.

They were playing music and coordinated the water with the music.

 

After seeing the fountain, we headed back to our hotel to check in. The city of Xian is sorrounded by a city wall so it is set up like a grid. There is a North, East, South, and West side. Our hotel was in the middle of the city so there was a great view from my room.

The next morning, after eating breakfast, we went to see the terracotta warriors.

The first view you have when you walk into the room.

The first view you have when you walk into the room.

It was amazing. I really wish we could have seen the tomb that the warriors were built to protect, but there is a mercury river running through it, so they don’t know if that will ever be able to open to the public. There were three major pits that we saw. The excavation process was not done in any of them, but they went from most to least excavated. The number of soldiers and the amount of area that the army covered amazed me. The tunnel system they were built in was crazy. It was hard to believe that this was achieved so long ago and only so recently discovered. We visited the site of the terracotta warriors for about 3 hours.

This was a side view of some of the best excavated soldiers. This is in the first pit.

This was a side view of some of the best excavated soldiers. This is in the first pit.

A better view of all the detail that went into a soldier. Each soldier had a different face.

A better view of all the detail that went into a soldier. Each soldier had a different face.

This is a general. There is more detail in his clothing.

This is a general. There is more detail in his clothing and all the generals have a similar gestures with their arms and hands.

Golden Chariots

Golden Chariots

When we were done viewing the warriors, we went to eat and I got some Biang Biang noodles. I learned about them last year in my Chinese class and was so excited to eat them. They were really good and watching them being made was really entertaining. They stretched them out really long and then twisted them and pulled them together.

After lunch, we got to visit the city wall. Me and Ting rented a tandem bicycle and we cycled the 9 miles of the wall. We could see the city all around us as we rode. It was really awesome, but it was made from bricks, so when we finished riding our butts hurt so badly!

The city wall on the outside of what used to be the ancient city of Xian. The city now surrounds area well beyond the outside of the wall.

The city wall on the outside of what used to be the ancient city of Xian. The city now surrounds area well beyond the outside of the wall.

After visiting the city wall, we went to Muslin Street. Muslin Street had a lot of street food and cool shops. I ate lamb for the first time and I was with Nate, who kept talking about anthrax which was comforting. After that, Xinli ordered us a bunch of “juicy dumplings” and I ate until I was full. I then went and bought a few gifts along the street.

After we visited the street, we went back to our hotel and just hung out for the night because we had to wake up at 6 a.m. to catch our train to Yichang.

This is in the same design as ancient coins.

This is in the same design as ancient coins.

(5/20) Yesterday we were on the sleeper train all day. I slept a decent amount of the trip because I was not feeling well. Since we all eat from the same plates, it is very easy for sicknesses to pass from one person to the next. Almost half of our group is/has gotten sick the past week.

On the train ride, other than sleeping, I watched a couple of movies and ate some food and just hung out and talked. The train ride was 14 hours long, so we had a lot of time to kill. When we arrived at Yichang from Xian, we were picked up by a bus. We then went to the port and got onto our cruise ship. The cruise ship is huge. It is 6 stories and it has a deck on both sides and balconies for every room. This is my first time on a cruise and I am able to confirm that I do not get sea sick. There is a buffet at every meal so I have been eating a lot. I didn’t eat a lot in Beijing, so I am just making up for that now.

We went and visited the Three Gorges Dam Thursday afternoon. It is the biggest hydroelectric plant in the world. The dam is gigantic. There were huge turbines, 46 of them in total, generating the electricity.

Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam

The tour guide explained to us that the dam was built to end devastating floods in the area. In China, the government owns all property, so when they wanted to build the dam in this location, all residents currently living here were relocated. He said that many people in the older generation were very reluctant to move, because this is where their family had lived for generations. However, the younger generation was more willing to move, because they knew that in the cities there was opportunity to make a better life for their families.

This was taken from the highest point above Three Gorges Dam.

This was taken from the highest point above Three Gorges Dam. It was a beautiful, but extremely hot, day.

We explored Three Gorges Dam for about an hour and a half and then returned to the boat. We then were welcomed by the captain at a cocktail party. After the captain and his crew were introduced, they started playing music, but no one was on the dance floor. A bunch of us ran onto the dance floor. We were having a good time, and almost the entire room was watching us. There were a few people who joined us and there was even some very good dancing happening between Steve and an older Chinese man. He was getting as low to the ground as Steve. I was really impressed.

After dancing and some dinner, we hung out on the deck until midnight. At midnight we reached the ship lock. We went into the ship lock with two other boats and the gates closed behind us.

The doors of the ship lock in the process of closing.

The doors of the ship lock in the process of closing. I actually was able to touch the side of the canal we were that close as the water level rose!

The water from the channel we were in and the channel ahead of us started to level out. Once the water from each channel was in equilibrium, we moved on to the next channel to repeat the process. I am not sure how long it took us to get through the ship lock, but the crew said it would probably take about 4 hours. I went to bed when we got to the second lock.

In the morning, we boarded onto a smaller ship and explored the Lesser Three Gorges while our boat was cleaned. The Lesser Three Gorges looked like the Grand Canyon except they had a lot more trees growing alongside the cliffs. The water was fairly deep here and took around an hour and a half to go from the beginning to the end, but at the end we had to turn around and come back, so it took about 3 hours total. We were allowed to stand on the deck of the boat and instead of whale watching, we were monkey watching. There were a lot of tiny monkeys climbing the cliffside. They were really fun to watch and I was amazed that they could climb along the rocky cliff. When we got back on our boat we just hung out for the night. We got Wi-Fi for the first time in four days, but it did not work very well, so I just gave up. I went to bed pretty early because I got really sick, and when I woke up, I had lost my voice!

An early morning aboard the Yangtze Gold 1.

An early morning aboard the Yangtze Gold 1.

I didn’t talk much the next day…mostly because I couldn’t. We went to see the Ghost City in Fengdu. We had to climb up a mountain so it was a lot of work. There were tests along the way so the people protecting the mountain could decide if we were good or bad and whether or not we would be sent to heaven or hell. We got to see the temple of heaven and hell. The temples were used for Taoist prayer or Buddhist prayer, depending on the design and decorations. There was a temple of 100 babies and our tour guide said the local people go there to pray that their child will be healthy before it is born.

When we were in the temple of hell, there were a lot of figurines depicting very disturbing forms of torture. When the temple was built they wanted to scare people so they would not be bad, and this was one way that they did it.

We then enjoyed the view at the top of the mountain and climbed back down to get back to our boat. When we were towards the bottom I went to talk to some of the people selling items at stands they had set up. I learned that they spoke a different dialect. They were trying to sell me beer and I tried telling them I don’t drink beer, but they shook their head no. I told them I really didn’t drink it and they laughed because the way I said drink was different from the way they said drink. Instead of saying he, they say ke. So I was saying a completely different word to them, and it must have been funny. It surprises me how much the language can change in just 100 miles. At our previous stop, they also said a lot of words differently. I know that most native Chinese speakers can understand each other even through the dialects, but for me, I am not as flexible with my Chinese so it is more difficult to understand and pick up on these nuances.

How I went about drying my clothes. I was definitely afraid of them falling overboard, so I secured everything as much as I possibly could.

How I went about drying my clothes. I was definitely afraid of them falling overboard, so I secured everything as much as I possibly could.


Location: The Yangtze, China