I’m about to start packing for my weekend trip to Harbin.
Saturday the temperature will reach a whopping 17 degrees Fahrenheit, and -10 Fahrenheit at night. I have never been in weather that cold, so I’m curious to see how cold its really going to be. Having said that, I’m preparing for the worst! I’ve collected all my warm clothing items that I have with me, and plan to wear them all.
But I am going with 15 other students from my program, so it should be an awesome trip!

These are the packing tips I have for anyone else trying to conquer arctic temperatures in the future:
1. Wear a hat, you loose a lot of heat from your head, so a hat will help keep you warm
2. Wear many layers
3. Wear sturdy shoes, preferably lined boots, you also lose a lot of heat through your feet
4. Bring a change of socks, in case the socks you’re wearing get wet
5. Wear a scarf to protect your face from the icy winds
6. Bring hand / foot warmers

I will only have 21 hours in Harbin, after that I have to take the early morning train back, otherwise I won’t be back in time for class on Monday morning. It’s not a lot of time, but enough to see the Ice Festival, which is the reason I want to go to Harbin. I’ve heard there are also a lot of snow sculptures that are supposed to be amazing. I look forward to reporting back next week with some pictures.

In addition to that, I went on a field trip to the Great Hall of the People, next to Tiananmen Square today, as well as the Police Museum. These were both really cool. It was interesting to see how imposing the sheer size and lavishness of the Great Hall of the People was, and it reminded me of the Capitol building in DC, but with Chinese characteristics.
T minus 8.5 hours to Harbin!

Location: Beijing, China