Post 7: Finally Updated.

Sanya was beautiful.  It had the look and feel of Hawaii.  It was about 85 degrees the whole time we were there.

Some of the awesome things I did there:

1. Ate raw sugarcane plant, YUM!

2. Swam in the ocean

3. Laid on the beach

4. Ate awesome Western food

5.  Took a boat ride

6. Bought tons of pearls

I went with a group of people from my program.  We stayed at a youth hostel, but it was like a hotel, the rooms were so nice!  we just hung out on the beach and took in all the sights and sounds.  We were the only Americans there, most visitors to Sanya are Chinese tourists and Russians.

Before I went to Sanya, Mom and Sarah came and visited me.  It was so much fun!  I got to do some many things I had not done before.  Highlights of the trip include The Forbidden City, Lama Temple and Confucius Temple.  All these spots had beautiful ancient buildings and great scenery.  They also visited the school and the kids at my internship.  The kids were so happy to meet more Americans and they presented us with many gifts.  They even gave Sarah a Chinese name.   Also one night, we tried some street food and met some Chinese students.  We ended up having tea with them in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.  I also took them to the 798 Art Gallery and gave them a tour of the campus here at Beida!

Having them here was great because we ate out at different restaurants and explored different parts of the city.   I think they really enjoyed their time in Beijing, I am sad they had to go.  But it was really interesting trying to explain things to Mom and Sarah.  It makes me realize how hard it will be for me to explain my time in China when I am back in the US.  Things are just so different here (but a good kind of different), almost everything needs a explanation or background story.  

It is almost the end of the week here and my birthday is on MONDAY! I am very excited!

着你生日块了！

Zhe ni shengri kuai le!

Happy Birthday to You!