Like this:

As usual I must begin this blog with a random tangent. So, last night I had a really weird dream that included bugs. I have no idea what kind of bugs they were but I kept calling them cicadas, and all I know is that they weren’t. They apparently would grab onto you and bite and it was really hard to get them off. Anyway, the dream was pretty gross and weird but it came to an end when something outside woke me up. I then thought I heard someone knock on my door, so I walked to it and peeped out the peep hole and wouldn’t you know it, a mosquito was sitting on the peep hole. I was slightly freaked but mostly amused and laughed myself back to sleep.

Ok, now for the main section of my blog. But before we get there I would just like to take this time to acknowledge the fact that I missed last week’s blog. I didn’t forget, I was really busy- here is why. My father and sister came to visit last Sunday. It turned out to be the perfect day to fly in because I was already inBeijingfor the weekend for our final IECS dinner/gathering of the year. So I went and picked them up and the hotel drove us to the uh, hotel, and we lounged a bit, then went for a walk, then off to Texas Pete’s to eat with all of the teachers for the last time. The food was great, the company was better, and overall it was a great night. The three of us left and decided to walk back to the hotel which was only about a mile away. I was surprised they wanted to, with jet lag and all, but we went for it. Well, it turned into an hour walk because we got a little lost. But, after asking a friendly hotel worker on some random street we made it back to our hotel.

We spent the next two days inBeijingbefore returning to my school. So now I will try to go day by day and tell you what we did.

Monday: Summer Palace- which was an adventure in itself because we got off at the wrong subway stop and had to walk a mile or so to it, then we were at the wrong end so it took another hour just to get to the Palace. After that we went walking around the Houhai area, had some lunch, and walked. Then we went to a park overlooking theForbidden City, then walked home and had dinner. That night we went to a Kung Fu show. I think we calculated that we walked about 10 miles that day, which isn’t so bad, only I was wearing flip-flops. Bad move Carly.

Tuesday:TempleofHeavenand thePearlMarket. Shopping was done by all. Then the car picked us up around 4 and we went to Langfang. That night we had dinner with the posse and went to the grocery store to pick up some fun things to eat.

Wednesday: I had exams in the morning from 8-10 and then we went for a walk around campus. At 12 we met up with my friend Anita for lunch and then we went to the People’s Park, then back for Team night.

Thursday: Lunch with Angie, the orphanage, dinner, and then at 7:30 we went to building 5 so my students could meet my family and ask questions. We spent about an hour there answering questions- some easy, some a little weird.

Friday: Exams 8-10, then lunch at the BBQ place, then packing, and finally back toBeijing.

Saturday:Tiananmen Square, lunch, the zoo to see Pandas!, Shopping, dinner, bookstore, home.

Sunday:PearlMarket, Bell Tower/Drum Tower, dinner, and a acrobat show

Monday: Great Wall, Ming Tombs, shopping, and home for a huge dinner at a Yunan style restaurant.

Tuesday: Pack- go home.

I realize the details faded as I got into the week, but there is a lot to remember and frankly, I am too tired to try. All in all it was a great trip. My sister and I got along really well- minimal fighting- see mom, we’re capable of getting along.

Favorite quote of the trip, referring to a lady holding a corn cob and using it to push me out of her way on the subway- “I just got cobbed! I hope there isn’t corn on my pants.”

That is all for now.

Advertisement