Jen: I Could Definitely Live Here

So much has happened sonce the last post I don't even know where to start. China is best when you wander off the beaten path. (Don't worry mom I'm always with a group!) I've surprisingly not bought as much as I expected I would. Shopping here is a bit of a nightmare because people really want to sell to foreigners. Chinese people know just enough English to yell: "Hello lady, you want buy _____." And I know enough Mandarin to say "Too expensive, goodbye." It's a little overwhelming wheb everybody wants to sell you the exact same thing.
Me and Rebecca plan on going back to a little strip of malls on Tuesday becayse we both have the day off. Its suppose to be less busy on weedays.
The University has a cerfew of 10pm which is really interesting. The buses and subways all stop running after that for the most part. China really wants people to be inside the Higher Education Zone. The students have everything they need within the campus though. Tonnes of food, shops (that sell anything and everything), hospital, a movie theatre and a soon-to-be shopping mall. It legit has everything here on campus! It seems a little strange but China is a pretty smart country. This way not all of the students will be out late at night and they save $ on late subways and buses. And they don't have to leave campus for a lot of amenities. There are guards and signs with instructions everywhere but honestly it makes me feel safer! If only subway rides weren't so brutally long...

Jen: Getting on a Plane in 4 days

Slowly coming to the terms that I'll be leaving the country soon. There's just a few things that need to be done. I just got back from an overnight meeting in another city for a trip to Japan that immediately follows the China trip. HELLO JETLAG CITY. It's a 13 hour flight so that's what? 13 albums or 3 books or 100s of bad puns that Rebecca is gonna have to live thru. MUAHAHAHA. My bag is actually mostly packed! Most of the daily stuff I'll get in China!

I bought a book today that has pictures of Canada from Newfoundland to B.C. It should be pretty helpful to tell the students about Canada! I'm still pretty nervous about the language barrier but I've had a few chances to practice my Mandarin lately!

In 4 days I'll be on a plane and on a new adventure! Can it just be next week? Ahhh!

Jen: I don't want to be a Tourist

早上好 readers! China is still quite far away but I thought I post about the little revelation I had in class this morning.

I don't want to be a tourist in China.

Yes, yes I know what you're thinking. Well, what else are you going to be then? By definition a tourist is: "a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure" which isn't wrong per say... I don't want to be a mass tourist in particular. These are the people that are bussed around from place to place and only go where the tour guides tell you to go. I'm going to China to experience living there from the inside not the ouside.

Let me give you an example. There are a lot of things China is known for: Forbidden City and The Great Wall, both of which I will likely see, but I don't want the touristy cookie-cutter explaination of what it is and why it's important. I want to hear directly from a student what they think about these monumental landmarks.

I want a first hand account of what it's like to live in the city, not what tour guides are paid to tell me. I want to go on day trips and slip away with my native friends to see things that aren't on the schedule. I want experience China outside of the University as much as I can.

This requires me to make some pretty fast friends and gain the trust of our leaders that I won't disappear and never come back, but let's say that's my goal in my first few days.

再见,
Jen