tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19101452469129818642024-02-02T05:56:21.573-08:00Expat Teacher vs. Captivating China Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-26599471189872568142014-07-08T14:02:00.000-07:002014-07-08T14:02:48.644-07:00Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsjjpXqQRvg0cWHNz2vPwywaO2KIRo2fcxvgpJQ705fcfWbUVibv7c95mwTy4D5-S6QwlwuzbgQSC1xpJSKv3-epQkxeQgT0TphNo6kr5JQCqfQ2lKCxWIEnt-wUE9kJTORGzk3TOiJs/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsjjpXqQRvg0cWHNz2vPwywaO2KIRo2fcxvgpJQ705fcfWbUVibv7c95mwTy4D5-S6QwlwuzbgQSC1xpJSKv3-epQkxeQgT0TphNo6kr5JQCqfQ2lKCxWIEnt-wUE9kJTORGzk3TOiJs/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF69WIiwM1Cf5UjTUY6LBPNfDzsRYp6_7_0JSy_hyoIk6SrgZJ3De1SNnYKM7_b__u-C26on-AZ4vDZSZQu6Ai3uyrHU_02_VnjNXHJIOuq485dK-JrT-ftRTX2ySae9NB3ICgGD6GQg/s1600/IMG_1677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF69WIiwM1Cf5UjTUY6LBPNfDzsRYp6_7_0JSy_hyoIk6SrgZJ3De1SNnYKM7_b__u-C26on-AZ4vDZSZQu6Ai3uyrHU_02_VnjNXHJIOuq485dK-JrT-ftRTX2ySae9NB3ICgGD6GQg/s1600/IMG_1677.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I decided to go to Malaysia at the last minute…I realized
that I had a week after all my classes ended all to myself. Why Malaysia? Well,
I don’t really know. I wanted to go to a city that I could easily see in three
days and one that did not require another visa (I’ve had too many of those as
it is). I like going to new places that I don’t have preconceived ideas about. Kuala
Lumpur (known as KL) is the capital of Malaysia and is often visited by
travelers who are usually passing through as one stop on their Asia tour. I
decided to go for a full three days, and I wasn’t bored once.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first full day there I went straight to the Petronas
Twin Towers only to realize that they are closed on Mondays. I walked around
the area regardless. There is a huge, expensive mall and park at the KLCC
subway stop. I am numb towards big malls now that I’ve lived in Shanghai where
you can find an eight-storied mall or two or three at every subway stop. I also
went to the Aquarium in the area. Although nothing spectacular, it did have a
long underwater tunnel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After striking out at the Twin Towers (the largest in the
world), I went to search for the other, singular Menara Tower. It was kind of
expensive to go all the way to the top, so I went to the second highest. Next,
I went to an old part of Kuala Lumpur with The National Mosque and a bunch of
other buildings made by the British when they settled in KL. I met a new friend
who works for Oracle and who travels the world for conferences. Pretty awesome
job. We journeyed to Little India, which is indeed “little.” We ordered some
random items off a menu at an Indian restaurant. Indian food has never been my
favorite but it was pretty good. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1pf4uIBFcfXdQt2VBz5eUI7wssrPRCK3k_W2fXzBuv04whR_rYhSGY6d8-hLOvQWY2_IzvyoryflXLprwKfb4360VFSwoJc3plU5OPE4q8dqkvVPTjK1D4sKJR7RPpEUGG7l6m9Ij-4/s1600/IMG_1952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW1pf4uIBFcfXdQt2VBz5eUI7wssrPRCK3k_W2fXzBuv04whR_rYhSGY6d8-hLOvQWY2_IzvyoryflXLprwKfb4360VFSwoJc3plU5OPE4q8dqkvVPTjK1D4sKJR7RPpEUGG7l6m9Ij-4/s1600/IMG_1952.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day I checked out the Batu Caves, a Malaysian temple
must-see. They are on the edge of the city, guarded by an enormous golden
statue and monkeys that like to steal goods from tourists. Monkeys were
everywhere! While I was walking up the stairs I saw one monkey pull this man’s
glasses off his face. One monkey even grabbed onto my bag while it was still
hanging from my arm. On the subway over I met an Aussie who became my friend
for the day. At the Batu Caves, we found what is called the “Dark Cave.” This
cave is the most researched in the world because it is home to the Trapdoor
Spider, which is the rarest in the world. It only lives in the Dark Cave. We
had a tour through the cave and we needed flashlights because it was so
dark!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I loved the monkeys! I took so many pictures. Here are my favorite ones:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzv1kqKztAhZ-9w6YePAdJOKkTe07XBbO3V_3OmzyI2wlPbrK-QwE_r8_8fz-4ZRI78VAckb9XzF8GMUIoMF8RB0Cr2C4cKk-3-pHNgECFWDz7jcsfu8_hALsiHsnVHEKsoAQKjDT2GwM/s1600/IMG_2217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzv1kqKztAhZ-9w6YePAdJOKkTe07XBbO3V_3OmzyI2wlPbrK-QwE_r8_8fz-4ZRI78VAckb9XzF8GMUIoMF8RB0Cr2C4cKk-3-pHNgECFWDz7jcsfu8_hALsiHsnVHEKsoAQKjDT2GwM/s1600/IMG_2217.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuQs0U4Vy8PLqWP98qL3McLedKdbB6mskAZmdNjlaW7K8_E8My7shrEPxwZv7yqljUxKn0e2ERabVrGl88F30yNW2uICl1Hzv8EgxfAlq-uVXBb_57M4q_gSdZsZ1FgBBu26dPvpxla0/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuQs0U4Vy8PLqWP98qL3McLedKdbB6mskAZmdNjlaW7K8_E8My7shrEPxwZv7yqljUxKn0e2ERabVrGl88F30yNW2uICl1Hzv8EgxfAlq-uVXBb_57M4q_gSdZsZ1FgBBu26dPvpxla0/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seeing the Batu
Caves was definitely the highlight attraction of the trip. Then, came
Chinatown. I still checked it out even though I’ve had a lot of China over
these ten months. Surprisingly, the food I ate at one of the restaurants was
some of the best Chinese food I’ve eaten since I’ve arrived in China. There was
also a box of live frogs…you can guess. Also, there were more shops selling
fake goods than I’ve seen in Shanghai. I ended up buying a fake Coach
wallet…er….I mean a really expensive Coach wallet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My last day in Kuala Lumpur was filled with visiting the
National Mosque again, the Islamic Art Museum, the Bird Park, and finally going
up the Twin Towers! The view was fantastic! The Bird Park was actually one of
the favorite things I did. It’s the largest open free-flying aviary in the
world. I even got to take pictures with some owls and a horned bird. Such a
great place for photography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night I finally went to the top of the Twin Towers and it was worth it. Afterwards, I met up with my friend from the plane and went to the SkyBar. Malaysia was epic!!!</span></div>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-46056276486472020832014-06-21T19:41:00.002-07:002014-06-21T19:45:27.605-07:00Bangkok,Thailand: Where it's Buddha Day, Everyday!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bangkok was one of the best trips I have ever been on and the first one I went on all alone!!! Of course, I happen to plan a trip to Bangkok during marshal law. Some people (including my dad) did not want me to go. I admit I was a little nervous about it myself. At this time last week, everyone in Bangkok had to follow a curfew…meaning that everyone had to be inside by 12pm. A week or two before that the curfew was at 10 pm. Thankfully, the second night I was there the curfew was lifted. I also didn't see as many military men around as I thought I would. Overall, I was safe and sound and had a great time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The very first night, I met some nice girls at NapPark Hostel (which was an awesome hostel--maybe the best one I've stayed at) and we went to Khao San Road, two streets down from my hostel. We got some pad thai off a street vendor and sat down at one of the bars. Soon a woman with live scorpions came around trying to sell some dead ones. She put them on one of my new friends and then came around to me. Now, I told myself that if I saw bugs in Asia that I would try one. She happened to be selling scorpions so I bought one. It didn't taste as bad as I thought it would…mostly crunchy. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkfZwAWuNTz7cv4cqT3pn6v79tqLh-ED66FGu8C6F-hXHH-vqnVbqKwOLXScSQq5z7Ele2BfX3S_q2h1GwrQFiCsr-_MGUeKim3VYdJYmVXnBKH2JKsNR-IW6-94VhyFElLL9TSO-fjM/s1600/IMG_9333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkfZwAWuNTz7cv4cqT3pn6v79tqLh-ED66FGu8C6F-hXHH-vqnVbqKwOLXScSQq5z7Ele2BfX3S_q2h1GwrQFiCsr-_MGUeKim3VYdJYmVXnBKH2JKsNR-IW6-94VhyFElLL9TSO-fjM/s1600/IMG_9333.JPG" height="138" width="200" /></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCZKb9kCLXg9c_pbN593GMpnGE-0YO0itrDU0ML2DrVOHKIl-Ukg5ODKArHb2vrAsoSOa5Rk940FpPZTPvVj63MnBT2oFW0aVs-jobzvLMlELK4sEbzaJOoeqeYGgWa6RiwEMpyzUYW8/s1600/IMG_9381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCZKb9kCLXg9c_pbN593GMpnGE-0YO0itrDU0ML2DrVOHKIl-Ukg5ODKArHb2vrAsoSOa5Rk940FpPZTPvVj63MnBT2oFW0aVs-jobzvLMlELK4sEbzaJOoeqeYGgWa6RiwEMpyzUYW8/s1600/IMG_9381.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day, some of my new friends (a girl from Canada and a girl from Poland) went to temple hop. We went to the Grand Palace despite all the scammers along the way saying that it was Buddha Day and the Grand Palace wasn't open. For future reference…there is no such thing as Buddha Day and the Grand Palace is open everyday. Scammers try to get tourists to go to different places so that they spend more money. The Grand Palace is absolutely stunning. The Emerald Buddha is there…this tiny statue surrounded by gold, flowers, and people praying on their knees. I have never seen such a colorful place. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pfVNb3va9GLCmw-v_RbX3b5zrnvIudZvKszBQgFFGWZQubl4PLDtdex-nzekFlIAdEAbRtXdlLVT9T8ncW4-uFiJXBDfdIw24eFOB8Z1vYB28VWmOKt9t4lHZwqsN_pIOhIrY-V3x1Y/s1600/IMG_9573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pfVNb3va9GLCmw-v_RbX3b5zrnvIudZvKszBQgFFGWZQubl4PLDtdex-nzekFlIAdEAbRtXdlLVT9T8ncW4-uFiJXBDfdIw24eFOB8Z1vYB28VWmOKt9t4lHZwqsN_pIOhIrY-V3x1Y/s1600/IMG_9573.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had to be completely covered to enter the Palace so I had to borrow a skirt from the temple. The heat was traumatizing. I haven't been that hot since I went to Madrid for World Youth Day. To cool off, my new Canadian friend Chelsea and I got coconuts nearby the Palace. Thailand has some of the freshest coconuts…vendors just cut tops out of the coconuts and you drink sweet milk through straws. It is kind of scary to see the vendors with these huge knives whacking away. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogzFa4O66i2xn62wJCqWVtFwQNq0eL46mxisy4JCKQr0_NSil1JlQ-qH_ao040rekVlPaHlZgbQUYN3epW0Bv7MD9nTpKvr57C5ju00yc_-76f005D7H-NOSIbKxurcNYvT1rvfTCW18/s1600/IMG_9658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogzFa4O66i2xn62wJCqWVtFwQNq0eL46mxisy4JCKQr0_NSil1JlQ-qH_ao040rekVlPaHlZgbQUYN3epW0Bv7MD9nTpKvr57C5ju00yc_-76f005D7H-NOSIbKxurcNYvT1rvfTCW18/s1600/IMG_9658.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next, we went to Wat Pho which is the temple where you can find the giant Reclining Buddha. People come from all over to pray to it, especially monks dressed in their orange robes. Taking pictures of the monks was just as cool as taking pictures of the Buddha. The temple is loud as soon as you enter it, and stays that way until you leave, with all the people throwing coins into buckets surrounding the Reclining Buddha. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We got lunch at this vegetarian place by Khao San Road that had the most amazing pineapple fried rice and tempura bananas with coconut ice-cream. Bangkok has some of the best food EVER! Can't go wrong with Thai food. I actually didn't have Thai food until I went to college in San Francisco, and now it's one of my favorite types of food. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVtepgcc3ar27gcNS3Gxdz7QLwIKY6U6aYYN0AYWK3jqj2uhdlGoYKYcg31yd8v7lbwQZCUzSoiZf3DeQlbwG59C40H_p5f-fyeW1yWVtB8uMT5xkWla51Hke5opuWN39ZOLjMDYjQLk/s1600/IMG_9763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVtepgcc3ar27gcNS3Gxdz7QLwIKY6U6aYYN0AYWK3jqj2uhdlGoYKYcg31yd8v7lbwQZCUzSoiZf3DeQlbwG59C40H_p5f-fyeW1yWVtB8uMT5xkWla51Hke5opuWN39ZOLjMDYjQLk/s1600/IMG_9763.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH23o0pS_QwWfe9Xilx0dOC0BvQxqVZIpq9aiOgop0BIEqsx20y5eGsFu0uh6mg9Z5RRBV5cVnLE6X3nQcca3VYyST3QWTZzQU1u8OJUFpDGIu5GOpFAe-ewKXzqlU5xqx0kyLbsR5bxY/s1600/IMG_9739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH23o0pS_QwWfe9Xilx0dOC0BvQxqVZIpq9aiOgop0BIEqsx20y5eGsFu0uh6mg9Z5RRBV5cVnLE6X3nQcca3VYyST3QWTZzQU1u8OJUFpDGIu5GOpFAe-ewKXzqlU5xqx0kyLbsR5bxY/s1600/IMG_9739.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N8GyhVjr8WKR8uc7EpMbrFLjySZZpiANqvE2yyHuz5wMVcA4xVPxLv9_tz7YVypHfzZqsT5Sa7uIlR0MZ1aZnHlQLPLYKwmMUcuJq-FGiHIfzVQy5qS4ho60r24d8i1CZsHEbbNlK3Q/s1600/IMG_9371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N8GyhVjr8WKR8uc7EpMbrFLjySZZpiANqvE2yyHuz5wMVcA4xVPxLv9_tz7YVypHfzZqsT5Sa7uIlR0MZ1aZnHlQLPLYKwmMUcuJq-FGiHIfzVQy5qS4ho60r24d8i1CZsHEbbNlK3Q/s1600/IMG_9371.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EnMzM7hpiVb_31MPIayQ_lRFH3Ilo8jPa6BEzt0ZrjJc21jg-g0w51jwdLvOkadw90S3csjV646hbY26bOsYqrJUgxU1y0g46VODxZOCLuo7WPDpQQIJSCoFQ-E92qQbKgvLUUBw8iU/s1600/IMG_9633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EnMzM7hpiVb_31MPIayQ_lRFH3Ilo8jPa6BEzt0ZrjJc21jg-g0w51jwdLvOkadw90S3csjV646hbY26bOsYqrJUgxU1y0g46VODxZOCLuo7WPDpQQIJSCoFQ-E92qQbKgvLUUBw8iU/s1600/IMG_9633.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night (my birthday night) was spent on Khao San Road shopping for genie pants and loose tank-tops. Buying clothes in Bangkok is super cheap which is why a lot of people go there to shop. I ended up getting a few necklaces, a bag, and a bracelet. I'm proud of myself for not going overboard, an easy thing to do in Bangkok. My new friends and I celebrated a birthday I will never forget. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS77bW9HZfCHFAm29b-BKMmIVzIBPi9x3eMj6Itx1s45Ct-CT9NzI7v6eBwway6q1mYOLAcFIfPvkLayg0zO1h6jrHEHWS2ubbH2w02I4gPmBcsF9-sGCarEI6XGDdCIpwCtCFJOW7qgU/s1600/IMG_9792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS77bW9HZfCHFAm29b-BKMmIVzIBPi9x3eMj6Itx1s45Ct-CT9NzI7v6eBwway6q1mYOLAcFIfPvkLayg0zO1h6jrHEHWS2ubbH2w02I4gPmBcsF9-sGCarEI6XGDdCIpwCtCFJOW7qgU/s1600/IMG_9792.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZdSOKnkp8o5ypLVMTxpVzG2flNv-_MY2PHus1UlWvINPUKaV_A9g_F5piwIKSXdFpX1-1mwU1cF1SWInwnZt9OgA-rX2tUi26e5ATv_xbJYo0hL1Ve-vuhkhaljFuSQSj8Vz2xaQKWY/s1600/IMG_0100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZdSOKnkp8o5ypLVMTxpVzG2flNv-_MY2PHus1UlWvINPUKaV_A9g_F5piwIKSXdFpX1-1mwU1cF1SWInwnZt9OgA-rX2tUi26e5ATv_xbJYo0hL1Ve-vuhkhaljFuSQSj8Vz2xaQKWY/s1600/IMG_0100.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day I had my scheduled tour to ride an elephant and go to the floating market. It was quite an experience, especially taking pictures and holding on to the elephant so I wouldn't fall out at the same time. The ride to the floating market was long and bumpy, but I met a French couple who were really fun to talk to. It made me realize how I miss taking French and should probably refresh my memory, ne pas? At the floating market I had some more pad thai, which I could really eat every day. People sell meals straight from their boats, not just fruit and other foods. I also held a huge yellow python! Total tourist trap, but what can I say? I fell prey! Haha From the floating market we took a little cruise boat that took us back to our bus and the four hours drive back to the hostel. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCpSBQFXN5TVvYxhcUMXXEV3uZv2lpiNtL42XFBGww-DeKCbd2Fqt6HmkEFJJCtLnwSWjCflrL1GGC7EUbC6BLcNUB6VzsCbLwnTvaBEgtqwu9ebxos3tZyKDhGtJpRvuFP51pi2IyUk/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCpSBQFXN5TVvYxhcUMXXEV3uZv2lpiNtL42XFBGww-DeKCbd2Fqt6HmkEFJJCtLnwSWjCflrL1GGC7EUbC6BLcNUB6VzsCbLwnTvaBEgtqwu9ebxos3tZyKDhGtJpRvuFP51pi2IyUk/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GoSFHkql0NR7Ry62JGbiDYKSG3hyxaBwrWP_Sd96PYJNU1IXt7mDbnnQhZAAh52DXmwxB2K2F93BiVjfMYIx-2r3Od7i22vcpY_PIXmwB_eR8L0BvLTCdyE-Lm-TWMvJGWmMdXAfIQU/s1600/IMG_9958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GoSFHkql0NR7Ry62JGbiDYKSG3hyxaBwrWP_Sd96PYJNU1IXt7mDbnnQhZAAh52DXmwxB2K2F93BiVjfMYIx-2r3Od7i22vcpY_PIXmwB_eR8L0BvLTCdyE-Lm-TWMvJGWmMdXAfIQU/s1600/IMG_9958.JPG" height="203" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4tbcIE1zaOc4lqw70W_S2r-OA2rBpKnc9MIzrAwoHUm6YK9NmrmJe94QDdGK8thJXiF6dVQh-UDpbYkCmyZKW3z3k9IKr9fhYcWDHrDRGTWbTBOtwuaqkyEgMc0SaLiztpSVL24iAMM/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4tbcIE1zaOc4lqw70W_S2r-OA2rBpKnc9MIzrAwoHUm6YK9NmrmJe94QDdGK8thJXiF6dVQh-UDpbYkCmyZKW3z3k9IKr9fhYcWDHrDRGTWbTBOtwuaqkyEgMc0SaLiztpSVL24iAMM/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night I decided to explore a bit on my own. I wasn't feeling the best because of the driving of my tour guide, so I went to Siam Station where the old Scala movie theatre is as well as a few shrines in the middle of a ginormous shopping center. At the movie theatre I could have seen the new movie Maleficent for 100 baht, roughly $3 USD, which is crazy! I wish I had two hours to spare. I next went to the Erawan shrine, which was built because of the hotel that is nearby. The owner supposedly had a dream that a shrine needed to be built or bad spirits would come to the hotel. I think he just wanted more crowds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other shrine I visited was a unique one indeed. Women bring phallic statues to the grounds of the Swisstohotel in Bangkok in order to be blessed in fertility. Strangest shrine ever. I knew about it from "An Idiot Abroad," a pretty funny show on Netflix. I had to check it out myself even though it was a little difficult to find. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since I had the whole day on Sunday, I scheduled another tour through my hostel. This time, the bus took me to the River Kwai where the Japanese enslaved a lot of Thai people to build a bridge that connected them to Burma in World War II. There was a War Museum with a bunch of old WWII artifacts like Japanese motorcycles and helicopters. It was strange to walk across the bridge that had claimed so many lives. I was surprised that they still use the train track as well (mostly for tourists riding the "Death Railway"). While I was on the train tracks, a whistle was blown and we had to move to the sides even though there wasn't much room to begin with!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then I ended up going on another elephant trek in the jungle, this one better than the first. Young kids rode the elephants, placing their feet on the elephants' ears for support. I got to sit on its neck for a little while! Then we went bamboo river rafting and on to the Tiger Temple where we got to pet the tigers, and even a baby one! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bangkok was overall an amazing journey that I'm proud to say I did all by myself! I have my trip to Malaysia soon and then I'm back home soon after. The countdown has begun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Me with tigers at the Tiger Temple!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A street vendor making Thai food</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOv85i2_k0TteSePf9sA-w16efT-uZ9FqLqexBrLn8XNWGw3EGaSLFbgL_ng4Br1pfbxxFEPraioQYPGlZCmIGsw2ULN0ihJ1E74IxM4o1Iz1K0Rnscdl1uIwOFxxHuHkjRYKm9r5c-Sg/s1600/IMG_9832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOv85i2_k0TteSePf9sA-w16efT-uZ9FqLqexBrLn8XNWGw3EGaSLFbgL_ng4Br1pfbxxFEPraioQYPGlZCmIGsw2ULN0ihJ1E74IxM4o1Iz1K0Rnscdl1uIwOFxxHuHkjRYKm9r5c-Sg/s1600/IMG_9832.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1st Elephant ride</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAVCK1O64ZZgy8zh9s8n4R9e5NIXS6bxKkJAoz4GRxp25T_lnE_Bglm0e2As1qFwYCuahA3EicdK4eisxk4guC1Yy7hdFfCDwYNJD-_437gIZpvZu3L3GTCE781eB3qPb2cxnlkjl8fg/s1600/IMG_9936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAVCK1O64ZZgy8zh9s8n4R9e5NIXS6bxKkJAoz4GRxp25T_lnE_Bglm0e2As1qFwYCuahA3EicdK4eisxk4guC1Yy7hdFfCDwYNJD-_437gIZpvZu3L3GTCE781eB3qPb2cxnlkjl8fg/s1600/IMG_9936.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Adorable dressed up monkey at the elephant ride</span></td></tr>
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They got me presents!<br />
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I'm going to miss them…:'(Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-24552506300211312122014-05-31T06:57:00.002-07:002014-05-31T07:02:28.677-07:00Tokyo, Japan: City of Towers, Sushi, and Sumo<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I set off to Tokyo, Japan, "Land of the Rising Sun," last week in a hurry. I was eager to see another part of Asia. It was my first time leaving China since I had arrived in August. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be honest, Tokyo was on my travel list for all the touristy things it offers. Am I ashamed of it? No way! I truthfully love being a tourist. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSLqA7Wbl5zJ8rFkkYQpVNCKpfcnRelpsbeqtjjGQcQMo5tcJZVww7I1xdoxKkh100jYkrWpGsdTS6XlEKpeLEwNGJtf26jmJlV8Q1r5_OKfTZSkyV0GHg-noTkSmyi2884V5y-0M3dc/s1600/IMG_7948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSLqA7Wbl5zJ8rFkkYQpVNCKpfcnRelpsbeqtjjGQcQMo5tcJZVww7I1xdoxKkh100jYkrWpGsdTS6XlEKpeLEwNGJtf26jmJlV8Q1r5_OKfTZSkyV0GHg-noTkSmyi2884V5y-0M3dc/s1600/IMG_7948.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaaKB0hRYolgjZd4pOZD5W-wefHXd2WS5ZF54c-WG7DKJcqkM30PbzyICeLIWSpEh-3fqkJWTMirwD8hY9slPJwGEOG4eveNRo1hllRjZfFkRZXvPZbX0t9BVjc9B6xWJndOOw71U_BM/s1600/IMG_7933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaaKB0hRYolgjZd4pOZD5W-wefHXd2WS5ZF54c-WG7DKJcqkM30PbzyICeLIWSpEh-3fqkJWTMirwD8hY9slPJwGEOG4eveNRo1hllRjZfFkRZXvPZbX0t9BVjc9B6xWJndOOw71U_BM/s1600/IMG_7933.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There seems to be this shared hatred of tourists, what with them crowding up the streets and jacking up the prices for attractions, food, and transportation. I understand it…I did go to school in San Francisco where tourists line Fisherman's Wharf every weekend and create hour-long lines for the cable car (not that I ever tried to take it). Regardless, I prefer to think of tourists in a different light--people who want to learn more about the place they are traveling to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Experience is the best form of education, and in my opinion, people could always use more education. Besides, tourists who come to whatever city I'm living in (I have only lived in popular tourist cities) always make me feel proud of my city. When I travel somewhere, I like to think that I'm paying attention to other parts of the world and taking in the wondrous beauty of the planet we live in, not just to have another stamp in my passport or album on Facebook (although, those are perks!). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tourists might only travel somewhere for the popular attractions, but they end up learning a lot more about the place then they plan upon. My trip to Tokyo was like this. Sure, I saw all the sites that any tourist would go to, with my large camera wrapped around my neck like some signal to the world that a tourist has arrived, but I also saw a different side of Asia, and discovered a new culture. My friend Mark (who speaks Chinese and was actually born in China, but grew up in the States) didn't feel like a tourist until our trip to Tokyo where he could no longer understand what people were saying around him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before we had arrived in Tokyo, I had bought Lauren, Mark, and myself tickets to a sumo wrestling match that just so happened to be on the weekend we were going. I did not realize then that it would take four hours once we had landed to finally arrive at our hostel. <b>Word to the wise: cheap airlines often fly into the airports that are furtherest away from the city centre. </b>Of course, this makes sense, but all the other airports I had flown into previously had only taken up to an hour and a half to reach the city centre. <b>Another word to the wise: cockiness does not a traveller make. </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliVeNIvl7U2gg0bsBY1gZGseH4Vfudae9R4SwWT6KYPN8MYF4IG3wKy1zp9WQdlgZhyasJ94wFpUGFyoSvNe5gic1Y9i6-Bvn_LFg8dM2m8OpNEHAMbdcLtE6oY24eWJwwau92vUste0/s1600/IMG_7924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliVeNIvl7U2gg0bsBY1gZGseH4Vfudae9R4SwWT6KYPN8MYF4IG3wKy1zp9WQdlgZhyasJ94wFpUGFyoSvNe5gic1Y9i6-Bvn_LFg8dM2m8OpNEHAMbdcLtE6oY24eWJwwau92vUste0/s1600/IMG_7924.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Needless to say, by the time we got through customs and found the right subway line, it was too late. I was disappointed, but one can never predict what will actually happen on a trip. One of the first new things we discovered were matcha-flavored Kit-Kats at the airport! Kit-Kats have always been my favorite and so these were a delicious find! On the way back home, I also had </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSOLsZmAlq8y4JGDvhCYfrkjXKTNhfJ6vouo_O7zen_rIav5wuhyp_ylgOsxz41nBQJTnOJzunaGQqJaPnfAZwR6McpZWZSo8oeznyE6MfB0zLEbRn5HIs4K9JPp056Abm5fPbs9RIOU/s1600/IMG_7966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSOLsZmAlq8y4JGDvhCYfrkjXKTNhfJ6vouo_O7zen_rIav5wuhyp_ylgOsxz41nBQJTnOJzunaGQqJaPnfAZwR6McpZWZSo8oeznyE6MfB0zLEbRn5HIs4K9JPp056Abm5fPbs9RIOU/s1600/IMG_7966.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night we ended up walking around trying to decide on a place to eat. We snacked on a popular Tokyo snack--a doughy fish filled with red bean paste. A surprising thunderstorm and pouring rain brought us into a traditional Japanese restaurant. We ordered the main meal in Japan--fish! I also had raw octopus! Since Japan is an island, it has some of the best seafood ever, which is why it is the home of sushi. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arigatou (thank you) is one of the few words of Japanese I know, and I even had to sing Mr. Roboto in my head a few times to remember it (embarrassing, but true). We thanked the waiter, who was extremely helpful and even brought out an English menu. We soon discovered that most people in Tokyo were extremely helpful and would go out of their way to help others. We also discovered that the city is very quiet…even the subways. Men and women in business suits quietly stood or sat on the plush metro seats, whispering to one another, not allowed to talk on their cellphones. It was a stark difference from Shanghai where people yell on their cell phones and often stare at us foreigners. I have never seen such a large city so quiet!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcje9HPBJzRGs2gQk8XZyDGUZZj3cqclPm8MWKJk-Dd43_3MuaCR4BSmjiffrzCXhqhkjzDomSlNafs5n7mTenoWskNj75fDAJ7eUy-E2iRxD5As4VU2Io7wZJMj1zCQqf_y30FUN2btA/s1600/IMG_8072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcje9HPBJzRGs2gQk8XZyDGUZZj3cqclPm8MWKJk-Dd43_3MuaCR4BSmjiffrzCXhqhkjzDomSlNafs5n7mTenoWskNj75fDAJ7eUy-E2iRxD5As4VU2Io7wZJMj1zCQqf_y30FUN2btA/s1600/IMG_8072.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplehS3T2Rl7km7GlbvHhkZi5ZFpNknMZI4MIurlbS3vmUSEHSNHUlEbcKGuxCOspyvs9v_NAz7G7PREE7IP6OvOrbbcWGN9t9pIEU7vC3X2nJ2AT84dr1M6_p3Bk2pw3q8IqDAZQA_3M/s1600/IMG_8022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplehS3T2Rl7km7GlbvHhkZi5ZFpNknMZI4MIurlbS3vmUSEHSNHUlEbcKGuxCOspyvs9v_NAz7G7PREE7IP6OvOrbbcWGN9t9pIEU7vC3X2nJ2AT84dr1M6_p3Bk2pw3q8IqDAZQA_3M/s1600/IMG_8022.JPG" height="133" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Surprisingly, and yet perhaps not so surprisingly, most places close early in Tokyo (it is technically against the law for clubs to be open past midnight). Therefore, we woke up early the next morning and decided to check out Akihabra, named after the fire-controlling god Akiba, the area in Tokyo is known for its abundance of "costplay" stores (a term used for people dressing up in costumes), manga and anime stores, and maid cafes. Akihabra is also known for their wide array of wacky, creative, and sometimes bizarre cafes. While we were there, we happened upon a hot dog cafe, cat cafe, dog cafe, and (of course) a maid cafe! Mark even went to a few anime cafes. We had no idea there were dog cafes along with cat cafes and Lauren and I were in doggie heaven. The dog cafe, which was next to the Tokyo Skytree tower, even served gourmet food for the pooches that people could bring in. Below are pictures from the maid cafe and one picture of an adorable dog posing for me at the Dog Cafe. Mark got a special package meal and so was able to take a picture with one of the maids (a dream of his I'm sure lol). You are not allowed to take their picture unless you pay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After the lovely maid cafe, we ventured to the iconic Tokyo Tower (which is supposedly larger than the Eiffel Tower in Paris which it is obviously based off of). I have to admit that I think the Tokyo Tower has more flair than the Eiffel. For one thing, you cannot miss it because of the bright red and white paint job. Not surprisingly, there are also some shops underneath. You do, however, have to pay a little more to get to the top. But, it was cheaper than the Eiffel Tower at around $14 USD to get all the way to the top. I'm not scared of heights, but it was a little dizzying to be up that high. Amazing views though. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_6NLL4CgHVWIHrrwXnSTVWeSLt1lsLO-pcqMjGRmu_oYnAhSW_aFvhUtAZuQAwc4TvopUi4Pe3Bp_RT8rRY01ZcVSjtbbe7lSJp8aBkCKWrqucBQHJCHiOfRzBUK0eixL4PN_Mzo01M/s1600/IMG_8104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_6NLL4CgHVWIHrrwXnSTVWeSLt1lsLO-pcqMjGRmu_oYnAhSW_aFvhUtAZuQAwc4TvopUi4Pe3Bp_RT8rRY01ZcVSjtbbe7lSJp8aBkCKWrqucBQHJCHiOfRzBUK0eixL4PN_Mzo01M/s1600/IMG_8104.jpg" height="400" width="230" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lauren and I in front of Tokyo Tower</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFRDR4KyC9Gy_qVWyewkSxx91pFGQmSGq3QmsJNOXQwcA7kQp_Ia4QGhovgMGY5eBrwjceUychlwqO_UKvDxHy98SbDrw1OJbjveqHtSShE7BGzC0tz9UUh_Dej9u-CmVR_o9oNu_F-o/s1600/IMG_8213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFRDR4KyC9Gy_qVWyewkSxx91pFGQmSGq3QmsJNOXQwcA7kQp_Ia4QGhovgMGY5eBrwjceUychlwqO_UKvDxHy98SbDrw1OJbjveqHtSShE7BGzC0tz9UUh_Dej9u-CmVR_o9oNu_F-o/s1600/IMG_8213.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Red roses compliment the tower perfectly,</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">View from the top!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w0nGKUbgGa6aQkeXB2UkrzD1_9bIHdigAypqBB2EMK6ceH_AoCZVaOKSICkn6aSHWe3iHRTDIfVIGM6lT1sWmT8DA7sIzpCGtgQMEjNvGiG4NHUevtjvQihndYUD16ntggrppFIlMsM/s1600/IMG_8233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9w0nGKUbgGa6aQkeXB2UkrzD1_9bIHdigAypqBB2EMK6ceH_AoCZVaOKSICkn6aSHWe3iHRTDIfVIGM6lT1sWmT8DA7sIzpCGtgQMEjNvGiG4NHUevtjvQihndYUD16ntggrppFIlMsM/s1600/IMG_8233.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Empty fish market</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After I marked the Tokyo Tower off my imaginary bucket list, we tried to get to the legendary fish market, but because most things close so early…we failed. The fish market actually opens at 4 AM when chefs go pick out the best catch of the day. We were not about to get up that early…we were more interested in what the fish eventually becomes anyway. Sushi!!! There are some famous restaurants nearby the fish market that use the freshest fish. As a lover of sushi, eating it in Tokyo has also been on my "bucket list" for some time. I remember when I went to Alaska ages ago and tried fresh sushi for the first time. I didn't like it. This time, I knew it would be delicious for my grown-up tastebuds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We watched the chefs behind the bar at this random restaurant that looked good. The restaurant wasn't too expensive and they had some deals. Most pieces cost almost $1 USD. Overall, I think I paid $15 USD for some of the best, freshest sushi I have ever had. I had the lightest green tea, mussel soup, and tuna, mackerel, shrimp, salmon, and fish eggs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAaOLwYVqAngZNaRbc0hGaS8O4KRUhnFv3jmY1vIeHbuL-LU_AirH39W1lidmqImhtkafIuiWv2Zgl3AOhQ82AXhwkDksjcJcdpmgrGMGYMwNaf_QShukhnSyJ4r_06hy_2VXRZD14Gc/s1600/IMG_8248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoAaOLwYVqAngZNaRbc0hGaS8O4KRUhnFv3jmY1vIeHbuL-LU_AirH39W1lidmqImhtkafIuiWv2Zgl3AOhQ82AXhwkDksjcJcdpmgrGMGYMwNaf_QShukhnSyJ4r_06hy_2VXRZD14Gc/s1600/IMG_8248.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2IIFfAHxsKy2-Uz9atBuUF96d-PbsTMyUkKZVHA1Qb-Kvd3Yv7M1cawpZ-ylm49T-egZNfJheGSKN3SufqB0J74dVyYH2BqppkVXbyb9VvB5P4XzzTe3qI1wlh3DMnfIkSvI_WrWPj0/s1600/IMG_8266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2IIFfAHxsKy2-Uz9atBuUF96d-PbsTMyUkKZVHA1Qb-Kvd3Yv7M1cawpZ-ylm49T-egZNfJheGSKN3SufqB0J74dVyYH2BqppkVXbyb9VvB5P4XzzTe3qI1wlh3DMnfIkSvI_WrWPj0/s1600/IMG_8266.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qIwOuZslZqYLquQJF6BR5NZRZzOcn7eR-iWo8e4t3j9Y2g1ao-FKHnjysH80ugzNvcGPANmJ0B-u4bfGw3OIoxOSGfDSwlu8fMtnyjHdQALHJ4iYKgzw19WeLeRzS8SCFc4nDqq8WbA/s1600/IMG_8321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qIwOuZslZqYLquQJF6BR5NZRZzOcn7eR-iWo8e4t3j9Y2g1ao-FKHnjysH80ugzNvcGPANmJ0B-u4bfGw3OIoxOSGfDSwlu8fMtnyjHdQALHJ4iYKgzw19WeLeRzS8SCFc4nDqq8WbA/s1600/IMG_8321.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tied up fortunes in front of the temple</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQouH2Th4MHDE3w9qSpF44CNUO4NRZf7v4PRi83VcTBgIxOLy46aBuMn1dI3i-qhiN6Tg_PmkISStWoCVn1VeEsP5lQCKoBEiE9JnFExH0GrBpF1EuzVvw5jyn815-dgWySjIu3bUPzc/s1600/IMG_8294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQouH2Th4MHDE3w9qSpF44CNUO4NRZf7v4PRi83VcTBgIxOLy46aBuMn1dI3i-qhiN6Tg_PmkISStWoCVn1VeEsP5lQCKoBEiE9JnFExH0GrBpF1EuzVvw5jyn815-dgWySjIu3bUPzc/s1600/IMG_8294.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We then checked out the Sensoji Temple nearby our hostel (the oldest temple in Tokyo). There is a street in front of the temple that is lined with souvenir shops that we checked out on our last full day (and where I found my collectible spoon!). Also in front of the temple are fortune drawers. You shake out a stick with a number on it from a tube and locate that numbered drawer and take out your fortune. I got my lucky number 13 (also my birthday). I must have been really lucky that day because I got the best fortune out of the three of us. These drawers are not just nice too…Mark got a "not good" fortune. It seems that people tie their fortunes onto racks next to the drawers for some reason. The sign said to take it home with you, so that's what I did. Anyway, the temple itself is very large, red, and ornate. People stand around the large incense bowl directly in front of the temple and splash the incense smoke on themselves. A healing process I presume. Seeing the temple at night was really nice because we could see the temple light up and glow. There is a pagoda right next door.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbrhCSoL8Hrw1VV2kedBOh26Kg7QPglP49hXnd26_Tvv0tOdthBxBzArd2frpyjQmGTk74TrBCZ3w5hWCA2IptRYGmLdiP9Eou9hiGpanzfoovuKe47hI9Btf8R5EjA-J5zKf1HilVcQ/s1600/IMG_8306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbrhCSoL8Hrw1VV2kedBOh26Kg7QPglP49hXnd26_Tvv0tOdthBxBzArd2frpyjQmGTk74TrBCZ3w5hWCA2IptRYGmLdiP9Eou9hiGpanzfoovuKe47hI9Btf8R5EjA-J5zKf1HilVcQ/s1600/IMG_8306.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Street of souvenirs</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Temple all lit up</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At night the only attraction that was open was the Tokyo Skytree, which is taller than the Tokyo Tower and so therefore more expensive. We didn't even go all the way up and we had to pay $20 USD. But, we figured that it was worth it to see the city at night, and indeed what a sight! It was only a little walk away from our hostel. From the tower, you could see the Tokyo Tower in the distance and you would be able to see Mt. Fuji if it was day time and a clear day.Once again, there were about four different souvenir shops within the tower. They sure do like to make money off their tourists.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5kxgJOnBv2AEj9CE5s6WpDwRsZ0xnC8xUwApFHuscpjWgNIiz8oRwZSbt5N139cBgFlRF415kHwSelQAlWw4Gp03eg54Y7H4SoRMp2dCw3bdaCY6u2D_LH0_V_owHljExeXnqD3ucDA/s1600/IMG_8539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5kxgJOnBv2AEj9CE5s6WpDwRsZ0xnC8xUwApFHuscpjWgNIiz8oRwZSbt5N139cBgFlRF415kHwSelQAlWw4Gp03eg54Y7H4SoRMp2dCw3bdaCY6u2D_LH0_V_owHljExeXnqD3ucDA/s1600/IMG_8539.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1A8H-SkxJ0TXN0Ew4Bp12xfSQmPX252fSP3Je-X9yqzbUuAL5YDmfBrbiVXxvGpWQuiDuNmEAGg4GRk8oVzcsaIPPk_Q5qZAquR09C27oYMV9saAwCUqI2ekB6hj1BqohYFOcwoZ3qw/s1600/IMG_8551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1A8H-SkxJ0TXN0Ew4Bp12xfSQmPX252fSP3Je-X9yqzbUuAL5YDmfBrbiVXxvGpWQuiDuNmEAGg4GRk8oVzcsaIPPk_Q5qZAquR09C27oYMV9saAwCUqI2ekB6hj1BqohYFOcwoZ3qw/s1600/IMG_8551.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next morning, we woke up pretty early, fought for the one shower in our hostel building, and Mark brought us to this ramen place he had found the night before. Yes, we had ramen for breakfast! When in Tokyo, do as the Tokyians do? Anyway, the place was really good…you paid for your ramen from a machine like you would a vending machine. In Tokyo, they don't make the ramen soup that oily, and I like it that way. We finally took off from Asakusa and visited Ryogoku, the Sumo town where we were supposed to go the first night here. We managed to see a few Sumo guys, and one even coming off of the subway. We were speculating about how they got around since they are such large men. I even took a picture with a Sumo wrestler!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttI0xgGdd7txUIBzB3ko171KsdAYSvKvJmXliH_D5ZWYxJqYDgAU24iYeg5_nVa-QA0yPTPYle15pzksYYI1Y6cBMjgZ34BYiMomm8hPKvUcGwyj7hfTDXRQde3zz3YmfSWLqIhT36VQ/s1600/IMG_8548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttI0xgGdd7txUIBzB3ko171KsdAYSvKvJmXliH_D5ZWYxJqYDgAU24iYeg5_nVa-QA0yPTPYle15pzksYYI1Y6cBMjgZ34BYiMomm8hPKvUcGwyj7hfTDXRQde3zz3YmfSWLqIhT36VQ/s1600/IMG_8548.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then we went to the Imperial Palace where visitors can walk around the grounds. We saw some old samurai houses near the entrances where they could easily protect the royal family. The Palace grounds were huge! We could have walked that all day. Right across the street was the Palace Hotel. I have gotten into the habit of checking out the hotels in whatever city I visit. We saw a swan and some turtles along the way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZekMLaooITkA67Y0n7wRHhCTigQUmQniuzM8AmXfTMjlr8An6JYm8veUHrjtHPrgDbv8cn-uHaAN5OEG2bJkyTX-t1nv6cF2_FLFqzwDdrFANnx8MZQOVo8x9uJirHRclW5A3Q2HzEVA/s1600/IMG_8613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZekMLaooITkA67Y0n7wRHhCTigQUmQniuzM8AmXfTMjlr8An6JYm8veUHrjtHPrgDbv8cn-uHaAN5OEG2bJkyTX-t1nv6cF2_FLFqzwDdrFANnx8MZQOVo8x9uJirHRclW5A3Q2HzEVA/s1600/IMG_8613.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Hwi8xMKYqTnPiAhGISNAVySPEz6ZmLM2meYV9w1dRPe6bixfu6AoCUPCNYk7ec6f0Bbsl93ARv7aoO1N0Jp18cu_yZNCYbxgSeYaPYUc8K4-Ax4NNdfRUyRa87g2zQUBCKLkdRq8KTI/s1600/IMG_8683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Hwi8xMKYqTnPiAhGISNAVySPEz6ZmLM2meYV9w1dRPe6bixfu6AoCUPCNYk7ec6f0Bbsl93ARv7aoO1N0Jp18cu_yZNCYbxgSeYaPYUc8K4-Ax4NNdfRUyRa87g2zQUBCKLkdRq8KTI/s1600/IMG_8683.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sibuya Crossing</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF1OdbDVM9E1jBU-AtDSM97W1E4wHYaes0qg1haP9bWKXeyqf7QWetc1kq9OajDJni717ppheYzkn6SdXoXQ7MU57DYJwP20k1xyRd-7LzPa8SoosZdMGb1RNJ7294J_iVplfznJzAcM/s1600/IMG_8674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwF1OdbDVM9E1jBU-AtDSM97W1E4wHYaes0qg1haP9bWKXeyqf7QWetc1kq9OajDJni717ppheYzkn6SdXoXQ7MU57DYJwP20k1xyRd-7LzPa8SoosZdMGb1RNJ7294J_iVplfznJzAcM/s1600/IMG_8674.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lauren and I then went to Sibuya while Mark went back to Akihabra. We got some ramen and then saw the Sibuya crossing. In Tokyo, a lot of streets have diagonal crossing in addition to regular crossings. Sibuya has one of those streets, and a flood of people cross at the same time…I've never seen such a packed road. Sibuya is the section of Tokyo that is known for its youthful, trendy fashion stores. The malls here have levels upon levels of stores, and even more shoppers. Lauren really wanted to see this famous statue of the Sibuya dog…I still don't know why it is so famous, but the dog pops up around the whole area…on most signs and stores. We walked back and forth trying to find this dog. Finally, we decided to leave, and when we were about to get back on the subway, we asked one more time…and finally found the dog right outside of the station…buried in a crowd of people, so much smaller than what we had imagined. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJpX3WLJ8kz8XEc7Hy56OvNj2PylTM9dblO-yLN1zHLuc46tQ0t5eXmnxfqiCLXCdvcVTqYwjkWl1LAJRV60k-KROGIegAV11TwcOh5P8OLBDmqS3piZtxV8g96fAu-_nIgSqIT1pcR4/s1600/IMG_8776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJpX3WLJ8kz8XEc7Hy56OvNj2PylTM9dblO-yLN1zHLuc46tQ0t5eXmnxfqiCLXCdvcVTqYwjkWl1LAJRV60k-KROGIegAV11TwcOh5P8OLBDmqS3piZtxV8g96fAu-_nIgSqIT1pcR4/s1600/IMG_8776.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgSOFEvQFtQP87YoJUbpWccdsYRMikZYjO-FZnQCTna7_HYR9LbI62x1B2B9Va6UWm8lT9Zs-NlwdwTItuTUuF-8G8jEq5pd8B8B1tWFfYNMG4s4fffqbT27tNgeNEBcII8qzwVzTl4I/s1600/IMG_8790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgSOFEvQFtQP87YoJUbpWccdsYRMikZYjO-FZnQCTna7_HYR9LbI62x1B2B9Va6UWm8lT9Zs-NlwdwTItuTUuF-8G8jEq5pd8B8B1tWFfYNMG4s4fffqbT27tNgeNEBcII8qzwVzTl4I/s1600/IMG_8790.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the last thing of the day, Lauren and I went to a man-made hot spring bathing house on the edge of Tokyo. We put on yukatas, which are summer-time kimonos. We got to pick the ones we liked and what color sashes we wanted. There was a foot bath and then one with fish treatment where the little fish surround your feet and eat the dead skin off. It's supposed to make your feet nice and soft. Then, there was the real bath area where you drop the yukata and underwear and get nude. You have to wash yourself off first in the little shower area. You only get to bring in a little towel with you into the baths that vary in temperature. It's not enough to cover anything. It was awkward at first, but then I relaxed. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU3AYYmKTKAWOXDeGZVAYKAYekQpmokksK-Z0d-R_HCsndTl0mb4q2tcryvJ8Dwa-P3Sjs-yexiuhd_fcdoVSg7YqhE2NtkzcHN1T_2GAo72jOxbWHk17EqMnu-9ZB4nrjlAkXwlWGoQ/s1600/IMG_8793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU3AYYmKTKAWOXDeGZVAYKAYekQpmokksK-Z0d-R_HCsndTl0mb4q2tcryvJ8Dwa-P3Sjs-yexiuhd_fcdoVSg7YqhE2NtkzcHN1T_2GAo72jOxbWHk17EqMnu-9ZB4nrjlAkXwlWGoQ/s1600/IMG_8793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU3AYYmKTKAWOXDeGZVAYKAYekQpmokksK-Z0d-R_HCsndTl0mb4q2tcryvJ8Dwa-P3Sjs-yexiuhd_fcdoVSg7YqhE2NtkzcHN1T_2GAo72jOxbWHk17EqMnu-9ZB4nrjlAkXwlWGoQ/s1600/IMG_8793.JPG" height="422" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRbVElc8t1JhL02Bhc3acA-a6G07liykbj56gp9gnkMkmBHWbdvuMX4WRnSv2PyI7uJlMPrF3hSVixBMx9dlnPNyvoJ9_WK0gEZeqbpLFKYvsCoZn0SLZGhZogS7jHADxqJcN-G2YT4c/s1600/IMG_8955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRbVElc8t1JhL02Bhc3acA-a6G07liykbj56gp9gnkMkmBHWbdvuMX4WRnSv2PyI7uJlMPrF3hSVixBMx9dlnPNyvoJ9_WK0gEZeqbpLFKYvsCoZn0SLZGhZogS7jHADxqJcN-G2YT4c/s1600/IMG_8955.JPG" height="133" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day we checked out Harajuku, where we were expecting to see the "Harajuku" girls, girls that are dressed up in colorful costumes shopping at all the trendy stores in the area. Sadly, we didn't find any despite walking around for quite a long time. We did go to another sushi spot…this time with a long line and a rotating belt. It wasn't as good as the other place, but it was still great sushi. No trip to Tokyo would be complete without as much sushi as you can eat. </span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55yrsJAUmab4CRCRsHgbIvDWitplOw2qfkI1BhBuglmF5FyQ8KCzvi79AjJvsr2NY559HrAaPv7i3ewuiQL3Trlodps5I3vpsuOfX6nLKf1YLu7WNBzZrFFnviaOQn-gD5hysHDuVyaw/s1600/IMG_9027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55yrsJAUmab4CRCRsHgbIvDWitplOw2qfkI1BhBuglmF5FyQ8KCzvi79AjJvsr2NY559HrAaPv7i3ewuiQL3Trlodps5I3vpsuOfX6nLKf1YLu7WNBzZrFFnviaOQn-gD5hysHDuVyaw/s1600/IMG_9027.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCVTOC9NggzkdbFoEellfJy3Y8hGkDHne2PA9c6b1TjVb7uYKBiPW3l2eCVZYwyb9Qkj_IsEDr8OKOQcc524bAGCPllNp6e2RwJvZUwspPvgPUvr0QpP9JiUZn6iKJCDxCqQ9dkj-flM/s1600/IMG_9059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCVTOC9NggzkdbFoEellfJy3Y8hGkDHne2PA9c6b1TjVb7uYKBiPW3l2eCVZYwyb9Qkj_IsEDr8OKOQcc524bAGCPllNp6e2RwJvZUwspPvgPUvr0QpP9JiUZn6iKJCDxCqQ9dkj-flM/s1600/IMG_9059.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, we moved onto the Shinjuku area where we visited the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It is a huge park where a bunch of traditional Japanese, English, and French gardens, but of course, we cared about the Japanese ones. It was a nice break. As we were walking back, we noticed a lot of people standing around. I spotted some foreigners and asked what was going on. They told us that it was a religious holiday called Obon. It is where residents help carry a heavy statue of a God around on a throne that they support together on their shoulders. They continue this throughout the summer in different areas of the city, carrying Gods around varying in size.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With that, we moved on, back to our area of Asakusa where we found a store that sells fake food displays. Tokyo is renowned for their use of fake food in their restaurant displays…so much so that there is an entire street dedicated to these stores. Unfortunately, when we got there (it was not even 5pm yet) they were all closed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW65w3aevCJNOIBAPtQBBONnVUUEQFOM1IUcYWPsUddyb11X7IFbcMc9vYC53ZEUQaToNKGGaLWNYe0mNYC1QVw6qgZmBL0UwULL_RbOmeJeZPHLu0WAl_ZzvWQVbAbNHDg6-rm0oBMI/s1600/IMG_9099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIW65w3aevCJNOIBAPtQBBONnVUUEQFOM1IUcYWPsUddyb11X7IFbcMc9vYC53ZEUQaToNKGGaLWNYe0mNYC1QVw6qgZmBL0UwULL_RbOmeJeZPHLu0WAl_ZzvWQVbAbNHDg6-rm0oBMI/s1600/IMG_9099.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We got back to our hostel and ate at a nearby ramen place (more ramen!). We had to get up pretty early the next morning to make the metro to the train to the bus all the way back to Ibracki Airport. A long day of traveling, but man what a trip! I do love Tokyo and its people. And, of course, what better way to end a trip in Tokyo then picking up some sakura-matcha-flavored Kit-Kats for a nice little bookend? </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhPY4JZO4VO93ox_HsNiaV4QuKmTA6ph6fP-CcVl3Qf206QcoCRBbxauU_y1phV54Tur7ijVuCC78NfV5ET5tXYP-HY9W31WK54eJ9qB_qCMAO3NPc2ccsA9EqHnzh8bC3cXav7XLZoc/s1600/IMG_7812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhPY4JZO4VO93ox_HsNiaV4QuKmTA6ph6fP-CcVl3Qf206QcoCRBbxauU_y1phV54Tur7ijVuCC78NfV5ET5tXYP-HY9W31WK54eJ9qB_qCMAO3NPc2ccsA9EqHnzh8bC3cXav7XLZoc/s1600/IMG_7812.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flower in a pond at Panmen Garden </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Time is winding down for my year-long teaching stint in Shanghai. I only have a little over a month to go. I would be lying if I said I can't wait for the last day…I miss home like crazy, but there is still a lot more adventures left for me in Asia. I will leave for Tokyo, Japan, next week and Bangkok next month. This past weekend my friend Mark invited Lauren and I to visit Suzhou and his grandparents with him. I had been wanting to go to another city within China besides the ones I have visited so far: Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, and my home-away-from-home, Shanghai. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Master-of-Nets Garden</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Suzhou is still a large city compared to most cities in the world, and only a 30-minute train ride from Shanghai in Jiangsu Province in Eastern China. Known for its silk and canals, Suzhou is known as the "Sister City to Venice, Italy." Suzhou was founded in 514 BC, and its canals, pagodas, and stunning gardens have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been wanting to visit Suzhou since I came to China. In fact, I had placed it second on my list (behind Shanghai) of cites I wanted to be placed for teaching. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPWJckYHgoChp8nGyFjsqWiECYs59gxs9GniyNVBnDswoaBZyY_XpDAX6DETwLYeD9KC80_3_ZfuAK4fxC1VczpQWa-ft0arlM-EKNJtpf5rabPvXLB29HeMZfuvKtQwwtjO0If4y3Jg/s1600/IMG_7299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPWJckYHgoChp8nGyFjsqWiECYs59gxs9GniyNVBnDswoaBZyY_XpDAX6DETwLYeD9KC80_3_ZfuAK4fxC1VczpQWa-ft0arlM-EKNJtpf5rabPvXLB29HeMZfuvKtQwwtjO0If4y3Jg/s1600/IMG_7299.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Silk paintings</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We met up with Mark's grandfather, who is really his great uncle, and dropped our stuff off at our hotel room (which he generously got for us). We quickly went to see The Master-of-Nets garden, which has one of the world's oldest trees, beautiful koi ponds with lily pads, and intricate houses storing skillfully painted works-of-art on famed silk. I bought a little painting on silk as a souvenir--a summer scene of mountains and trees. Lauren and Mark got ones as well. Since I bought a painting, the woman allowed me to take some pictures of the other silk paintings. There was a famous artist who painted tigers on silk and even raised them inside the garden.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qaZNHH752VO5XVZIAvcR_1mwZRU7s2buLgRxLZpcl7Mj3X-M8mpHsnAoo7UWlecEos4WXUGOQEPyV7KhQ6X5W7plgNlpW_XtfKKFuuxTCN8GALKft6stH0M5IVnNhreSA6sPA_NKskE/s1600/IMG_7336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qaZNHH752VO5XVZIAvcR_1mwZRU7s2buLgRxLZpcl7Mj3X-M8mpHsnAoo7UWlecEos4WXUGOQEPyV7KhQ6X5W7plgNlpW_XtfKKFuuxTCN8GALKft6stH0M5IVnNhreSA6sPA_NKskE/s1600/IMG_7336.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark kisses the fishy main entree </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40S5scURVis6p7lcVpzqqTtH8ZqNQ8ZN0ybcKxf9Zy-xmbDfC26XA2A34OfUj43yBy_cVsJxFvVe109cRav6fA9-sco5Kzwvxqciz0DvodX8lUqySpG1_Ol7coHezM7J6FpxfZgUU7OA/s1600/IMG_7327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40S5scURVis6p7lcVpzqqTtH8ZqNQ8ZN0ybcKxf9Zy-xmbDfC26XA2A34OfUj43yBy_cVsJxFvVe109cRav6fA9-sco5Kzwvxqciz0DvodX8lUqySpG1_Ol7coHezM7J6FpxfZgUU7OA/s1600/IMG_7327.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Afterwards, Mark's grandpa (as Lauren and I began to call him) took us to eat at this restaurant by his house. There, mark's grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin joined us and we sat down to a traditional Chinese feast at a large, round red and yellow table. Mark said that he had a lot of family and even in Suzhou, we had a table for nine. We tried a bunch of new food such as pumpkin-filled round treats of goodness, orange sweet fish (tasted like orange chicken back home), sweet oats, and this bread filled with meat and green beans. The fish was a specialty of Suzhou and laid on the plate like any fish in China--head and all. The middle was cut up and deboned though. Mark ate, and kissed, the head. We also had spinach, prawns, mushrooms, rice, pork, broccoli…basically, a lot of food. It was one of the best meals I had eaten in China thus far. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At dinner, Lauren and I expressed interest in making the little pumpkin things (the name of which I already forget). Mark's Grandpa told us that she would be happy to teach us how to make them! First, Grandpa wanted to take us on his walk that he takes everyday along the lake in Suzhou. The sights were beautiful. We walked off our dinner and saw temples in the distance, ancient bridges, and even bats flying everywhere (more bats than I have ever seen in my life)! As I said before, Suzhou is known for its canals and we saw its four main canals and the place where they intersected. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We got back to Mark's grandparents' apartment (a traditional Chinese size apartment as Mark said). We helped Grandma and Grandpa make the pumpkin bites by rolling up balls of pumpkin and lots of flour. You cook them on the stove and add some sugar and that's it. I'm definitely going to make these when I go home. We had our own little cooking lesson. Mark's grandparents' were so sweet and cute! Before we left for our hotel for that night, they packed us a little bag of hard-boiled eggs, pumpkin bites, and peaches for the next morning or a midnight snack.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark's grandma showing us how it's done.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next morning we got up bright and early to go see the ancient part of the city. In order to get there, we had to take a car since the subways are being worked on. Mark's aunt drove us this round-about way to the ancient city. Once there, we boarded a little boat with a guide who sang classic Chinese songs as we paddled down the river, passing decades of history. Mark's grandpa knew some of the songs and sang along.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmH6hbDRegnBduTAFsRBFee2cZltvlu91TXBBhz8fQSuJAQbaGgdo1nOBaiKkv4e6sXPaVDXOsG6oWydbik0Y1z3aH6mOVxSljimoFL-UaZAUWDDQjok8L_NbtnShhyphenhyphentELFpRy9gOuqY/s1600/IMG_7598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmH6hbDRegnBduTAFsRBFee2cZltvlu91TXBBhz8fQSuJAQbaGgdo1nOBaiKkv4e6sXPaVDXOsG6oWydbik0Y1z3aH6mOVxSljimoFL-UaZAUWDDQjok8L_NbtnShhyphenhyphentELFpRy9gOuqY/s1600/IMG_7598.jpg" height="200" width="192" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gG90PgFSwTw4WuMcqAiitvxNxJWQGrOX7DhLTitkC0hd1RIYTof79NIorvu1ch3NjX40_dvVskV_GmJUJjgHSq1JUXPP78nwZ1G9FCN-cvbg_EWp89yyt6nJsYoSX2cWE9tg9rlgXYs/s1600/IMG_7572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gG90PgFSwTw4WuMcqAiitvxNxJWQGrOX7DhLTitkC0hd1RIYTof79NIorvu1ch3NjX40_dvVskV_GmJUJjgHSq1JUXPP78nwZ1G9FCN-cvbg_EWp89yyt6nJsYoSX2cWE9tg9rlgXYs/s1600/IMG_7572.JPG" height="148" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivkx70H0U6o1Q4a1SXLdiTDj1b-J1um7t2rPq7tryGgW39p3rNsznikeWznfmGLun3jd55CX6Vd3n5v5EZ6h7Bn2wVtgFj5H0wAMw1zbABg6IYcjl9QE0YwNfJUbHN-eEUQB3mX1AkVs/s1600/IMG_7568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivkx70H0U6o1Q4a1SXLdiTDj1b-J1um7t2rPq7tryGgW39p3rNsznikeWznfmGLun3jd55CX6Vd3n5v5EZ6h7Bn2wVtgFj5H0wAMw1zbABg6IYcjl9QE0YwNfJUbHN-eEUQB3mX1AkVs/s1600/IMG_7568.JPG" height="132" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Soon we got off the boat and walked around the ancient city. This was a good place to buy souvenirs since Shanghai is more expensive. It was only right that we stopped at a store where everything being sold was made out of bamboo. I bought a compact mirror.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next, we wandered over to a pearl shop. China is famous for its pearls that are found off the coast. People visit China just to buy pearls that are cheaper here than anywhere else. Mark's grandparents bartered with the shop owners and got me 40% off of a black pearl necklace…so I had to go through with the purchase ;). Temptation called.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB4Fjw8EE9u2WYnRU_SJXVgLo5HKEgVz-XdV_OOWKJ-fzn1DR0_GKRtzLL7hyky63XKVxEOrnMO9JmIlB45FGsA5OR_osprLZYgqiYOuP2IhHSMqtnOl-WIT0CkkxOezfqa0xGUy9RQY/s1600/IMG_7606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB4Fjw8EE9u2WYnRU_SJXVgLo5HKEgVz-XdV_OOWKJ-fzn1DR0_GKRtzLL7hyky63XKVxEOrnMO9JmIlB45FGsA5OR_osprLZYgqiYOuP2IhHSMqtnOl-WIT0CkkxOezfqa0xGUy9RQY/s1600/IMG_7606.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Crabs on a stick</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We walked a little more and spotted a food vendor that was selling five small crabs on a stick for only 5 rmb. Little did I know, that the crabs were not yet dead. The woman just picked up the stick of the five wiggling crabs, and put them in a pan to fry. They were pretty crunchy and didn't have much crab meat on them, so I didn't eat all of it, mostly carried them around like a scared tourist, but at least I can say I tried it. We walked back along the canal and watch as women would dress up in ancient dress and pose in front of one of the famous bridges. It just shows…even locals like to play the tourist at times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next, we went back to grandpa's house where he made us noodles and we looked at grandma's little garden and her silk paintings of birds. We could tell that she was embarrassed, but really proud of her paintings, and they were really good!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grandma and her painting</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmmF-KAad_-l7O04QqZawtxs2IUb2iR1MCtuXOWQweFaCKYtCNOufqfxzcAuflXvyG2vPcJdZDM_HUwpIB58gUMQ884VM8LruyUUP7GeUXeRo1XW-lCeFcy6mFjZTE2_lX-KBnlsH_ns/s1600/IMG_7633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmmF-KAad_-l7O04QqZawtxs2IUb2iR1MCtuXOWQweFaCKYtCNOufqfxzcAuflXvyG2vPcJdZDM_HUwpIB58gUMQ884VM8LruyUUP7GeUXeRo1XW-lCeFcy6mFjZTE2_lX-KBnlsH_ns/s1600/IMG_7633.jpg" height="400" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> A woman dressed up and posing for a photographer</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zH34ljh-J24Sis4M4yMLbk3ulGFQWuqU6rt6XGX3X6eUlIwUXOtV2ax9XiXVhEb4E3y0qF3or_wriCx63cmQOmdLOdiHgwU7cGAlWyP53ZkRl8b3Z76bkZniJIb-SAbDAg6_EIwQJX8/s1600/IMG_7629.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zH34ljh-J24Sis4M4yMLbk3ulGFQWuqU6rt6XGX3X6eUlIwUXOtV2ax9XiXVhEb4E3y0qF3or_wriCx63cmQOmdLOdiHgwU7cGAlWyP53ZkRl8b3Z76bkZniJIb-SAbDAg6_EIwQJX8/s1600/IMG_7629.JPG" height="475" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_1Xufn510QhLHxVX7GNZPkSzExgi4R2hsKbP-sbn3ifm_ZUoSgCAzFCmBqRT3DOSzk89_ARBDldvqee-GAefIaocTB3H4_ypDaGy5bRvNl2h1iWd0u4nhcF1TMr22J8Un41GO0nha6U/s1600/IMG_7657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_1Xufn510QhLHxVX7GNZPkSzExgi4R2hsKbP-sbn3ifm_ZUoSgCAzFCmBqRT3DOSzk89_ARBDldvqee-GAefIaocTB3H4_ypDaGy5bRvNl2h1iWd0u4nhcF1TMr22J8Un41GO0nha6U/s1600/IMG_7657.JPG" height="434" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the Xi Shi stone bridge of good luck</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnht0b2h5Tqq7-G4eWTGjpipK4-Qi4wLl0MxKcdX45deloVd79p1dKI_j-oUOiR-3s0da6L2__GtGIQZy9ZrgFshSqP-pt-HvLi19o9xA9k0hLLupDhQVHNGmokFHjcEuqsBgrSjKD6I/s1600/IMG_7714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnht0b2h5Tqq7-G4eWTGjpipK4-Qi4wLl0MxKcdX45deloVd79p1dKI_j-oUOiR-3s0da6L2__GtGIQZy9ZrgFshSqP-pt-HvLi19o9xA9k0hLLupDhQVHNGmokFHjcEuqsBgrSjKD6I/s1600/IMG_7714.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9I1B2Nzkl_ZKAsD7SksJS0hCe3DDsqRMqdmm_qjktjEYG8cKI44xjI2qmyCQj6dPjwt3EXx4rO-RMaF3qpOOObnKBqcdbEzsrxmuUCra68Bia_WF-wntPUhtjydKrbuIr9nw14nN2yk/s1600/IMG_7695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9I1B2Nzkl_ZKAsD7SksJS0hCe3DDsqRMqdmm_qjktjEYG8cKI44xjI2qmyCQj6dPjwt3EXx4rO-RMaF3qpOOObnKBqcdbEzsrxmuUCra68Bia_WF-wntPUhtjydKrbuIr9nw14nN2yk/s1600/IMG_7695.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We then went to see the Pan Gate Scenic Area (Panmen Gate) with its beautiful Ruiguang Pagoda, which was built in 247 BC, the oldest pagoda in Suzhou, the Wu Gate Bridge, and Pan Gate. The Gate is essentially a castle with battlements and everything. It was built in the Warring States period and estimated to be around 2,500 years old. Pan Gate is a part of the ancient city wall, built in 514 BCE, which use to protect Suzhou. There is an area between the main gate and the entrance to the castle where they would trap enemies and either drown them out or shoot them with an arrow.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F97KeeUuFUfKFSAh67LkyxMsHczwWbYsV6op-HYLUXrgn-6eMJ-u5tplmoZUXg_Y2ayMtj4ls-W11_4TwXVc6SCF7gRY-VgwH3H5H3qjcGl5-KYCvPJssR1cf2qSL9CFg2WV7a_OvQM/s1600/IMG_7744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4F97KeeUuFUfKFSAh67LkyxMsHczwWbYsV6op-HYLUXrgn-6eMJ-u5tplmoZUXg_Y2ayMtj4ls-W11_4TwXVc6SCF7gRY-VgwH3H5H3qjcGl5-KYCvPJssR1cf2qSL9CFg2WV7a_OvQM/s1600/IMG_7744.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9lv5U1e-e9nss5h2ezx4GmD309eqJarZ44PXmqIlyLVjcnAZKzoSPfpUe111kA_mf5Zfl9quJThBRuB0SULRTVcpTN-6lUiaBIBpoKO7cK9kPW8kOijFRf034qBdnRWfDat0Dojf2P4/s1600/IMG_7802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9lv5U1e-e9nss5h2ezx4GmD309eqJarZ44PXmqIlyLVjcnAZKzoSPfpUe111kA_mf5Zfl9quJThBRuB0SULRTVcpTN-6lUiaBIBpoKO7cK9kPW8kOijFRf034qBdnRWfDat0Dojf2P4/s1600/IMG_7802.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Overall, Suzhou is a beautiful place full of history and surprises. I recommend visiting Suzhou if you find yourself in China. It is definitely one of China's top tourist attractions. Experiencing a traditional family and how they live from day to day as well as visiting one of the smaller cities (in China terms) really shows you a different side of China, one that cannot be compared to the bustling towers of Shanghai. </span><br />
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<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-60714286319669161712014-04-30T11:13:00.001-07:002014-04-30T11:13:33.163-07:00Eggs are Popular in China, but not because of Easter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wle2HPrgRhV5dviD09BuH2CQVijjOGflbaTCmHv5I_xDs1WLnqK3gzsE8CqbRSCMyxi41HdzC3aVp7sfARbJraAQ-gAe8jM44NP2yrictETHelND2Tg6iCKLXGwGZxcfOl7KEcFekvI/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wle2HPrgRhV5dviD09BuH2CQVijjOGflbaTCmHv5I_xDs1WLnqK3gzsE8CqbRSCMyxi41HdzC3aVp7sfARbJraAQ-gAe8jM44NP2yrictETHelND2Tg6iCKLXGwGZxcfOl7KEcFekvI/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Easter isn't a holiday that is normally celebrated in China. Last week in class was the first time that many of my students had heard of Easter. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This Christian holiday is even celebrated in America by non-religious families. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Considering that China celebrates only the materialistic side of Christmas, I'm surprised that China does not celebrate Easter as well. They do, however, have a Spring Festival, but it does not focus on sales. According to infoplease.com (Pearson Education), Americans spend $2 billion annually on Easter candy. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Putting money aside, kids love the Easter bunny and making Easter eggs. I got to teach my students all about the holiday last week, and even though we didn't have dye for the eggs, they loved drawing on them. These photos are not the best quality because I only had my old iPod, but I couldn't resist! From minions to pigs, these eggs are stylish!</span></b><br />
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<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-55595705487741381082014-04-30T01:43:00.001-07:002014-04-30T09:01:49.628-07:00Tips From an Expat Teacher<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are you interested in teaching abroad? Are you a first-time teacher? </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is my first time teaching and first time in Shanghai, China. From my experience of my past eight months of teaching, I have compiled a few tips for future teachers</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>…tips I wish I had before coming to China.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hello, that’s me right there teaching my
second graders in Shanghai, China. I am a recent college grad from America with
a love of travel, an English degree, and student loans, so of course I end up
teaching English in China. </span></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><b>According to The
Guardian, in the past five years, the number of expats working in China has
risen by 18%.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, “The number of foreign
citizens living in Shanghai exceeded 173,000 by the end of last year, a 6.7
percent increase compared to 2011,” says China.org.<span style="color: #262626;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Working
in China can open a lot of doors back home, what with exposure to a new
culture, a chance to learn a new language, and the opportunity to gain
international work experience . <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3a9er7tkGJOMhZLEZ8ZAglDoR4PTUutVsRwR0pgUqd32pVHwXA0M6AqXQKwl_GxH-Z80VWQ4vXnwnwkIxOiCjcMXr2sjw5QTvAelEPi3bDTmVK387CUC88h9h_m_n3yUmaGu1_T0pks/s1600/IMG_6488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3a9er7tkGJOMhZLEZ8ZAglDoR4PTUutVsRwR0pgUqd32pVHwXA0M6AqXQKwl_GxH-Z80VWQ4vXnwnwkIxOiCjcMXr2sjw5QTvAelEPi3bDTmVK387CUC88h9h_m_n3yUmaGu1_T0pks/s1600/IMG_6488.JPG" height="156" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even
with the new visa regulations, there are still companies who will hire expat
teachers with no previous teaching experience. It can be an intimidating
position for someone new to the country, who might not know Chinese, and who is
expected to teach Chinese students, who might not be able to communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here
are a few tips for once you have your work visa, find your school, and are in
front of the classroom with anywhere from five to forty pairs of eyes on you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip #1:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMoD46ZBaQrhyi_gSujAUH_-AQ5oD2iiIfuMM4mruw2e6hfNOAp3ZO7rYGgE9p64gX_ug36q__SWHesLXKJsBEuUCagVOjscUrv50vt17RVYlKpec0J6pJMkFwrH0rYQrqVhSUMeVtSk/s1600/IMG_6414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMoD46ZBaQrhyi_gSujAUH_-AQ5oD2iiIfuMM4mruw2e6hfNOAp3ZO7rYGgE9p64gX_ug36q__SWHesLXKJsBEuUCagVOjscUrv50vt17RVYlKpec0J6pJMkFwrH0rYQrqVhSUMeVtSk/s1600/IMG_6414.JPG" height="147" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Reward younger students with stickers and older students with fun
activities! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">Depending
on the grade level, students will either be excited or hesitant to answer
questions. Usually students in grade school are more enthusiastic, whereas
middle and high school students…not so much. It helps to have an incentive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip #2:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Create Exciting Powerpoints and Lessons with as many interactions and
stimulating media as possible. This means videos, games such as guessing games,
and group interactions. No one likes a boring lesson. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip #3:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cSsUmfVs6r-usN7rflehtE8dQ9-nI8apu2kCcPevl9PHiC9JnWok7dhLi1SprNozkVYBswI0iscpdEPNOY9vq2zMNCKX2i3eFaK6jA6lnIfNVgNPg38nmiVFJoA7XLCoH9ZZgfjmtTs/s1600/IMG_6431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cSsUmfVs6r-usN7rflehtE8dQ9-nI8apu2kCcPevl9PHiC9JnWok7dhLi1SprNozkVYBswI0iscpdEPNOY9vq2zMNCKX2i3eFaK6jA6lnIfNVgNPg38nmiVFJoA7XLCoH9ZZgfjmtTs/s1600/IMG_6431.JPG" height="320" width="278" /></a><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don’t Get Frustrated! All
classes are going to be different. You will naturally like some classes more
than others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip #4:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide the class into timed segments so you don’t go over or don’t have
enough material for the timed class. This is also called a “lesson plan.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip #5:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bring more material than you think you will need. It’s better to have too
much, than too little. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip #6:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be happy! Smile a lot! Students will be happy if the teacher is happy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV04u5Ud2K5ZJK-i2i6QtC4kt3gMM-JyxmY1g7jC7KhwxPyVwXaC-Isrdl50N6g8xHqlP30iQLqA2-XpTz9TGs4AXFn_Hd8RXt4N2vCahniaG8E15-fVxhILUxLFlk9IwU1pAKSF0_2jw/s1600/IMG_6430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV04u5Ud2K5ZJK-i2i6QtC4kt3gMM-JyxmY1g7jC7KhwxPyVwXaC-Isrdl50N6g8xHqlP30iQLqA2-XpTz9TGs4AXFn_Hd8RXt4N2vCahniaG8E15-fVxhILUxLFlk9IwU1pAKSF0_2jw/s1600/IMG_6430.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Knowing
how to speak English is becoming a necessity in China, and teachers help
Chinese students achieve this goal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kGfulHx2sb4guvhlGq18-yqmxpikxiwDUUoteYbPT3I9UCWimKpqRZPUA_81bFPdjtjs8OlA3vhySNHrOp3u0AqWsdvKdOhoGVIX-9ofkG4Adtbcy67KUv5K50s4XoJlflq2uxl9HJA/s1600/IMG_6449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kGfulHx2sb4guvhlGq18-yqmxpikxiwDUUoteYbPT3I9UCWimKpqRZPUA_81bFPdjtjs8OlA3vhySNHrOp3u0AqWsdvKdOhoGVIX-9ofkG4Adtbcy67KUv5K50s4XoJlflq2uxl9HJA/s1600/IMG_6449.JPG" height="361" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-32897804778113120632014-04-20T23:24:00.000-07:002014-04-20T23:24:47.609-07:00China: 20 Things You Didn't Know<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> Edited version on: <a href="http://thedailyconfidential.com/china-20-things-you-didnt-know/">The Daily Confidential--"China: 20 Things You Didn't Know" </a></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Let’s face it—countries come with a set of stereotypes that
are hard to break. </b>As an American citizen, I know that Americans are often
labeled as: “loud, rude, materialistic, geographically ignorant, and wearers of
sneakers” like a BBC America article states. I would admit that there is some
truth to these. I, myself, wear a lot of sneakers. At the same time, everyone
knows that stereotypes, if anything, are over-generalizations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">China is one of those countries that comes with its own set
of stereotypes. Having grown up and attended school with a large population of
Chinese people, I think I have heard about every stereotype out there. According
to an article on eChinacities.com, five common stereotypes include: “Chinese
people are quiet, Chinese employees are the hardest workers, Chinese women are
submissive, Chinese people are unwelcome to foreigners, and Chinese people are
the most polite.” I have taught English in Shanghai, China, for the past eight
months now and have come to recognize a lot of stereotypes to be false. These are
twenty things I have discovered about China that end up debunking a lot of the
stereotypes. </span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. </span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Goods in China are NOT inexpensive and NOT fake (all the time).</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Americans are often under the impression that
shopping in China should be cheaper than the goods that are “Made in China” in
the United States. Understandably, goods that are shipped from China should be
cheaper when they don’t have to be shipped, but that is just not the case. <span style="color: #292929;">According to People’s Daily Online, a Beijing-based newspaper,
“The made-in-China iPhone sells in the United States for less than 200 U.S.
dollars, but in China it goes for anywhere between 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, some
440 to 590 U.S. dollars. Also, there are plenty of fake markets where people
have to haggle for cheaper prices, but there are a TON of malls in China that
sell genuine name-brand clothes and accessories for even more than they would
cost in America. Malls in China have fine dining, hair salons, arcades, grocery
stores, and However, dining out in China is significantly cheaper than it is in
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="color: #292929;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #292929;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">2. </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Men grow out their fingernails.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is a custom for men to grow out their
fingernails to show that they do not work in the fields or jobs where they have
to use their hands a lot. A lot of men take pride in their non-labor jobs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. <b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">People sell miniature dogs
on the street.</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAfYg-SbyNamEouuoloNh6PI0NHbM_GrZC0nSrLgxAUAARjOHOn8enO4COV7fXouNDGGp8jvST6dl0FPUYT_YQOF-GnLlreq9aPeLPKifJmv3_BAvKPhf1rgHzvY9nyVFdKtRtS8DtLY/s1600/IMG_6502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAfYg-SbyNamEouuoloNh6PI0NHbM_GrZC0nSrLgxAUAARjOHOn8enO4COV7fXouNDGGp8jvST6dl0FPUYT_YQOF-GnLlreq9aPeLPKifJmv3_BAvKPhf1rgHzvY9nyVFdKtRtS8DtLY/s1600/IMG_6502.JPG" height="200" width="193" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Contrary to what a lot of people think, dogs are not
eaten in all parts of China, mostly rural regions where wild dogs are actually
breed for food. Dogs are highly cherished as pets in China. Miniature dogs are
especially popular and dressed up often in kid clothes. A lot of dogs that are
sold on the street are in-bred so they are born smaller. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4.<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not too many people speak English in Shanghai.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although most young people are being taught English
in school, the majority of people living in Shanghai today do not know English
even though Shanghai is the most populated city in China and the world,
according to Wikipedia. Even if someone can speak English, their sentences are
riddled with pronunciation and grammar mistakes. What’s more, people in China
are taught British English so there are plenty of “mums,” “mobile phone,” and
“WC” thrown about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">5. </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It is common for people to ask your age and if you are married.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People are not shy about asking you
questions here.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p>6. </o:p><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Babies wear “split pants” so their bottoms show.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure there are toilets, and some bathrooms are like
any bathroom you would find in most cities in America. That being said, more
often than not, the toilets are what westerners like to call “squat toilets,”
or holes in the ground you have to squat over to use. Most bathrooms do not
have toilet paper either way. Traditional parents in China have their children
wear “split pants” without diapers (even in the winter sometimes). I have seen
children “going to the bathroom” on the street, being held over trash cans, and
on the metro. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Men and Women spit on the ground all the time in Shanghai.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It cannot be said that people in Shanghai,
Beijing, and other cities in China, have the best manners. Certain people bump
pass others all the time without saying a word, talk loudly on their phones on
the metro, clip their nails on the metro, stare unashamedly at foreigners, and
spit on the ground a lot. There is a lot of air pollution here which is why
people feel the need to spit as much as they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p>8. </o:p><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Cars have the right a-way. Scooters count as cars, and often drive on
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">People definitely have to
look both ways before crossing the street, not that people wait for the
pedestrian crossing signal to cross. Cars rule the streets and can make left
and right turns on red lights. In Hong Kong, cars drive on the opposite side of
the street. Scooters often make their way to the sidewalk and will honk for
people to get out of their way. A lot of people ride scooters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">9. </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Chinese food consists of a lot of soups, eggs, and meat. Rice is not
consumed at every meal.</span></b><!--EndFragment--></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chinese food is certainly nothing like American
Chinese food. For one thing, it is much healthier. Chopsticks are used for
everything and people don’t usually use spoons; they drink their soup and drink
yogurt through straws. Also, fish is a big staple in the Chinese diet. It is
usually served as the whole fish—eyes, fins, bones, and all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10. <b style="text-indent: -9pt;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the summer time, men wear
their shirts </span></b><b style="text-indent: 27pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">above their stomachs.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why don’t they just take their shirts off? Curious.
China’s temperature reached record heights this past summer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The metro stops running at around 10:30pm at</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">night.</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But most bars and clubs remain open until 3am or even 5am.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">12. </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A lot of people smoke.</span></b></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A lot of people also do not
pay attention to the “no smoking” signs.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">13. </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Solid deodorant, tampons, and blonde hair-coloring </span></b><b style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">are not sold in Shanghai
stores.</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was surprising.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">14. </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Mandarin is the official language of China.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cantonese is often thought as the official language,
but that’s not true. However, Cantonese is commonly spoken in Hong Kong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">15. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">China is not as traditional as people </span></b><b style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">think.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cities in China are quickly developing into
powerhouse cities, boosting China’s economy. People are evolving their tastes
and goals right along with them. Women are no longer as submissive as they have
been in the past, although families would still rather have a boy over a girl.
This has led to a fear for the elimination of a generation. There have been
recent kidnappings of female children to insure a future wife for sons.
Clearly, the family is still deemed just as important as it always has been,
but there is a materialistic focus on everything that is new and improved. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">16. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">People practice a variety of religions.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not too many people actually practice a religion, but
Buddhism is not the only one people practice. However, people are not allowed
to preach their religion to others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">17. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In most schools, teachers move around from</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">classroom to classroom, rather than the students. </span></b><!--EndFragment-->
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</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remember how in middle school, high school,
and college, students would have a few minutes to run to their next class?
Well, not in China. Instead, teachers switch off classes (even in elementary,
or primary school) and students remain in the classroom or close by between
classes. I have come to find that elementary students in China are more
attentive and participate more in class than their American counterparts. They
also spend many more hours in class throughout their time in school. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GaT5TprWBOG8EfcIWeREauRGCde1qCDhyphenhyphenhQ8m4drkBbs506UGbKnuzeT89R3E5-FyPWSFavqosCTfCZPkRpeR0EBq0oEKEloVqYwNraZCa0yiyxZGAEKDgdJ2TcUdTh4jTfE__f-tkk/s1600/IMG_6486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GaT5TprWBOG8EfcIWeREauRGCde1qCDhyphenhyphenhQ8m4drkBbs506UGbKnuzeT89R3E5-FyPWSFavqosCTfCZPkRpeR0EBq0oEKEloVqYwNraZCa0yiyxZGAEKDgdJ2TcUdTh4jTfE__f-tkk/s1600/IMG_6486.JPG" height="287" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">18. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">More people commute by metro, than by car.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are still a lot of cars taking over
the streets and polluting the air, but more people actually use the metro in
cities like Shanghai. There are rush hours for the metro and people will
squeeze into the cars even if they are full.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">19. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Western world is very appealing to a lot of</span></b></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">people.</span></b> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the malls, admiration of western culture can
easily be seen. Advertisements and commercials mostly feature white-faced
models, most stores are European or American brands, and fast-food restaurants
like Burger King and Starbucks pop up everywhere. “Whitening cream” can be
found in a lot of lotions and body washes. In addition, most students want to
end up in a university in America or Canada.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">20. <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The one-child policy is not always enforced.</span></b></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most people know about
China’s one-child policy that was enacted in 1979, for population control. However,
rural families are allowed a second child if their first child is a girl or
disabled, ethnic minorities are allowed to have as many children as they want,
and parents that do not have siblings can have two children. Parents are also
allowed to have twins, and have two children in big cities, but they must pay
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-6716642845092137342014-04-09T06:46:00.001-07:002014-04-09T06:46:32.092-07:00Video about the Shanghai Cherry Blossom Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A video I made about the Shanghai Cherry Blossom Festival:</b></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwMJwONflLYLralELttNk-m9-x-QXBzcw9ppemNK0ZDtIMdP30pxn5Eahvt-zyJ8a4ZZ3OMds0s712Sug9rig' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-75663657315475742912014-04-09T05:41:00.000-07:002014-04-09T05:51:17.833-07:00Shanghai Cherry Blossom Festival <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This past weekend, I went to the Shanghai Cherry Blossom Festival (who knew China was so big on the cherry blossoms?). Located in Gucun Park off of Line 7, the festival lasts until April 15th. It was just by happenstance that I looked up parks because my roommate and I wanted to get out since the weather is so nice now. One of the coolest places I have been in Shanghai for sure. I recommend going if you love nature. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The festival also had a lot of things for kids to enjoy and a crazy amount of food. I finally tried stinky tofu (the name does not lie), and even though I don't like tofu that much, I endured it, even long enough to take a picture. I also had a potato on a stick (popular in Shanghai), coconut milk, and a caramel lollipop shaped like a rabbit. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphMxjl1ZaFwMs_rGhsDyBqHf3SEyw7Hg3tZsHc9GsFuKNfLJwadY6OUdhsIJCbrTetQaSbkphiwP65nZFgCJgNgY2D7YC58LFz3cA19VKsM3jBmXuk9NbVfba6qhtkW2QwUYd_pqNtmI/s1600/IMG_6859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphMxjl1ZaFwMs_rGhsDyBqHf3SEyw7Hg3tZsHc9GsFuKNfLJwadY6OUdhsIJCbrTetQaSbkphiwP65nZFgCJgNgY2D7YC58LFz3cA19VKsM3jBmXuk9NbVfba6qhtkW2QwUYd_pqNtmI/s1600/IMG_6859.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stinky tofu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYr-LVSLBl5xXH7z4fZNjP1A4EXfKZTGJpJluxUHq1Qd3yYO6Bi6QwP1BAAsJtL9SvjJNBVNHLMFnjqJJnjoH2U0vuxhdluQS8aWJtfBh5xbYjUZ7sszStmE1VY5_F5_yUAKq5ec_TJI/s1600/IMG_6891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYr-LVSLBl5xXH7z4fZNjP1A4EXfKZTGJpJluxUHq1Qd3yYO6Bi6QwP1BAAsJtL9SvjJNBVNHLMFnjqJJnjoH2U0vuxhdluQS8aWJtfBh5xbYjUZ7sszStmE1VY5_F5_yUAKq5ec_TJI/s1600/IMG_6891.JPG" height="158" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato stick </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>My favorite pictures I took at the Shanghai Cherry Blossom Festival:</b></div>
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<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-7626865483951278612014-04-03T07:19:00.002-07:002014-04-03T07:21:31.554-07:00Springtime for the Wayward Souls <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7b03jZ5vd-vhQYuzq50UEDP-VbXXIuJg96ReP1RHd8j3wYmpMlfpLMZ0dE-79QnzPsFwS72GN6rkfHcLNr-9kvRT90r-jibargZIQXSOs-PPj-TA0MT4gIkKuRsc24zuuyxAHzgTXVXY/s1600/IMG_6347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7b03jZ5vd-vhQYuzq50UEDP-VbXXIuJg96ReP1RHd8j3wYmpMlfpLMZ0dE-79QnzPsFwS72GN6rkfHcLNr-9kvRT90r-jibargZIQXSOs-PPj-TA0MT4gIkKuRsc24zuuyxAHzgTXVXY/s1600/IMG_6347.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQpT2tsz4qDz8WYSj5JSz7XJtyDaFbqFYrXmTaoeg4LWz3CiZMnopYs6QMdpI62QIJIyalgliwP4_2fD6BbRFx3YHDpmBvnVQ0d0bF7W3cN1q7HvPAZSOa0euI_DPKJuC37M6EqCPFpY/s1600/IMG_6242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQpT2tsz4qDz8WYSj5JSz7XJtyDaFbqFYrXmTaoeg4LWz3CiZMnopYs6QMdpI62QIJIyalgliwP4_2fD6BbRFx3YHDpmBvnVQ0d0bF7W3cN1q7HvPAZSOa0euI_DPKJuC37M6EqCPFpY/s1600/IMG_6242.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It has now reached the best time to be living in Shanghai--the springtime. It is when the flowers pop up on the peach blossoms, and color returns to the grayness that had enveloped the city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I realized that this is really the first time I have lived in a place where I have seen all four seasons (real seasons--not like California). Arriving here in August, I got to see the sweltering heat of Shanghai in one of its record-breaking summers. I saw the leaves change in the fall and the rain pour down like it does in Lauren's hometown in Pennsylvania. Then came the winter. Our apartment froze over like Dante's ninth level of hell. Am I exaggerating? No. Ask my roommate who ended up wearing two layers of pants, three shirts, a jacket, two pairs of socks, a knit hat, and her mittens when she went to sleep…and she likes the cold. Meanwhile, I was in my stockings, pjs, robe, and was buried under a pile of blankets. Finally, spring has come into view. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-hT_zQjrBeTV1WPRxrKHc39FLaQXFgqClBJ5q9hV1GSxGH5AdYzqN3ftOJ0owjRyJ7bwVvpgh898mbrAxP4aIYWWyQFBYQby5MBHmcWCEQvvurjgcgeiiIm-L-1XgVYJ2fNFhyLU3IM/s1600/IMG_6287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-hT_zQjrBeTV1WPRxrKHc39FLaQXFgqClBJ5q9hV1GSxGH5AdYzqN3ftOJ0owjRyJ7bwVvpgh898mbrAxP4aIYWWyQFBYQby5MBHmcWCEQvvurjgcgeiiIm-L-1XgVYJ2fNFhyLU3IM/s1600/IMG_6287.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The pink trees that are springing up all over Shanghai are peach blossoms I believe, although cherry blossoms look very similiar so it's hard to be sure. These popped up right outside of my apartment. I wish California had more of these beautiful pink trees around. Soon I will go to the top of the Pearl Tower and see all of Shanghai in its springtime glory. Hopefully there will be a lot of cherry trees still in bloom when I go to Tokyo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am creating another video for City Weekend about teaching in Shanghai, and so I took a lot of pictures of my students during their break. They are the most energetic group of kids I have ever seen. These kiddos are not the easiest to teach, but they will do anything for stickers! I probably hand out more stickers than the rest of their teachers combined.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdhNgazrZ1NdPh0Mjr4JHlgvYSnQhIN7oc7Fld5pJTIpMjV3j_5_HgP9Q7vgkMqAI-XI-qmxGH3XjTVYY8LhKRNrP47oBYCWcLeeVrBQpQuBLK9X7ZKILDCrNwlvMG40FHCfBr6B9870/s1600/IMG_6435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdhNgazrZ1NdPh0Mjr4JHlgvYSnQhIN7oc7Fld5pJTIpMjV3j_5_HgP9Q7vgkMqAI-XI-qmxGH3XjTVYY8LhKRNrP47oBYCWcLeeVrBQpQuBLK9X7ZKILDCrNwlvMG40FHCfBr6B9870/s1600/IMG_6435.JPG" height="186" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1uqXcn2grfvyEaos1MYqtgTABI7tHmyo5Ae8o0UNdwAXFIPnPIuBY5AxXeuWg1AdgzvP6xkkYE9vqOq6a2mZ71275x8J6TfJjXzUUtP1DP2-5SsLS_2Rm9Sm2ipZyrdLs2epH71gu8M/s1600/IMG_6434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1uqXcn2grfvyEaos1MYqtgTABI7tHmyo5Ae8o0UNdwAXFIPnPIuBY5AxXeuWg1AdgzvP6xkkYE9vqOq6a2mZ71275x8J6TfJjXzUUtP1DP2-5SsLS_2Rm9Sm2ipZyrdLs2epH71gu8M/s1600/IMG_6434.JPG" height="136" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The number one thing I have learned from being a teacher is that I believe a teacher should make sure that he or she at least looks like he or she is enjoying being there in the classroom with the kids…the more excited the teacher is, the more excited the students are. I have seen a lot of teachers around some of my schools always looking upset and sulking about. This really surprised me…it seems like there is a lot more discipline here than back home in the states. While I agree that some form of discipline in the classroom is a good thing (a classroom isn't productive with kids screaming and running about everywhere), I believe there is a limit. The kids are never going to appreciate teachers that have a poor attitude. The other day, my roommate and I saw a teacher punch this student in the chest, the poor kid. These kids are too cute for that. That would never fly back home. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCN2Dphw1tcxVDJ7ntkYCBE4VZZ9FvsMZKYc6WBB9PpI0mXPaRqFCBHAaKFe90Adb-bhQeg9AdfktvMUpv-44Y8UhZXO-n0nm5f4eW3TOezFco4RBIeEZbFiRnhGaFQLHPxcOsF0Uep5k/s1600/IMG_6371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCN2Dphw1tcxVDJ7ntkYCBE4VZZ9FvsMZKYc6WBB9PpI0mXPaRqFCBHAaKFe90Adb-bhQeg9AdfktvMUpv-44Y8UhZXO-n0nm5f4eW3TOezFco4RBIeEZbFiRnhGaFQLHPxcOsF0Uep5k/s1600/IMG_6371.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Other than that, Lauren and I finally went to People's Park in People's Square after working right next to it for months now. The park is really pretty, even for a Monday afternoon, with plenty of people hanging around the lake, fishing and playing mahjong. We wanted to check out the exhibition at MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art in People's Park, but the museum was closed. We are going to try again in a few weeks. We did end going to the top of one of the highest buildings in Shanghai, The Marriott Hotel, the top of which is sort of shaped like a claw that has caught a little toy like in one of those old games found in arcades. I have a goal of going to the top of the highest buildings in Shanghai. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Only three more months left! I now have my flight home as well as a flight to Thailand, a country I have always been interested in going to.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUUkMGy1YviNDORmL4aNnMcWUzvG0jSlRA2MZxwljj3C1RYYGebypYaQ4Itg15edRtEwto0SEQ6LMDx-RTIFIdfw7LSi4MMmNpY0E9G_TvmtROrXiHC3tNYTeftUexkzqerDjpc9KG7E/s1600/IMG_6390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsUUkMGy1YviNDORmL4aNnMcWUzvG0jSlRA2MZxwljj3C1RYYGebypYaQ4Itg15edRtEwto0SEQ6LMDx-RTIFIdfw7LSi4MMmNpY0E9G_TvmtROrXiHC3tNYTeftUexkzqerDjpc9KG7E/s1600/IMG_6390.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the Marriott Hotel in Shanghai. People's Park is below.</td></tr>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-8894024070241311902014-03-09T05:32:00.001-07:002014-03-09T05:41:44.513-07:00AYC Video <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A video I made for a contest about my time in China so far with Ameson Year in China:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you like it please vote for it at https://basicfront.easypromosapp.com/voteme/127885/624349024 </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A2pp0_nweYo" width="560"></iframe>Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-77490901804099703242014-02-28T07:55:00.000-08:002014-02-28T07:56:08.015-08:00The Trail Left Behind <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGMztGphpTWc-ayiV9ttIXlK7vfEUgJUdX7lghyOS4A2ZF7dJriuIVB31VpaK8aSg3iLafua_zeoFB4_Klp47wIxkyQI5gaagK9tKuiawMeCsl6vn96t2Bc5-FybNCiY2Ao51wehPz_o/s1600/IMG_4198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGMztGphpTWc-ayiV9ttIXlK7vfEUgJUdX7lghyOS4A2ZF7dJriuIVB31VpaK8aSg3iLafua_zeoFB4_Klp47wIxkyQI5gaagK9tKuiawMeCsl6vn96t2Bc5-FybNCiY2Ao51wehPz_o/s1600/IMG_4198.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hangzhou, China</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">A famous Chinese proverb says, "Reading ten thousand books is not as useful as traveling ten thousand miles." In other words, one learns more by traveling than by sticking one's nose in a book. After teaching in Shanghai, China, for about six months now, I find this proverb to be true; however, it is only true if one actively takes the time to become immersed in the Chinese culture. It is easy for me, or any of my colleagues from America to go to work, teach, and come home to a nice apartment and fill our time with TV shows on Hulu or Netflix, Skyping with friends from home, or grocery shopping in the imported section. If I were to do these things all the time I wouldn't learn much more about China than if I had read a guidebook. To meekly observe isn't enough; one must live it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgL9-ClglVEoC3vc6pb0K0IobYq3Pd_tXjSbDPIDcjeL5P-nOwS0VI4u2Vs7BPsnTVuBiTRHWDETTWO3duyiaByx4dXxgWBowtJFilZonHRYG3tyVLonA7bNP-95iqaw0px2qhxsPbGc/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgL9-ClglVEoC3vc6pb0K0IobYq3Pd_tXjSbDPIDcjeL5P-nOwS0VI4u2Vs7BPsnTVuBiTRHWDETTWO3duyiaByx4dXxgWBowtJFilZonHRYG3tyVLonA7bNP-95iqaw0px2qhxsPbGc/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Wall</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFLqXCJFQ3J0kcHmjTPIrQ_f6Le0b4qeKhWNOvwp-qG-7-9kHdZCMbNW06zQp1797X9VLF43xdgWohTIwxURFA4eYM_K0aICYXnNd8SSS3LanalJTvJP-1kIjkmuCdMx6diQ1wiFWigc/s1600/IMG_5309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFLqXCJFQ3J0kcHmjTPIrQ_f6Le0b4qeKhWNOvwp-qG-7-9kHdZCMbNW06zQp1797X9VLF43xdgWohTIwxURFA4eYM_K0aICYXnNd8SSS3LanalJTvJP-1kIjkmuCdMx6diQ1wiFWigc/s1600/IMG_5309.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macau</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">That is not to say that in my time here I have not given in to pointing at things on menus or in stores instead of using my limited Chinese words, preferred the company of my English-speaking friends to new Chinese ones, or that I did not feverishly eat all the Pop-tarts my boyfriend brought me when he visited. Still, I try to experience as many new things as I can. I can now add bullfrog, seaweed, chicken and sheep hearts, egg tarts, a full fish (including head and with a ton of bones), fried dumplings, Beijing duck (which is different from normal duck), eel, jujubes, red bean paste, moon cake, and probably some other things that I didn't even know I was eating, to my repertoire. Unlike any fictional character, I have actually hiked The Great Wall (yes, hiked), been to Hong Kong Disneyland, played mahjong, performed in front of Chinese teachers, interned at the largest English magazine in China, have gotten lost on so many occasions, and took pictures with tourists who have never seen a blonde-haired girl in real life. What's even better is that there are more adventures to come. Now that I have been to Bejing, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I have booked my flight to Tokyo, and will soon book my flight to Bangkok. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRVFBG_u6UyefRDPU2Fi6kE0buZsgydknUUnHtqtj0pbL1mj7hq0o-fgTvn-NbahWkTHuy_EddVWaV7sVDOkwG2uC_IeHw5E7TbdDWzyhFoPBcPRRrm19S3adSJ90o4YL1W_AIIMTzRU/s1600/1394783_10201906699884472_1419051088_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRVFBG_u6UyefRDPU2Fi6kE0buZsgydknUUnHtqtj0pbL1mj7hq0o-fgTvn-NbahWkTHuy_EddVWaV7sVDOkwG2uC_IeHw5E7TbdDWzyhFoPBcPRRrm19S3adSJ90o4YL1W_AIIMTzRU/s1600/1394783_10201906699884472_1419051088_n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My students in costumes at Halloween</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJWV5PGPTCOU1SwHe0Up_TmhWArs-72GtiSyZYkYg4chOz2sTswgS3BASZuNz2LRb7FVQlaP0zssaPO3jsg31JkZWc7e_2bSKyZ8NTiZqkNtTqsNrsAHDfpAeSnBTKZHLXeG93IhityU/s1600/IMG_5651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJWV5PGPTCOU1SwHe0Up_TmhWArs-72GtiSyZYkYg4chOz2sTswgS3BASZuNz2LRb7FVQlaP0zssaPO3jsg31JkZWc7e_2bSKyZ8NTiZqkNtTqsNrsAHDfpAeSnBTKZHLXeG93IhityU/s1600/IMG_5651.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Buddha, Hong Kong</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Before coming to China, I was apprehensive about teaching. I thought I would be placed in front of a packed classroom of children without knowing what to say. Instead, I found that teaching came easy and that I had more than enough to impart to my students. I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> am now teaching an AP English Language and Composition class along with my second grade classes. M</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">y students are some of the sweetest, excited children I have ever seen. I was overjoyed when one of my second graders gave me a stocking with candy as a Christmas present, and then told me I was her favorite teacher she has. Sometimes you have to go to the places where you are needed the most. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I have spent a lot of time reading, being an English major, but I would never substitute my adventures for the comfort of a book, regardless of my love of literature. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Through these experiences, I would like to create my own proverb (if the masters would be so kind): "It is not the traveling that you do, but the trail left behind." </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonfW3Jel_OdzwTuTO5ublLGUv2WU878YcUWx4mYUdWCLqk4hO0Rn1xu8OE_wA-KNmQaxrRJtz8hyphenhyphenzZ-B5thKFVw_-uxVmCDbFjvrJ7XN7jFmQQPRCUdyf6THtjU01s0lcIGi6ExNbbxg/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonfW3Jel_OdzwTuTO5ublLGUv2WU878YcUWx4mYUdWCLqk4hO0Rn1xu8OE_wA-KNmQaxrRJtz8hyphenhyphenzZ-B5thKFVw_-uxVmCDbFjvrJ7XN7jFmQQPRCUdyf6THtjU01s0lcIGi6ExNbbxg/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanghai</td></tr>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-85155557919371922532014-02-09T10:03:00.001-08:002014-02-09T10:05:41.124-08:00Hong Kong and Macau<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ever wonder what "Asia's World City" is like? Ever wonder if people have British accents there? Ever wonder if Hong Kong is a part of China or actually its own country? </span><br />
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Here is some trivia:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_L8rjeongJu8KQnqaAUH_ZOWy76eBL2tLQJKAJSokBU_dw7Ec2zvJT9XAehn3-vaAucu0UQFkhg6KIY2Smmxa7ZKxWvMKHRFbX3f_MeEYDgRJIR80lc4ifZ0aXbaxBRyX1R76lWNw8A/s1600/IMG_4465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_L8rjeongJu8KQnqaAUH_ZOWy76eBL2tLQJKAJSokBU_dw7Ec2zvJT9XAehn3-vaAucu0UQFkhg6KIY2Smmxa7ZKxWvMKHRFbX3f_MeEYDgRJIR80lc4ifZ0aXbaxBRyX1R76lWNw8A/s1600/IMG_4465.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the signs jutting out</span></td></tr>
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZO60MGyHZv57uEIysa7DEixT-kJA9JayccVFP_mS9IevosZR4rM8S9D15TivkWK_Ux1ZXvtd2RhgFBNXkPHxyNoBo05ZnkuOtfSoYkaz_24bBGZPu3DVUIpmszRxIM61dTq0Mar-TGQ/s1600/IMG_4438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZO60MGyHZv57uEIysa7DEixT-kJA9JayccVFP_mS9IevosZR4rM8S9D15TivkWK_Ux1ZXvtd2RhgFBNXkPHxyNoBo05ZnkuOtfSoYkaz_24bBGZPu3DVUIpmszRxIM61dTq0Mar-TGQ/s1600/IMG_4438.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to the UN and WHO, Hong Kong had the longest life expectancy of any region in the world. </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hong Kong is one of the Alpha+ cities (a city that greatly enhances the global economy).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">90% of the population uses public transit--the highest in the world (and let me tell you-those metros were SUPER clean and roomy).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hong Kong became a colony of Britain after the First Opium War (1839-42).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Britain controlled Hong Kong until 1997, when China regained control, although Hong Kong follows its own political system (It is considered a Special Administrative Region in the People's Republic of China. I had to pass through immigration coming and leaving Hong Kong).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People mostly speak Cantonese.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. World's most "Vertical City."</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Hong Kong" means "fragrant harbor."</span></li>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nicknames include: "Pearl of the Orient," "Golden Egg," "The Orient Manhattan," "The paradise of shopping," "Food Paradise," and "City of Life." </span></li>
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Hong Kong was definitely one of the cities I wanted to see in Asia. I had been told that it felt like New York, but with an Asian flair, something I had to see. I also was told that it had a mixture of British and Asian traditions. I like seeing the clash of different cultures, and thought it would be proper to travel there for Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). I went with my friend Tahnesia. Together, we decided to go for four days, visiting Hong Kong Disneyland for one, and Macau for another. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcjtg3Fmiq28euV_lDRIi3nJNOwf1pGgSbKl3_nTEZRZrMhJVNKVdrI5th4_DBIlAJieq8amK9WbopnZtI3gvtEjPhrYBkZmzTM2SoligW8BQ-Lj3NW8YV9CKeMvJjsYUrnqLz03s0Hs/s1600/IMG_4665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcjtg3Fmiq28euV_lDRIi3nJNOwf1pGgSbKl3_nTEZRZrMhJVNKVdrI5th4_DBIlAJieq8amK9WbopnZtI3gvtEjPhrYBkZmzTM2SoligW8BQ-Lj3NW8YV9CKeMvJjsYUrnqLz03s0Hs/s1600/IMG_4665.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The harbor from Ritz Carlton's Ozone Bar</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know that Hong Kong is one of the most densest cities in the world, but I was still shocked when I arrived and Tahnesia and I were first walking through a street of fruit vendors. You couldn't cross the street from one vendor to the next because there was a steady flow of people. You had to walk with them like robots that are all programmed the same. There seemed to be much more people than in Shanghai. On the other hand, the air quality seemed better and the temperature was definitely warmer…although I still wore my coat. I can't wait for spring time in Shanghai….something that I won't get until March because February is cold! In fact, it snowed today! It was the first time I saw falling snow! Perfect timing too because my roommate and I saw Disney's Frozen today!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUL0bFf8GzVtH-kRguTPQudSNMZoBYphO-to91Qcqp_5873RwEKZSgKmaC-DBsvovyPHgOZ08HZ67cJm8eq-mt6-uv21pPtUowKFL07cVDxeP_Z1Zfa016Z79O3qrF-r6hPvRa6dvSMeY/s1600/IMG_4773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUL0bFf8GzVtH-kRguTPQudSNMZoBYphO-to91Qcqp_5873RwEKZSgKmaC-DBsvovyPHgOZ08HZ67cJm8eq-mt6-uv21pPtUowKFL07cVDxeP_Z1Zfa016Z79O3qrF-r6hPvRa6dvSMeY/s1600/IMG_4773.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Signs light up the night </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, back to Hong Kong. What's more than the massive amount of people, were the massive signs that jutted out into the street….talk about the spirit of capitalism. Hong Kong's motto could be "The Bigger, the Better," because nobody could miss these signs. Even a blind person would run into them. The hostel we got seemed nice on Hostelworld.com, but it turned out quite pathetically small and dirty, located in the center of downtown Kowloon. Even though we paid for a separate bathroom and $25 US dollars a night, we had a bathroom where the shower hung over the toilet so the toilet so get all wet, and we found about four roaches in the time we were there. This was probably the worst hostel I've stayed at (and I've stayed at quite a few by now). It was Tahnesia's first time staying at a hostel and now I'm afraid she's turned off by them. Don't ever stay at Dragon Hostel!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On top of Victoria's Peak looking at the skyline</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first full day we were there, we decided to check out Victoria's Peak, which overlooks all of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. We took this cable car all the way up the mountain and looked out at the spectacular view. Hong Kong is made up of little islands that are surrounded by the Pearl River Delta and the South China Sea. Hong Kong can sure be a beautiful city with a skyline like that! While we were at the top of the peak, we ate at Bubba Gump, where I had pasta with scampi (there's good seafood in Hong Kong).</span><br />
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Next, Tahnesia suggested we go to the Ritz Carlton for some drinks at the Ozone Bar, Hong Kong's highest bar at floor 87 (I think). The drinks there were really good, but really expensive. The bar itself was fancy and offered a stellar view of the harbor. We stayed up there for a few hours, waiting for it to get dark so we could see the nightly light show (that didn't turn out to be that grand). We did get to see the sunset and the regular lights of the city to pop up. Afterwards, we wandered around the Ladies Market by our hostel where I bought my traditional spoon and magnet for my collections. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pV7QBUy1IEWsBdSOwlFFsnesXKlUOPgOTCU77yS7HEbBmuYGyKcpYiPrU0P35dhrP5ThJ3brzFLIyYX5Pes3QXj5A8g0SaW4OKtBjPafqTn6Dr2jw0pAReImLfhU8VfK3g5GEvBVtDU/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5pV7QBUy1IEWsBdSOwlFFsnesXKlUOPgOTCU77yS7HEbBmuYGyKcpYiPrU0P35dhrP5ThJ3brzFLIyYX5Pes3QXj5A8g0SaW4OKtBjPafqTn6Dr2jw0pAReImLfhU8VfK3g5GEvBVtDU/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVm3EbZwNr6AFVWzJw8psxCh3cN1XXDfm4-8TZbTATDfTec7ZyKNfc1WAp8ELdJJQe0m6F2IbICptR3crqwx3ksWS2M-KNSym7GkZYeszPPlUoNajHeEUn_8nnszWL0NQLO43w9ROQa0/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVm3EbZwNr6AFVWzJw8psxCh3cN1XXDfm4-8TZbTATDfTec7ZyKNfc1WAp8ELdJJQe0m6F2IbICptR3crqwx3ksWS2M-KNSym7GkZYeszPPlUoNajHeEUn_8nnszWL0NQLO43w9ROQa0/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning we got up super early to take the metro to Hong Kong Disneyland! Yes, you can take the metro there! Can you imagine how fun that would have been as kids, if you didn't need your folks to drive you there? So, Disneyland always reminds me of home because I live so close to it in California. Still, I had not been in about three years (a record for me). I am a Disney fan, as well as my brother who studies animation, so to say the least, I was excited. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iarPLvYnW3gW1WMECbDh6shlc4i5RqmopUNsO9FhJDqfkbAMPVrAOScaZi6boi7CDyUVf9y1YuxzjgLRPJ0gdkQ81NGc06OCt3U4LaGOwUvoqed6hwxMVOe0sAqBGMq2DENELsiD8Js/s1600/IMG_4887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iarPLvYnW3gW1WMECbDh6shlc4i5RqmopUNsO9FhJDqfkbAMPVrAOScaZi6boi7CDyUVf9y1YuxzjgLRPJ0gdkQ81NGc06OCt3U4LaGOwUvoqed6hwxMVOe0sAqBGMq2DENELsiD8Js/s1600/IMG_4887.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was cool to notice all the differences. Unlike the California Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World in Florida, Hong Kong Disneyland is pretty small…you can definitely do everything in a day. We went on all the rides except for two and saw the parade and the Lion King show, which was epic. Also unlike the others, HK Dland has a Toys Story Land, Mystic Point Land, and Grizzly Gulch land. My favorite new ride was the Mystic Point Mansion (I think it should come to America). Even though I didn't get a picture with Mickey and Minnie, I caught them in their Asian garb. We stayed all day and even caught some of the fireworks. It was a great day! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa95O6vGu17umLcq79cWhhnzYcmdZINVFyiQwHjvnU_FpVc_JjtdZP0XxMStd0KZA3aAvPlUVe6N4A1o34Q7J6QNo6qbcIxY0-Luz26YYi_5R2APDHqZrS8F_gvnyDyIe8QDOS19xPis/s1600/IMG_5320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa95O6vGu17umLcq79cWhhnzYcmdZINVFyiQwHjvnU_FpVc_JjtdZP0XxMStd0KZA3aAvPlUVe6N4A1o34Q7J6QNo6qbcIxY0-Luz26YYi_5R2APDHqZrS8F_gvnyDyIe8QDOS19xPis/s1600/IMG_5320.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wynn Hotel and Casino</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Ruins of St. Paul's</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For our third day, Tahnesia brought up Macau. I had never even heard of the place before this trip. It turns out that alike Hong Kong, it is a Special Region of China as well. It is also the location of the largest casino in the world (located at the Venetian). Basically, it will be as big as Vegas someday soon. In Macau, people speak Mandarin and Portuguese, since there is a large influence there. It's crazy how different it is than Hong Kong which is just an hour's boat ride away. Tahnesia and I took TurboJet over to the island which we also had to pass through immigration for. We spent a little time at the casinos, but mostly we walked around Macau. Strangely enough, Macau felt more like an European city than an Asian one. And like all cities in Asia, the new is blended right in with the old. The Ruins of St.Paul's Cathedral is a famous and religious site and from the top of the mountain it stands on, one can see the popular casinos rising up in the distance. Senado Square was decorated with a bunch of lanterns for the Chinese New Year and they looked so colorful against the yellow buildings. Macau was beautiful! A strange mix of cultures and a strange mix of eras. I loved it! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Senado Square</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Other highlights of Macau was the tower that kind of resembled the Seattle Space Needle, the mermaid swimming around in the fish tank at the MGM Grand Resort, and the same canal rides in the Venetian like the hotel in Vegas. </span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bHrC2WWRTDGmZTc7DsIgvZE4HCceQOG5t-5kGdtX6z08XIHi8FabtEFdQZnU55pWgKk1Xvb67cnHSeyyAT0XtBO7KLkDb7-gO7VL8rs-TTKNrV8a4iv74JeDBJG1nRpp7jwk36t8a1k/s1600/IMG_5527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bHrC2WWRTDGmZTc7DsIgvZE4HCceQOG5t-5kGdtX6z08XIHi8FabtEFdQZnU55pWgKk1Xvb67cnHSeyyAT0XtBO7KLkDb7-gO7VL8rs-TTKNrV8a4iv74JeDBJG1nRpp7jwk36t8a1k/s1600/IMG_5527.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> That brings me to our last day in Hong Kong. We saved the Big Buddha for the last day, the day of Chinese New Year. We got up early and had a big American breakfast at this place called The Flying Pan. It turned out that the owner, who came to our table making small talk with us, was from Huntington Beach! What a small world…she had first came to Aisa to teach English as well…12 years later and she was still there. Crazy how that happens. The breakfast tasted so good because it's hard to find an American-style breakfast place in Shanghai (although there is one called Mr.Pancake!).</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bg9mbXJrMC9iNNrSTiXc5uLqJ6jH0XTnt2eMJYRvnDroXrBv4lZxHfsoAPmNACKGhHqsTSqhDMJSQif3DlLrJxJgfrzJrNvDFt1MZrZStOb4CbtJEMp29xahrKyyRJ4qjjrVELJPPno/s1600/IMG_5651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bg9mbXJrMC9iNNrSTiXc5uLqJ6jH0XTnt2eMJYRvnDroXrBv4lZxHfsoAPmNACKGhHqsTSqhDMJSQif3DlLrJxJgfrzJrNvDFt1MZrZStOb4CbtJEMp29xahrKyyRJ4qjjrVELJPPno/s1600/IMG_5651.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></span></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGAqBQecv5oDH5TMIfsBp18XNdxr7DJC04ZxoeZHfwRElDIvjp8O0l6NVCUuR7_TkhWdTSHZ6DkYHm2LJ5QOMIVdWGyzC2f2hTa5Vi9G_5ONMjeWwXVnn7JhtwEh8L0_gQIzIlFDSck0/s1600/IMG_5830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGAqBQecv5oDH5TMIfsBp18XNdxr7DJC04ZxoeZHfwRElDIvjp8O0l6NVCUuR7_TkhWdTSHZ6DkYHm2LJ5QOMIVdWGyzC2f2hTa5Vi9G_5ONMjeWwXVnn7JhtwEh8L0_gQIzIlFDSck0/s1600/IMG_5830.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once we were full, we took another "cable car"to see the Big Buddha, whose official name has left my head. We had to wait in a long line to finally get to the cable car, but when we got there, it was worth it. The cable car took us high above the sea and we could see the Big Buddha from a distance. There was also a temple we checked out on the "Big Buddha" island. It was cool to see people lining up to worship the statue and people burning huge sticks of incense at the temple in honor of their Gods. The incense sticks looked like huge pencils that were being sharpened and there was so much smoke everywhere! It was kind of hard to breathe because of all of it. Thousands upon thousands of people visit this Buddha every week and especially on the week of Spring Festival, when everyone is praying for good luck for the upcoming year. </span><br />
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On top of the Buddha Mountain…what an experience!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, Hong Kong and Macau was a cool trip that I will never forget. I honestly like Hong Kong better than Beijing and maybe even Shanghai even though I have spent more time there. Tahnesia and I took Spring Airlines back to Shanghai and made it there at 2 AM, so we had to wait for the metro to open at 6 AM…thankfully there is a 24 hour Burger King at the airport. I miss the Hong Kong dollar where it is: $1=$7 HK dollars. It's good to be back besides that…it was even warm in Shanghai for a few days after our trip. Now onto teaching AP English courses….and planning for my next trip to….Tokyo! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People celebrating the Chinese New Year…along with their dragon!</span></td></tr>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-55874023832355808892014-01-22T22:53:00.000-08:002014-01-22T22:54:29.775-08:00Sean Visits Shanghai<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnkAoy3xBly6TRXQqqZs_UjnPGLRQiCy8_4ILyosdeqWqauVoh1Zgwjifb5L2bEtlvKTwLcWEhYbJ2vip87-ryjzlF10Vs2QBthhFt2CyTHoR-JDnon_1dy2EKKO1ttKVftwuieFifHg/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnkAoy3xBly6TRXQqqZs_UjnPGLRQiCy8_4ILyosdeqWqauVoh1Zgwjifb5L2bEtlvKTwLcWEhYbJ2vip87-ryjzlF10Vs2QBthhFt2CyTHoR-JDnon_1dy2EKKO1ttKVftwuieFifHg/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG" height="200" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said before, these past three weeks Sean visited me in Shanghai during his winter break…how I miss those long winter breaks at USF!. He came three days after Christmas so we could spend the New Year together. I can't believe it's already 2014! It had been four months since I had last seen him!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His plane came in right after my last class at my weekend school so I took the metro the long way to the airport to pick him up. He had previously been to China in high school, but had forgotten some of his experiences, so he didn't mind coming to Shanghai again. It was pretty late by the time we got back to my apartment and he was feeling jet lagged, so we went to sleep and slept in for the majority of Sunday.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RPkShK2w_4dS3HNPNymuQtxm72eqZ0YEboBX4mKwabZtUrie7fNEJN3iWJz_XeXGqUfvYbOrKWL9-6e9jT7RNaTyC67a4Mmogt5KPbsIeEWtQtPVEpODERoW4StcoZe3m30U5tw2Jys/s1600/IMG_3968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-RPkShK2w_4dS3HNPNymuQtxm72eqZ0YEboBX4mKwabZtUrie7fNEJN3iWJz_XeXGqUfvYbOrKWL9-6e9jT7RNaTyC67a4Mmogt5KPbsIeEWtQtPVEpODERoW4StcoZe3m30U5tw2Jys/s1600/IMG_3968.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26FMhsXFAkg6iuAUh4jqW5CnF3kpNoL00_Sx6IronWOrk_X_AXo5wWjyABea0V_jyJvp4pmzs7WsaRhhMzRjCaQpUJMZpPpfNG39SCTiiG6iels8tTWT5JIn3akHaBkVoXvz9g_eII2o/s1600/IMG_3919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26FMhsXFAkg6iuAUh4jqW5CnF3kpNoL00_Sx6IronWOrk_X_AXo5wWjyABea0V_jyJvp4pmzs7WsaRhhMzRjCaQpUJMZpPpfNG39SCTiiG6iels8tTWT5JIn3akHaBkVoXvz9g_eII2o/s1600/IMG_3919.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next week, I took him around Shanghai, visiting the famous Bund, the Buddhist Jing'an Temple, and the road where a bunch of "antiques" are sold. We also went to a few bars like Zapata's (the expat bar) and this one his dad told us to check out in the Xintiandi area. Also, in the Xintiandi area I took him to the Merry Kissmas tree that was still up for a few more days after Christmas. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJc_X6JW6Vc1q6LBcL8uviPCZNMXptG93n1zOCdAXuRxLahlpoX7m1yoRSuyNDOFf8nClDeh_J8E8lfQmq4gZDSAEMfFDun0IwbsHbyoQYG7bSdN3PaJVSbKKgjNl2WUrDt6gTg8vN0M/s1600/IMG_4231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJc_X6JW6Vc1q6LBcL8uviPCZNMXptG93n1zOCdAXuRxLahlpoX7m1yoRSuyNDOFf8nClDeh_J8E8lfQmq4gZDSAEMfFDun0IwbsHbyoQYG7bSdN3PaJVSbKKgjNl2WUrDt6gTg8vN0M/s1600/IMG_4231.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrIzPiqHdPU7PDdl4l7PbcbvwcV9hIFdPATcgpmdeEYih2-0VeYzlgDBRO6rIMPUILEN5HPId9bTfZFH2lHanBp4dY3CVko9AWympWBiYBAUdMAfzbFOYM3pnP-Ih7hk1FVhyphenhyphennqFGIiA/s1600/IMG_4104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrIzPiqHdPU7PDdl4l7PbcbvwcV9hIFdPATcgpmdeEYih2-0VeYzlgDBRO6rIMPUILEN5HPId9bTfZFH2lHanBp4dY3CVko9AWympWBiYBAUdMAfzbFOYM3pnP-Ih7hk1FVhyphenhyphennqFGIiA/s1600/IMG_4104.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka33RuLl7ghClv44E3_n8KT_X3s9IC1E1IS2B7ZW1fZkS_eNG2gko0q-ylkdl9bqx8JQZTV-K4miCG-kyBg94h_vqWn1ThRaCM3qxKnIYG65v2XvfcFGsIThfl8frKa_p5rlp5AXToaU/s1600/IMG_3902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhka33RuLl7ghClv44E3_n8KT_X3s9IC1E1IS2B7ZW1fZkS_eNG2gko0q-ylkdl9bqx8JQZTV-K4miCG-kyBg94h_vqWn1ThRaCM3qxKnIYG65v2XvfcFGsIThfl8frKa_p5rlp5AXToaU/s1600/IMG_3902.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throughout these three weeks, we had a lot of dumplings. I took him to this famous restaurant called Din Tai Fung, Yang's Dumplings (juicy fried dumplings), and this chain dumpling place by my apartment where you can buy 10 dumplings for less than $2. He couldn't believe that we could both eat dinner for about $4. The cheap food is definitely something I'm going to miss when I come back home. Besides dumplings, he wanted to treat me to food that I normally can't afford on my teacher's salary, like Mexican food and pizza, both more expensive than normal Chinese food here, since they are "western." Sean was happy to eat all the "western" food because he really didn't like the authentic Chinese food (besides the dumplings of course) especially the meat on a stick or "street meat" part. I hadn't eaten pizza in about three months (that has to be some sort of record for me), so I wasn't complaining. Authentic Chinese food is certainly very different than American Chinese food. Sad to say, but I have been craving some American Chinese food for a while now, especially orange chicken. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Us at The Vue Bar (Sean blinked!)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On New Year's Eve we decided to celebrate by going to The Vue Bar at the Hyatt on the Bund. The Vue Bar is constantly rated as one of the best bars/clubs in Shanghai. Of course there was a New Year's Eve party with free-flowing champagne all night long. Before we left, Sean gave me my Christmas/New Years gift--a necklace from Tiffany and co! :) The view from The Vue Bar (a perfect name) was extraordinary. We danced, drank champagne, and wore flashy gold hats until we counted down to 2014, which still sounds like a year in the future to me. From one of the windows we could see lanterns flying by. For the New Year, and especially the Chinese New Year, people light lanterns and let them go flying up into the sky. There was also a firework and light show over the Bund, but we were too busy dancing to notice. After about 1AM we decided to go home, but couldn't find a cab because it was so busy. We were basically stranded at the Hyatt. At one point Sean was going to get a room, but we weren't able to because we didn't have a passport. Finally, after about two hours of half-sleeping on their couches in their lobby and standing outside in the cold, we hailed a cab and made it back home without the driver getting lost (something that happens often). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2KIgpBVhT6yPiiNxCfPmkE4FE-JIKqw_-0QCyu5_X1d85giKgQtrAHC7dRoPXk6rAJPXVi8Tn2NCXy7l0L9Q6jO1hIzS181n2YnKjVmCb7Ay_BrUBAuoGXXT4JB0PbLruN0yqXaGHAY/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2KIgpBVhT6yPiiNxCfPmkE4FE-JIKqw_-0QCyu5_X1d85giKgQtrAHC7dRoPXk6rAJPXVi8Tn2NCXy7l0L9Q6jO1hIzS181n2YnKjVmCb7Ay_BrUBAuoGXXT4JB0PbLruN0yqXaGHAY/s1600/IMG_1490.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our view from The Vue Bar at The Hyatt on the Bund</span></td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hangzhou: </span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The last weekend Sean was visiting, we decided to get out of Shanghai and visit a city that was a little bit more on the country side. We decided to go to Hangzhou, a smaller city that is home to a giant lake called West Lake and the "Tea Capital" of China where they make pan-fried leaves--longjing tea, also called "Dragon Well tea," mostly by hand. Before coming here with Sean, I had not thought about adventuring outside of Shanghai to visit other little cities. Now, I'm really glad that I did. Hangzhou is a peaceful place. It was good to get out of Shanghai for a little bit and enjoy some nature. We took a train to Hangzhou and it only took a little over an hour. In Hangzhou we stayed at this nice bed and breakfast where the host actually had an app that allowed him to translate what he was saying into English--pretty cool. The room was really nice with our own little tea set and everything.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb6DXLcd4U-WaEbP2Z9mUyW-n2fQDfkVG44JfwqSe6Yw5gW6UzqTP8q-y9-di0GeCvXAKF_FlqoyKDsFvqAnZ2LtOEabDyF1AiRrYS-0t-QUjjhj2Vj8glnuIIpjYAgfJXNDEFllwAg8/s1600/IMG_4271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb6DXLcd4U-WaEbP2Z9mUyW-n2fQDfkVG44JfwqSe6Yw5gW6UzqTP8q-y9-di0GeCvXAKF_FlqoyKDsFvqAnZ2LtOEabDyF1AiRrYS-0t-QUjjhj2Vj8glnuIIpjYAgfJXNDEFllwAg8/s1600/IMG_4271.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jf0zntx_4AtoAHpCySvlWhTB9PROqJW8ZMFFHSCaOUGgGHPM6GWocfRY5b9HD9anJJAVkvcYu_FcjA0Fip5xnJCHQB0du668jnijSMVdkmMWLV5RL9Q04jNDdkEZyo2ZNOJEtT2j0rg/s1600/IMG_4219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jf0zntx_4AtoAHpCySvlWhTB9PROqJW8ZMFFHSCaOUGgGHPM6GWocfRY5b9HD9anJJAVkvcYu_FcjA0Fip5xnJCHQB0du668jnijSMVdkmMWLV5RL9Q04jNDdkEZyo2ZNOJEtT2j0rg/s1600/IMG_4219.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first day there, we got up and went to the front desk to see if we could get any breakfast. The guy gave us some toast, two eggs, and some sour milk. We had no choice but to go to the Starbucks that was outside of the temple we were going to check out. I joked, "What would we do without Starbucks?" But when we went walking through this park/garden next to West Lake, one of the old buildings there had been transformed into a Starbucks! The building was right in the middle of the garden as though it was supposed to be a memorial or museum or something. This was the first time I have been mad at Starbucks and/or the capitalism in China. People can come up to me all day in the streets trying to get me to buy something from them, but when people start to transform beautiful and historic places into places for profit is when I have a problem with it.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F0hEjIDtgC4GIplHUC1mh2szoOrtM8hyHJZIeLB0yDUfvqlKKYGIt1ndnevzTQXn27dSlCvZflCyFxQkVeQUDa86AJzn8oGW615pSfCB7oWqZk00M95tj0V4uDixr50qOofMCeg6uYU/s1600/IMG_4187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F0hEjIDtgC4GIplHUC1mh2szoOrtM8hyHJZIeLB0yDUfvqlKKYGIt1ndnevzTQXn27dSlCvZflCyFxQkVeQUDa86AJzn8oGW615pSfCB7oWqZk00M95tj0V4uDixr50qOofMCeg6uYU/s1600/IMG_4187.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides the Starbucks though, the garden was beautiful. It began to rain and was pretty cold that day, but it made everything look five times prettier. There were little "teahouses" everywhere along the lake and a little path you could take to cut through the lake. The reeds in the lake were what really drew my attention. They added some color to the gray day and made it took beautiful. Apparently the views in Hangzhou have inspired poets and painters for decades.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_45UZLp5rrao2s5WIOC0aHvtUlTCq50b24jCBMgHuORwo1Lk4RCEVN9X_QsNlDsXLbDQLB6F-rWI2X6156BEzguxBLLPDKqJpf2FEr1afxN1cP0qcwzfv536vR_9gCGvPCXwL1qWp-o/s1600/IMG_4326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_45UZLp5rrao2s5WIOC0aHvtUlTCq50b24jCBMgHuORwo1Lk4RCEVN9X_QsNlDsXLbDQLB6F-rWI2X6156BEzguxBLLPDKqJpf2FEr1afxN1cP0qcwzfv536vR_9gCGvPCXwL1qWp-o/s1600/IMG_4326.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlDodM4rxi5_bo8zB2otLUw9nEcKqgB_jjAKbvAAHGFpf0UBSmllwWJupFCYI1x_gqGKu3PLm-ymoWkxqc4ofP7LpmnT-bRuhzedmK4WshKUqxhxH33wpU2Rd_1mRpdoBd5OLoT4QNmA/s1600/IMG_4226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlDodM4rxi5_bo8zB2otLUw9nEcKqgB_jjAKbvAAHGFpf0UBSmllwWJupFCYI1x_gqGKu3PLm-ymoWkxqc4ofP7LpmnT-bRuhzedmK4WshKUqxhxH33wpU2Rd_1mRpdoBd5OLoT4QNmA/s1600/IMG_4226.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we were there we also checked out the Temple and had some more fried dumplings. The Temple here was not as epic as the one in Shanghai. Instead of deities, the main statues in this temple showcased a revered warrior. Later that night, we decided to take a boat trip around West Lake. The boat ride was so calming, but it soon got cold (Sean was even colder than I was). There are little islands in the middle if the West Lake and usually they put on a show that Sean's mom raved about but since it is winter time, the show is temporarily put on hold.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6SY0F53zfb50uYro0gzc2aMS4kwJ7BuCIgUrCNSWs2elcazwMAVpYhajxNGDhrjBqmpSrRgxuWG-8aMJuBnNPphSEBXQ9XuH7CONnNtCDBqo0e_D4Zg_M3QUxcH6VvV4rKSakgrdfnc/s1600/IMG_4427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6SY0F53zfb50uYro0gzc2aMS4kwJ7BuCIgUrCNSWs2elcazwMAVpYhajxNGDhrjBqmpSrRgxuWG-8aMJuBnNPphSEBXQ9XuH7CONnNtCDBqo0e_D4Zg_M3QUxcH6VvV4rKSakgrdfnc/s1600/IMG_4427.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></span></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMRpLfEAhVV4dT48avw9AZqP6HTE5yBjV6sBm0Y27wpbJASG4iCMb-Uapr75nEJOoYLqCeo6FOpYCjjE029ZI0MJgEuy3obdSHdb-af48U8-xV10MTXLlOKt2anV-jGO4UYBWDS_ReH8/s1600/IMG_4389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMRpLfEAhVV4dT48avw9AZqP6HTE5yBjV6sBm0Y27wpbJASG4iCMb-Uapr75nEJOoYLqCeo6FOpYCjjE029ZI0MJgEuy3obdSHdb-af48U8-xV10MTXLlOKt2anV-jGO4UYBWDS_ReH8/s1600/IMG_4389.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day, we went to see the Leifeng Pagoda. It was originally built in 1942, but was then reconstructed in 2002, to look like it does today. We went to the very top of the Pagoda and saw all of Hangzhou spread out before us. It was a great trip and I was really sad to see him go, not to mention slightly jealous that he was going back home which I won't see for another five months.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On another note, I am now starting to teach an AP English Language and Composition class, a class I haven't taken in about five years. Still, I loved my AP English classes I took in high school and I hope I can do a good job with teaching my new high school students who are hoping to go to America for college next year. I'm going to have them read <i>The Scarlet Letter</i> and <i>The Catcher in the Rye, </i>two of my favorites I read back then. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sean loves to lead dances. He took on the challenge of dancing with all the old women on Nanjing Road, the downtown area of Shanghai: </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSytbqp1VV5pTLKPlW0G86f12hv1CNryapEBvUyjVHLmoOHWr0W5nsHvqpRH2Jubx9b3nHYXy0fp4SCGsg_8NOOY5g1IUdl5sYwqPGdZJ_l3Tp-a7RqwxKLwfeelv_Y7JdyHQ7Z7v6_I/s1600/IMG_4058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSytbqp1VV5pTLKPlW0G86f12hv1CNryapEBvUyjVHLmoOHWr0W5nsHvqpRH2Jubx9b3nHYXy0fp4SCGsg_8NOOY5g1IUdl5sYwqPGdZJ_l3Tp-a7RqwxKLwfeelv_Y7JdyHQ7Z7v6_I/s1600/IMG_4058.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean likes the workout equipment</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LfwXWlkEm_o" width="420"></iframe>Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-20640240605784219572014-01-18T08:37:00.003-08:002014-01-18T08:37:42.247-08:002014: Year of the Horse<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Happy 2014!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ni1uTFJl8liz09h8hGwj59wi2ttyU0YDWE23Ucc8GuXIw8SfEHXxAM2p32_qHX7Zq25l8j6Zh_6vTg5H_LQhAj3New3E7cVueBVwspNXr0LuonRld0B8IpkUuAmV6NLRj64AzgF0UgI/s1600/chinese-new-year-2014-zodiac-animal-signs-horse-600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ni1uTFJl8liz09h8hGwj59wi2ttyU0YDWE23Ucc8GuXIw8SfEHXxAM2p32_qHX7Zq25l8j6Zh_6vTg5H_LQhAj3New3E7cVueBVwspNXr0LuonRld0B8IpkUuAmV6NLRj64AzgF0UgI/s1600/chinese-new-year-2014-zodiac-animal-signs-horse-600x400.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1qiMmPL0w7PU_FD19Tm1iN7s_Tue5tzZ9PhFWwIg1eXephVRPIB9Z-KeaZ5sEx9lJNrsEAiIAjQcFBxYUz0pMbUQDxcQ_HZPEfdhxlMGobSr2Opwtj4YZIry2ILXAH4earo7IRxcLXw/s1600/2014-chinese-zodiac-horse-polka-dots-28946222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1qiMmPL0w7PU_FD19Tm1iN7s_Tue5tzZ9PhFWwIg1eXephVRPIB9Z-KeaZ5sEx9lJNrsEAiIAjQcFBxYUz0pMbUQDxcQ_HZPEfdhxlMGobSr2Opwtj4YZIry2ILXAH4earo7IRxcLXw/s1600/2014-chinese-zodiac-horse-polka-dots-28946222.jpg" height="185" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaxJ2pvC1oI_V71lR1eCDnEsuo1TcLo6698xL54m_rpOd5FPXDYssY6u6wzVOUSu0Gg0fW1VPq8vYCeZj2qdFKEWY34XyplZyBsVB4Qo5k_UbNXUq1AWcIKFwd-I0V5iS1-CPXcOrsC4/s1600/wholesale-2014-Chinese-new-year-Zodiac-horse-18-cm-plush-animal-toy-for-gift-hot-sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBaxJ2pvC1oI_V71lR1eCDnEsuo1TcLo6698xL54m_rpOd5FPXDYssY6u6wzVOUSu0Gg0fW1VPq8vYCeZj2qdFKEWY34XyplZyBsVB4Qo5k_UbNXUq1AWcIKFwd-I0V5iS1-CPXcOrsC4/s1600/wholesale-2014-Chinese-new-year-Zodiac-horse-18-cm-plush-animal-toy-for-gift-hot-sale.jpg" height="166" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have spent the last three weeks with my boyfriend Sean who came to visit me in Shanghai. He came three days after Christmas, just in time for the "Western New Years."The Chinese New Year comes at the end of this month (Jan. 31th). This year will be the year of the horse. Sean bought me this cute, stuffed animal of a red horse that street vendors were selling in anticipation for the holiday and it made me realize how little I know about it. I'm doing my research. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have received those little red envelopes in the past from some of my Chinese friends and I </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">know that I was born in the year of the ram (or goat), but that is particularly all I knew about the holiday. That is pretty sad considering that I went to college in San Francisco, which has the largest and oldest Chinatown and Chinese New Year Parade outside of Asia. According to my good old friend Wikipedia, back in 1848, the newly arrived Chinese for the Gold Rush began the parade to teach others about their culture. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP0Gi1vGcfs_HWQhG9rzFlEkuISTy3-aClN_z6r7L9xFbcZBS_uJzeLfu_oesCHiyiKQeEETJLdd6Ub092PyJP9hQGtZYSA4atzb9YmYn4jADmuAIkcT0FrDoQEw71dNXegbdQhSNpnY/s1600/chinese-new-year-2014-tiger_1389753363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP0Gi1vGcfs_HWQhG9rzFlEkuISTy3-aClN_z6r7L9xFbcZBS_uJzeLfu_oesCHiyiKQeEETJLdd6Ub092PyJP9hQGtZYSA4atzb9YmYn4jADmuAIkcT0FrDoQEw71dNXegbdQhSNpnY/s1600/chinese-new-year-2014-tiger_1389753363.jpg" height="314" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At my weekend school I teach at, I asked my supervisor if people who live in Shanghai celebrate both holidays. She said that they acknowledge the Western New Year as well as the traditional Chinese New Year, but some families celebrate both, while others just celebrate the Chinese New Year, also called the "Spring Festival."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv5USwPTCFAkLlHEZ0y1vpwSfJ1fXVldmRha6SY5wicw9cb5nd11jTYe3vTwOeyppIeT769kPXM38lVjbpEwmfiLcXoq0ui-59Ni1fZ9lWUsKTkWpA5zvYomnTHSTsDiwNqcOCTPX4cg/s1600/yearOfTheHorse2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbv5USwPTCFAkLlHEZ0y1vpwSfJ1fXVldmRha6SY5wicw9cb5nd11jTYe3vTwOeyppIeT769kPXM38lVjbpEwmfiLcXoq0ui-59Ni1fZ9lWUsKTkWpA5zvYomnTHSTsDiwNqcOCTPX4cg/s1600/yearOfTheHorse2.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chinese New Year is celebrated on a different day every year, since it is based off of the lunar calendar, usually it falls sometime between Jan. 21st to Feb. 20th. Although I knew that the Chinese calendar is based off of the moon, I did not realize how the dates in the Chinese calendar differ so much from what is called the "Gregorian Calendar." For instance, some months are repeated twice in one year in the Chinese calendar, according to my supervisor. Wikipedia right now is telling me this is called an "intercalation." This is the insertion of a "day, week, or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons or moon phases." So, the Chinese calendar has some leap months and days, like the Gregorian one has a leap day once every four years. How do they write and record the double months for the Chinese version? That's my question. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Wikipedia gives an account of the myth that began Chinese New Year--a beast called Nian:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmv7Usw814Io118z9pebqw-77lot-Bp9XuVM5LImO4HzxsF7Nfz7q5mplBRfJLfU6PxJu7jp_0OXRcamFMgM6Q6NIZ0mBkd-Ob522DykRyIq61i4ltsjFA8YdfEpGvzf7Jx3czXZv9E4/s1600/c05-0192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmv7Usw814Io118z9pebqw-77lot-Bp9XuVM5LImO4HzxsF7Nfz7q5mplBRfJLfU6PxJu7jp_0OXRcamFMgM6Q6NIZ0mBkd-Ob522DykRyIq61i4ltsjFA8YdfEpGvzf7Jx3czXZv9E4/s1600/c05-0192.jpg" height="200" width="146" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One day people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongjun_Laozu" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hongjun Laozu">Hongjun Laozu</a>, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are traditionally fifteen days of celebration for the Chinese New Year (not practiced by everyone):</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 1: Welcoming deities of the heaven and the earth. People light fireworks and burn bamboo sticks.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 2: Was when married women would visit their birth parents. "God of Wealth" comes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 3: Rural villagers burn paper for the God of Wrath. People should stay home.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 4: Spring dinners</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 5: The God of Wealth's birthday. People shoot off fireworks and eat dumplings.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 7: Everyone grows one year older today. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 8: Dinner to celibate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. Employees are thanked today. Incense is often burnt and food offerings are made.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 9: People offer prayers to the Jade Emperor. Incense, tea, fruit, and roast pig are offered. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7HmaAGw8k9JSb5JxPfwx1sh62Kj0g36l_UHfu93MYku4Zyb1ryKIMnr48LiWsTAYb79iXy70G3Tl_Iv_92hQgGL9Els0CgneMWrYlq18A4PJ2m5VvvDS429BAIWvdrII0w62wpPF6W4/s1600/lanternfestival04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7HmaAGw8k9JSb5JxPfwx1sh62Kj0g36l_UHfu93MYku4Zyb1ryKIMnr48LiWsTAYb79iXy70G3Tl_Iv_92hQgGL9Els0CgneMWrYlq18A4PJ2m5VvvDS429BAIWvdrII0w62wpPF6W4/s1600/lanternfestival04.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 10: Jade Emperor's party.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 13: People eat vegetarian food to clean out their stomachs. Businesses pray to the God of War for success. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day 15: The Lantern Festival: Families walk with lanterns in the streets and put them outside their houses to guide wayward spirits home. Rice dumplings are eaten. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Chinese New Year is mostly a time to celebrate with family and big "reunion" dinners are held featuring mostly meat dishes and food that symbolizes prosperity and good luck. For instance, mandarin oranges have a name that sounds like the word for "good luck," noodles represent a long life, and melon seeds means having many children. Red packets containing money are given as gifts. The amount of money in these should be given in even numbers, because money given at the time of funerals is in odd numbers. This is determined by the first digit. The numbers 6 and 8 are considered the luckiest. Also, fireworks are always set off. In ancient China, gunpowder would be placed in bamboo shoots and lit to create fireworks. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2syc8l3xFNE-TyZw6SCYZ2sdTTS5fFKMYd0NREnMz-9yq83G4fCn09TbgKjmgHIGxbxeqPmibqa3PJSAOm0FVd7LaD_g5aDyINKfwF8Vkd8EfCKofsoMs_MM9cO4r08_vLYbLfhboN8/s1600/029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2syc8l3xFNE-TyZw6SCYZ2sdTTS5fFKMYd0NREnMz-9yq83G4fCn09TbgKjmgHIGxbxeqPmibqa3PJSAOm0FVd7LaD_g5aDyINKfwF8Vkd8EfCKofsoMs_MM9cO4r08_vLYbLfhboN8/s1600/029.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I will be leaving Hong Kong on Chinese New Year, which means that it will be crazy busy, but I'm still excited. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For now, here is a common Chinese phrase: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">迎春接福 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Yíngchúnjiēfú</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> - "Greet the New Year and encounter happiness"</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1910145246912981864" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="" style="cursor: move;" /></a></span></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-VtDza6keYJs%2FUtqoIfaqU2I%2FAAAAAAAABlE%2Flxvk_bDYwZE%2Fs1600%2Fchinese-new-year-2014-tiger_1389753363.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP0Gi1vGcfs_HWQhG9rzFlEkuISTy3-aClN_z6r7L9xFbcZBS_uJzeLfu_oesCHiyiKQeEETJLdd6Ub092PyJP9hQGtZYSA4atzb9YmYn4jADmuAIkcT0FrDoQEw71dNXegbdQhSNpnY/s1600/chinese-new-year-2014-tiger_1389753363.jpg" -->Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-39844780434163063612013-12-21T22:45:00.002-08:002013-12-21T22:46:45.368-08:000h, the Weather Outside is Frightful<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Brrrrrrr….</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4PpeCDf9LIq6Oe7FLjSM2pAdE49KfgxIRaKY7zPK82_zZ3dptqkN0NY7NOKkShqvB8nsUei8MZXsLD0guWdfa52tSwYOul0MZCLjlpmmDMcwtNCMOW445ey7yFYhu0vsbi8M8-5fbQk/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4PpeCDf9LIq6Oe7FLjSM2pAdE49KfgxIRaKY7zPK82_zZ3dptqkN0NY7NOKkShqvB8nsUei8MZXsLD0guWdfa52tSwYOul0MZCLjlpmmDMcwtNCMOW445ey7yFYhu0vsbi8M8-5fbQk/s200/IMG_1331.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwqNjHls-wK1FuddpmawQLY8k4b4CrXVEU3J-gX1nUaYfaI_3yZ3c3eQ-KG1hHffa5j7mzvJVeF4MN_vfmyPyEwkgXZOVYelrIPXvfTxTn-Wuv2QeEULbcYuCIDPfXAmTHOKU4wkBYLM/s1600/IMG_1278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwqNjHls-wK1FuddpmawQLY8k4b4CrXVEU3J-gX1nUaYfaI_3yZ3c3eQ-KG1hHffa5j7mzvJVeF4MN_vfmyPyEwkgXZOVYelrIPXvfTxTn-Wuv2QeEULbcYuCIDPfXAmTHOKU4wkBYLM/s200/IMG_1278.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this is for sure the coldest winter I've ever had. It is 3 degrees Celsius in Shanghai (which would be 37 degrees Fahrenheit in the United States). I came prepared this time though, unlike the last time I was abroad. When I studied abroad in Rome, Italy, in the spring time, it snowed for the first time in 30 years. I had not planned on traveling to Switzerland and the Netherlands either. I didn't bring a single coat on that trip besides my black peacoat, which was seeing its last days. I had to hand over way too many euros for a coat suitable for the snow. So, this time I brought two thick coats, two nice jackets, a hat, scarf, and gloves. I'm certainly glad I did. Even with my thorough packing however, I still had to buy another scarf and a pair of fuzzy leggings. I never thought Shanghai would get this cold (I admit that I didn't believe the weather reports I looked up before moving here). The nice, warm pearl milk teas do help though…especially ones from Coco. And, my new roommate Lauren figured out how to use our heaters in our apartment! No more going to bed with three layers of clothing!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKNEsoW5yNAT1gp8grptBzLNnCx7NEdBRhDMI7YKOWJza_k0dpeDlBeRNXpYPv9D4MdmCrV3PfOtsZgmobVe8jac8JO-FX8d1Dgz0dm2zjAdBAqk-Od7w2QUQyOUvM1ZQaWdbnrQYrE8/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKNEsoW5yNAT1gp8grptBzLNnCx7NEdBRhDMI7YKOWJza_k0dpeDlBeRNXpYPv9D4MdmCrV3PfOtsZgmobVe8jac8JO-FX8d1Dgz0dm2zjAdBAqk-Od7w2QUQyOUvM1ZQaWdbnrQYrE8/s200/IMG_1291.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR19erpe4oBafrHOi_Ocg6fsJC7LRSjzg7W7EZPEGEnTCfrkuVQfo8SjJAQhmuZwVuM2qH0xsKiX7xIhiZ3TY2fA5IIPT1Hn-UIOhnFUKG3e_3EXefpXh1BMqqMTXu_FmCg7A74hya8Jo/s1600/IMG_3067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR19erpe4oBafrHOi_Ocg6fsJC7LRSjzg7W7EZPEGEnTCfrkuVQfo8SjJAQhmuZwVuM2qH0xsKiX7xIhiZ3TY2fA5IIPT1Hn-UIOhnFUKG3e_3EXefpXh1BMqqMTXu_FmCg7A74hya8Jo/s200/IMG_3067.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The weekend after I completed my smog video for my internship, the air quality index levels rose to an all-time high of 500 in shanghai, which is extremely hazardous for everyone. The government advised people to stay indoors, especially children. I bought a cloth mask for that weekend, and fortunately have not had to wear it since.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I can't believe I have been here for four months already. Although it seems like it has been a long time since orientation, the weeks feel shorter and shorter. Sean is coming to visit in a week which will make the entire month of January speed by. I can't wait until he gets here! I feel like I have been here long enough now where I can be his Shanghai tour guide. It is the first time I haven't been home for Christmas, but he's bringing some to me.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLh7_C1RgDNCgIptW2eHJYfgo9tHEvxOxncjBXhHx68zD3z5yjrU6vre91KQ4baOHizmPv83e0c5x1HYGKT420grLmGvqjaL8s-CUqA90dm3hd7FaJpI4Si1FHh3Dh5ChODEQM4vPoedc/s1600/IMG_3508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLh7_C1RgDNCgIptW2eHJYfgo9tHEvxOxncjBXhHx68zD3z5yjrU6vre91KQ4baOHizmPv83e0c5x1HYGKT420grLmGvqjaL8s-CUqA90dm3hd7FaJpI4Si1FHh3Dh5ChODEQM4vPoedc/s200/IMG_3508.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75GwmTsL1AW4XqATiDnrlsZYl1KGFSAoyMns2K6SzcyFekQEINeUnnCW_cmpIJerhq0HgBkuvMTaHNV7UPwwxOnOpmf6pzHuxa70PZ3WyYZ2702KxUW6sHE0c9YEEbmq_CoN2PzRnIuE/s1600/IMG_3335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75GwmTsL1AW4XqATiDnrlsZYl1KGFSAoyMns2K6SzcyFekQEINeUnnCW_cmpIJerhq0HgBkuvMTaHNV7UPwwxOnOpmf6pzHuxa70PZ3WyYZ2702KxUW6sHE0c9YEEbmq_CoN2PzRnIuE/s200/IMG_3335.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In other news, I recently got my first freelance photography job! My friend at my internship recommended me to her friend who needed someone to take photos at this realty show at this hotel in downtown Shanghai. I took a bunch of pictures for MSM Luxury Estates, located in Beverly Hills, and had a blast going out with them after the event to this club called the Mint, which has its own shark tanks.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMoi1T6LRTgGhRZkXsUFRx-2NmV_MN3CXu4GH7XeqbTLwMUkt6m6Xc4TVPJ8GBgUj3DMaiY8wfg0TY3Jm19wq0lIKCQTheMuqO0Jvagah345GD35oIjU8faEORPy1HZcC4WcyxyGLQmU/s1600/IMG_3166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMoi1T6LRTgGhRZkXsUFRx-2NmV_MN3CXu4GH7XeqbTLwMUkt6m6Xc4TVPJ8GBgUj3DMaiY8wfg0TY3Jm19wq0lIKCQTheMuqO0Jvagah345GD35oIjU8faEORPy1HZcC4WcyxyGLQmU/s200/IMG_3166.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJ_odJuMKF-QCL1ce82xXG1JFo3dr_j35yTajQ_eUBv0jw4q8csxSn7WD987vhacmzyLDQps6DEzYkawWFyE0dOJHR3nkyXkKlBCnyQbJMplq9dOth98PhupVlfN1otHnf5v1JGPqj-o/s1600/IMG_3132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJ_odJuMKF-QCL1ce82xXG1JFo3dr_j35yTajQ_eUBv0jw4q8csxSn7WD987vhacmzyLDQps6DEzYkawWFyE0dOJHR3nkyXkKlBCnyQbJMplq9dOth98PhupVlfN1otHnf5v1JGPqj-o/s200/IMG_3132.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My internship also wanted me to take some pictures this past week of this Christmas tree at this mall that lights up when two people kiss beneath it. I took some great pictures of couples kissing underneath the tree for a local charity that donates money for surgeries for children with cleft palette. Then, they changed their mind. Instead of taking the pictures, they wanted me in the picture. The night before the deadline I had to pose for the picture, and I had to bring someone to kiss! My poor roommate Lauren agreed to come with me, and now we have a funny story to laugh about. The picture is in the recent City Weekend magazine taking up a full page with a blurb I wrote about the event. Now I'm thinking about taking Sean there…he just can't be jealous that I kissed Lauren there first!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslyZwLvp19x4irJpoR4sXoMJcuxZu-7PbvYSU0pLhAMGqF8LPHPR6AkL489TCyurzVyCY1fy6tsJFjhLSU4cHoq1tCDkU_Xo9feThvfQ7h2iv57wb0_4KKP67gZmub7993yHnejNbj4M/s1600/IMG_1343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslyZwLvp19x4irJpoR4sXoMJcuxZu-7PbvYSU0pLhAMGqF8LPHPR6AkL489TCyurzVyCY1fy6tsJFjhLSU4cHoq1tCDkU_Xo9feThvfQ7h2iv57wb0_4KKP67gZmub7993yHnejNbj4M/s320/IMG_1343.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Besides all this, I have bought my flight to Hong Kong for Spring Festival! I will be there for four days with my friend and coming back to Shanghai on Chinese New Year! Looking forward to ringing in 2014, chinese style!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFN8LyE4V3uzkGIriOPOwlTy6nQHCgPuYwLNO4NGVvUWuWIvxuppNkPt17mwFuLOH_fNU4NS47aPSegY626z-fnp4BcDwmeujgfQY_Cx4gsNy07aoVAfohbwtoJut60cDu0He0rTnA_g/s1600/IMG_3689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFN8LyE4V3uzkGIriOPOwlTy6nQHCgPuYwLNO4NGVvUWuWIvxuppNkPt17mwFuLOH_fNU4NS47aPSegY626z-fnp4BcDwmeujgfQY_Cx4gsNy07aoVAfohbwtoJut60cDu0He0rTnA_g/s200/IMG_3689.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyR1TDFcKFOhCIJvvRkOdcL6f4hXZ3b0nL4nd3450ak9lXTeIouMcVx9J6_3ryQNSrbzhWA6NfeZfVurknryCNuQ_ckRYIKh6TpgjnV8_ZSxDKmCcflSM8YQqIM9jv46IYmBlM_81NgY/s1600/IMG_3682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyR1TDFcKFOhCIJvvRkOdcL6f4hXZ3b0nL4nd3450ak9lXTeIouMcVx9J6_3ryQNSrbzhWA6NfeZfVurknryCNuQ_ckRYIKh6TpgjnV8_ZSxDKmCcflSM8YQqIM9jv46IYmBlM_81NgY/s200/IMG_3682.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZnP-AxxugHjoeT_OM_fnDvyJx_FfKo4YhCsbl5_UV4kfRXA8Y7YmFuInpK9t7mDhnSgesUwOR0DQTMjBbFKUFoag3qokfUQ5Ms668ACSNG7N21psPo62gnAQKZumZexKEqBhUjQhmiA/s1600/IMG_3510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZnP-AxxugHjoeT_OM_fnDvyJx_FfKo4YhCsbl5_UV4kfRXA8Y7YmFuInpK9t7mDhnSgesUwOR0DQTMjBbFKUFoag3qokfUQ5Ms668ACSNG7N21psPo62gnAQKZumZexKEqBhUjQhmiA/s320/IMG_3510.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-10514767208174863022013-12-01T00:08:00.001-08:002014-04-22T04:28:40.280-07:00Stuck in the Smog<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This is a video I did for my internship at City Weekend, here in Shanghai: </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Is
China Stuck in the Smog?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Now
under the rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has the second-biggest
economy, behind the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. China is also
the world’s most populated country even with the “one-child policy,” according
to the World Population Review. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>But,
an unprecedented amount of air pollution in China has caused the central
government to place environmental concerns over economic ones. In September, at
the 18<sup>th</sup> Air Pollution Control Conference in Beijing, the government
initiated a new goal of reducing the amount of air pollutants by 10% by 2017,
according to CNN. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>One
of these pollutants is coal. The World Coal Association states that China
relies on the fossil fuel for 70 to 80% of their energy needs, the most in the
world. The government plans to stop the production of coal in power plants
located in heavily polluted cities, CNN says. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>However,
Nitin Dani, president of the nonprofit GreenDrinks, believes that the amount is
going to increase. He says: “Everyone wants the latest smart phone, the latest
TV. Some of them might be energy-saving, but a lot of them are very
energy-intensive. A lot of the things in the past you could do without energy,
but you need these things now, right? So, I mean, I think one of the main
reasons is definitely the change in lifestyle if you look at it from an
individual level, but from an industrial level, products, services…they are all
increasing. Population is increasing. “<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Shanghai,
China’s and the world’s most populous city, has reached an unhealthy amount of
PM 2.5 in their air. Lately, they have been at a 169 reading, according to the
Real-time Air Quality Index, which puts Shanghai on equal ground as Beijing. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ping
Zhuang of the International Fund for China’s Environment, talks about what
makes up the air pollution. “In China, the primary contributing factors for PM
2.5 are largely because the increasing amount of vehicles. Actually, Shanghai
in a way is better than Beijing, but still Shanghai everyday is increasing the
amount of vehicles. The emissions from the exhaust, and also many factories,
and also many construction sites always stir up pollutants.” <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>He
adds, “And it use to be PM 10, larger particles, now 2.5, meaning because the
smaller particles can actually go through your lungs, you know, stay there. You
walk in the streets, one day you come down and your collar is like black.” <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>An
average of five and a half years has been reduced from the life expectancy for
residents of northern China, according to CNN. Instead of facing the problem of
pollution and risk the loss of jobs, local authorities build national parks and
endorse green projects, according to Reuters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mr.
Zhuang says, “I think what China is really lacking is a strict enforcement of
these policies and regulations. If everyone showed more concern, and put more
pressure on the government and industries, polluting industries, then it will
change.” <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>According
to <i>Bloomberg Businessweek</i>, Jeremy
Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and best-selling author
of <i>The Third Industrial Revolution, </i>thinks
China can lead the third industrial revolution if they stop using fossil fuels
and concentrate on their renewable energies, like geothermal heat, biomass, and
wind and solar power. </b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-9155085958348979942013-11-18T07:00:00.001-08:002013-11-18T07:03:27.837-08:00A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi everyone!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I realize I haven't written a blog post in a little while. I have no excuse except that I have actually been pretty busy these last fews weeks. It is suddenly like winter came and along with the cold (I don't have a heater in my room--my fingers are cold while typing this) came all this work.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MTxVNCQvJHukQuCjb5ZTSEcT4EAEii1Gu41jf036Yb567nY1AIysbfHtMQv7Oh_sQujd_l_TwV6UsakJK4CA5vXciWhD_0oPwBH8g3fH5cRO_KH62fjezsPkFojfs2rg8mlSsqUpmd0/s1600/IMG_2700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MTxVNCQvJHukQuCjb5ZTSEcT4EAEii1Gu41jf036Yb567nY1AIysbfHtMQv7Oh_sQujd_l_TwV6UsakJK4CA5vXciWhD_0oPwBH8g3fH5cRO_KH62fjezsPkFojfs2rg8mlSsqUpmd0/s320/IMG_2700.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanghai International Beer Festival</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me begin by saying that five people have quit the program. Two of them are flying back to the states tomorrow and three of them are finding different jobs in Shanghai. At first our program didn't know what to do with us, we were English teachers without any students. Since we were placed at a supplemental school that mostly focuses on SAT tutoring, they were trying to find us real classrooms where we could actually teach and not simply sit around all day and create practice PowerPoints. Even though they have justified reasons for quitting, this is a good time for me to reflex on why I came to China to begin with. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, I came to China because I had no idea what I wanted to do back home. I had applied to a few jobs that I never heard back from, and then I happened upon Ameson Year in China at my University Job Fair. I love to travel and discover new cultures, and that still rings true. Also, even though I have always said I have never wanted to be a teacher, I thought I would try my hand at teaching since I do love kids and it is a field open to English majors. Moreover, since this job is part time, I can have an internship at the same time and gain international work experience, all while trying to learn Chinese.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am beginning to miss home a lot though, especially as it gets colder here and as more people are leaving the program. I miss my friends, family, California, mac and cheese, bacon, In N Out….</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, Sean is going to come visit me next month!!! I am so excited. He is going to stay for three weeks. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JKrPH1Lg83fEV-cGfjzguioRuVfQ54rGC9iTfgzVikK2XvT2HZm50HLmGjTAZtLGAFt3Ey0pcCatx66Yz1Mk7YFoxVhyphenhyphenaDN5SxDeFhBADgQsJ6qoVghWoVD-kT0pOOIGdzlCUCTt4fs/s1600/IMG_2851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JKrPH1Lg83fEV-cGfjzguioRuVfQ54rGC9iTfgzVikK2XvT2HZm50HLmGjTAZtLGAFt3Ey0pcCatx66Yz1Mk7YFoxVhyphenhyphenaDN5SxDeFhBADgQsJ6qoVghWoVD-kT0pOOIGdzlCUCTt4fs/s200/IMG_2851.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr.Pitt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLthwGUj5cd_Pn16B-CvgWO_O1CVQGH2OaQU1e7N-5ONIawD-IgJuefZqPq4rFnbN9GMVVRHfZhWWcC-b25ogtZXDqcc8J_d9Ycdg2YlrtIAWt5fwY_Hl4Mz6mkKTHSxFQBsaxJ_gJwE8/s1600/1394783_10201906699884472_1419051088_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLthwGUj5cd_Pn16B-CvgWO_O1CVQGH2OaQU1e7N-5ONIawD-IgJuefZqPq4rFnbN9GMVVRHfZhWWcC-b25ogtZXDqcc8J_d9Ycdg2YlrtIAWt5fwY_Hl4Mz6mkKTHSxFQBsaxJ_gJwE8/s200/1394783_10201906699884472_1419051088_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids on Halloween</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, I have been trying to do more work at City Weekend. I reviewed this bar for the magazine called Mr.Pitt which serves the best traditional cocktails, and I'm working on a video project about the smog in Shanghai. As for teaching, I have picked up seven more classes this week alone. I now teach at three different schools throughout the week. I mostly still teach 2nd graders (we taught them all about Halloween and the kids dressed up), but now on Saturday I teach little babies, like 4 to 6 year-olds!!! They are all so cute! One of the little girls cried this weekend when she lost one of the games we played. It broke my heart.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other news, I went to the International Beer Festival here in Shanghai which was pretty cool and randomly ran into some City Weekend people. Also, we had our Dumpling Fest 2013 where my friend Taylor made us some amazing dumplings like the pizza bite dumpling, mexican bean burrito dumpling, and Nutella dumpling…one word: delicious. I tried to find the Propaganda Museum, but got lost….sort of ironic when I think about it. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmEgs8B-EPl_XIx_j0C2spRLZTYW7W1KjeVSM74KXOkxifV-uLFB6Lfd3G7s2hxW2mzHdMve-KHvdyqdSLCDZkCwe9GNFEwIP6EoV7szl_ZLijObBBIIZ14PEw8IfTQJy-sSNKELq-0M/s1600/IMG_2664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmEgs8B-EPl_XIx_j0C2spRLZTYW7W1KjeVSM74KXOkxifV-uLFB6Lfd3G7s2hxW2mzHdMve-KHvdyqdSLCDZkCwe9GNFEwIP6EoV7szl_ZLijObBBIIZ14PEw8IfTQJy-sSNKELq-0M/s400/IMG_2664.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanghai International Beer Festival</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a struggle to find blonde hair dye and peroxide, I finally dyed my hair by ordering some hair dye online and buying this stuff called "Double Oxygen Milk" at a store near work. The mixture turned purple before I put it on my head, but it worked in the end. Definitely glad I still have my hair. Another struggle came last weekend when my iPhone was stolen on the subway. Yep. I miss my phone. Luckily, I can still use my iPod to WeChat and play Candy Crush (I lost all my levels though--I am literally crushed). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But throughout all the madness, there is a silver lining--I took my GRE test this past weekend and did pretty good! It was stressful finding the school, but I was so relieved when it was all over. I have been studying for weeks now with my friend Brittany. We decided to reward ourselves and go out to lunch at this great Thai place we found! I, of course, got a Starbucks too (one with a red Christmas cup!). Now I just have a few essays to write for my applications and I'm good to go! I am applying to UC Berkeley, NYU, and Columbia University. Go big or go home! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexSrkz1aSbT25mV4Juioenfvd4dBrheoFzxP5AgUpNsqdeynGs-G27FHpDWERTE9ANRxnOxFxIzB35bHQFS3GmDML1hk7oMFOMO75vUqI-iEll9hHPKUTLdFymADqBDFaQYbMDaYxrZE/s1600/MVI_2606.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexSrkz1aSbT25mV4Juioenfvd4dBrheoFzxP5AgUpNsqdeynGs-G27FHpDWERTE9ANRxnOxFxIzB35bHQFS3GmDML1hk7oMFOMO75vUqI-iEll9hHPKUTLdFymADqBDFaQYbMDaYxrZE/s1600/MVI_2606.MOV" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Dumpling Fest 2013!</td></tr>
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Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-81779066444953441902013-10-13T07:28:00.000-07:002013-10-13T08:42:03.766-07:00Beijing and Back Again: Two Expats' Tale of Tackling the Chinese Capital <div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">―</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983.J_R_R_Tolkien" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">J.R.R. Tolkien</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1540236" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">The Hobbit</a></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2hyOGum0rPiaSOYq0j1YMcJgkH07QFYbtz6733siPI1pRS2OgIm3pAKLQ2G4aRIF_CkrYIiUV72aQ5ZWs-reB2oEIlDDAxX19H8z_rwTUuThvhkSVh74i_XLaYN6Q-MgJvia_-VgPkw/s1600/IMG_2081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik2hyOGum0rPiaSOYq0j1YMcJgkH07QFYbtz6733siPI1pRS2OgIm3pAKLQ2G4aRIF_CkrYIiUV72aQ5ZWs-reB2oEIlDDAxX19H8z_rwTUuThvhkSVh74i_XLaYN6Q-MgJvia_-VgPkw/s200/IMG_2081.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">~*~</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Finally, I have given myself enough space from the trip to actually write the blog about it. As any English major would, I have called this trip "Beijing and Back Again: Two Expats' Tale of Tackling the Chinese Capital."Yes, I was inspired by <i>The Hobbit</i> to title this trip. My friend Julia and I had to go through many perils in order to enjoy Beijing during the Chinese National Holiday while we were there from Oct. 2nd-5th. We had to conjure up Bilbo's courage to make it through.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGr_O9miInvXfYsBw2tMnGegEyBfjSgQ8cLsI3QdTH4wRWleEM-e4csGyhuD9Lgm3pHrUMmxPLavDr3ax1puxnQP9TxAxOLEvioSpqwSbzIeG-L8xWVP2asSVmfqS88LrSUt4_5aIfUYE/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGr_O9miInvXfYsBw2tMnGegEyBfjSgQ8cLsI3QdTH4wRWleEM-e4csGyhuD9Lgm3pHrUMmxPLavDr3ax1puxnQP9TxAxOLEvioSpqwSbzIeG-L8xWVP2asSVmfqS88LrSUt4_5aIfUYE/s200/IMG_2038.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those of you who don't know, the Chinese National Holiday is a week-long holiday used to celebrate the day the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded on October 1st, 1949, at a ceremony in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. In many ways, it was perfect to visit the Chinese capital during National Week, 64 years after the PRC was founded. During the week, Tiananmen Square is decorated in festive attire showing pictures of Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the PRC. Tiananmen Square has even more history, having been the setting of the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFfexA2LdTg8vrdMWikt-Cqe4_0S8M1eYcdw-q9W5XyoTHMh_RmHtNNOYSJScNAIxTaq1Gl8d1wqSI_BrGej9vrrYc1LRtPdapWXWP-Q0PfEPv7Ed1schp7hQdIEjj9OBzV-m18Cynd4/s1600/IMG_2061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFfexA2LdTg8vrdMWikt-Cqe4_0S8M1eYcdw-q9W5XyoTHMh_RmHtNNOYSJScNAIxTaq1Gl8d1wqSI_BrGej9vrrYc1LRtPdapWXWP-Q0PfEPv7Ed1schp7hQdIEjj9OBzV-m18Cynd4/s200/IMG_2061.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5_fRWEqJJg9h3VmtZe0IlNWxNsc_KxKqnplXanZ3jK3mWqViJ30X-ygqj6zUgHHIxGWyF6C1LX8Ug1h0o5pHIVpZJUnZip9EQfl60wXC-GnglS0oX7cdVYfA78sO-70PptMbQDCHpgQ/s1600/IMG_2036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5_fRWEqJJg9h3VmtZe0IlNWxNsc_KxKqnplXanZ3jK3mWqViJ30X-ygqj6zUgHHIxGWyF6C1LX8Ug1h0o5pHIVpZJUnZip9EQfl60wXC-GnglS0oX7cdVYfA78sO-70PptMbQDCHpgQ/s200/IMG_2036.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before we left on our little voyage we joked that since Julia and I were voyaging together we would need a chaperone. Little did we know, that that was exactly what we needed, preferably one that could speak Chinese. In appropriate fashion, we got to the train station a whole hour ahead of time and patiently waited by our platform for the fast 5-hour train to Beijing. We even got some McDonalds so we wouldn't be hungry on the train. So as the minutes clocked down, we were getting anxious that a train wasn't arriving at our gate. We got up and asked some officials if we were at the right gate and they all assured us that we were. Then one person said, "the middle."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2EnIcNfNKnfcVT-Nsz5nkTTL0EU8-ygDWZyWLjUVnbVL-DEZV4jTNBQw4El5np-XrndIQhqdLKNuC52t0_cvx-kiXl1G-CFHF9NYqW28sS0tfz-NkhpM2gni_FfNWOBuhgfLjGL8orI/s1600/IMG_2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2EnIcNfNKnfcVT-Nsz5nkTTL0EU8-ygDWZyWLjUVnbVL-DEZV4jTNBQw4El5np-XrndIQhqdLKNuC52t0_cvx-kiXl1G-CFHF9NYqW28sS0tfz-NkhpM2gni_FfNWOBuhgfLjGL8orI/s200/IMG_2028.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We panicked and finally saw the line we were supposed to be in, except it was for the next train. We had missed ours. It turned out that the only seats left were in first class and we had to pay for them, along with a ticket exchange fee. It was painful to hand over those bills. Even more painful, however, was the ticket teller explaining to us in Chinenglish that the new ticket was for tomorrow, and not today. We walked away totally disappointed, but willing to come back at 5pm the next day, giving us only two days in Beijing. I wanted to make sure though so I asked someone at the line forming at our new platform. Apparently the teller mixed up her "today" with "tomorrow." We were soon on our way in comfortable first class seats.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2vi4zdHdKXgXmpsRPLcahjXE0kn0_jVQwnan7X11y16vicwn76-jQ_IJxjhQ7NnMyAzrfGdp0RZzTY-T1cVMHgdIfhSz5NWUxzQPc_MQ5rc0i353vUCKm-N2gtVagslyXHH-5csf1cM/s1600/IMG_1999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2vi4zdHdKXgXmpsRPLcahjXE0kn0_jVQwnan7X11y16vicwn76-jQ_IJxjhQ7NnMyAzrfGdp0RZzTY-T1cVMHgdIfhSz5NWUxzQPc_MQ5rc0i353vUCKm-N2gtVagslyXHH-5csf1cM/s200/IMG_1999.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We arrived in Beijing and quickly got on the subway. The subway stop we were supposed to get off at was closed, so we took a cab with this other expat couple. The taxi driver was really nice, but to a fault. There were times where we stopped the cab and walk around so he could get his bearings. A lost taxi driver is never a good sign. Finally, we got a map from a nearby hostel and walked over to it, ditching the cab driver on the way, although he looked pretty content with coming with us.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSq1SB0bCjfw_Rg5TbajpJ_a1B8kRGESCDgKu_0oksDpqJS2PK8zUmMQ4-gYn6QZsKTBg911TDugVCzhYhaEokpdMzQuhAinKtUkRp2GX256Cs5dICooMyH_95rXlMFusnyTAKerqv6U/s1600/1376576_10201717685319226_386533063_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSq1SB0bCjfw_Rg5TbajpJ_a1B8kRGESCDgKu_0oksDpqJS2PK8zUmMQ4-gYn6QZsKTBg911TDugVCzhYhaEokpdMzQuhAinKtUkRp2GX256Cs5dICooMyH_95rXlMFusnyTAKerqv6U/s200/1376576_10201717685319226_386533063_n.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The front desk worker couldn't speak English and couldn't find our reservation which we made a week ago, so gave us an empty room instead. The next morning we woke up early and went on a Great Wall Tour. It took us four hours in traffic to reach the Wall but when we did it was worth it. There were very few tourists in our "secret" location. We hiked up and down the mountains through the history that has shaped modern day China.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An archaeological survey has found that the entire wall with all its fortifications measures 13, 171 miles. It was beautiful and I took some of the best pictures that I have in a long time. My legs hurt for days after though. The Wall is not the easiest thing to master, especially when it is extremely windy and you didn't bring a jacket.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We took the long bus ride home that night feeling accomplished--we had hiked on The Great Wall of China! Success! When we got to our hostel, however, the owner was there apologizing that they were fully booked and we would have to find another hostel. I tried to summon my inner travel agent mom who would have never accepted this, but she was a nice woman who offered to take us to a partner hostel and receive 20% off. Unfortunately, the hostel was further than our previous hostel to the Forbidden City where we were going the next day.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimsCSLI48JvarmHvbAICwTDG_FMt5t0BmeVaGI4sO8iG8MhlkYgQx6Yt7O_X4OTC0LLMfHpq3n-pAO6T6ZMhBWl7kOGvpRnUmcnJBhHzXLzdsvIiqi_Z9LzMQCBrGg-ddeVBMkMP8rbs/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimsCSLI48JvarmHvbAICwTDG_FMt5t0BmeVaGI4sO8iG8MhlkYgQx6Yt7O_X4OTC0LLMfHpq3n-pAO6T6ZMhBWl7kOGvpRnUmcnJBhHzXLzdsvIiqi_Z9LzMQCBrGg-ddeVBMkMP8rbs/s200/IMG_2086.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg575EEEHc5sgRtqGJMYO_CNST8GjMlj4NSJiTpjcSgXklTiVWv98xjdkNm1MT_BQjpx60ehwgNTba7R07QR58kh9QY1hfWKLohnis3heeQWLxymwknO-mvUqR8Wa3R38Kh7UuJyelyFyI/s1600/IMG_2107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg575EEEHc5sgRtqGJMYO_CNST8GjMlj4NSJiTpjcSgXklTiVWv98xjdkNm1MT_BQjpx60ehwgNTba7R07QR58kh9QY1hfWKLohnis3heeQWLxymwknO-mvUqR8Wa3R38Kh7UuJyelyFyI/s200/IMG_2107.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ironically, the Forbidden City is easy to enter,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">with the huge picture of Mao ushering you in, but difficult to leave. Julia and I had to pay 2RMB to leave….which is like 20 cents, but still! Overall though, the Forbidden City was awesome to see, even with the Beijing smog. We saw the Dragon Wall, a golden throne, art pieces galore, and the architecture that has become symbols for the Chinese people and culture. I also found a Beijing spoon! (I collect spoons from each new city I go to).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBpIohFAXSoqJq4zF-mjab1vC87cBXlHOnO1okXwCVGGUcj5_y1cGmgsNAkyCrIEUYQNqZzLFstb3D5T8LtwS4l0sZxamU5ctSgvT_GAZZUkiStRnAgP-AJ85PwOc8oPZMnkt3Z3LRCA/s1600/IMG_2153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wvBrNseXLl0YSQ6e4qHVuNKwbCwb7rSGlYpUC_bIk_AJ0EAAyOypkROiZT03h3VpZt0ZS6QpL615ZljGza3vd_GPK3LeElPkK8UOAs4CYkG8WHdw91jVF4nfPdtau0Ug3KRW0RYRDgc/s1600/IMG_2246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wvBrNseXLl0YSQ6e4qHVuNKwbCwb7rSGlYpUC_bIk_AJ0EAAyOypkROiZT03h3VpZt0ZS6QpL615ZljGza3vd_GPK3LeElPkK8UOAs4CYkG8WHdw91jVF4nfPdtau0Ug3KRW0RYRDgc/s200/IMG_2246.jpg" width="166" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAMnO4h5rKc5AMLfV_l1JFDs7WHqHu4dRfjLoUQjOS6d4khC-lvupT6mvAgBqmqm34QduPgPLjx9_lwRinSR1aemwYHVnFtaVQLgG54UhZ-xFE-6LCRo9i8yNve7E5j_MCDaN10YrIkQ/s1600/IMG_2457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidAMnO4h5rKc5AMLfV_l1JFDs7WHqHu4dRfjLoUQjOS6d4khC-lvupT6mvAgBqmqm34QduPgPLjx9_lwRinSR1aemwYHVnFtaVQLgG54UhZ-xFE-6LCRo9i8yNve7E5j_MCDaN10YrIkQ/s200/IMG_2457.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinknJ1lHpyZwrOIdQHioRBF_cJEf_4lrsiwznbYeNfEZDpE9hUS5eqAyf11qQWWR6H0n-qyCpJqUfFSvxlYyf6TvXmUAeTZ-Q0AUMLgXo_bMElpZC_4z35HOzw4Gj7N8gg8XS7GMDwIW0/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinknJ1lHpyZwrOIdQHioRBF_cJEf_4lrsiwznbYeNfEZDpE9hUS5eqAyf11qQWWR6H0n-qyCpJqUfFSvxlYyf6TvXmUAeTZ-Q0AUMLgXo_bMElpZC_4z35HOzw4Gj7N8gg8XS7GMDwIW0/s200/IMG_2331.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdMcofREVOhxLP5DZapS5OrOQvFsKmiZVLDSTb_UfbYNo0BQiT2vlndUmxBGk58y8ZdyosXFCzM9I7umISLoCJOvUpZDRRTV87AuqXCWYLyNSoVmhisqKJrLsoWXZ391mss0KfBI6378/s1600/IMG_2523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdMcofREVOhxLP5DZapS5OrOQvFsKmiZVLDSTb_UfbYNo0BQiT2vlndUmxBGk58y8ZdyosXFCzM9I7umISLoCJOvUpZDRRTV87AuqXCWYLyNSoVmhisqKJrLsoWXZ391mss0KfBI6378/s200/IMG_2523.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Afterwards, we were planning to meet up with my friend Henry who is a teacher in Beijing, who is the son of a friend of my dad's. At the meeting time my phone ran out of money and the Forbidden City was closing (guards barely let us exit the way we came back to meet under the picture). We jumped on the metro to the next stop to add money to my phone, but we couldn't find a store. Instead, Costa Coffee came to the rescue! I emailed Henry who met us there.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He took us to this great famous Peking Duck restaurant and then to KTV (karaoke) afterwards. The duck was the best I have ever eaten. There was a special sauce that makes the duck taste exquisite. The karaoke was a blast! KTV is really popular in China and it was fun to finally do it and with people who like to sing!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The next day, and final day, we walked around Tiananamen Square where the smog is the main thing in all of our pictures. Even through the rough patches, Julia and I made it back to Shanghai, this time with a 2nd class ticket and the right train, with a bunch of memories and stories to tell our friends.</span><br />
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A video I created with clips of my Beijing trip for my internship with City Weekend:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Qhw8Fi8BS1M" width="420"></iframe>Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-18467025789744342772013-09-20T02:53:00.005-07:002013-09-20T02:53:55.870-07:00One Month Down...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hi readers...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I have been in China for a good month now and I
think I might just be getting used to the culture here. A lot of things
happened this week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-0J7oXdhCKC90fz9qcSprhnIvjfpZxuFb0_No723wHGAeT1ruaUTE_I4hVyMyYwt2zJ_Mij6aeeyHhzHxj0bVymcFVUFtlmWfziGTNKU0uTsVbQVi5qzWbrzeaZEFsfZtJsdxakkJiI/s1600/1240342_10201600467028842_249799700_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-0J7oXdhCKC90fz9qcSprhnIvjfpZxuFb0_No723wHGAeT1ruaUTE_I4hVyMyYwt2zJ_Mij6aeeyHhzHxj0bVymcFVUFtlmWfziGTNKU0uTsVbQVi5qzWbrzeaZEFsfZtJsdxakkJiI/s200/1240342_10201600467028842_249799700_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. I got a Chinese name!!! My Chinese name is Li
Aisi, which means "thinking of love!" I have always wanted a Chinese
name since I found out that a lot of Chinese people have English ones! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLDFfdRVbG0a48mSxt1OoQRnHIdGe0owudkhtAw2UpoGih_enng4Jy9Er2uNwDr0_GxkPSgoMUVwkak0upK8JmciiIkxh4_6RzJLpK9M7teMbtcQ-WmVr4xeltnF2KKM0ZjLnRF_CWdA/s1600/1233557_10201627386301807_2036268782_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLDFfdRVbG0a48mSxt1OoQRnHIdGe0owudkhtAw2UpoGih_enng4Jy9Er2uNwDr0_GxkPSgoMUVwkak0upK8JmciiIkxh4_6RzJLpK9M7teMbtcQ-WmVr4xeltnF2KKM0ZjLnRF_CWdA/s200/1233557_10201627386301807_2036268782_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a classic Chinese holiday and
people are off for two days. :D My friends and I are taking this time to be
tourists. We might go to the zoo to see pandas or go to the top of the Pearl
Tower. Around this time, people eat these mooncakes, which are these pastries filled with red bean paste or egg or fruit. I have tried them and I think they are just ok. Red bean paste is not my favorite. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. I got a job at a school! I now teach 2nd graders at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">Da Hushan First Primary School! It is a really nice school, the "model" school for the area. I have about 25 students in each class. Right now I will be teaching 2 classes at this school per week. I have to pick up stickers this week for my students (They love stickers here! Especially cute panda stickers). Two guys who work in Shanghai with me were needed because they have way more male students in China than girl students because of their one child law. At the other school I was placed at, I might be teaching an AP English course...but we will see.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxJrBOs19QilYDEF7GXjdvLn4QEqguNPxd_MLzeawXang_NUCSxp75sJDvB51GdTT7eFDMCfCoehNn7ch5mOcWXt0Nlm8xjT_v5nKTz4E80PZsUSesuZ995UuP-TqTUWOLHgvVUxefcc/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxJrBOs19QilYDEF7GXjdvLn4QEqguNPxd_MLzeawXang_NUCSxp75sJDvB51GdTT7eFDMCfCoehNn7ch5mOcWXt0Nlm8xjT_v5nKTz4E80PZsUSesuZ995UuP-TqTUWOLHgvVUxefcc/s320/IMG_1449.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">4. I turned in my first video for City Weekend! My boss really liked it. I will post it on here as soon as the final version is put on the website. It is how the metro system functions in Shanghai...you know, for those clueless expats (aka me). </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">5. My friend told me today that she can go to Beijing with me on the National Holiday week! So excited! I will email my friend Henry to see if he would like to hang out with us while we are up there. You can't go to China without seeing the Great Wall after all!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">6. Last Saturday Quibao where we had a nice little feast set up by Ameson and went on a little boat ride through the ancient city. People here sell everything in the streets and there was a cricket museum that has cricket fights sometimes. There was an open door where this butcher was chopping up lambs. Interesting... </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDNjMVAfCzhWfD5Q1p9kDYiALwQdxSuftMVLr75VwCIrMoFPmfbvtV4MDkfLY6pb2dt9MIz0pbkokLA7XhMI0CZJdqEQlkqQ3RgFwFsgfe40gyd-wVURfd2i6YI8ymZH7TEaPpmFXyOk/s1600/1075680_10202186322405779_603525724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDNjMVAfCzhWfD5Q1p9kDYiALwQdxSuftMVLr75VwCIrMoFPmfbvtV4MDkfLY6pb2dt9MIz0pbkokLA7XhMI0CZJdqEQlkqQ3RgFwFsgfe40gyd-wVURfd2i6YI8ymZH7TEaPpmFXyOk/s400/1075680_10202186322405779_603525724_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;">7. My Internet was setup in my apartment today, but we don't have a router yet...being unplugged is hard. Thank goodness for this internet cafe :) </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8D6qk3XVHR7swbHXMs0ZxpTXzPG9pvBIQ3045Ft43I-FFJeGMPCWVdW1wanXq5D3pJFiMnwjucXbadOAyKqgeRJX8j2LaTg_5slp_vrKwMUNEyzLR5bckiSTGC3EEB_KIybZ05u5UU8/s1600/945196_10201627391421935_1817715881_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8D6qk3XVHR7swbHXMs0ZxpTXzPG9pvBIQ3045Ft43I-FFJeGMPCWVdW1wanXq5D3pJFiMnwjucXbadOAyKqgeRJX8j2LaTg_5slp_vrKwMUNEyzLR5bckiSTGC3EEB_KIybZ05u5UU8/s200/945196_10201627391421935_1817715881_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">P.S.: Shanghai has the cutest dogs everywhere! Although, this guy I saw on Nanjing Road is pretty bizarre. He has booties though!</span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-41426664907608292952013-09-08T06:00:00.001-07:002013-09-08T06:00:26.361-07:00"This is China!" T.I.C.:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcrV3FH3cyfLC7i1Ixct8ikbuohzYb496tzietrHnZSEENaXVr649n4Ysw_YRqcDppAXsqtlONvjEAmuB8tBw1GYBBkHIya8yYGCodQou1JPGY3VqR3_3qew_7Araxl_0tINJZJ-pklo/s1600/1176181_10201542509459939_1688841973_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcrV3FH3cyfLC7i1Ixct8ikbuohzYb496tzietrHnZSEENaXVr649n4Ysw_YRqcDppAXsqtlONvjEAmuB8tBw1GYBBkHIya8yYGCodQou1JPGY3VqR3_3qew_7Araxl_0tINJZJ-pklo/s320/1176181_10201542509459939_1688841973_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>"This is China" refers to everything that happens in China that is out of the ordinary for anyone from a western country. We say it here at least three times a day. When someone on the subway spits on your foot--"This is China." When babies don't wear diapers so that they can relieve themselves on the street--"This is China." When you realize how packed the country actually is with a trip to IKEA--"This is China."When it becomes the Hunger Games to get a seat on the subway--"This is China!" When MacDonalds has black and white burger buns--"This is China." When you are a celebrity just because you have blond hair and even the waiter at the hotel you are staying at wants a picture with you--"This is China!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSYdCkOyOC3NcM01f7qErR4-fpEy9TUVwDOU-nqbNPmMWByW_htwRYKQy5ztT566Bq9TExmc-GC77jrOCKhO_yCBiRspBarXwiETtXy62gYqn1qoyQCFgNYbZlHAjS83KROwAwEGZ3Os/s1600/IMG_1949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSYdCkOyOC3NcM01f7qErR4-fpEy9TUVwDOU-nqbNPmMWByW_htwRYKQy5ztT566Bq9TExmc-GC77jrOCKhO_yCBiRspBarXwiETtXy62gYqn1qoyQCFgNYbZlHAjS83KROwAwEGZ3Os/s200/IMG_1949.JPG" width="200" /></a>These are all the cultural things that we will have to get used to over the next couple of months. There might be a lot of these culture shock moments, but when weighed with all the positives, it is all worth it. For instance, the people here are so nice, the food is great, and my fellow teachers are super smart and nice. There is a local Muslim family who makes the best noodles which are really affordable. One of the big <br />
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dishes is 8 RMB which is about $1.20 in the states.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTAYP0-RRj0Dei5PuNVQVK56XSkEYH4ULp9Mxqx5JUCYMDpAIjYCtzds0y3UOZufd26_Xpd-2gKxJGj7Aovh1n_uk9_hTfKfcXb3XirNF99hkB4IRGXd9LrqqvswinfTdG23aEyO-ubk/s1600/IMG_2063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTAYP0-RRj0Dei5PuNVQVK56XSkEYH4ULp9Mxqx5JUCYMDpAIjYCtzds0y3UOZufd26_Xpd-2gKxJGj7Aovh1n_uk9_hTfKfcXb3XirNF99hkB4IRGXd9LrqqvswinfTdG23aEyO-ubk/s200/IMG_2063.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nsIsqDhJJLcWpQxOqvKZ-IouEidTydeHyKS0Ko7R8HuJ9ghUuk9OJ6Sn2I_w-1EPA7udrUiq-ymbaXaSDQPq5JuJVb7wQVnW21zva7rxuF32Ox2c9yn6GV9Ddz1rqnxLeqXwxSwg_Y8/s1600/IMG_1998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nsIsqDhJJLcWpQxOqvKZ-IouEidTydeHyKS0Ko7R8HuJ9ghUuk9OJ6Sn2I_w-1EPA7udrUiq-ymbaXaSDQPq5JuJVb7wQVnW21zva7rxuF32Ox2c9yn6GV9Ddz1rqnxLeqXwxSwg_Y8/s200/IMG_1998.JPG" width="200" /></a>This trip so far has been interesting, to say the least. Actually it has been a bunch of things combined in these past two weeks, which feels more like a month. I have already tried bullfrog, dumplings, the Chinese version of a crepe, and real bubble tea! I had my first class last friday at one of the top middle schools in Shanghai. My group of 6th graders had a pretty firm grasp on English and I think my lesson that I prepared was too easy. But, it was my first attempt at teaching, and overall I think I did a good job. One girl came up to me at the end of my lesson and said I was the most interesting teacher she ever had. Made my heart melt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXefcodQHE21SEC_U0-z05QAA1Yy30ZosIODkKyZh2XCwy44Un8SCN-ryADyE39IvbFLWYOZta1jJCrA0-86w7WZU8VJNw638oDzafAELVNQbpgdI53toUF_13Hgk8lr0aumbkw0wu3Lc/s1600/1229936_10201492085319367_1155166575_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXefcodQHE21SEC_U0-z05QAA1Yy30ZosIODkKyZh2XCwy44Un8SCN-ryADyE39IvbFLWYOZta1jJCrA0-86w7WZU8VJNw638oDzafAELVNQbpgdI53toUF_13Hgk8lr0aumbkw0wu3Lc/s320/1229936_10201492085319367_1155166575_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
At first we thought we were all going to be forced to work forty hours a week when our contracts only say 25. Eventually, we got the school to look at our contracts and got things settled. Out of everything, I love my apartment!!! It's very cute, modern, and colorful, complete with a red kitchen and some orange walls. My favorite part is probably the air conditioner in the living room since it has been extremely humid here. In other news I have already made great friends who are mostly from the east coast.<br />
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Along with our 25 hours a week teaching, we were promised chances to get internships. I got one at an English magazine called City Weekend! I am excited to do some video and blog work for them :)Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1910145246912981864.post-38772531839871622022013-08-12T16:41:00.001-07:002013-08-12T16:43:23.398-07:00First Post...The Adventure is soon to begin<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ni Hao! </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5goNKmC0V7FX8vNasNYYmJ8qCYGuIv6Xuy3YwgMN9uHnHs8K6dYEUdWVWrygzJGGD1YFGR308dUvbOaTRgMXjHZxBqj8msyFm1hhUB6v1n8S3P46HIWIF6m8gWo1L6Taaun1v_NORcN4/s1600/Shanghai+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5goNKmC0V7FX8vNasNYYmJ8qCYGuIv6Xuy3YwgMN9uHnHs8K6dYEUdWVWrygzJGGD1YFGR308dUvbOaTRgMXjHZxBqj8msyFm1hhUB6v1n8S3P46HIWIF6m8gWo1L6Taaun1v_NORcN4/s200/Shanghai+7.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">to my blog all about teaching English in China, my adventures in China, and other travel adventures while in Asia. </span><br />
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I will depart this fine country in less than two weeks to teach abroad in Shanghai for around 9 months. Honestly, I am more nervous about teaching middle schoolers than I am about living in China. I have only a little bit of experience teaching--I have tutored kids before and have sat in on some elementary school classes, but that is it. Gulp. I am up to the challenge though! Supposedly, Chinese students are more behaved in the classroom than American students and teachers are widely respected over in the "Mainland," as they say. I am preparing for the 35-50 students I will be teaching in my class by looking up middle school activities on Pinterest. Haha there's not much I am actually able to prepare at this point. When I get there they will provide me with a textbook to use for my classes. I will only be teaching 25 hours a week, which is nothing to complain about. Since I'm going to have some extra time on my hands, I hope to find some kind of internship as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpN-BeJsTGzDuBTT5b2Xy549097_oMm81hT5-QthbA7VRlU6-4B9TXUlQ_cZnCnJPn65opbHHX2NrXinj6ql0Z1lYdse1g-h4XSVuWXetVo2B-X-NC5zE-alP4FFfDn_aoB68x73kpUk/s1600/shanghai+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpN-BeJsTGzDuBTT5b2Xy549097_oMm81hT5-QthbA7VRlU6-4B9TXUlQ_cZnCnJPn65opbHHX2NrXinj6ql0Z1lYdse1g-h4XSVuWXetVo2B-X-NC5zE-alP4FFfDn_aoB68x73kpUk/s200/shanghai+8.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Right now I am at the tail end of my preparation....now I just actually have to pack all of my stuff into one giant suitcase. So far, I have masks for all the smog I will encounter, a water heater, warm clothes, and a decent stash of American food such as Pop Tarts, popcorn, mac and cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate chips to name a few things. Is there some food items I'm missing? There will be no shortage of noodles and tea over there! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThsc2k5CLTX6mn53xdUw5HMpm1zGrkami5zhGkaCoeK3e-Ufitq1VZUL0J-g7HdDLRHJ-qXJL_-BuJFJWNb5q9okCir9NA3ZM1qehpqVZWdVAbY0Fb15N-bi1VQyBCLcGQSZp6H1aaH0/s1600/shanghai+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThsc2k5CLTX6mn53xdUw5HMpm1zGrkami5zhGkaCoeK3e-Ufitq1VZUL0J-g7HdDLRHJ-qXJL_-BuJFJWNb5q9okCir9NA3ZM1qehpqVZWdVAbY0Fb15N-bi1VQyBCLcGQSZp6H1aaH0/s200/shanghai+1.jpg" width="200" /></a>I now have my tourist visa which I will have to exchange for a work visa once I am over there. I can't lie, I'm a little nervous about that part since the laws have recently become more stringent. I will most likely be traveling to Hong Kong to get that within two months of my entrance into Shanghai. When I first get there, I will have orientation for a week while staying at a hotel in Shanghai, and then be placed in a furnished apartment with either one or two roommates.</div>
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One of the things I am most excited about is probably all of the food! Shanghai is the most populated city in the world, and naturally has some of the best food in the world. Since Shanghai is a port city, there is a great supply of fresh seafood including a specialty called "hairy crab." On top of that, there are dumplings, stinky tofu (which is actually stinky, but supposedly good), tons of noodle dishes, frog legs, this dish called drunk chicken, etc...I want to try it all! And yes, that means I will try a little bit of dog, although they are more often considered pets over there now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs_Hi6J_HWlogg5D1G6nzDYt9j6MXTM69Wwd_weflxPz6DTqngk7w1j9gKcau05k5KGsXEAvL08uplS8kohrbLaNJ7EyZD62CR2w2tp10VvSBtvxQlYelYzBcqX_bgCVv-gPxeAPAfAw/s1600/Shanghai+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs_Hi6J_HWlogg5D1G6nzDYt9j6MXTM69Wwd_weflxPz6DTqngk7w1j9gKcau05k5KGsXEAvL08uplS8kohrbLaNJ7EyZD62CR2w2tp10VvSBtvxQlYelYzBcqX_bgCVv-gPxeAPAfAw/s320/Shanghai+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In other news, I have the Rosetta Stone for Mandarin so I am trying to learn a little bit in my free time right now. It is a tough language with no official alphabet and four different tones, but I'm trying! I know that I will stand out no matter what I do over there (pale with blond hair isn't something most Chinese see on a daily basis)...although my height fits in rather nicely. All the clothes and shoes are going to fit me over there!</div>
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I'm super excited for this new experience, and who knows, maybe I will even fall in love with teaching! I am determined to come back in nine months though, even though a lot of expats (foreigners who work in the country) end up staying for awhile longer.</div>
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I will update this blog regularly. I will try to write a post at least once every two weeks once I'm in China so keep reading if you are interested in my travels and especially if you think you might also want to do this someday! </div>
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<br />Ilyse Liffreinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09129575582086103150noreply@blogger.com1