Touch the Black Girl!!

You know I don't really mind the staring and coming up to me to say "Hello", but some of these people pet me....I'm like "Am I a new animal?" It's not that bad but some people look like they might be thieves so I make sure to not have anything in pocket and only carry a small bag. I have heard that Tibetans will aggressively ask foreigners for money and...Hey, I ain't rich.

Let's Go To The Movies

I went out with my program friends to see a movie in the theaters. lol Oh yes experiencing all of China in these terms....

So we get to the theater and (as you all should know I already watch Chinese shows and movies in America so I have favorite actors) I see the poster for a movie that one of my favs is in and I tell everyone that we should watch that or one other. (The other looked good but i didn't know those actors) We ended up picking mine because the other one didn't play at night....
I did the translating for the group this time. (It would have been me or the Korean girl YeJin) I guess it's because the others would only respond to my English translations that she tells me "but there are no English subs" and I was soooo happy when I told her "that's ok. we don't want any!" lol i'm lame.

[[Anywho, student discounts here are bomb!! We got half price. That]] [[movie was 60 yuan($ 8.76) and we only paid 30 ($4.38)!!!]]

The actual movie was actually pretty good. This is the first movie that my actor has done. So I expected corny. I was also glad because only YeJin and I are in advanced class, but the lines for the movie weren't to difficult at all...(or was that just us understanding??) haha

We've decided to go to the movies often because even the friends I have in America learn English through watching our movies.

P.S. For some reason when my Chinese friends speak English to me I subconsciously translate it to Japanese. With my American friends I translate it to Chinese....

Still in China

I was thinking all day that this trip is not going as I'd planned and I'm not learning fast enough, and I feel so alone out here.

Then I walked back to campus and the friends I made here welcomed me back with open arms! lol I felt like "Wow stupid! You have friends right here trying to help you along!" They talk to me all the time mixing their small english skills and explaining their meaning in simple Chinese, I realized that there isn't much more that I want. ...well...maybe money....but besides that lol

There is a saying that I learned in class 在家靠父母，出门靠朋友。which means at home depend on your parents, outside depend on your friends. And I think my friends are awesome. I don't really want to go to Shanghai next semester.

Monestary Viewing

Sorry about not updating. It's been a little hectic. Anyway, we went to see 乐山Leshan. The place with the big Buddha carved into a mountain. It was a complete let down. I've read up on all of the places that we'd be visiting this year and I have seen cool things about Leshan online so i was pretty excited to see this 233foot tall, 90 yrs to carve Buddha. But when we got there we just took the boat ride to pass it by. I felt like I had just watched the ending of a movie I'd always wanted to see. So I'm warning everyone, if you ever want to see the Buddha climb it. it's much more exciting. then we went to 峨眉山 Emei mountain. and i went to my first hot spring!! lol they are very nice but only one was really "hot" most were like a heated pool. The funny thing is that people kept asking aloud what country I was from. and one group was joking around saying "I can't tell if that's a foreigner or not" ....yea it was strange. The next day we climbed the mountain to see 3 different temples. I felt like the stairs were endless!!! Of course the next day my legs were sore. The mountain was completely beautiful and the temples were very nice for being hundreds of years old. I went on adventure to see wild monkeys too. I have to find a way to upload them. but videos take a long time so I'll have to wait for a patient day lol Thanks for reading!!

Not The Rich Foreigner

I am definitely not the richest foreigner.

I have been asking about where I can buy a good back pack or purse back pack and some jeans. Why do all of them take me to the expensive shopping mall? The bags started at 500RMB and the jeans at about 430RMB. Which is still a good 60 something in USD!!

So I just went shopping with my classmates so that I don't need to waste the chinese students' time. But shopping for pants is not that easy here. I wear a size 28-30. So finding ones that fit is not a big problem. Its finding ones that look good!!

For some odd reason they just love ironed on wrinkles or huge flowers or extremly shiny mess all over their pants. I was like....I'm black. I know you can see me. lol

Anywho shopping in china is interesting. they like for you to try on clothes one by one. i have no idea why.... it is soooo much faster to just try on a few and find the one you like and get out.
I found a good pair for 69yuan [$10] and even a shirt to match for 19yuan [$3].....yep good old National Day sales. lol

The Taste I Used To Know

I am really starting to miss the way bread is not sweet and you can put butter on it. The order in which food is served in the restaurant and the way things have a taste at all! and cake is moist, and cookies can be soft!

This is definitely not the Chinese food I was expecting...but Haagen Dazs did not disappoint! lol

Please be teased.

Haagen Dazs
chocolate greatness
yes even this is edible