So i just got back home last night and it feels amazing. My mom, dad, and fiance picked me up from the airport and took me to Taco Lita. The first thing i ordered was a combo, taco, and a large drink with EXTRA ice. It was sooo amazing that words cannot describe. It was nice to know that the meat i was eating was actually meat and the ice wouldn't make me sick. Then i came home and gave everyone their presents and went to sleep for 4 hours. Then alan and I went over to my moms for dinner and ate with my parents, sister, jason, and niece. My mom made tacos and fruit salad with chips and guacamole. All of the food i missed most! Mexican was the most missed food by far! Right now Alan is bringing me Shakey's pizza and I cant wait.
While we were in Beijing we had to much going on so I didnt have time to write but now I do so ill wrap up the trip for you!
The first day touring in Beijing we went to The Temple of Heaven, The forbiddean city, and tinammin square. We also got to eat lunch at a locals house which was really good. We learned that one meter of a house cost the Chinese 100,000 dollars so only the super rich can have houses. The houses aren't that great either....their houses would be considered our projects here in America. The temple of heaven and the forbidean city were really cool to visit and now i can say i have been to both :).
The second day we went to the Summer palace (their version of our hearst castle), and we went to visit where the olympics were. We also got to go tea tasting at this place called dr. teas. It was cool...they taught us all about the different teas and we got to try all of them. I brought some back for my mom. Then we went to a pearl factory and jade factory. I bought both of course. They have a special type of pearl there called a Lavender pearl and it is only found in China, so i bought lavender pearl earrings. I was super excited.
The last day touring in Beijing we climbed the great wall of china and i did the whole thing! Well on our side there was seven tours! It took me about two hours to get up and another hour to get down. I think. Maybe a little less than that but i wasn't really keeping track. Its really cool to say that I climbed the great wall...especially because i see it in textbooks all the time at school and now i cant see myself in that picture doing it! Then we went to lunch and shopping. I got a cold that night so i left the touring group early and went back to the hotel and took some medicine and went to sleep.
The only thing i missed by leaving early was dinner and a huge movie screen so im happy i left early. ON the way back to the hotel...there was this super old man riding a bicycle on i looked over and he had on these super short shorts and his balls were hanging out! I was scared for life! hahaha.
We had to get up at 3am in the morning and fly home. Everyone else only got a few hours of sleep but beacuse i went back early i got at least 7 hours. The plane ride home seemed like it was never going to end. It still feels surreal to me that im home. I love it.
China was so much fun to go to but im glad to be home in my comfort zone. It was such a great experince and I would do it all over again.
Shanghai and Beijing are such different places. I loved both but are for two totally different types of people and interest.
Can't wait to see everyone over the next few weeks and get back to a normal routine. Im still on China time. Thanks to everyone who read my blogs and shared my journey with me!
kayla ornelas
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Arrived in Beijing
Last night Kelsey and I finished packing and bought some American food at Carefour. We were so excited to have some snacks again that were Americanized! Then we went out to dinner at the Ritz Carlton with our friend Willy. It was hamburgers and fries which tasted pretty good but still nothing compared to home. THey had a Tony Roma's there and some other things that were pretty American but we were to afraid to try. The place that we ate at was really nice because they had a huge patio area with couches to eat on. It over looked the downtown part of Shanghai. After dinner Willy, Kelsey, and I went to this place for desert. I wasn't that into it. I saw that they had cheesecake and got really excited only to find out that it tasted like bland cheesecake that you would give an 80 year old not to upset their stomach. Then Willy came back to our hotel room with us and hung out until like 3:30 in the morning. He started to cry because he said that he was going to miss seeing us in person, because online he can only see a figure and not our presence. When we had to say good-bye to him at the hotel today we cried because we know that we may never see him again. Were trying to get him to come to the U.S. but its really expensive over here and way, way harder to get a visa. Willy got Kelsey and I these chinese calendar car hangers. I'm a snake and Kelsey is a dragon, so he got us each our own animal. He is a really nice person. Were going to miss him. i cant wait to skype with everyone in China when i get back home so you all can see everyone!
This morning we left for the airport at 10am. We got up around 8am and had breakfast and relaxed a little before we left. Then we all met down in the lobby and our teachers and peer leaders started giving speeches and of course it made everyone cry. This morning was another emotional one. Then we all pitched in 35 yuen to buy Connie (supervisor) something nice for all of her hard work and then she really started crying which made everyone else even more sad. It sucks because she really loves Beijing and she couldn't come with us this year because she is going through a divorce and had to be home for something on top of health complications.
When we got to the airport our flight was delayed like an hour so we had to sit in the plane. I was really disgusted by the situation because 90% of our group is sick in some form or another....mostly colds, and the other 70% of the people who i don't know where all sneezing and coughing on the plane. its pretty common in china i feel to be sick. there is too many people to avoid it. Its best just to get sleep and take vitamins because there is no getting away from it. I'm hoping, praying, and wishing that I stay healthy. i slept almost the whole flight and the pilot was pretty good, which luckily made time go by faster. Once we got off of the plane we said goodbye to our leaders because they are staying at a seperate hotel and we went to ours on the other side of town. Today I learned that In Beijing the north side is the side were young people live because thats where the Universities are, the West side (our side) is the military side, so were going to see lots of military (which they say is the safest neighborhood), there is the East side which is where all of the business men stay and is mostly where large coorporations are (where are teachers are staying), and then there is the South side where the common local people reside. My mom would do well here because when they give directions they dont say left and right. When they tell you how to get somewhere they tell you North, east, south, and west. Which sucks for me because im directionally challenged when it comes to n, e, s, and w. Once we landed we went to this chinese restaurant which has had the best food iv'e had so far. I didnt eat any of the meat though because my mom read that in most cantanesse (however you spell it) they mix in dog meat with the chicken and stuff. Once we got to the restaurant they told us that it was cantanesse food and I immediately became a vegetarian for the next 5 days.
We just got to the hotel a few hours ago and I called my mom and alan to tell them i was safe. We walked the streets a little bit and found a dairy queen, mc donalds, kfc, and another carefore/mall. None of which i will be trying. We did find a super cool arcade thought right around the street from our hotel. They had dance dance revolution which all asians are good at (i swear), and they had pool tables with a roller rink, etc. Kelsey and I plan on getting the whole group to go! We just found out that our hotel has a bowling alley and it has another massage place for only 35 yuen, which is equivalent to 5 dollars at home. For an hour too!
So far I like Beijing more than Shanghai but its only been one day. Tomorrow we are going to the Temple of Heaven, The Forbbiden city, and were taking bicycles carts to eat at a local womens house. im excited to see how they people live and see in their houses....im not sure im ganna be game for the food but never know!
Until next time,
kayla ornelas
p.s. i already have a huge line up of places i want to eat when i get back. Kelsey and I were saying everytime we eat here its like "oh its time for ANOTHER meal...but at home were already planning dinner at breakfast" lol. The food is really good here but everything has an asian flare to it that gets old after a while and day after day.
Im sad that the trip is coming to an end. I will be back one day :)
This morning we left for the airport at 10am. We got up around 8am and had breakfast and relaxed a little before we left. Then we all met down in the lobby and our teachers and peer leaders started giving speeches and of course it made everyone cry. This morning was another emotional one. Then we all pitched in 35 yuen to buy Connie (supervisor) something nice for all of her hard work and then she really started crying which made everyone else even more sad. It sucks because she really loves Beijing and she couldn't come with us this year because she is going through a divorce and had to be home for something on top of health complications.
When we got to the airport our flight was delayed like an hour so we had to sit in the plane. I was really disgusted by the situation because 90% of our group is sick in some form or another....mostly colds, and the other 70% of the people who i don't know where all sneezing and coughing on the plane. its pretty common in china i feel to be sick. there is too many people to avoid it. Its best just to get sleep and take vitamins because there is no getting away from it. I'm hoping, praying, and wishing that I stay healthy. i slept almost the whole flight and the pilot was pretty good, which luckily made time go by faster. Once we got off of the plane we said goodbye to our leaders because they are staying at a seperate hotel and we went to ours on the other side of town. Today I learned that In Beijing the north side is the side were young people live because thats where the Universities are, the West side (our side) is the military side, so were going to see lots of military (which they say is the safest neighborhood), there is the East side which is where all of the business men stay and is mostly where large coorporations are (where are teachers are staying), and then there is the South side where the common local people reside. My mom would do well here because when they give directions they dont say left and right. When they tell you how to get somewhere they tell you North, east, south, and west. Which sucks for me because im directionally challenged when it comes to n, e, s, and w. Once we landed we went to this chinese restaurant which has had the best food iv'e had so far. I didnt eat any of the meat though because my mom read that in most cantanesse (however you spell it) they mix in dog meat with the chicken and stuff. Once we got to the restaurant they told us that it was cantanesse food and I immediately became a vegetarian for the next 5 days.
We just got to the hotel a few hours ago and I called my mom and alan to tell them i was safe. We walked the streets a little bit and found a dairy queen, mc donalds, kfc, and another carefore/mall. None of which i will be trying. We did find a super cool arcade thought right around the street from our hotel. They had dance dance revolution which all asians are good at (i swear), and they had pool tables with a roller rink, etc. Kelsey and I plan on getting the whole group to go! We just found out that our hotel has a bowling alley and it has another massage place for only 35 yuen, which is equivalent to 5 dollars at home. For an hour too!
So far I like Beijing more than Shanghai but its only been one day. Tomorrow we are going to the Temple of Heaven, The Forbbiden city, and were taking bicycles carts to eat at a local womens house. im excited to see how they people live and see in their houses....im not sure im ganna be game for the food but never know!
Until next time,
kayla ornelas
p.s. i already have a huge line up of places i want to eat when i get back. Kelsey and I were saying everytime we eat here its like "oh its time for ANOTHER meal...but at home were already planning dinner at breakfast" lol. The food is really good here but everything has an asian flare to it that gets old after a while and day after day.
Im sad that the trip is coming to an end. I will be back one day :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Shanghai is almost over...Beijing here we come!
So I haven't wrote anything for a while! Its been so crazy over here that i have not had time to write. Alas...I'm finally in the hotel room relaxing for the first time in what seems like forever!
Mon: Kelsey and I went to Hooters with our teachers and bosses. We danced with the hooters girls around the restaurant to different songs...which was a lot of fun! We had some old man say to us "next time dance the other way so i can see more." That was a little disturbing but besides that...great night! Then we all went out and got massages. Kelsey, Me, and Peggy (professor) all got the two hour massage (full body). It was very relaxing! I loved it! I think that may have been my last massage in Shanghai cause i don't see another opportunity for it, but even if it was a great one! After dinner and massages we got back to the hotel room and went to sleep to teach the next day.
Tues: After school we a group of us went to "the garden" which is a Zen garden. Our teacher paid for all of us to get in which was really nice of her. She pays for us a lot actually for small things which is nice. The garden was really pretty and tranquil. I enjoyed seeing everything and taking pictures. The only negative to it was that there was misquitos everywhere! Luckily, I didn't get bit, but many people did. Then Kelsey and I went and took pictures at this komoto studio. They had a us dress up in Chinese outfits and we took pictures. It was a lot of fun! Then we found this store where you can buy two shirts for the price of one, so we searched for the most Asian shirts we could find! Mission: Completed!
Wed: Kelsey, Me, and a bunch of other girls with Willy went to the World Expo. It was a lot of fun! IT was different than i thought it was going to be, but good in a different way. We got in V.I.P. to all of the Expos because we fibbed and said we were from each country and they believed us. Im really glad that i got to go and say that i attended. If I had more time here I would go back and visit more of the pavilions. Luckily, because we said we were V.I.P. we got to visit 12-13 expos. Which is a lot considering the amount of time we were there. I think we went a good night to because it wasn't to crowded. The BEST thing that happened there was in the Denmark pavilion. This girl came up to Kelsey and I and asked for our signature and picture (something that happens a lot here), and pretty soon another group of people came up and asked the same thing. Before we knew it...we had a mob (no joke) of about 50 asians all surrounding us. They were pushing paper in our face for us to sign, and tapping us to take pictures. THe guy we were with had to get the people to back up because they were pushing us trying to get closer. Then one guy asks us "are you famous?" hahaha. They literally thought that Kelsey and I were famous, so we rolled with it and Kelsey put her glasses on like she was trying to hide. We stopped the whole pavilion entrance because of the amount of people we had surrounding us trying to get an autograph and picture with us. Willy took pictures of everyone surrounding us! It was hilarious! Before we knew it...we looked down and we had been signing autographs and taking pictures for 15 minutes! The crowd of people wouldn't stop and when we would try and walk away we couldn't because they would follow us and line up for more pictures, etc. Kelsey and I were laughing hysterically at the situation but were loving it! After we were like "wow, thats what its like to be famous!" It was soo much fun! haha. The pearl lady also came and I bought some really nice things for really cheap!
Today: We woke up pretty sick. Kelsey and I both had food poisoning i think. We went to school late to teach the kids because she was throwing-up and my stomach was hurting to bad. As the day went on I started to feel better. Today was a pretty hard day for many reasons. I found out that Jenny was put to sleep. Jenny is my dog that I have had for 13 years now. I got her when I was in 3rd grade! I feel really bad that I wasn't there to get to say good-bye. I had this feeling when I left that something might happen to her because she had Cancer. I was getting hope as the time came closer to coming home, but my mom told me this morning that she had to put her down last night. She said that she had a last good day. My mom cooked BBQ and she got to go swimming (her all time favorite). The hardest part about it..is that I'm so far away and I wish I could have kissed her good-bye. She was my only pet that I remember getting from such a young age...that has been with me for so many years. She was a good dog and she will be missed so much! When I use to cry she let me hold her, when i was sad she would lay with me, when i wanted to swim i always had a partner, when i was away she was always home to greet me, when i was scared she made me feel safe, and when she thought i was threatened she protected me.
R.I.P. Jenny Ornelas.
Later on tonight were going to the circus so i better start getting ready. We only have one more day in Shanghai and then its off to Beijing. See you all later.
Kayla Ornelas
Jenny I will always miss you! You were one of the most amazing dogs in the world!
p.s. Emerald i will try and find you a key chain!
Mon: Kelsey and I went to Hooters with our teachers and bosses. We danced with the hooters girls around the restaurant to different songs...which was a lot of fun! We had some old man say to us "next time dance the other way so i can see more." That was a little disturbing but besides that...great night! Then we all went out and got massages. Kelsey, Me, and Peggy (professor) all got the two hour massage (full body). It was very relaxing! I loved it! I think that may have been my last massage in Shanghai cause i don't see another opportunity for it, but even if it was a great one! After dinner and massages we got back to the hotel room and went to sleep to teach the next day.
Tues: After school we a group of us went to "the garden" which is a Zen garden. Our teacher paid for all of us to get in which was really nice of her. She pays for us a lot actually for small things which is nice. The garden was really pretty and tranquil. I enjoyed seeing everything and taking pictures. The only negative to it was that there was misquitos everywhere! Luckily, I didn't get bit, but many people did. Then Kelsey and I went and took pictures at this komoto studio. They had a us dress up in Chinese outfits and we took pictures. It was a lot of fun! Then we found this store where you can buy two shirts for the price of one, so we searched for the most Asian shirts we could find! Mission: Completed!
Wed: Kelsey, Me, and a bunch of other girls with Willy went to the World Expo. It was a lot of fun! IT was different than i thought it was going to be, but good in a different way. We got in V.I.P. to all of the Expos because we fibbed and said we were from each country and they believed us. Im really glad that i got to go and say that i attended. If I had more time here I would go back and visit more of the pavilions. Luckily, because we said we were V.I.P. we got to visit 12-13 expos. Which is a lot considering the amount of time we were there. I think we went a good night to because it wasn't to crowded. The BEST thing that happened there was in the Denmark pavilion. This girl came up to Kelsey and I and asked for our signature and picture (something that happens a lot here), and pretty soon another group of people came up and asked the same thing. Before we knew it...we had a mob (no joke) of about 50 asians all surrounding us. They were pushing paper in our face for us to sign, and tapping us to take pictures. THe guy we were with had to get the people to back up because they were pushing us trying to get closer. Then one guy asks us "are you famous?" hahaha. They literally thought that Kelsey and I were famous, so we rolled with it and Kelsey put her glasses on like she was trying to hide. We stopped the whole pavilion entrance because of the amount of people we had surrounding us trying to get an autograph and picture with us. Willy took pictures of everyone surrounding us! It was hilarious! Before we knew it...we looked down and we had been signing autographs and taking pictures for 15 minutes! The crowd of people wouldn't stop and when we would try and walk away we couldn't because they would follow us and line up for more pictures, etc. Kelsey and I were laughing hysterically at the situation but were loving it! After we were like "wow, thats what its like to be famous!" It was soo much fun! haha. The pearl lady also came and I bought some really nice things for really cheap!
Today: We woke up pretty sick. Kelsey and I both had food poisoning i think. We went to school late to teach the kids because she was throwing-up and my stomach was hurting to bad. As the day went on I started to feel better. Today was a pretty hard day for many reasons. I found out that Jenny was put to sleep. Jenny is my dog that I have had for 13 years now. I got her when I was in 3rd grade! I feel really bad that I wasn't there to get to say good-bye. I had this feeling when I left that something might happen to her because she had Cancer. I was getting hope as the time came closer to coming home, but my mom told me this morning that she had to put her down last night. She said that she had a last good day. My mom cooked BBQ and she got to go swimming (her all time favorite). The hardest part about it..is that I'm so far away and I wish I could have kissed her good-bye. She was my only pet that I remember getting from such a young age...that has been with me for so many years. She was a good dog and she will be missed so much! When I use to cry she let me hold her, when i was sad she would lay with me, when i wanted to swim i always had a partner, when i was away she was always home to greet me, when i was scared she made me feel safe, and when she thought i was threatened she protected me.
R.I.P. Jenny Ornelas.
Later on tonight were going to the circus so i better start getting ready. We only have one more day in Shanghai and then its off to Beijing. See you all later.
Kayla Ornelas
Jenny I will always miss you! You were one of the most amazing dogs in the world!
p.s. Emerald i will try and find you a key chain!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Another wonderful day :)
Today at school was "fabulous famous folks" and my partner and I taught the kids about the Beatles. The older kids really enjoyed the lesson, but some of the younger kids weren't that into it. I was exhausted at school today. Only getting a few hours of sleep a night eventually catches up with you. When we got home (hotel) i was laying on the bed and mid conversation with Kelsey I passed out asleep! I woke up 3 hours later with her and we were like OH NO! we missed dinner. Luckily everyone napped really long today so just went out and had a late dinner. thank goodness cause we were starving when we woke up.
Kari got to China today and she is coming to the camp tomorrow for the first time. Kari is our professor incase you didnt know :). We all went out to dinner at this cafe place that serves italian food and it was really good. I like the days we dont eat chinese. Im getting really over chinese food. Although, Kelsey and I were saying that we want to go to a Chinese restaurant when we get home so that way we can speak to them in Chinese! We have learned a good amount being over here. We all got some wine and Tisingtao (beer).
It was really cool waking back from the restaurant because we had to go through this park and there were 20-30 chinese couples all dancing out in the main part of the park. Willie took us out and danced with us in the park. It was sooo much fun! We felt bad at first though cause once we started dancing (10 min into it) everyone cleared the floor, and we thought that its cause we were dancing but the band was done playing i guess. Kelsey and I were saying we wish that Americans had dances in the parks at night at home, the only time Americans are in parks at night at home are for sketchy reasons. The culture here is so cool. I really want to go to Japan next. The group of girls that we have bonded with have connections all over. Some have houses in Palm Springs and others in Mexico...the list goes on. Everyone has invited us to go and stay at their houses with them. I think I have found a new bunch of girls to travel everywhere with!
We told Willie that he needs to come to America and stay with us so we can show him the states. He is trying to get a passport now to stay with his family in Tiwain but he said someday. He is only in high school too. He is such a a funny person to hang out with. Kelsey and I were saying today that it would be nice to come back here since we know 5 different people that live here and tour more on our own. They keep us pretty busy here, and even with the 2 weeks that we have been here almost now...i feel like i still have so much to see. Shanghai is a HUGE city.
Kari told us today that she got the grant for france so thats pretty exciting. The only bummer is that we MIGHT have to leave New Years Eve night! But to be in france for 2 weeks would be amazing. Especially cause a lot of the girls that are here want to do france, so its like our group would all be going together again.
Today we learned that Chinese people have to wear caps in the swimming pool. Its like illegal to not wear them in the pool. No wonder the asians at home wear them in the pool. So many things that i didnt understand about their culture all make since now and i love it so much more!
We all went to the DVD place after dinner and got knock off DVDs that are really good quality. So im ganna get ready for bed now and watch Vampire Diaries with Kelsey in bed! Cant wait!
kayla ornelas
Kari got to China today and she is coming to the camp tomorrow for the first time. Kari is our professor incase you didnt know :). We all went out to dinner at this cafe place that serves italian food and it was really good. I like the days we dont eat chinese. Im getting really over chinese food. Although, Kelsey and I were saying that we want to go to a Chinese restaurant when we get home so that way we can speak to them in Chinese! We have learned a good amount being over here. We all got some wine and Tisingtao (beer).
It was really cool waking back from the restaurant because we had to go through this park and there were 20-30 chinese couples all dancing out in the main part of the park. Willie took us out and danced with us in the park. It was sooo much fun! We felt bad at first though cause once we started dancing (10 min into it) everyone cleared the floor, and we thought that its cause we were dancing but the band was done playing i guess. Kelsey and I were saying we wish that Americans had dances in the parks at night at home, the only time Americans are in parks at night at home are for sketchy reasons. The culture here is so cool. I really want to go to Japan next. The group of girls that we have bonded with have connections all over. Some have houses in Palm Springs and others in Mexico...the list goes on. Everyone has invited us to go and stay at their houses with them. I think I have found a new bunch of girls to travel everywhere with!
We told Willie that he needs to come to America and stay with us so we can show him the states. He is trying to get a passport now to stay with his family in Tiwain but he said someday. He is only in high school too. He is such a a funny person to hang out with. Kelsey and I were saying today that it would be nice to come back here since we know 5 different people that live here and tour more on our own. They keep us pretty busy here, and even with the 2 weeks that we have been here almost now...i feel like i still have so much to see. Shanghai is a HUGE city.
Kari told us today that she got the grant for france so thats pretty exciting. The only bummer is that we MIGHT have to leave New Years Eve night! But to be in france for 2 weeks would be amazing. Especially cause a lot of the girls that are here want to do france, so its like our group would all be going together again.
Today we learned that Chinese people have to wear caps in the swimming pool. Its like illegal to not wear them in the pool. No wonder the asians at home wear them in the pool. So many things that i didnt understand about their culture all make since now and i love it so much more!
We all went to the DVD place after dinner and got knock off DVDs that are really good quality. So im ganna get ready for bed now and watch Vampire Diaries with Kelsey in bed! Cant wait!
kayla ornelas
Saturday, July 17, 2010
First Relaxing Day
Thanks to everyone who is reading the blogs and making comments :) it makes me still feel connected to the world back home! Although I have to say i'm not as excited to come back as i thought i was going to be. I really do love China. It's such a different culture than any other I have experienced and im truly going to miss being here.
Lauren: We will for sure be taking that Taco Lita trip when I get back. Im working on the details with my mom now actually seeing if I could get it shipped here. Although, we did order some Mexican food here that is California owned and was AMAZING. It is the closest thing to California food I have had for a while. All the girls piled in mine and Kelsey's room, and while we were eating we were all like "californiaaaa." haha. It's not as good as home, but when you have been eating Chinese everyday its amazing!
Emerald: If you want to skype with me im usually on 3pm -3:30pm your time in the afternoon, and sometimes you can catch me on my lunch break at school around 9pm your time. Those are really the only times that I'm on because i'm really busy all of the time :(. The reason that I cant drink the water here but I cant when its boiled is because the bacteria dies in the water after it is boiled. The tap water is really nasty here. We filled up the sink to wash our clothes the other day and the water was literally yellow. The toliet water here doesnt flush all the way either so when you pee, half the pee goes down and the other half sits in the bowl. Or it could just be that the water is that yellow. Anyhow...its a negative on drinking it. A few people have gotten sick here and there, but so far i have been pretty lucky..."knock on wood."
So today at school we did this lesson plan that i learned in my creative dance class for kids at Fullerton. It was a lot of fun. We taught the kids about different landmarks in California and then they had to do a dance to it when we finished. I wish i could upload videos here for everyone to see. I will have them all when i get back tho! We taught them about Yosemite, Redwoods, Tar pits, Hollywood, Disneyland, and Seaworld. Everyone was really into it and loved the lesson which always makes the day go by faster because you feel accomplished. Towards the end of the day the kids were starting to get restless and not want to participate so it was entertaining for me to make up useless games and watch them have a blast doing them. A kid in class spanked me today because i had the ball and he wanted it. It was really hard not to laugh when it happened because he didnt know any better. Kids here just pull each other and yell at each other when they want something. Everything is very self centered. All of the people here in fact dont have that American concept of "treat others how you want to be treated" and they dont think about others feelings when they want something. They are very straight foward people but polite at the same time. its strange. While here i have learned to bargin, not stand in line, squat well, push my way through people, dodge spit, use sign language, speak some Chinese, shuffle my feet when i walk, hold my purse in the market so it doesnt get cut off, avoid being hit by cars while crossing the street, and walk so i dont slip on their marble flooring that is EVERYWHERE! It sounds bad but the bad doesnt over do all of the fun im having here. Then in my 6th period class today...some little boy pulled open his pants and started picking at something down there, another teacher was flipped off and got in big trouble, and another little girl likes to hump chairs and gets really, really mad when her boy classmates take it away. Interesting people we have everyday!
After class today we went to the market and bought tennis shoes for Beijing because we only brought flip-flops and i didn't think it was going to be fun climbing the great wall with blisters all over my feet. I started to get really grossed out by all the smells in the market. Its not like the asian smell at home its a completely different smell that I cant even describe. its a mixture of burnt rubber, cookies, and mildew or something like that. Whatever the smell is...i cant handle it. Anyway at the end of shopping today...we saw this little boy that had a slit in his pants. All of the little kids here (well most of the uncivilized)...their parents put them in these pants that have slits from the front to the back so when they need to pee the pee comes out of the pants and the poop without having to move your hands out of the way. I find it strange....i just want to sew these kids clothes back together. The first time i saw pants like these i was like "oh no, his pants ripped" but oh no...they were purchased like that!
Finally we got back to the hotel and while everyone else went to the fabric store to get clothes made a few of us stayed behind. We decided that we needed one day to rest or our bodies would give up on us. We ordered bomb Mexican food and I'm pretty sure its going to need to be ordered again before we leave. Then we went and got another...come on guess, guess, yes thats right!.....MASSAGE! It felt sooooo good. The girl played with my hair for like 5 minutes after the massage, and for anyone who knows me WELL...knows that i was in HEAVEN!
We just got back to the hotel now and showered. I have to go to sleep so I cant be ready for another day of teaching tomorrow. Our other professor is coming down tomorrow for the first time. It should be fun to see her. Im sad that this trip is almost over. Only like 1 week and a half left. Sad times :(. Its really nice knowing so many people who love here who make our reservations (and know good places), take us to massages, know the best clubs and kareoke, and find us the best deals. i wouldnt want to do this any other way. We dont even have to communicate because they take care of all the communication probelms for us. We also dont get taken advantage of with money because we have locals with us telling us whether things are priced to high or not. It almost caused a fight yesterday between to Chinese people because the shop lady was mad that our friend told us her stuff was overpriced and we could find it for cheaper. They take such good care of us here.
Fullerton might be doing this program again in Intersession to France...and I already want to go. im thinking long and hard about it. Studying abroad is literally the best experience of my life. I will never forget this trip or the times we have had together. I have built so many new friendships and its amazing that we got to experience this time together. We got these CRAZY looking hats at the market yesterday after we visited the temple. They are paper hats that change in all different shapes. We bought them for 10 yuen, which is only like 1 dollar our money. After we bought them all of the asians were asking us "oh, were did you get those?" After we showed them all of the asians ran over to buy them because Americans were buying them. Its not like they were amazing either. They are ridiculous BUT we had to buy them and wear them around for the day to embaress ourselves.
Another day of teaching tomorrow. Were hoping for a spa day soon where we can go get a 2 hour massage at our place and a washing the hair day. In china when you go to a salon and get your hair washed and blow dryed they massage your back, neck, and arms for like 30 mintues. Sometimes I wonder why the U.S. doesnt adpot some of the Chinese ways. Of course vis-versa as well, but some of the things over here are so smart.
Good night!
Kayla Ornelas
Lauren: We will for sure be taking that Taco Lita trip when I get back. Im working on the details with my mom now actually seeing if I could get it shipped here. Although, we did order some Mexican food here that is California owned and was AMAZING. It is the closest thing to California food I have had for a while. All the girls piled in mine and Kelsey's room, and while we were eating we were all like "californiaaaa." haha. It's not as good as home, but when you have been eating Chinese everyday its amazing!
Emerald: If you want to skype with me im usually on 3pm -3:30pm your time in the afternoon, and sometimes you can catch me on my lunch break at school around 9pm your time. Those are really the only times that I'm on because i'm really busy all of the time :(. The reason that I cant drink the water here but I cant when its boiled is because the bacteria dies in the water after it is boiled. The tap water is really nasty here. We filled up the sink to wash our clothes the other day and the water was literally yellow. The toliet water here doesnt flush all the way either so when you pee, half the pee goes down and the other half sits in the bowl. Or it could just be that the water is that yellow. Anyhow...its a negative on drinking it. A few people have gotten sick here and there, but so far i have been pretty lucky..."knock on wood."
So today at school we did this lesson plan that i learned in my creative dance class for kids at Fullerton. It was a lot of fun. We taught the kids about different landmarks in California and then they had to do a dance to it when we finished. I wish i could upload videos here for everyone to see. I will have them all when i get back tho! We taught them about Yosemite, Redwoods, Tar pits, Hollywood, Disneyland, and Seaworld. Everyone was really into it and loved the lesson which always makes the day go by faster because you feel accomplished. Towards the end of the day the kids were starting to get restless and not want to participate so it was entertaining for me to make up useless games and watch them have a blast doing them. A kid in class spanked me today because i had the ball and he wanted it. It was really hard not to laugh when it happened because he didnt know any better. Kids here just pull each other and yell at each other when they want something. Everything is very self centered. All of the people here in fact dont have that American concept of "treat others how you want to be treated" and they dont think about others feelings when they want something. They are very straight foward people but polite at the same time. its strange. While here i have learned to bargin, not stand in line, squat well, push my way through people, dodge spit, use sign language, speak some Chinese, shuffle my feet when i walk, hold my purse in the market so it doesnt get cut off, avoid being hit by cars while crossing the street, and walk so i dont slip on their marble flooring that is EVERYWHERE! It sounds bad but the bad doesnt over do all of the fun im having here. Then in my 6th period class today...some little boy pulled open his pants and started picking at something down there, another teacher was flipped off and got in big trouble, and another little girl likes to hump chairs and gets really, really mad when her boy classmates take it away. Interesting people we have everyday!
After class today we went to the market and bought tennis shoes for Beijing because we only brought flip-flops and i didn't think it was going to be fun climbing the great wall with blisters all over my feet. I started to get really grossed out by all the smells in the market. Its not like the asian smell at home its a completely different smell that I cant even describe. its a mixture of burnt rubber, cookies, and mildew or something like that. Whatever the smell is...i cant handle it. Anyway at the end of shopping today...we saw this little boy that had a slit in his pants. All of the little kids here (well most of the uncivilized)...their parents put them in these pants that have slits from the front to the back so when they need to pee the pee comes out of the pants and the poop without having to move your hands out of the way. I find it strange....i just want to sew these kids clothes back together. The first time i saw pants like these i was like "oh no, his pants ripped" but oh no...they were purchased like that!
Finally we got back to the hotel and while everyone else went to the fabric store to get clothes made a few of us stayed behind. We decided that we needed one day to rest or our bodies would give up on us. We ordered bomb Mexican food and I'm pretty sure its going to need to be ordered again before we leave. Then we went and got another...come on guess, guess, yes thats right!.....MASSAGE! It felt sooooo good. The girl played with my hair for like 5 minutes after the massage, and for anyone who knows me WELL...knows that i was in HEAVEN!
We just got back to the hotel now and showered. I have to go to sleep so I cant be ready for another day of teaching tomorrow. Our other professor is coming down tomorrow for the first time. It should be fun to see her. Im sad that this trip is almost over. Only like 1 week and a half left. Sad times :(. Its really nice knowing so many people who love here who make our reservations (and know good places), take us to massages, know the best clubs and kareoke, and find us the best deals. i wouldnt want to do this any other way. We dont even have to communicate because they take care of all the communication probelms for us. We also dont get taken advantage of with money because we have locals with us telling us whether things are priced to high or not. It almost caused a fight yesterday between to Chinese people because the shop lady was mad that our friend told us her stuff was overpriced and we could find it for cheaper. They take such good care of us here.
Fullerton might be doing this program again in Intersession to France...and I already want to go. im thinking long and hard about it. Studying abroad is literally the best experience of my life. I will never forget this trip or the times we have had together. I have built so many new friendships and its amazing that we got to experience this time together. We got these CRAZY looking hats at the market yesterday after we visited the temple. They are paper hats that change in all different shapes. We bought them for 10 yuen, which is only like 1 dollar our money. After we bought them all of the asians were asking us "oh, were did you get those?" After we showed them all of the asians ran over to buy them because Americans were buying them. Its not like they were amazing either. They are ridiculous BUT we had to buy them and wear them around for the day to embaress ourselves.
Another day of teaching tomorrow. Were hoping for a spa day soon where we can go get a 2 hour massage at our place and a washing the hair day. In china when you go to a salon and get your hair washed and blow dryed they massage your back, neck, and arms for like 30 mintues. Sometimes I wonder why the U.S. doesnt adpot some of the Chinese ways. Of course vis-versa as well, but some of the things over here are so smart.
Good night!
Kayla Ornelas
Friday, July 16, 2010
China Update!
So yesterday during school all the kids got to do the talent show at school. They seemed to enjoy it and for the rest of the day we got to play games with the kids and watch movies. WE played bingo and watched the movie "up" in chinese. interesting experience. After school we all got to come back to the hotel until 10pm at night...which was amazing because we got time to relax. Kelsey and I decided to go and explore the hotel since we haven't had time to see where we are staying. We went to the dinning room to see what was for dinner, and after taking a look at the menu we opted to not eat dinner. The choices were: mashed potatos with orange juice, duck blood in a chili sauce, and a bunch of other stuff that didn't sound to wonderful. So last night we didnt eat dinner, but we came back to the hotel and got ready to go CLUBBING!
We all went to this club called MINT in Shanghai. Its was voted best nightclub in Shanghai. It reminded me a lot of Vegas, and it was on the 24th floor with all glass windows so you could over look all of Shanghai city which was beautiful. We got apple martinis and the club was giving away free jungle juice shots all night. I didnt have to many cause i felt a little sick from the night before. WE literally danced all night though! We started getting everyone dancing around 10 (first ones on the floor) and we didnt leave the club until about 3:30. There were a lot of foreigners there which i was surprised. We met people from france, england, germany, portugal, etc.
When we got back we went to sleep because we had such a long day.
This morning we woke up and had a day off. We went shopping all day and bought some really cool souviners. Tomorrow we get to go the bag lady who sells really really good authentic fake designer purses. We ate at this cafe place today which was so refreshing because i had ice cream for the first time in months, fresh fruit, vegetables, etc. One thing about China is that every dish is either fried or meat. It gets old. At the market today this guy came in and started spitting all over the floor. I dont understand how anyone here thinks that its normal. There are like marble floors all over the gorund and people just walk in stores and spit. its disturbing. i guess the government is trying to fix the problem, and my teacher said its improved from past years, because people use to pee on the street and poop, but still! Then another guy asked me if i wanted to follow him to his shop to get a tattoo on my arm? i was like "yes, please take me down the ally, so i cant get a tattoo by a practically homeless man and please let me catch a disease while im at it." lol. This place is entertaining. There is always something to do or see. It was pouring so bad today that being in the rain for 2 seconds would literally drench your whole body. It was intense! I think it was so heavy because we were closer to the typhoon that is going on here.
We just got home. I cant believe how fast this trip is going! Im having so much fun i dont want to leave. im going to miss all of the friends that i have made here and the people that we work with.
more tomorrow :) Time to sleep :)
kayla ornelas
We all went to this club called MINT in Shanghai. Its was voted best nightclub in Shanghai. It reminded me a lot of Vegas, and it was on the 24th floor with all glass windows so you could over look all of Shanghai city which was beautiful. We got apple martinis and the club was giving away free jungle juice shots all night. I didnt have to many cause i felt a little sick from the night before. WE literally danced all night though! We started getting everyone dancing around 10 (first ones on the floor) and we didnt leave the club until about 3:30. There were a lot of foreigners there which i was surprised. We met people from france, england, germany, portugal, etc.
When we got back we went to sleep because we had such a long day.
This morning we woke up and had a day off. We went shopping all day and bought some really cool souviners. Tomorrow we get to go the bag lady who sells really really good authentic fake designer purses. We ate at this cafe place today which was so refreshing because i had ice cream for the first time in months, fresh fruit, vegetables, etc. One thing about China is that every dish is either fried or meat. It gets old. At the market today this guy came in and started spitting all over the floor. I dont understand how anyone here thinks that its normal. There are like marble floors all over the gorund and people just walk in stores and spit. its disturbing. i guess the government is trying to fix the problem, and my teacher said its improved from past years, because people use to pee on the street and poop, but still! Then another guy asked me if i wanted to follow him to his shop to get a tattoo on my arm? i was like "yes, please take me down the ally, so i cant get a tattoo by a practically homeless man and please let me catch a disease while im at it." lol. This place is entertaining. There is always something to do or see. It was pouring so bad today that being in the rain for 2 seconds would literally drench your whole body. It was intense! I think it was so heavy because we were closer to the typhoon that is going on here.
We just got home. I cant believe how fast this trip is going! Im having so much fun i dont want to leave. im going to miss all of the friends that i have made here and the people that we work with.
more tomorrow :) Time to sleep :)
kayla ornelas
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Best night yet
Today we had circus day at the school with the kids. We made really fun arts and crafts and taught the kids about the circus.
we went to dinner tonight at this super yummy place where u sit on the floor....really good. It was unlimited sake bombs and food.
we went to kareoke after and basically had this huge room all to ourselves. amazing!
kelsey and i are now drunk! good night!
kayla ornelas
we went to dinner tonight at this super yummy place where u sit on the floor....really good. It was unlimited sake bombs and food.
we went to kareoke after and basically had this huge room all to ourselves. amazing!
kelsey and i are now drunk! good night!
kayla ornelas
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