china highlights thus far

Beijingggg

The Forbidden City
- Absolutely stunning! We hired a tour guide to take us through since it is such a huge place..the entrance has a huge portrait of Mao on it haha... Once you enter you are in the like "officials" section and its a lot of asian style buildings and big open squares! There are no trees in the forbidden city to keep thieves away who could hide in the shadows... then you get into the emperors section of the city... The building throughout are pretty much the same but they are very beautiful! Then there are areas where the Empress lives and the concubines (spelling???) live...There are 9,999 rooms in the forbidden city...

Silk Street
-shopping! Annoying vendors who keep yelling and you and trying to pull you into their stores...

The Temple of Heaven
-hugee place with lots of asian buildings and big park areas...Really pretty

Pearl Market
-More shopping! Tons of cheap pearls...so they may be fake like everything else here

Olympic staduim
-Soo cool...I expected it to be much bigger but it was cool to go sit on the field and be in the stands of the Bird's Nest... The stadium is soo cool and itwas awesome to be where history was made! The water cube was a pretty cool building too although we didnt get to go in.

The Great Wall - Simatai to Jimshanling 10km hike
- By far the best thing i have done here...It was absolutely gorgeous and so amazing how grand it is in the middle of nowhere...Itmakes me feel bad for everyone that had to lug those bricks up the wall.. All men were summoned to create the different section of it and were though of as heros for helping to build it! Those that died during the bulding were buried inside the walls.. The portion we hiked separated mongolia from China... WE had our hostel book the trip for us since the section we hiked was 3 hours by bus north of Beijing so we were basically one of 15 people on the wall and we didnt cross paths will really anyone while hiking! It is one of the least touristy spots so that made it even more amazing! It was probably the hardest hike i have ever done... 10 km of constant up and down and endless stairs and hell basically but sooo worth it in the end... It took us about 4 hours to complete the 10km section remaining of this part of the wall...This is what i get for travelling with 3 guys haha...but I am soooo glad I did it and it is still so unreal that I actully got to climb the great wall... Can't wait to upload my pics!

Summer Palace
- Today we went to the summer palace which is basically a hugee park and lake area...Soo beautiful! The emperors would come to this palace when the Forbidden City would get too hot... It is hugeee... we walked the perimeter and it was so beautiful all around with big bridges and lakes and it was raining pollen so it had a little charming effect like it was snowing... There were more really cool asian style buildings and temples along the way... It was a nice long walk and relaxing after yesterdays great wall adventure!

The only downfall thus far have been the Squatter toilets(yuck) and the Asian tourists who greatly greatly outnumber foreign tourists...They come in huge groups everywhere so places get really crowded when a few groups come...i am surprised at how little i see foreigner travellors but it has been nice to be thrown into beijing...thankgoodness for the guys cause I would be sooo lost here, especially using the subway...

I will update as soon as i get a chance!

beijing!

- am finally here! It seems like forever ago when I was planning this trip! I am here with 3 of my guy friends! We got in at like 7 pm so we checked into our hostel and then went out for dinner. We walked through a street food market and they had scorpions skewered on sticks that were still moving! Yuck! They also had seahorses skewered and that was just sad... It was pouring all night so we were running through the streets with our umbrellas! Haha.. We have tons to see here (apparently Mao's body is saved "pickeled" if you will) and I can't wait to see that haha... We are making plans as we go since its rainy so hopefully it will clear up for our Great Wall day and the Fofbidden palace! I am so happy to be here!! I will try and keep this updated so hopefully I will have some good stories!!

not a loner

So i found some people to celebrate with last night! A few of us just sat on the balcony and drank the Franzia and just talked and listened to music... it was a really nice evening... Before I knew it, it was like 3:30 am and we had been sitting there since 11ish... 

Today i did some last minute shopping cause i leave for Beijing tomorrow!!! I just cant believe it! Ill be in Beijing for 2 weeks, Hong Kong for one week by myself, then a little over a week with my parents, then home!!! It is amazing how quickly time flies by!

I am going with 3 of my guy friends to beijing, then they leave half way through my stay there, and my friend Mary-ev from Theta who is studying in China is coming to meet me. We will then take a little trip to Shanghi by train or go to Tsingtao which is the beer making city! I can't wait! It will be so great traveling with these friends!!!

I will try and keep my blog updated while I am in china so read up! 

DONE!

Woo hoo! I am all done with my classes here! I just took my last final! It is suchhh a relief! Everyone either still has finals or has already left to travel so there is no one to celebrate with... So i went and bought a bottle of Franzia (so much classier than a box), and some m&ms to celebrate by myself... Don't worry, I am only having one glass of wine (if you can call it that)... and I am drinking it out of a Ikea much, even more classy... Tomorrow night i will go out to the horse-races with whoever is left here and then to Wan Chai for ladie's night as my last night in Hong Kong with everyone before I am back here by myself for a few days and then my parents come! I have some last minute things to buy tomorrow before i leave the next day for Beijing, and I return May 6th... 

The program I went through to come here gave us a present today of chopsticks with "The Chinese University of Hong Kong" written on it... they are actually really pretty so it was a nice little gift!  

Today has been a good day!

passport pages

So today Jackie and I ... Drumroll pleasse... Got More Passport Pages Put in !! I never thought that would happen... China has taken over my passport. I may as well be Chinese. I leave for Beijing in 3 days so i needed to make sure i got back into Hong Kong and wasn't stuck in China for the rest of my life haha... There was this crazy guy at the consulate who seemed like he was on drugs and it was pretty entertaining... he was telling this story about how he lost his wallet, was shaking, and how someone gave him 2,000 Hong Kong Dollars to get back to Macau or something cause he had to pay to update his passport or some ish like that... It was very strange but pretty entertaining... Other than that, i wouldnt recommend hanging out at the Consulate... 

I have my LAST final tomorrow and have cracked open my book a few times so that is what i will do after this... but its not til 6:30 pm tomorrow night so I still have plenty of time... 

Hope everyone is doing well. I know my family is cause they are on a cruise vacation without me.. i hope you all feel bad and miss me the whole time... JK.. but hope everyone is well! I will see you all in EXACTLY one month!

26 days til I'm 21!

more end of the year pictures

You can CLICK on the pic to make them bigger!

^ our table at the back of the banquet hall... they knew we would be trouble ;)

^ my friend from Mexico and from Italy... I'm a lucky girl!

^ outside of 7/11 because no night would be complete without it... please notice that i have no drink in my hand and that Jackie is drinking Chocolate milk... and richie is just very happy

^ I stole these glasses from someone... and yes I wore them in the club haha

End of the year party!!!

^ the Ughh face... why we took a picture like this? who knows...

^ this was one of the prizes for our "awards" they gave out... gross

^ me and the guys here from USC... Fight On!

^ our dinner group at the banquet... 

^ Jackie and I before we got to the party... haha we still look put together here :)

Well i don't even know where to begin this night story... It was sloppy to say the least... So this was a party out together by some exchange kids and the program here that is hosting us... The program here put together the classy part of the even which was a dinner banquet and the students put together to after-party. Standard haha. So the dinner was at the YMCA in Hong Kong but it was actually a really nice venue! They had big tables in the ballroom and then there was a terrace outside with a great view of some of the skyscrapers... it looked gorgeous... We all sat down and had a great buffet dinner... they probably wanted to fill our stomachs knowing that and after-party would follow haha. So we had a nice meal and got to watch a slideshow of all of our pictures from the semester! They are posting it on Youtube so ill add the link once i get it! Then they gave out a few funny awards... After all this everyone hung out on the terrace for a few hours and had some drinks and took some pictures until it was time to go to the club. The club was in Wan Chai so we all got on the Star Ferry and were on our way! The club is called Vertigo and it was on the 26th floor. needless to say no one was going to walk the stairs so there was a huge line for the elevators... Being the sly people we are, we took the escalator up to the second floor and caught it on the way down so we could skip the line and take it all the way up... this was probably rude of us but i think it was pretty smart :) The club was pretty cool with a decent size dance floor and lots of booths to sit in on the outside. A guy from our program was DJ-ing so that was nice too... There was lots of dancing  (and drinking) and fun! I didn't get home til about 5:30 am which is my new record... I am pretty proud of myself considering I got to bed at midnight usually haha.. I had soo much fun! It was for sure one of the best nights here! It took everyone the whole next day to recover so thank goodness i have a few days til my last final haha... Everyone had a ball and the pictures are hilarious... some you can tell how everyone is haggard at the end of the night and those are funny too! The night was filled with tons of funny stories that we heard/told each other about in the morning. No secrets when you are abroad and there are only 200 international students haha... You business is everyones business... I fell on the floor a few times cause the ground was so wet from all the spilled drinks but it was graceful so i can laugh about it now...  Anyways, it was an absolutely great way to end the semester before everyone leaves to do their traveling and go back to their home countries... its very bitter sweet... It will definitely be weird to not live in dorms and see all these people come in and out everyday... There will definitely be some sad tears on the way home but I will also be super excited to see everyone again! 

P.S. Don't judge me by my pictures haha :)

My roommates

me and Magdalena ... she from Germany
me and Cynthia, my roommate from hong kong
I realized I don't have any pics up of my roommates so here they are. 

3 down, 1 to go

So i only have one final left!!! woo hoo! I took my 3rd one today and its was hard but ok... I am ready to catch up on some sleep now. 

I got my haircut today too! A local friend of mine told me about a close hairdresser and said that they should speak english, and I finally had the time to go! The receptionist spoke english which was a relief... She told me there were three levels of hairdressers and only the newest (aka worst) ones were available... Since my hair grows fast I said ok haha... So a guy came and got me and held out the robe you wear when you get your hair cut and motioned to come with him... He pointed to the hair-washing chair and this is how we continued without talking haha... Then he passed me off the the hairdresser who asked me what i wanted... he was a funky dressed dude (which scared me) with long permed hair and a necklace with a big lock on it... At this point i started to rethink my hair cut haha.. I told him i wanted just a trim and some layers but to keep as much length as possible... he replied "no cut?" as he pointed to the bottom of my hair and so I then motioned to him how much i wanted to have cut off and away the scissors went.  The hair cut ended up being pretty good so I was happy. It was much needed after 3 and a half months!

Then i went shopping to buy a dress for our Exchange End of the Year Party! I walked around unsuccessfully for a while cause i am not into the asian style... Finally I found a dress so I am set for the party tomorrow! 

I am going to dinner tonight with a few girls because one of them leave tomorrow to go home to Canada to start summer school... she is leaving like a month earlier than everyone else... so crazy...

Then i think i will pass out as soon as i get home haha... 

finals

YUCK... finals are really hard here... I saw a girl from my group project in the library today and we have our final tomorrow morning, and she had crazy notes and i think had memorized the book... I feel like I know nothing now and don't even know how to study for this exam since its marketing and we get two case studies tomorrow and then he asks us questions about it and for recommendations on what they can do... Since we dont get the cases til the test begins, how am I supposed to study for this... I think its BS. And I don't like it. 

I have to register for my Fall semester at USC tomorrow morning at 4 am since my registration time is at 1pm in the united states and then I have this horrible final at 8:30 a.m.  

I promise my blog won't be full of complaints in a week cause then i will be done with finals and getting ready for my trip to Beijing... 

more pics

taking pictures with stuffed animals while jumping off the stairs...
more graduation pictures with stuffed animals... I will try an get closer pictures
kowloon park
central campus
looking over campus

easter

so i am unsure whether a lot of chinese celebrate easter, but jackie and I went to brunch to be festive haha... we went to a place in Soho called the Press Room and it was fabulous! I had a great omelette (american style, not with rice or in soup) and jackie had eggs benedict which looked great as well... There were tons of white people there and it was almost as if we were in America haha... it was a great study-break and break from chinese food :)  Unfortunately the studying continues now but i will be done with 3/4 of my finals on thursday! woo hoo!

p.s. Happy birthday Papa!  

pictures

the Hong Kong Stadium for the Rugby Sevens
out in LKF while rob was here

at the rugby sevens representing the US with our sweet wristbands!
These are some random pictures I didn't put up before

SUN

Today was the first day of having the sun out for a long time! It was sooo pretty outside! I went to go study on my balcony and bask in the sun because I haven't see the sun in at least a month! I am becoming pasty white and sad without the sun so today was great! I actually fell asleep on the balcony for an hour so hopefully i will have some color to my skin! I hope its stays sunny (just not humid!!!)  

stolen

So we have a communal refrigerator in our flat which about 8 of us use and someone has stolen my banana and lean cuisine! I am PISSED!  I am going to find the culprit. This means war haha

dog, park, party!

 check out our sweet sweaters... it was chilly outside!
some of the guys there
So i saw the most bazar thing yesterday on campus... There was some people walking a golden retriever which is pretty odd cause dogs are really rare in Hong Kong, especially big dogs. So i was watching these people and then the dog pooed. Not only did they pick it up, but they wiped the dogs butt. Yes the dog's butt... gross.

Then i went to Kowloon park to meet up with jackie and do some studying! It actually turned out to be a really nice day out so it was perfect! I bought a pair of shoes i had been wanting so life couldn't be better! Although there were tons of other shoes I may go back for if i have some money at the end of my trip :)

Then we met up with some friends at school to go to a house party in Central. It is a flat of a guy who goes to my college but his parents live here half time and half time in Japan so he was pretty much raised here. So he had a really nice dinner and wine and stuff and we all just hung out for like 6 hours... it was a perfect night! We sat out side and talked and it couldn't have been better!  Now its back to studying!

The things i can't wait to do

So since its finals time, i have decided to be productive with my time study... just kidding! I am going to make a list of things I am excited to do when i get home.  This list is not prioritized so don't be offended

1. have a family dinner with joke time
2. go to the spa with my irvine friends... then golden spoon after
3. drink wine and eat cheese... i will be able to buy the wine :) (Hong Kong has no happy cows, cause they live in California)
4. Sit on my couch and eat ice cream with my family at 9:30 pm while watching trash tv... yes we do this
5. sleep over with my sisters at Eryka's new place
6. tan on the beach
7. hit golf balls with my dad (they usually go sideways over the fence and almost hit people... shhh)
8. go shopping for clothes that i don't have to bargain for...
9. eat chipolte and golden spoon
10. sleep in a soft bed (asia beds are hard... literally)
11. take a shower without wearing sandals
12. sit with my friends and talk and watch tv
13. Go to a San Clemente bar to give them my real California ID
14. see shaina teach a class if i am allowed to
15. hang out with my family and play wii bowling
16. drive my car Bessie (I hope she is still running!)
17. help my mom cook dinner without having rice as part of the dinner
18. bake cookies - there is no oven here
19. TURN ON MY BLACKBERRY!!!
20. move into my apartment!

Library/Graduation

Yes i have been to the library at school, but only for group meetings. It is always full of surprises... many students spend their time there sleeping. But today was a good day... I walked out of my group meeting to find a girl sitting at a table making a fan. Like a real one that collapses and then can fan out. She was gluing the fabric to it when i saw her and i couldnt help but laugh. This may not seem funny but after being her for 3 months, I am still caught surprised by some odd Chinese student behavior. 

I have yet to talk about Graduation here... They have rolling graduations for all the schools in the university so its basically graduation day every weekend. Yes, really every weekend. And what do you get for graduation?? Jewelry, flowers, a job?? NOOO you get a stuffed animal. All kids graduating from college get big stuffed animals that they carry around all day while in their graduation robes to take pictures with. It is sooo bazar. This is certainly not something that makes the Chinese boys seem manly and grown up. When they all look back at the pictures of their graduation, they will only have pictures holding stuffed animals. Weird.

Lastly, the clubs on campus promote themselves all during the year with songs, chants, and dances... It looks a lot like "stop the yard" actually. Unfortunately, they speak in Cantonese so i don't know what they are talking about, but they make their way into all of the dining areas so you are forced to watch. Some are entertaining but it is still bazar. 

This is a very different environment then campus at home haha

Countdown

This semester has gone by unbelieveably fast... I can't even comprehend where my time has gone... I still have about a month and a week and tons to look forward to! Here is a look at the rest of my semester!

11 days til my end of the year International Party!!!

15 days til I am done with finals

17 days til i leave for Beijing!

34 days til my Aunt and Uncle come to Hong Kong

36 days til my Parents get here!

40 days til I turn 21!!! woo hoo

44 days til I arrive in LAX and get to see my sisters! 

I still have soo much time left but I know this time will fly by too cause I will be super busy and  I have tons to look forward to!

Hot Pot!

So last night me, bryan, lee, and pierre went out to dinner to a hot pot place where they put the boiling spicy broth in the middle of your table and you go grab food to cook in the pot! Bryan's local friends took him there so when we got there it was no surprise we were the only white people. It is under a huge tent so there are tons of big circle tables where you sit and talk and eat! There were easily 200+ people (chinese people haha) there... So you sit down and they bring you the broth being cooked over a little stove that is fueled by a tank of propane that was sitting by my feet... super safe I know! Then we go to the main "buffet" style table with all the vegetables, seafood, meat, and dumplings are and put what you want in a plastic bucket to bring back to your tables... At the buffet there were shrimp that were still moving so apparently you put them in the boiling water to kill them and then eat them (mean), there were chicken testicles (a chinese must have), and some other nasty stuff that i couldn't tell what it was..  I pretty much stuck to the vegetables and had a little bit of beef and beef dumplings... They had some squash, corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc and it was all really good cause the broth was spicy! They also had a little selection of noodles... Pierre took the square of ramen noodles and was eating it at the table without cooking it and the chinese people just thought it was the funniest thing ever... there were three different tables staring and laughing at him, knowing that we were watching them laugh.. It was pretty funny.. And at the end of our meal, a huge cockroach ran by... Which is the perfect ending to the unsanitary hot pot meal we had with a tent full of locals :)