finally some much needed time with my grandparents

7/14:

ohhh man I am so sore right now. I went to an amusement park of sorts yesterday with Gaochang and Tianyi's family and some family friends. The main attraction at this park are various obstacle courses to cross a river. I would probably say there were around 40-50 types of bridges. There are wobbly platforms, rotating wooden beams, spinning barrels, and so much more. The goal is to try to get across without falling into the river, but people fall in all the time. If you've ever seen Most Extreme Elimination, many of the obstacle courses are very similar: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/190/1177160696_4.jpg. The river's about a meter high so there's no real danger of drowning. I really enjoyed these obstacle courses, but my feet are definitely not as coordinated as Tianyi's. Thus, I fell in on my first go. Now that I was wet, I just started trying all of them. It was loads of fun trying to master each bridge one after another. Spectators on the side would cheer people on and laugh heartily when people fell in. Boasting was a must.

There were other things in the park besides just obstacle courses. They had a mini archery range that I got to try for the first time. Somehow, I landed an arrow in the middle section of my target and won a deck of cards haha...probably just beginner's luck. They also had the typical carnival games and rides. Bumper cars, rotating cups, and a roller coaster, they had them all. I only went on the roller coaster ride though since spinning rides always make me queasy. The tickets were pretty hefty, 50 yuan a pop, which is around ~7 bucks just for one ride. The roller coaster ride itself was not very impressive, and I would say it wasn't worth the 7 bucks. It really doesn't match up to the ones back in the US.

Our group had planned on going to another spa (yeah...the kind of spa I described in my posts), but we all decided to go home since we were all pretty tired. It was nice to just relax and not have to go out and eat. I got a chance to see some old footage from when I was just 2 years old. I must say, I was a pretty pampered baby haha. I wouldn't even eat my popsicle by myself and had my mom bite off pieces for me and feed me bird-style. I also wasn't a very lively baby either, but I was cute :P If time travel is one day possible, I would travel back in time just to play with my toddler self. After some hilariously good flashbacks, I settled down to watch Requiem for a Dream. There's some really messed up stuff in this movie, and I'm never going to even think about drugs after seeing this movie. I liked the movie overall and recommend it if you can stomach some pretty explicit scenes.

7/15:

I made it clear to my relatives that I wanted to spend today with my grandparents (dad's side), the ones who raised me as a for the most part. It's time to finally get down to business. I brought the two chinese bibles with me to my grandparents place and gave it to my grandma first while my grandpa was outside smoking. I explained to her that this is what I believed in and asked her to read some of it. She really didn't read it much and said that she wouldn't understand it. I told her that most of it is just like story and that she wouldn't have any trouble with it. Overall, she seemed very disinterested in it :/ Whenever I tried to talk to her about it, she would change the subject to something else (about dating and marrying lol...) She explained that there were quite a few believers in her apartment complex, and that they've tried to invite her to church. I was quite surprised to hear this and asked her if she's ever gone to church. My grandma told me that the church is really far and she can't walk there because of her knees.. On top of that, she gets car sick very easily and her blood pressure rises when there's too many people. For her health, I didn't try to persuade her to try to go to church. I started to tear up when I realized that she would probably never be able to go to church and never experience fellowship. My grandma's always had the role of a traditional housewife and only thinks of those duties. She really hasn't had much exposure to school. She doesn't see how believing would change anything. At this point, I don't really know what else I can do but to continue to pray for them. If you guys wouldn't mind, please pray for God to open their hearts.

I gave my grandpa the other bible after he came back. My grandma had told me that he really doesn't believe in any religion. When I asked him why, he just told me he'll read the bible. He's old now, and is probably semi-senile now. Having a religious conversation with him at this point would not be possible. I fear I might have reached them too late :x However, I still have hope for both of them. My grandpa said he didn't believe in any religion before, but he's not sure right now. Hopefully God will really speak to him through the bible I gave him. That's my hope at least. For now, I really don't want to keep pushing the envelope, because I can sense their indifference. However, as a friend told me, I just have to keep trucking because it's all worth it for them.

triple tap?

7/13:

I had planned on spending some quality time with my grandparents today (dad's side), but I woke pretty late and my aunt had already planned for Gaochang and I to go see a movie. I thought perhaps I could go after the movie. Maybe I could finally give them the chinese bibles I brought with me.

We walked to the movie theater, which was only 10 minutes or so away. We ate lunch first at Ajisen Ramen, which is this really really good noodle house. I ordered some beef noodles, and I must say, it's probably the best noodles I've ever eaten. Try it if you ever get the chance. It's a pretty famous restaurant chain I believe. I also ordered some mango juice. I expected it to be in a normal glass, but the waiter brought out a small vase of mango juice. What a deallll haha XP The movie theater is in the same building as Carrefour, so we bought a bunch of candy before going in. Customers are allowed to bring food into theaters, which kinda surprised me, but I wasn't complaining. We watched "Triple Tap," (~1 min trailer if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee7EBuGgJ6I) which is this action/suspense shooter film. Let's just say it wasn't the best movie I've ever seen haha...However, it was the only movie showing at the time we got there. Something interesting I've noticed, Chinese movies rarely show any kissing in movies. Whenever there's some intimate moment in any film, the male and female just end up hugging. I guess I'm just so used to seeing kissing scenes (and sometimes things past kissing...) in American movies that I expected it when I was watching this movie. Just an observation.

So after the movies, my aunt calls Gaochang and tells us that one of my mom's cousins is treating us out for dinner. He's about 10 years older than me and is one of the few distant relatives I remember from my childhood. He used to play with us all the time, and I remember really liking him. With these dinner plans though, I wouldn't be able to see my grandparents once again...but it would have been too disrespectful for me to turn this dinner invitation down. My mom's cousin picked the Sheraton hotel's restaurant for tonight's dinner. It was a buffet style dinner with sushi chefs and cooks ready to make fresh food at your command. The restaurant looked really upscale and so did the food. I took some pictures of the food (the had a chocolate fountain!), but was told not to take pictures after snapping a few. That's probably the 6th or 7th time someone's told me not to take pictures. I really don't get what's the big deal of taking pictures of food...It's been a while since I've felt that full from a meal. Everything looked so good. I just had to try a little bit of everything. They even had baguettes and cheese, which I ate even though i'm a lactard :x oh wells, I feel like it was worth it.

Alright, it's almost time for bed. Gotta sleep early for another trip to some place I don't know tomorrow. I really need to just settle down for a few days and just spend time with my grandparents :/

glamorous

7/12:

Yes, I did stay up to watch the world cup finals but only the second half though. Not like there was much to see anyway. If I hadn't developed a liking for soccer since coming to China, I would have lost interest so quickly haha...BUT, I watched until the very end to see Spain take the victory. It was around 5am at this point, and I could already see light outside (the sun rises at 430 am remember?). I staggered into bed and slept until 11am.

I woke up to the smell of scrambled eggs, which made me really hungry. I ate some toast with scrambled eggs for breakfast and prepped for a day at a local mall equivalent in Shenyang with my aunt and Gaochang. We made the husky puppy stay in the restroom while we were gone. She didn't bark at all. Such a guai doggy haha :P

Our first stop was a professional photography studio to pick some pictures from Gaochang's recent photoshoot. According to my aunt, most girls get one when they turn 18 and another one when they're in their 20s. Wedding photos are almost ubiquitous among Chinese couples now. We sat at a waiting table and looked through some sample albums of wedding photos and glamor shots. Some of the pictures had fobby engrish on them, but some of the printed text was actually pretty cute. One of them in a wedding album said, "As time turns the page, my love for you does not fade" (something like that, I don't really remember the second part word for word). Another one on a glamor picture said, "You are the sparkle in my eye and the fire in my heart." That one's pretty good too haha. Reminds me of the line, "You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life" from Julie and Julia. Now I'm hungry...

We finally got a spot on one of the computers and started picking through photos. There were a total of 138 pictures, but my aunt only ordered 25. Sorting through them was extremely tedious. You had to consider cropping the pictures to fit the frames, which color would look good for a glass picture, etc, etc. The whole selection process took an hour and a half. We spent at least 2 hours in that studio.

After our extended stay in the studio, we went to the shopping strip called "Da Jie," which literally translates to "Big Street." It was the first shopping mall-like area in Shenyang, and my mom used to shop there all the time back in her younger days. I bought a couple of cool T-shirts from one shop and left. It was around 330pm and Gaochang needed to feed the puppy at 4pm. Shame I didn't get to see what other stores were there.

We heard the puppy whimpering and scratching the bathroom door as soon as we came in. As soon as we opened the door, she zoomed out of restroom and starting peeing. She left a nice pee trail right outside the bathroom door. Huskies won't pee in the place sleep, so she's been holding it in for a good 4 hours. That's quite impressive for a one month old puppy.

After the puppy devoured her food, we took her to my grandparent's (on my mom's side) house for dinner. She was the star in that apartment, and everyone mentioned how guai she is. She doesn't bark and only whimpers or yelps when she wants to come out of a room.

I took a walk with Gaochang and my aunt after dinner. It rained pretty hard during dinner, but stopped afterward. I'm not really sure why I decided to sanbu (walk) when there were puddles everywhere and I only had flip flops on. It was still pretty fun though, and I just stopped thinking about my wet and dirty feet after a while. That's what showers are for. Alright, now off to watch Memoirs of a Geisha. My gosh their fobby accent is terrible...

103 kids and naked men??

7/9:

Hello! It's been a while since I've updated, and this post will be extra long haha... I left my computer at Gaochang's house, but now I'm back to see her new puppy!! :D More on that later.

I don't even remember what day this was haha...I'll just go over the things I did that day. My first stop for that day was Beiling park, which is a tomb for the second Qing emperor and also an expansive park. It was the first time I've seen so much vegetation and inhaled such fresh air in China. It felt great to finally get some genuine fresh air. Old people strolled around and played chinese chess throughout the park. Gaochang's mom told me old people love this place because of the fresh air. The architecture of the tomb is amazing. Here's a picture of the entrance to the tomb: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/BeilingTripleDecker.jpg

We rented a peddle cart that seated three people. The two people riding on the outside of the bench have to peddle, and the person on the left steers. That was probably one of main reasons I liked my visit hahaha. Gaochang, her mother, and I peddled around the park and took some pictures. Then my aunt bought two tickets for me and Gaochang to actually go into the tomb. The tomb itself is off limits, but tourists were free to walk around the courtyard leading up to the tomb. There really wasn't much to see but more ancient buildings. At one point, this middle age woman looked at me for the longest time as we walked by and laughed like she knew something. I thought it was kinda creepy, so I walked away as fast as I could.

Gaochang and I exited the tomb area with some pictures in our cameras and returned to our yellow tandem cart. All three of us peddled on a path around the park and just enjoyed the nice air and scenery. It wasn't terribly hot that day, so peddling around was no problem. We stopped by the river, because I saw people playing these giant inflatable cylinders on the river. Imagine a giant hamster wheel made out of plastic enclosed by two discs with an entrance/exit hole at each end. Gaochang and I climbed inside and tried to make the wheel roll on the water by running. It was definitely not easy, and we spent a majority of the time laying inside the wheel just laughing. Now I know what a hamster feels like...

It was about dinner time when we left the park. My grandparents on my dad's side wanted to treat me out that night, so we headed back to their apartment to eat at a nearby restaurant. One of my uncle's mother came with us too. She used to be an excellent doctor before she retired. Even though she's so old and needs to be taken care of, I still have a lot of respect for her. I felt honored to sit next to someone who accomplished great things in her lifetime.

I haven't really exercised much since coming to China, and I was itching to check out the gym that one of my aunts promised to take me to. She also ate dinner with us, so she took me and Tianyi to the gym right after dinner. I really just wanted to use some of the work out machines there, and didn't really care for ping pong or badminton. However, I found out the work out section is extremely lacking. I really couldn't do much. The rest of the gym was very nice though. Everything was polished marble, and there were employees all over the place ready to serve water or bring you a towel. Luckily, I brought a jump rope after dinner and jumped rope while Tianyi played ping pong. The badminton courts are usually completely booked by dinner time, but we managed to squeeze onto a court 30 minutes before closing time. Tianyi and I played a couple of matches until it was closing time. I've really developed a liking for badminton, and I want to play again haha.

Tianyi and I returned to one of his parent's empty apartments to spend the night. We watched some TV before we slept, and a specific news story caught my eye. One man took in homeless children and gave them a home. He accepted a total of 103 kids into his own home, and he manages to raise all of them. He's moved three times in one year, because the number of kids continues to grow and his house becomes smaller and smaller. I'm not even sure how he manages to keep 103 kids around. They range from 5 year olds to 17 year olds, and he somehow creates harmony between all of them. The children love him very much and help out as much as possible. When asked how me sustains such a large number of kids, the man responded with, "guang ai," which roughly translates to love alone. His story reminded me of how our Father God manages to sustain all of us, His children, with His love. While the man with 103 kids sometimes struggles to make ends meet, our God is more than enough for us. He is our bread of life and sustains us through thick and thin.

7/10:

99% of the time, not wearing some sort of corrective lens is a nuisance. It's hard to recognize people's faces until they're right in front of you (If I don't wave at you, it doesn't mean I don't like you; I probably just can't see who you are hahaha XP). Reading words in the distance is nearly impossible. However, I consider the remaining 1% of the time an immense blessing. Today was probably the best example of that 1%. Tianyi's parents took me to a high end spa today. The way they described it sounded fantastic. They had a buffet with loads of awesome food. Bathing was super relaxing and soothing. They were sure I was going to like it. I guess they left out the minor (or major) detail that a public spa meant bathing with many other naked males. I foolishly accepted their offer and went along with it. The greeters offered me flip flops as soon as I entered the spa. They handed me a bracelet with an ID tag on it and told me to go upstairs. I followed my uncle upstairs to a lounge area with a bunch of lockers. We opened our corresponding lockers with our bracelets just by tapping our tag on the lock. Everything was going swell at this point. The place was super nice, and I was looking forward to a good soak. Then I turn around and see my uncle pulling down his underwear right in front of me. Thankfully, I turned around just in time. I peeked over at Tianyi and saw him stripping too. This was a little too much for me, so I asked for a towel. I was NOT getting naked in front of my relatives...I used my towel all the way to the giant baths, where other men were also bathing. I probably should have seen this coming...The worst was probably the lounge chairs right next to the baths. I'll spare you guys the details of the rest of the spa. After a while though, I became pretty desensitized and just stopped caring. Let me tell you, sometimes I'm very glad everything's blurry to me. Today was DEFINITELY one of those times...

On the way back to the uninhabited apartment Tianyi and I have been living in, I noticed just how much Tianyi boasts and brags. He was telling his parents just how successful he'll be in the future and describing the cars he's going to buy them once he lands a high-paying job. I really admire Tianyi for always being optimistic. I think it's a great trait he possesses, but he pushes it way too far. I've also noticed that boasting is something chinese people do quite often. They're very proud people, and they'll boast whenever they get the chance. I find that I don't have much to talk about when I'm out with Tianyi because he's usually bragging away. I don't like to brag, so I really don't have much to say. As a result, everyone says I'm a quiet kid. I'd take that over a boaster any day. Boast in God alone right? Boasting in anything else just feels so wrong to me now. I've also realized that I judge Tianyi way too much. Whenever he's loudly exaggerating some deed he's done, I find myself quietly criticizing him in my head and lauding myself for being so humble. That's just prideful of me, to think that I'm better than Tianyi just because I don't brag or boast in my abilities. I KNOW I'm full of faults and also very messed up, but by the grace of God, I am saved. Maybe it's time to stop picking at other people's faults and start looking at my own.

7/11:

Whew, last day to update haha XP I'll try not to let these accumulate more than two days. One of my aunt's (dad's oldest sister) took me to my old elementary school in the afternoon. Seeing the school yard really brought back memories of the one semester I spent there. The school building has been renovated, and many of the playground structures I was once familiar with are now gone. The school yard looked a lot smaller. I guess your perspective of size changes when you're gone for 13 years. Today was a Sunday, so there were no teachers were at school. My old first grade teacher, Ms. Tong, is long gone according to the grounds keeper. I really wanted to see if she still recognized me :/

After taking a few pics at my old school, we went back to the apartment building where I grew up in. Just seeing the gates to the apartment high rises brought back a flood of memories. There were some residents sitting around outside. Apparently, they were all my neighbors and still lived in the building. They all recognized me instantly, saying I didn't change much and looked exactly like my dad. Sadly, I didn't recognize any of them, but hey, I left when I was 6 and a half. I also met a 93 year old grandpa who's somehow related to my aunt (There's just way too many connections for me to get right when it comes to chinese families...) He's 93 years old and still very healthy and lucid. He even remembers me, which I thought was very impressive considering how ancient he is. He must have so many interesting stories...

We visited the park and buddhist temple behind my house after saying our goodbyes to my old neighbors. I've learned that parks in China are usually populated with old people who play chinese chess or cards all day. This park was no different. Old people were everywhere, and my grandpa greeted quite a few of them who plays chinese chess with them regularly. The buddhist temple was not very big. It had one large tower structure in the middle and some small rooms surrounding it. I heard the sound of buddhist monks inside of the rooms reciting buddhist text in unison. I took a quick peek inside to see around 10 female monks sitting cross-legged and left them to their meditation.

For dinner, my grandma's (on my dad's side) youngest brother, who's 27 years younger than her (!), wanted to take me out. My grandma is the oldest of 7 siblings. I'm not even sure how a 27 year gap is possible...The second youngest sibling was also there. We ate at a new restaurant near my grandparent's house so my grandma could walk to the restaurant. All of the waiters wore pink as their uniform. I thought it looked pretty fruity haha...omgosh my relatives complimented me to no end during dinner...I really couldn't take it after the first 5 minutes or so but just kept smiling and nodding. They told me that they've been following my progress ever since I went to America. Anything good that happened quickly spread to them. My success was their happiness; it was my whole family's happiness. It was such a warm feeling to know that I had such a supportive family, who are willing to back me up every step of the way. They've certainly set a high bar for me, and I feel like any mistake now would disappoint them. I guess that means I'll have to work super hard from now on so that doesn't happen.

Once again, I'm sitting in the dark, wrapping up this post late into the night. The World Cup finals is going to start in 30 minutes. I think I'll actually watch it, even though it's 2am here. I've developed a liking for soccer after watching so many world cup matches. Oh yeah! Gaochang finally got the husky she wanted. She's only a month old and poops and pees only on carpet, which is much harder to clean than hardwood floor. She's sleeping right now because she wore herself out in the afternoon. Pictures to come :) (probably on facebook haha)

doggiessss :D

7/7:

I've always been the "good" kid in the family. Ever since I was little, I was respectful and listened to my parents. I studied and worked hard in school. I never begged my parents to buy me things. All my relatives have always told my parents how guai I am. Because I'm such a good kid in my relative's eyes, I've always been the standard for comparisons. I don't know how many times I've heard, "look at Kevin, look at the way he ____." The blank usually involves school or listening to my parents. I know it makes my cousins uncomfortable when their parents compare them to me, and it makes me even more uncomfortable. They've put me on a pedestal, but I know I'm not nearly as perfect as they make me out to be.

That's how I started my morning. I was packing my stuff quietly, getting ready to go to Gaochang's house. Tianyi was in his room, loudly tossing clothes everywhere and not ready at all. His dad saw me packing like and instantly made sure to rub it in Tianyi's face. "Look at Kevin, he's already packed. Look at how neat he is." Of course Tianyi wasn't pleased, and I just felt uncomfortable. Good thing Tianyi isn't the type to hold grudges, or else he would've started hating me back when we were wee kids.

Gaochang's mom took me and Gaochang to a mall to buy some souvenirs for me. I bought some small anime figurines, some for me, but mostly to try to merchant online. I'll see what I can make of it. I'll at least try to earn some pocket money for college. I also bought this super cute black soot pillow from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this should refresh your memory: http://www.toysnjoys.com/ghibli/sootspritebabydoll.jpg The pillow's definitely coming with me to college next semester :)

We went to a local pet shop to look at puppies for Gaochang after the shopping center. Since she scored so well on her college entrance exam, her mom decided to finally give in and buy her the Alaskan husky she's been pining for since she was a kid. This pet shop was definitely not the same as your local Petsmart. Bunnies, hedgehogs, kittens in cages were left out in front of the shop, a couple of feet away from fast moving traffic. The animals didn't look very healthy, and their food bowls were empty. Puppies and some other kittens were kept inside of the shop. One cage had mutts that were only 30 or 40 yuan each. The other cage had specific breeds. All of them were adorable, and I couldn't help but smile when I saw them climbing over one another to get to the front of the cage. I regret not bringing my camera :(

Next I had a badminton date with Tianyang, Tianyi, and Tianyang's dad, who's really good at badminton. We played in a high school gym. Normally, American gyms are usually painted for basketball, but Chinese gyms are painted with 7 badminton courts. Badminton's definitely huge here. We played a doubles match with Tianyang and Tianyi on one team against me and Tianyang's dad on another team. I've never really played badminton before. I've hit the birdie around, but I've never played with a net or anything like that. Tianyang's dad took care of most of the shots, and I stood back and hit whatever came my way. I felt pretty inferior to Tianyang's dad's superior skill. He basically won that game singlehandedly. I was just happy to finally get some exercise.

Tianyang's mom came and picked us up to go grab some dinner at a family friend's restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was a rambunctious middle age woman who wore heavy makeup. Her brother has this super adorable daughter named Tong Tong, who I really enjoyed playing with. She’s five and half years old and never stops moving. She runs around constantly screaming, and it's a gas to watch her play. I always feel so happy when I see kids like her having fun. They're so carefree. Makes me wish I was a kid again. No worries in the world. I really wish I could've taken a picture of her. So adorable...

7/8:

Tianyi, Tianyang, and I slept in one of Tianyi’s parent’s other houses. They buy nice condos, renovate and furnish them, and then wait until the market value of the house rises. The condo we stayed in is one of those furnished condos that no one lives in. We woke up at 5am to go play badminton again with Tianyang’s dad. Remember, the sun rises at 430 here, so it’s already pretty bright outside by 5am. I was definitely very tired, but I didn’t want to be left behind to sleep in. We went to the same high school gym and had to claim a court before the place started filling up. Lots of people actually play at 5am in the morning. I’m sure all of them play and then go to work right afterward. It’s part of their daily routine. I thought Tianyang’s dad was good, but man, the people there were way better. I was quite impressed. One thing irked me to no end though. A few of the men who were playing stared smoking in the gym. It made breathing harder for me and I had to walk away from our court just to get some air. I couldn’t believe it. I really don’t understand how you can smoke in the middle of playing a sport. One guy was puffing while playing. It was just unbelievable…

We played until 7am and went back to the same restaurant as last night for breakfast. Tong Tong was there as well, making figures with some dough and flour. I sat next to her and watched her make a man out of the dough. The arms were bigger than the body, but it didn’t matter. She smiled proudly at her masterpiece and I complimented her on how well she made the figure. I made a snowman with three balls of dough, but she quickly told me real snowmen are made from two balls. Man, she’s so fun to play with, but she had to leave for day care within 10 minutes of our arrival. I hope I’ll see her again before I leave. I’ll definitely bring my camera next time.

Tianyi, Tianyang, and I took a taxi back to the condo we stayed in last night and all fell asleep as soon as we got back. No way I’m waking up at 5am again. I think I slept from 9am to around 3pm, but I’m not really sure. My dreams were pretty crazy. I remember a car that could control time and also become invisible. I also remember being on an alien planet with colorful lush vegetation and hovering platforms. Aliens were everywhere. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a vivid and colorful dream before. Definitely odd.

I went to Gaochang’s house after I woke up to eat dumplings for dinner. I didn’t eat much because I’m not a big fan of dumplings (not very asian right?). After dinner, Gaochang, Tianyi, and I went to visit my grandma on my mom’s side (the one undergoing chemo). She was experiencing some side effects from her medication, so we wanted to go see how she was doing. She seemed to be doing quite well when we went to see her, and said “I already feel a lot better just from seeing you three.” Quite the heartwarming thing to say. Gaochang’s parents came by later and took me and Gaochang to explore Shenyang’s night time food markets. People filled the streets even at 10pm, and there were so many different food carts. The streets were alive with performers and people, and I felt so immersed in my city’s culture while walking around. Our last stop was at Carrefour, the supermarket, to buy some snacks. We bought some mung bean ice cream popsicles that I’ve been craving and ate them on the way home. They were delicious of course. Now I’m sitting here at Gaochang’s dinner table, staying up late once again to finish this update. Everyone’s asleep and I’m about to do the same. Until next time.

outhouses and freezing caves

I'll say it now; I miss normal bowel movements. In fact, it's one of the things I miss most about being back home. Maybe I'm just not accustomed to the food here. Whatever the case, my bowel movements are definitely not regular anymore. I think it might be the excessive amount of meat Chinese people eat. Every single meal has been loaded with meat dishes with very little greens, and it's taking a toll on my digestive system. I try to load up on veggies whenever I get the chance, and it's usually no very often I do. Need them fibers. Makes your poo come out easier. Refer to this video if you don't know where that comes from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR59E1nv3xY

It's hilarious :) Sorry for the TMI haha...

7/5:

So today is my second day in Dandong. I was woken up7

pretty early, around 730, still tired and groggy. After I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I sat on my bed and wrote my chinese name on a piece of paper. I told Tianyang and Gaochang to do the same so I can compare handwritings. Of course, mine was the worst by far. A family friend who also came with us on the trip mentioned how ugly my handwriting is compared to Gaochang's. Then he gave me a brief lesson on how to properly write my name. I got schooled pretty badly. Apparently his handwriting is really pretty. I asked him to sign his name to see just how good it looked. His signature honestly looked like a bunch of loopy squiggles. There is no way he wrote chinese, but I don't have an eye for nice chinese signatures. Everyone else said it looked fantastic. I thought it looked like something I could've drawn when I was 5...

We checked out of our hotel and headed towards the countryside to go tubing down some river. Tubing down the river takes approximately 2.5 hours, and it's actually what I was looking forward to doing the most in Dandong. Sadly, the river was dry and extremely shallow, so tubing was a no go :( I also saw the most eastern segment of the Great Wall, which was only this small tower on top of a mountain. We didn't climb up, but just took some pictures of it. I encountered my first outhouse at the same place. It was a three and a half wall room with not much of roof. The other half of the wall was an opening to a gaping hole in the ground. There was no smell when I stood 10 feet away from it, but a wall of foul sewage smell hit me as soon as I got within 6 feet of it. I snapped a quick photo and got the heck out of there real quick.

After some more scenic roads through the countryside, we finally reached the river separating North Korea from China. We didn't get to ride the boat yesterday, so we planned on riding one today. Finding a boat was also a matter of asking around and haggling for the best price. We settled on a boat ride from a small countryside restaurant owner and ordered lunch from him to be eaten after we got off our boat tour. The boat ride was pretty enjoyable. There was a strong breeze as the boat skimmed over the river. We were probably about 500 feet from the North Korean shore. I wonder if North Koreans ever swim across to China? The river's not that wide, definitely narrow enough to perhaps swim across and easily boated across. We saw North Korean fisherman fishing and swimming in the river. The North Korean side was pretty much a pastoral farming area with lots of wooden farm houses and small fields. We waved at the people we saw, and some of them waved back at us. I even saw some soldiers, rifles and all, patrolling the border. Our boat barely escaped a rainstorm on the way back to dock, and it's a good thing we did escape. It started pouring a couple minutes after we got back to the small restaurant. We ate a hearty lunch with dishes full of homegrown ingredients and local specialties such as some type of river fish. My relatives kept telling me to eat more because I'll never taste food like this in the city.

We ate a late and long lunch, so it was a little after 3pm when we finished. Our next stop on our trip was to find a hotel with hot spring water to take a good soak. The spring water in Dandong is famous in China, and it's one of the main reasons the adults on the trip wanted to come. We looked around the city, but couldn't find a suitable hotel with private baths. After some more searching, we happened upon a hotel with spring water exclusively for the Chinese army. Normally we wouldn't be able to stay there because none of us was in the army, but my aunt talked to the guard, and he let us in somehow. Like I said, connections can get you far in China. Not gonna lie though, the rooms were very shabby. There was no AC, and the place looked quite old and not well kept. The tiles in the restrooms were dirty, and I really didn't trust the toilet. However, the yard outside the hotel was beautiful, and it was a gated area. Even though the hotel rooms downright sucked, at least our cars were safe, and we had hot spring water to bathe in. Surprisingly, I wasn't the one complaining about my living conditions for the night. I was content at the time, but Tianyi kept griping and complaining. I was just satisfied with a place to sleep and rest. My uncle went and bought some disinfecting spray to wipe down the tubs in the bathrooms and we all soaked in the hot spring water. The water's full of minerals, and dried up minerals accumulate in the sink a couple minutes after you use it. Bathing in the water's good for the skin apparently, but I didn't stay in my bath for long. It was just wayyyy too hot, and I could only stand about 10 minutes of it. I just treated it as a hot water bath and nothing more. We spent the rest of the night playing cards until it was bedtime. Our rooms were full creepy crawlies since we kept our windows opened to get some natural air. They got in even though the windows had a screen over it. I also encountered a large cockroach in my room that was about 2 inches long. Oh how I loathe those critters...

7/6:

Today was my last day in Dandong, and our last stop was an underground cave with a river inside. The weather today was overcast, and temperatures were probably in the low to mid 70s. It was the coolest weather I've felt in China so far, and it felt real good. It started to rain right when we were buying our tickets. Thankfully I brought my Rice ID and saved 7 bucks on my ticket. We descended into the cave after riding trolley to the opening. The cave was pretty normal with the standard low ceilings stalagmites and stalactites. What made this cave different from any other cave was the temperature inside. It was probably around 80 degrees outside the cave, but it was 53.6 degrees inside the cave, definitely cold enough to make me shiver. I had goosebumps on my arms the entire time I was in the cave. Thankfully, the boat ride down the river provided giant fluffy ski overcoats. I know it sounds ridiculous, but those ski coats were absolutely necessary inside that cave. We rode in a small motorboat that seated 15 people. The water was really clear and freezing cold. I took a bunch of pictures of the various rock formations. Some of the iconic ones had names such as "Tiger's Mouth" and "Leaning Tower." I stopped taking pictures at a point when I realized all of them pretty much looked the same and just sat back and enjoyed the scenery.

For a late lunch, we stopped at a regionally famous lamb meat restaurant that's known for its lamb broth. I love lamb, but I wasn't very hungry at that point. I'd also had enough meat for now and wasn't too keen on loading up on more lamb meat. Instead, I loaded up on as much vegetables as possible and just sipped on my lamb broth. The broth wasn't particularly amazing tasting, but it was pretty good. After lunch, we finally headed back to Shenyang.

I went back to Tianyi's house, probably the main place I'll be sleeping at during my time here in China. We rested, and some of us took showers to cool off and clean ourselves. I had run out of clean clothes by now and was eager to take a shower and change. For dinner, one of Tianyang's mom, who's Tianyi's aunt, offered to treat us out at a famous and upscale Sichuan restaurant. Sichuan food is known for its spicy dishes, and I was hungry for some good food after not eating much during lunch. The restaurant was really nice. It's by far the best looking one I've seen so far in China. It was clean modern, and all the waitresses looked professional. Tianyang's parents were already there by the time we arrived and had already ordered most of the dishes, so we started eating right away. I tried some new food at the restaurant. I had baby bamboo shoots for the first time, and they were surprisingly pretty tasty. I remember running through the bamboo section in Welcome Food Market back in Houston, because the smell was so repugnant. However, these shoots weren't bad at all. I also had some sort of special shrimp that I've never tasted before. They were way more tender than any shrimp I've ever eaten and also a lot smaller. Also very tasty. I had plume juice for the first time too. Definitely want some more now haha. All of the food was very delicious, and it was probably the most satisfying meal I've had in China so far. When we were finishing up our meal, a stranger at the table next to us who worked for Tianyang's dad offered to pay the bill for us. Tianyang's dad works in the northeastern sector of the chinese railroad company that services three provinces in northeastern China. He's pretty high up in the corporate hierarchy and wields a lot of power. He's definitely a big shot with a lot of power and someone you would want to suck up to as the co-worker tried to do. After the guy left, Tianyang's dad says he's only seen the guy before and doesn't even know him. I guess I was just surprised at how much power Tianyang's dad has. More broadly, I'm very surprised at how far you can get if you have the right connections and money in China. Rules are very flexible here if you have both.

Even more observations/differences!

• It's illegal to step on grass in northern China. Fields of grass are nearly non-existent here, and the ones available are for soccer fields or golf courses with membership fees. Chinese officials don't want people to mess up what precious little grass they have. Definitely no ultimate here :(
• Everyone has a high tech cell phone here. Pretty much every single teenager here has some sort of smart phone, and they're constantly using them. Even the country bumpkin who owned the small restaurant we ate at had a decent cell phone.
• You can pay for a personalized signature here in China. It's a text message service where you text your Chinese name to a number, and they'll send you a picture with a professional looking signature.
• Age relations are very important here in China. Respect is demanded and expected when speaking or interacting with an older individual, even if they're only a couple of months older than you like Tianyi is. It's very different from America where you can joke around and interact as equals with peers who are within a couple years of your age. Here, you're expected to use "older brother" or "younger sister" when addressing friends or family. I've also found that I have to be a little more submissive and respectful to Tianyi than when he was living with me back home just because he's older than me and is my "older brother."
• All lights in the stairwells of apartment buildings are sound activated. Stomping is a good way to turn them on. I think it's pretty amusing to stomp up the stairs activating the lights :P

world cup + north korea

7/3:

Some of you probably saw my facebook status about the sun rising at 4am over here. it's pretty odd, and has to do with Shenyang being at a higher latitude than Houston. Yeah, since I slept so late, I woke up at 11, ate a quick breakfast and went to go visit my grandma on my mom's side (not the one I haven't seen since 6 years old). She was just released from the hospital yesterday (7/2) after her last chemotherapy session. She doesn't actually have any malignant tumors but does have a bunch of small benign tumors throughout her body. My aunt didn't want to risk anything and so went ahead and made her undergo chemo. My grandma was in bed when I saw her. She wore a cap because her hair had all fallen out from chemo. It'll grow back, and praise God she doesn't actually have cancer. She told me her bones ache from the chemo and that she needed a lot of rest.

I stayed for a couple of hours with one of my other cousins name Gaochang. She's the only female cousin I have that's around my age. It's odd not being able to mess around with her like I'm used to with my other male cousins. I just asked her about high school, and how her college entrance exam. All high school students have to take a standardized exam to get into a college. You're put into different tiers based on your scores and apply for colleges in your respective tier. Gaochang scored pretty well, and could have applied for 1st tier schools, but chose to apply for colleges in the 2nd tier so her score stood out more. Fun fact: all high schools in china have nap time at 1:30-2:00pm. I WISH WE HAD THAT!! Staying awake right after lunch in high school was extremely difficult. I just stopped trying during senior year hahaha XP

After my visit, my aunt took me to her shop in a small mall. Both of my aunts (Tianyi's mom, and Gaochang's mom) own a shop in the mall, and that's their primary form of income. The stores inside aren't as big or as upscale as normal size malls'. I went to both of my aunts' shops and then walked around with Gaochang for the rest of the time. I got some taro tapioca, but it was not very good at all...I was disappointed :/ oh wells, it was cheap.

Carrefour supermarket was our next stop. It's a huge french hypermarket chain that's pretty much like walmart. It has food, clothes, appliances, everything. According to wikipedia, it's the largest hypermarket chain in the world in terms of size. I wonder why I've never seen them in the US...Something to note about Chinese supermarkets, they are extremely packed. Imagine walmart or target the day before Christmas. It's like that every single day. Oh yeah, another fun fact: the carts can roll sideways! You can move side to side without turning. I don't know why it doesn't come standard on all shopping carts. It's so handy for navigating through crowds. We bought a bunch of snacks for our trip to Dandong tomorrow (more on this).

The rest of the night was spent playing cards and watching the world cup with Tianyi's family and Gaochang's family.

7/4:

This is the first day of a two day trip to Dandong, a city on the border between China and North Korea. It's about a 2.5 hour drive south of Shenyang. I woke up at 6:30 am. I've frequently seen the phrase, "asleep before his/her head hit the pillow," and I've always thought being that tired is impossible. However, I came very close to achieving that phrase last night. I'm fairly certain I fell asleep within 5 seconds of laying in bed. The last thing I remember when I woke up as laying face first in bed. Next thing I knew, my aunt was telling me to wake up. I never realized I was actually that tired.

I slept for most of the trip there and missed out on a lot of the beautiful mountain scenery. I plan on staying awake on the way back, so I can take some pictures. Dandong is a mid-sized city. Not as big or developed as Shenyang, but it's definitely pretty urban. We stopped at the river separating China and North Korea first and took some pictures. Next, we checked into our four star hotel. It's a pretty nice hotel, better than most of the ones I've stayed in back in the states. While we were settling down in our hotel, Tianyi's mom was calling one of her cousins who's husband works for border patrol or something. If things go well, we could go on the bridge that connects North Korea and China. Tourists aren't allowed on this bridge, and it's patrolled by guards. Connections can get you very far in China, and I can't say I didn't enjoy exploiting this connection to go where few people are allowed to go. We entered to patrol building near the end of the bridge, guided by a nervous and slightly reluctant military officer. He was very young and couldn't have been much older than me. He walked with us on the huge metal bridge toward North Korea and told us a little about the current relations with North Korea. I didn't really understand much of it, so I just took pictures periodically of the North Korean coast. The bridge actually has a railroad track running alongside it. I'm not sure if it's actually in service though. The bridge is actually split midway into a North Korean bridge and Chinese bridge. The Chinese side is huge and looks very sturdy, while the North Korean side is much smaller and looks pretty flimsy. The military officer made a point of pointing that out to us. Chinese pride is huge over here, and it's sometimes overbearing. Large bullet marks dot the bridge structure from the planes that shot at the bridge during the 1951 Korean War. I took some pictures with some of them haha. We had to stop half-way on bridge. One more step and we technically would have been intruding on North Korean land. I can say now that I've been one step away from North Korea :P It's a pretty cool feeling. Then I high-tailed it out of there, because North Korean border guards shoot without warning.

Observations continued:

• Stray dogs are very common in China. They're extremely cute, and I'm always tempted to pet them. My uncle won't let me though, because he says Chinese dogs will bite without warning. I want to pet doggies :(
• It's very difficult to find a trashcan when walking around. I don't want to litter, so I usually have to hold my trash for long periods of time. I think this is a big reason people just toss trash everywhere in China.
• Getting drinking water is quite difficult in China. Adults always offer you juice, soda, or beer, none of which I want to drink. It's the same at restaurants. People don't drink much water here. I've been trying to drink as much as I can get.