China- Part 1

Hey Chrissie, how was China?

Where do I begin!

We will start with the basics. I went to China with my mom and we spent 3 days in Beijing, 3 in Shanghai, and 3 in Hong Kong. In Beijing we climbed the Great Wall, walked through the Forbidden City, saw the Ming Tombs (it's a mound of dirt- I wish I was kidding), grazed through the Summer Palace, strolled through the Temple of Heaven, rickshawed through the Hu Tong, and went to numerous tourist traps. By tourist traps I mean a jade factory, pearl factory, traditional Chinese pharmacy, porcelain factoy, and acrobatic show. We had a private car and tour guide which was wonderful and the only reason we were able to have such productive days.

The Great Wall was way steeper than I expected. Those steps are a beast! I had no traction on my shoes and I was focused on not falling down the Great Wall like humpty dumpty meanwhile I had the voice of my mother counting every step she took. 622 steps, in case you were wondering. What fascinated me about the Great Wall was the attire. I came in an old t-shirt, tattered jeans, and shoes that ended up breaking. The other tourists came in wedges, dresses, suits, while THEY HELD THEIR BABIES. I am not kidding.

My favorite place we visited was the Temple of Heaven. This place was in my guide book as a must-see but was not on our tour. My mom and I woke up at 5am to take the subway and see the Temple of Heaven and its park before we left for Shanghai. When we entered the park we saw a vast amount of trees and even more elderly Chinese people doing various forms of exercise. If you know me, I love being outside and I love exercise even more. The Temple of Heaven was a perfect combination for me!

Beijing was a lot cleaner than I expected. Even though the air quality was horrible (apparently you can rarely see the sun even though we saw a lot if it) the place was CLEAN. I felt like I was in a suburb, traffic included!

The food in Beijing was not what I expected. I thought it would be better! The one exception was the Peking Duck. I don't even like duck that much, but this duck was phenomenal. I gobbled it up and my mother and I could not believe what amazing flavor it had. Out of everything I ate in China, this duck was the most fantastic.

Next post- Shanghai!

Summer 2011

Hi!

I think me getting sick in SF is God telling me to slow down. And also to write in my blog.

I am sorry I have not updated in so long. It has been a crazy summer and here is the recap:

1. I moved out of the SERC (I miss you Sarah and Rosa!) and went to see my sister in Hartford.

2. From there I went to St. Louis to see my brother and cousins where I ate delicious food, drove my aunt's minivan, and took a day trip to Chicago. I had never been to Chi-town before and my brother drove me there just so I could eat the MOST AMAZING PIZZA! I also fell in love with Nancy's dog.

3. I came back to Hartford for one day and then moved to NYC to work for the Joffrey Ballet School summer intensive. After a very stressful 8 weeks as an RA I am happy to say I made new friends and got used to the city.

4. While working as an RA I also worked at the JBS Dance Camp for 3-6 year olds.

5. In addition to that job, I also became a the dance teacher at the Children's Aid Society in Harlem where I taught modern/creative movement classes This was an INCREDIBLE experience and I feel that it really challenged me and my patience as a teacher. The kids were pretty rowdy but I managed to get some great results and Justin Bieber Dance Parties out of them.

6. After I finished at JBS, I came home for one day for a family reunion! My grand-aunt turned 80 and so all of my extended family on my Dad's side came out for a few days of eating. We also threw Tracie a baby shower! My first ever!

7. The next day my mom and I headed out to Beijing! We spent 3 days in Beijing, 3 in Shanghai, and 3 in Hong Kong. I really liked China and I promise I will write more about the trip and post photos.

8. From HK my mom went back home and I spent 2 days in SF celebrating a friend's birthday. It was great seeing old friends but it was so cold there. Which is why I am now sitting in bed with a stuffy nose.

9. I am currently in Garden Grove spending time with my family and friends before school starts. Let me know if you want to hang out!

So that was my summer!

-Chrissie