I have been to Beijing twice, but haven't had the opportunity to explore which makes me sad. Supposedly, Shanghai and Beijing contain lots of adventure and fun. I won't be able to go to Shanghai due to it being very far.
My school will give us a vacation April 29th to May 3rd. On Tuesday (the 30th), I get the chance to experience Beijing. I will be leaving Dongying on an 8:30 a.m. bus; I will be meeting Britni, Eileen, and Nicky in Beijing. We will be staying in the same hostel (Sanlitun Hostel), but they will be leaving the following day.
Wednesday, I will head to the airport to pick Boba up! We'll be staying in Beijing until late Friday. Boba told me he's always wanted to see Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. I also looked in my Lonely Planet to see if there was anything that caught my eye. I told him about the Summer Palace, so that's also on our list.
I saw there were three malls in Beijing! I almost flipped my lid in excitement! I haven't been to a mall in forever. As much as I love NYC's fashion, I wish there were more malls. I like having everything under one roof when I am super lazy and don't want to take the subway anymore. I miss window-shopping! I bet I'll see SO many things I want to buy. Too bad I'll be broke! At first I didn't want to go, but Boba convinced me to go anyway.
Boba will come back to Dongying with me after Beijing. I think he'll definitely notice the difference. I am in a very very small city and there isn't much to do. I'll probably take him to all the places that I frequent. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!
Pictures From My Qingdao Trip!
Lots of my family members and friends have been fussing at me for not taking picture. I decided I would start during my trip to Qingdao. I went to Qingdao with Remus and Ashley earlier this month. Unfortunately, I didn't get to stay long or see much of the city. It was my first time out of my city, and it was really nice to take a breather from Dongying. We went to the Naval Museum and the aquarium.
An Earthquake in Sichuan and H7N9
There seems to be a lot going in the world right now. My heart goes out to those in South Korea, Boston, Venezuela, and Sichuan. I am sending out prayers and warm thoughts. I called Dean earlier today to see if his family was well. Fortunately, they were not affected by the earthquake.
China also has a new strand of H7N1 (also known as bird flu); I first found out about it's return through Jo Gan. Jo is a fellow English teacher in China (you can read about her adventures here). I believe there have been about eighty deaths. There are cases in Shanghai and Beijing; I have already warned Boba not to eat anything until he's with me. The Chinese government has not reported any cases in Shandong Province yet. Regardless, Brit and I have decided to not eat any birds or eggs for the remainder of our time here.
I find it grossly problematic and disrespectful that my boss did not inform us. The only reason I could think for his omission is fear of us breaking our contracts. Words cannot describe how dangerous that decision could have been for us.
China also has a new strand of H7N1 (also known as bird flu); I first found out about it's return through Jo Gan. Jo is a fellow English teacher in China (you can read about her adventures here). I believe there have been about eighty deaths. There are cases in Shanghai and Beijing; I have already warned Boba not to eat anything until he's with me. The Chinese government has not reported any cases in Shandong Province yet. Regardless, Brit and I have decided to not eat any birds or eggs for the remainder of our time here.
I find it grossly problematic and disrespectful that my boss did not inform us. The only reason I could think for his omission is fear of us breaking our contracts. Words cannot describe how dangerous that decision could have been for us.