Beijing-Sunday

As some of you may know, Vernon and I are early risers- usually- and Sunday was no exception.
We left early Sunday to accomplish a few more things before we had to leave Beijing. First on that list was to see the Forbidden City, and that is exactly what we did. I dont have a lot to say about it except that I have been there, and it was pretty bland. But just inside the walls was a beautiful and quiet park. Apparently the tourist don't know about it because admission price was only 2 yuan($.25)and we were one of few people in the park. It was so beautiful. There were lots of HUGE temples and really old trees and it was nice just walking around and enjoying the quiet beautiful scenery.

Along the way we found this huge cauldron and well we couldn't pass up an opportunity to take some pictures in it :)


When we first walked in we could here some drumming and that usually means something interesting, so we followed the sounds which lead us to a lot of women practicing for some kind of show. There were drummers and fan dancers. The fan dancers had the typical Chinese fan, but these had extra fabric on them for more drama. It is always so fun to run into something like this so unexpectedly. Later we also ran into a whole troop of older lady cheerleaders- basically they just all had bright pom poms and moved them to a beat. We love roaming around and discovering little treasures like that. All of the ladies were so sweet and fun.

We really loved seeing the old temples but the really amazing thing was the very clear sky that day. We never see blue skies and white clouds around here. Everything is usually very hazy and grayish even on a clear day, but Sunday's skies were so blue it reminded me of home.

The tree in this picture was probably planted during the Ming Dynasty in China. That was a long time ago. Many of the trees were so old an beautiful. It was really good to find a peaceful secluded place in a city of millions of people.
After leaving the park, we wet shopping just a little more, then we went to Outback. Yes, it was expensive, but I thought we could treat ourselves since we had been saving and looking forward to this trip. The blooming onion we had there was so delicious, it was crunch and good. After lunch it was time to head back home to Xinzheng. We arrived about 11:00pm and wouldn't ya know, our driver didn't show up, a creepy guy was lurking and followed us everywhere we went. But we found a driver who would take us home, and after much paranoia and traffic on the back roads, we arrived back at Sias safe and sound. It was a busy, productive and exciting weekend. Beijing is a great city.

Beijing- Friday and Saturday

When planning our 2nd trip to Beijing we had 3 things in mind: Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Shopping. I am proud to say that this past weekend we went to Beijing and got all around the city very successful by our selves, and accomplished all of our goals. I was so proud of us, I mean yes it helps that the subway is in English as well as Chinese, but that is not the point.
On Friday we arrived in Beijing by train, we got on about 10:30pm, slept, then got off about 7am. we then waited at the after a little waiting and traveling we finally arrived to our hostel about 10:30 am. Later that day we ate lunch and went shopping. We shopped for about 4 or 5 hours but it felt like we got nothing accomplished. When each place you by 1 item from takes 30 mins to bargain down to a good price, you really cant be very successful. I spent probably close to an hour bargaining for some jackets and then finding the right sizes. I eventually told the woman she could sell it to me there for my price or I would go get it off the Chinese version of Ebay, of course we got the jackets. Later that night we went to the best pizza place in Beijing (maybe even China) Kro's nest. It was really good, and after that we were all tired, full and so we just chilled for the rest of the evening.

Saturday was AMAZING!!!


We got up early for the Great Wall. Mu Tian Yu is a section of the Great Wall that is not very touristy, so we definitely wanted to go there and we had heard really good things about it. The morning started off slow and it took a while to get there, but it was completely worth it. We loved it and it was really amazing to think that we were actually standing on the Great Wall of China! We could not have asked for a better day, the temperature was perfect. We walked on the wall for about 2 hours; although there were a few uphill climbs, this section of the wall is mostly flat and down hill. Perfect!

Then we took a sled (some of you northerners may know this as a toboggan- I had never known it to be called this) down the side of the mountain/hill the wall is built on. IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY FUN! We could control how fast or slow we went down, and it had twists and turns, so fun. You can see a little of it from the pictures.



Saturday afternoon we went shopping again. This time we went to a different market, one we had never been to before. It was great. it had electronics, and jewelry, then right next to it there was a toy market. Almost any toy you wanted was in this place. After that market we went to the ever famous (i.e. more expensive) Silk Market and purchased a couple of things there. Saturday night we met back up with our friends for some "mexican" food and the BEST milkshake I have ever had. Our last trip to Beijing I also had this milkshake and the second time around was even better! It is a peanut butter chocolate milkshake. Then we went back to the hostel and listened to it rain while we played a game and hung out. It was a great day. And I will end this entry with that, and thoughts of that milkshake, YUM!!!
This is a picture of our friends and co-workers we traveled with, they are some pretty great people :)

So much to say...

Hey all,
I feel like I have so much to say this time, so it may be a long one.
This weekend we went to Vernon's student's home-Christy, and had so much fun. The first night we went to dinner and KTV (the Chinese version of karaoke), and of course Vernon and I both did our share of singing. So much fun. Then we went back to her house and basically had the whole living room and bedroom to ourselves for the night. And on top of that there was an English speaking channel on TV and we watched a movie! How can you beat that! :)
The next day we went to the next city over to spend the next 2 nights at their family's home in that city. It is a bigger and "more exciting" city as they would say. We visited a temple and went through a really great maze. It was pretty difficult and we eventually got a little help from the family towards the end. We had a lot of fun.



Oh I forgot to mention that we also got massages and ate rabbit and silkworm on this same day. Vernon was HILARIOUS getting his first massage ever. Ask him about it. The rabbit was good but the silkworm looked like a raisin when it was cooked and tasted like fish, unusual.

Then Sunday was the adventurous day! We climbed a mountain, and I do mean climbed. I was so tired I told Vernon I thought my legs were going to buckle and then he proceeded to make fun of me the rest of the day. Mean man. Reaching the top was pretty amazing. To get to the top we had to take some steps that were on the side of the mountain as you can see in the pictures. We were both really afraid, but I was proud of my self when I made it. The bridge we had to cross was also really frightening because it was made of metal chain railings, but the bottom was only tree branches supported by thick ropes. I was glad we only crossed it once.
Here are a few pics of that day :) It was a beautiful scene when we reached the top.





That evening we relaxed and taught the family how to play Uno- the Chinese love that game. It was really nice. Monday we did a lot of shopping. We were trying to get a head start on the shopping that we will have to do in Beijing for souvenirs and what not. After lunch we return home to Sias. It was a wonderful and memorable weekend! Many thanks to the Lu and Chen family!!!

9 weeks

Yes! That is all we have left here in China! I am so excited to see family and friends (that are really family). Today in class I was basically day dreaming. I often read my cousin's wife's facebook status - Maria- and she posts what she has made of is making for dinner most days. Although it makes me really miss good country food I grew up on, it also kinda keeps me going. I think of this food and sometimes it makes to on the "what to eat when we get home" list. Of course other times I just get frustrated that I cant run out to the grocery store and pick up the food and make it.
Here are a few more pictures from our most recent trip to Xi'an




This weekend we are headed out to a "lake". I saw the trip, signed us up, and forgot to really check it out and see what was happening during the trip. I am pretty excited to go. It is just an overnight trip but it means we get to see another part of China, and it is FREE! The school covers food, transportation and hotel.
As you may have heard, there was an earthquake in China, no we did not feel it, and we were not affected. In fact, we didn't even know about it until Jennifer called to check on us. Thanks for your concern.
Well we have another week down and 9 more to go. That's not bad. And we have lots going on till then.
Next week we have a costume party. We are trying to think of great costumes, if you have an idea, leave a comment! Thanks!!!

Xian terracotta warriors

So this year at Easter was a little different, we were in Xi'an ( a pretty large and westernized developed city in China) and we were visiting the discovered and excavated site of the Terracotta warriors when a lady asked if she could take our picture and we did the same for her, and then she said Happy Easter! I could not believe it, I had forgotten that it was Sunday and even that it was Easter. I was reminded again then- and usually about twice a week- of how disconnected we are from American life. I felt bad that I had forgotten about it; I took a few minutes to take in the scenery, it was amazing! He created all of this, and now has granted me the opportunity to be here to enjoy it. I could not be more thankful.
The warriors were great, really more than I expected and the city was beautiful. the excavation site itself was huge! I had no idea the size of the pits were so large, but I guess it has to be pretty big to fit 6,000 6ft tall soldiers made of clay. While I was there I was thinking of how Rebecca pretty much made us go to the exhibit in Atlanta and how thankful I was to have gone and to have her and Abby in our lives. We had laughed so much on that trip and got so frustrated a few times, but we still love each other. And this time I did not sit in a parking garage with a broken window that would not roll up for 45 mins, but it was still nice. However, I would take a little window drama anyday if I could have shared this visit with them. Rebecca- you would have loved it, but I thought Atlanta was more informational ;). Thanks!
Thanks to all our friends and family who supported our decision to be here, it meant so much knowing that you were there if we needed you and to all who gave us all the memories before we got here so we could make it through, Thank you. China is a good place to be, but I sure do miss home! Love you all!- Ashleigh

A much needed update...

Well hello.It has been quite some time since our last update, and I have been inspired by Michelle to give a much needed update.

By now you are probably aware of the many adventures we have had in the past months. We have completed our first semester in China, and we went on vacation (it was amazing), and now we have started the 2nd semester of this year.

First. Last semester was good, we have meet some really amazing people here and we finally got to the place where we could venture out on our own and actually go to restaurants and order food without a Chinese speaking person- but we wont really dwell on the part when we point at pictures and ordering that way.

Vacation! Well we went to the Philippines 1st, it was great. We got to see and meet so much of Vernon's family, they just kept coming and coming. It was nice. I gained a new appreciation for Mom James and the culture of the Filipino people. We were treated like royalty there, and we could not have asked for better people to stay with.

Malaysia- It was beautiful, and the people there were so diverse. We went to Penang and Kuala Lumpur. We did not have much time in Malaysia, but we enjoyed the time we were there.

Thailand- Oh Thailand, how I wish I could return to your beautiful beaches and fruit shakes. I loved Thailand! When in Krabi and Ko Phi Phi island we visited amazing beaches and saw a fire show and drunk foreigners trying to prove themselves in muay thai boxing for a bucket of alcohol. In Bangkok, each day was an adventure. We emerged ourselves in the "real" Thai experience and took public transportation everywhere we went. It was soo fun, and cheap. I really want to go back to Thailand. Oh and how could I forget, this is also where we rode an elephant and went bamboo rafting down a river (scary).

This semester is going great. The time is going by pretty quickly, and we are trying to keep up with family more. We are so very excited about the addition of another niece or nephew in late August. It will be very nice to see everyone and share stories of all that we have experience and all that we have missed while being in China. Only 13-14 weeks left :)