Off to the Races

Travel weekend #2 is officially upon us!

As I mentioned in my previous post, this weekend Rhett and I are planning to spend two days in Xian and two days in Chengdu, China. Our itinerary is packed to say the least and this will be our first time on an overnight train and the furthest into mainland china we've ever been! All this considered, we don't really know what to expect. Before coming to China, being so in the dark would make me want to pull my hair out (and honestly the urge is still there), BUT I've had nothing but positive experiences here and I'm not going to stop now!

I guess that's the greatest thing I've learned about traveling: you can look up pictures, best places to eat, and must-see attractions, but it will never compare to experiencing it yourself. Not to mention that the expectations we have were made to be exceeded or not met at all so that we can learn from them. Right now my expectation is that Rhett and I are in for a shock. We will be traveling by train, taxi, bus, bikes, and airplanes all in four days,  and doing so in Chinese is going to be a lot more difficult, I'm sure, than it seems now. But you'll never know until you try, right?

Rhett's phycology class gets out in thirty minutes and then we are taking a taxi to Shanghai railway station to being our journey. So until next time, I hope you find something daring to do this weekend, no matter where you are or how many things on your plate! Next week is Thanksgiving so go make an experience worth being thankful for!

love,
kpk

Addictions

In case you were getting tired of my attempts at serious/deep posts, I hope this will be a nice change of pace. Rhett and I have been talking a lot about spending a couple days in Shanghai filming our daily lives to satiate our family and friend's curiosity. In these discussions we have come up with a lot of ideas of places to go/things to do.... but then we realized that filming a couple days would be a little embarrassing. Why? Because we would be frequently visiting one store over... and over... and over again! Yes, we have developed an EXTREME addiction to coco's. What is coco's you say? This glorious little storefront two blocks away from our Jia sells boba tea, hot drinks, kumquat-lemon juice, and so much more for no more than 13 kuai (aka $2). On our lowest of days we have actually gone 3 times. It is seriously getting bad. To make the situation even worse, we've come up with excuses as to why we go so much (the denial):

1. Only a limited time we can have it
2. Sweets aren't a thing here, so this is how we fulfill cravings
3. $2... Nuff said

And that, ladies and gents is why I am undeniably addicted to coco's. For those who ever visit one of their fabulous locations I highly recommend the chocolate milk tea with boba, cold, with a little ice. For the lighter fair, kumquat-lemon juice with fresh squeezed kumquats inside. Order DA (large) of both and you'll pay 10 kuai each. For those who are extremely interested: click here for their english website.

In other, more exciting, news: Next week is a long weekend! Rhett and I will be going to Xian, Leshan, and Chengdu. On the to-do list in 4 days: visit the Terra Cotta soldiers, Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Wild Goose Pagoda, Leshan Giant Buddha, and the Chengdu Panda Research Base to hold a baby panda! I'm so so excited... but it's four days away from coco's :). Will report back soon!

love,
kpk

The countdown has begun

It seems like a lifetime ago that I was telling people I was spending my sophomore year in China. All summer long I found great entertainment in gauging people's reaction to that very statement as I saw them analyzing my sanity. However, it only feels like a week or two ago that I was getting lost on my moped and spending ridiculous amounts of time obsessing over the exact conversion of my lunch bill from RMB to USD. How has time escaped me yet again? The crux of my dilemma started this week when a student only staying for the fall semester informed us that we had officially hit the five week mark before break. Five weeks?! Just barely over a month? In disbelief, we all had a great time recalling everything that we have done so far and also began tough conversations about what our expectations and goals were coming into the program and how they had been fulfilled or not. Some tears and lots of laughs later, none of us could truly comprehend the fact that in just 10 extremely short weeks, we have all grown and experienced much more than we ever could have anticipated. Though our surroundings and the people we are with have officially become familiar, we have all vowed to keep finding ways of challenging ourselves. So! Here's to 10 weeks of wonderful adventures we have shared and to the remaining 5, that they may be filled with adventure as well as challenges.

P.S. I would like to take a quick moment to thank whomever may be reading this. Blogging is still out of my comfort zone but I appreciate every minute taken by someone else to read this and pass it along. I'm so thankful for the motivation from each and every one of you to share my experiences and grow in this exercise. Much love & thanks for sticking with me. Happy Blog-Aversary, everyone!

P.P.S. Here are some links to any newsletters if you've missed them and another video from our media coordinator!

1. Newsletter 05 (EFT Edition)
2. Newsletter 06 (Halloween at the Jia)
3. Video <3

love,
kpk