Kui's Blog 5: Our Last Stop- Qinhuangdao
Blog 5: Our Last Stop- Qinhuangdao
Right when I started to settle down in Xi’an, I had to pack right back up again and take a 20 hour train ride to the sea-side city of Qinhuangdao. This time, we took 1st class on the train. There were 4 beds to a room, and storage spaces on the top. I had all Riddle students in my room, and we had a bunch of fun on the train ride from movies to having class on the train. I love train rides, and was very comfortable throughout the whole ride. I did not once feel the train jerk to stop, but the sunlight did wake me up pretty early. As we were riding out to our next city, I looked out the window and saw that the towns were starting to look a little ‘ghetto’. Well, our teacher did warn us that we were going into a more rural city compared to the others that we have stayed at.
Well, the last two weeks were definitely a huge blur. Our study abroad class was asked to do a presentation about our school in America, our degree programs, the diversity we have at our schools, and relationships. I had learned up until this point that many students may go through arranged marriages, which is traditional here in China. Some of the students, however, are starting to date with parental permission. There were a few female students who are extreme romantics, believing at love at first sight and marrying the boy that they are with at that moment. There are other students who believe that all American students act like what they have seen on American Pie. The questions we got after our presentations were interesting, nevertheless we all did learn a lot.
One of the main reasons we came to Qinhuangdao was to see the Great Wall meet the Pacific Ocean. I was born and raised in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and has seen the Pacific Ocean from America, but this was the first and only time that I will be able to see the Pacific Ocean from Asia and get to put my feet in it. The water is very cold, and it felt like an ice bath. I could care less because it felt like I was back at home. I couldn’t help but take a lot of pictures at the beach! (Coach, this is for you) I was also able to go running on the beach to get to a sandbar that was very far way, and I was only given 15 minutes to run there and back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get onto the sandbar because of rock and water restrictions, so I just enjoyed the walk back with the sand between my toes.
We also went to the Great Wall, once again, on a mountain in Qinhuangdao. The view of the city below us was amazing. We took a cable car up to the half-way point on the mountain, and found our way onto the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter how many times you have been on the Great Wall, you will always have the exact same expression and appreciation for the beauty of nature around you. We were able to walk the Great Wall all the way down back to the parking lot. On our way down, we saw a gorgeous bride taking pictures with her husband on the Great Wall. Serious, how cool is that?
Our last fieldtrip for our China Study Abroad semester was an ecological fieldtrip, where they grow all the food there organically. In some parts, it was like walking through a jungle of palm trees, banana trees, mango trees, papaya trees, coconut tree (I think you get the point). I got drink coconut juice from a fresh coconut while we were walking around. There was also an amusement park within the ecological plantation, which included bungee jumping. Yes, I am a chicken for not doing it, but it was well worth watching my classmates do it. We were also able to eat lunch there, where all the food was organically grown. The baozi (which is kind of like a small bun with meat and onions in it) and the pancakes (which is like a fried tortilla with sprouts, meat, and other vegetables mixed in) were so good. We also learned about the history of Chinese farmers, and were able to play around on their equipment and learn how they were able to create fishing nets and tools to use for farming.