Xin Hai sqaure

The Castle near Xin Hai square is a very gorgeous one. It used to house the Dalian history museum but now it is used as a hotel. It might cost you a pretty penny but you can actually stay in a room in this beautiful castle.

If you take a ride around Xin Hai square you will also see many different sculptures of various sports. Each one is unique and they surround the entire square. I am only going to post a few because there truly are a lot of sculptures.

Also, located in the middle of the square, is a giant column which some like to call the Zodiac Tower but which has another name I am unsure of. One thing I know is that it is massive and carved onto the sculpture are seven different depictions of dragons. On the some of the stones surrounding the column are carvings of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs. You can find your stone and look at the beautiful carvings when you go to see the column.

The Sea

I went to the ocean with a few of my friends and it was really a beautiful day. The part of the sea that we saw was close to an area called Xin Hai square. Xin Hai square is a very famous place in Dalian and when you go there it is sort of a custom to run from one side of the giant open book sculpture to the other. There are other neat things to see around the square too like a fairground, a castle and of course the beach. You can even take a horse drawn carriage all the way around the giant square.

The Zoo

Here are some more pictures from that day. I hope you like them, I know I do! ^^

This was a really fun day. We went to the Dalian Forest Zoo and spent the day watching animals do the funniest things. The elephants were really funny and there was even a point in the show when they started to play soccer. Although, it was even more hilarious how none of them could make it straight into the goal. I hope you enjoy some of the funny pictures I got from the zoo. My friend Hilda was the one who took us and you can see her in the picture with me. Our main goal was to see the panda and we did eventually but we had to walk a lot to get to him. Even while we were making our way to see the panda everyone kept telling me that the panda is usually always asleep. Lucky for me he was awake and oddly enough tried to climb up the wall. It was a really fun day and the people that were on the trip made it all the more enjoyable. If you ever decide to come to Dalian I would recommend that you visit the zoo at least once.

There is a nice little cafe called Echo that my friends and I like to go to. It is really laid back and they even have books to read there. Yes, some of them are in English. You can relax and get a warm cup of coffee then read a book. On this day my friend Edlyn and I were too tired to even look at a book but we still loaded up on extra sweet hot chocolate.

Making Friends

I would be lying if I didn't say I fell in love with Dalian because of the people. There are so many great people here and their hearts are as big as the city itself. I have made so many friends and each of them teach me something new everyday. My very best friend Victoria is also my Chinese teacher. I love her so much because she is patient and kind and.......crazy (Victoria "I'M NOT CRAZY!!"). She always knows how to have a good time and she has such a beautiful personality. Michael (My Ke Ai) is another one of my very good friends. He is truly the most profound person I have ever met. One of the most favorite things I like about him is his wit. His attempt to be poetic one day yielded this result.

A poem

by Michael

"Beautiful Sunshine,

Gentle Breeze,

Silent Office,

Take a nap."

It seemed silly at the time but as I look back I realize that this is what my experience has been like. Even when the weather is bad my friends here make my days beautiful and peaceful. I don't know what my life would be like if I had not met Michael and Victoria.

Yumm-O

I thought you guys might get a kick out of this. So one of my friends told me that the panda was very special to China. Then she gave me a cake shaped like panda and we had a

little fun with it. Here is what we did!

That Panda was so very special to me!! And delicious too. As I said we always have a lot of fun and do a lot of things to entertain ourselves.

The A.C.

This semester I have had the opportunity to work in the Academic Center tutoring students. It is always fun when all the tutors are around and we always seem to have a good time no matter what we are doing. I would have to say that the interaction in the Academic Center has been one of the most fulfilling things I have done. Tutoring in a multilingual and multicultural enviornment has been so rewarding. Though I tutor and try to teach some things I find more and more that I am learning so much in return.

Walk to the Beat of a Drum

You may not be able to see this picture very clearly but it was something that I thought would be really important to add to the post. This is a picture of some of the locals dancing and performing in the streets outside of NewMart Mall. It was really a great event, they all did a dance and then they started to walk in interlooping circles. Eventually some of the bystanders joined in the dance and I watched as something so simple made such and impact on those who were watching. Now I go to NewMart Mall just to see these dancers and listen to the beat of the drums.

Walkin, on sunshine

So I thougt I would write a little bit about how we get around here in Dalian. Well, we do a lot of walking. Usually we can take a taxi or a bus to the part of town we want to go to and then we walk the rest of the way. On this day my friends Caleb, Bruce and I did a lot of walking. We also saw some really neat things. Caleb found this hat that made him look like Indian Jones, and we even ran into a guy dressed up like a penguin who was trying to sell cell phones. One thing that I love about Dalian is that there is an adventure around every corner and being with your friends makes it that much more exciting.

Hotspot Shield

Hey all sorry I didn't write for a bit but the internet went down for a couple of days. Anyways I am back with a vengence and I am going to keep posting some of the neat things I have seen in China.

The Mall!!

Hey hey ladies and gentlemen. This is a picture of a mall near Victory Square in Dalian. It is extremely long and I think there are six floors to it. You can buy scarves and hats and pretty much anything else you can think of. There is a floor for food, one for clothes, another for toys and so on. If ever there is something you are looking for you can probably find it here. Magnificent isn't it. This is where I buy all my hats and gifts.

My home.

In case anyone was wondering, I decided to post a few pictures of what my house looks like. It is really very cozy and I love it. I have a big bedroom and a spare bedroom which I use for a laundry room. I don't have a dryer so I hang my clothes up to let them dry but other than that my apartment is really very homey so I like it a lot.

First China Post

你好 (hello) everyone! This is my first official China blog posting. I am so excited to be sharing my China experience with you all. Not only am I meeting tons of friendly and interesting people but I am also learning about a very unique and exciting culture. This experience has been totally worth it and I encourage all of you to come here if you are ever given the opportunity. Dalian is a beautiful city that is rich in culture and history. Around every corner you can find a story and a way of life that is one of a kind, beautiful and irreplaceable. Welcome to my blog, I hope you like it.

Nikki