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