It was so weird to stand in the Texas airport and be surrounded by English speakers. I was standing in the line for panda express and just smiled. It felt so good but just so different. I was so excited that I turned to the man standing behind me in line and told him how excited I was to be speaking English. How embarrassing.

My parents and fiance were there when I arrived. It was so good to see there faces! It was also strange for the other WOU people to go to their families and realize we were no longer a group anymore. As we all stood with our families and waited for our bags, I suddenly felt so separated from the people I had been so close to for so many weeks. Switching back to normal felt so different and not normal. It was so good though.

My experience in Mexico was so huge and I did so many things that even now when people ask me how it was or what I did the most I can get out is that I studied Spanish and Education and stayed with a host family. There is so much to say that I just don’t know where to start. That is why I want to make a good old traditional scrapbook of Mexico and my other trips this summer. That way I can show what I did and kind of reflect on what I learned.
Sarah was definitely right about the carpet. All the homes and other buildings in Mexico were lined with tile, linoleum, or granite on the floors and sometimes walls too. It is so different to be in rooms with carpet and long, thick curtains. Noise doesn’t echo as much.

I really miss Spanish. I hadn’t spoken it since I came home from Mexico until this week (3 weeks). Two of my coworkers are native Spanish speakers and when I went back to work this week I got to speak. It was great to realize that I still have it. I was so worried I would loose my Spanish vocabulary. It was also really nice to see how impressed they were at how much my Spanish grew. One friend is from Mexico City, where I visited for a weekend, so it was nice to talk to him about it and remember my trip.

Oh my, am I glad to be home. I want to kiss the clean, clean floor and run and drink water from the sink just because I can. After hours of flights and waiting in airports I can fall into my amazingly comfortable bed. I don’t think the culture shock got any better throughout my trip, which is why being home is so welcome. I am glad to be back where the sky is clear and no one is using the sidewalk as a bathroom. But, aside from all of the negatives, I will definitely miss China, and do plan to go back. I think it was an amazing trip, definitely worth my time. I wish I could have done things a little differently. But I have no regrets! My teacher and classmates definitely made the trip interesting. Hopefully they had a great time just like I did.
Thanks for the fun time China!

So I finally arrive in Beijing after missing two flights. Thanks united airlines. I met my group, yay! I’m so happy to see people I know! What a relief! After having spent way more time on planes than I want in a 24 hour period I am glad to arrive in Xiangtan and shower and relax. But I forgot that China isn’t like home. So much smoking everywhere! In the cabs in the restaurants. No matter what you feel like you’re either choking on cigarette smoke or smog. Then you have the people hacking and spitting snot on the ground right where you are walking. I got laughed at for being offended, talk about culture shock. Seeing children with the crotch area of their pants missing is so common, I was trying not to take photos but it’s just too funny. And then there’s the traffic. Wowza can these people drive. It doesn’t matter if there is a lane divider or not, wrong side of the road? It’s all good. Drive in two lanes at once? No problem. Feel like cutting off a bus while on a mo-ped? Go for it. Nothing seems to be illegal. Most cars don’t have seat belts in the back seat and when there’s this much traffic I doubt you’d need it. But surprisingly there were no accidents during the first couple days, but we were about 4 inches from hitting someone or having them hit us. Great breaks I guess. I do miss home at this point but I am so happy to finally be in China again. Even with the different cultural ideals I know that eventually I will get used to it.
More about China later,
Peace.

Well. I’ve described some of the culture differences so I’ll just jump into what we’ve done. We visited the paragon gardens. Amazing!! It started raining towards the top and it was gorgeous(just know I love rain). We got massages!! Omg they felt so amazing! I got the suction cups and they kind of hurt but in a good way. Then when it was over they gave us a sugar tea which I plan to buy and hoard for myself. It’s that good, definitely be jealous. But dang I am sore. I can’t even lay on my back. The bruises, oh wow. It’s not pretty. But I am glad I experienced it. Now the tai chi? I could do that more often. Even though I am the most uncoordinated person you’ll ever meet, it’s still a lot of fun and a great work out. Sitting in a horse squat stance for that long is “painful” but definitely worth it. Now I’m hoping I can describe the food once and then only talk about the amazing things I do physically. But I feel once is not enough. I am a vegetarian so I had some worries coming to China, but I can now tell you that was a waste. The veggies here? To die for. Want to learn to cook eggplant that melts in your mouth and tastes like heaven? Go to China. Bok choy isn’t just plain and boring it’s so good. I just can’t even. It’s just something you have to experience. The only thing you might want to get used to in this particular town is the spice. Whooey do they know how to put chili peppers in food. Most of the time the only thing left on the plates are the peppers, but I digress. Oh and also, when trying to buy water for the first time, I bought a giant jug of clear liquid, thinking this had to be water. Turns out it is alcohol. Party time! This has been an amazing first week to what I hope is an epic journey.
Happy in China,
Peace.

Let’s see… We went to a party to celebrate the tai chi center. Very posh. The snacks were yummy. Got to watch a traditional Chinese tea ceremony which was awesome. And the tea they made was delicious. We also learned some Tuina massage. It feels good but dang does it require strong hands, similar to the other massage we learned about, but definitely less bruises. We got to go to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor which was very interesting. I always am kind of suspicious of those but this guy was really knowledgable. Even though the hospital itself wasn’t the cleanest place. We learned about the meridians and different acupressure points from doctor Li and a visiting doctor as well. We went to another garden and were shown all different kind of plants that healed things. We saw things that helped with the smallest such as headaches and plants that are considered to have anti cancer benefits. The zoos. If you are an animal lover do not, and I repeat DO NOT visit the zoos. The conditions are horrible for every animal. It’s just awful. I wanted to cry at almost every cage. I am never going back until they fix it or at least improve the quality of life by 100 percent. But even with that negative part, overall, it was an amazing week. I’m so sad that the second week is already over. I’m just glad I got to experience so much. But it is travel time, lets do this!
Still roaming China,
Peace.

We are in Zhangjiajie and the hotel is amazing. Beyond actually. The breakfast, not so much. But more on that later. We went up the mountain everyday but the last one here. It’s very cool because this is the backdrop of Avatar, blue people not the air bender. The downside is almost every time we went up the mountain the photos looked almost the same. The only difference is the weather you see. Plus on the trip up to Tiananmen mountain it was really cloudy so the photos are not that great. Even though you are really high up it doesn’t feel like it because you can’t see that far below. But the bus ride down on that trip was amazing! On the last day we went to see the caves, which while very interesting, weren’t that different from caves I’ve visited in the U.S.. The biggest difference is these caves were massive. We went on a boat ride inside it, which is like wow. Okay so our plan was to be in Wudang Friday night.. Oh how plans change. Dr Flatt and Jessica got sick on the train, so bad they went to the hospital. Then almost everyone in the group got sick, including my amazing self. So we ended up in a random city for the night. I was lucky enough not to be in the hospital, unlike most of the group. I have an iron stomach and will. Yay me! Because of this delay we ended up in Wudang a day late and the plans were switched around a bit. But that goes into my fourth week, so…
That’s all folks,
Getting better in China,
Peace.

Wudaaaaaaaang! Woot, more mountain climbing.. Oh wait just kidding got a headache and my stomach was wonky so I just rested a bunch. Maybe hiking later? Onto Xi’an! Walk around the city wall? Okie doke. That was super cool. Just look at this really interesting photo of more big cities that are considered small because, actually I have no clue why. Then I got to wander around the city a bit, always fun to get stared at like some freak of nature. Estely and I went to an amuzement park and rode a child coaster, a sling shot, and water bumper cars. I think the sling shot was the coolest but the water bumper cars were fun, especially when the kids kept ramming us. So I can’t remember if I explained these amusement parks yet or not. But anyways, they are just small parks inside legitimate parks that have roller coasters. There was also one in Xiangtan next to our hotel. Anyways they are basically empty and you have no lines and each ride is less than 10 dollars.which means essentially they are really awesome. But yeah, that was Xi’an city. So terracotta next. That was cool, even if it was the second time seeing it. The vastness of this room will just blow your mind. The statues are cool too, don’t worry. And the next day we left for chengsha on a bullet train no less. This thing was booking! Very cool. We only really visited the Tai Chi village here. No offense, but basically the worst part of the trip so far. It was quite boring, and the town it was in had like nothing. But we got our tai chi suits which look really snazzy, no joke. So that was a definite plus. Another train ride, overnight to Beijing. And already the day starts with the forbidden city, dun dun duuuun! Hot out, and crowded. If you know me at all, both of those make me very happy. Then the group went to the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. Neither of which I could attend because of stomach issues, again. Even though my last few days in China were in a hotel, I had a lot of fun. I can’t wait to be home. I feel gross, but I will be sad to leave. I think this trip was totally worth it. Although I still have trouble understanding why everyone here is okay with the smog and trash everywhere. It does not make sense why they would be okay with destroying the world in such a way.
Catch you on the flip side,
Peace.

It’s officially less than a month away! It’s hard to explain all the emotions running through me as I try to prepare for not only my first experience abroad, but also my first experience traveling by myself. I’m most of all excited, but get waves of anxiousness and fear, which is to be expected I guess.

I have had little interaction with Latin American customs and culture in my life, so I have very little knowledge on what to expect when entering Quito for the first time. I imagine it to be breath taking (literally, at 9500 sq ft). I’ve been told it’s colder than what you’d imagine, and relatively conservative compared to the culture on the coastal side of Ecuador. Everyone I talk to tells me to expect overwhelming kindness and interest in my arrival from the locals. I’ve also been warned about the lack of the concept of personal space– apparently in America we have odd social rules on space and touching to the majority of the world. I’ve heard it’s not uncommon for people to stroke your hair or have a hand on your shoulder while talking to you, even if they’re practically strangers. All these differences make me excited to actually live them in the moment for the first time. I’m already laughing at the shock I’ll inevitably feel the majority of the time. It will be humbling I’m sure.

I hope that after I acclimate to the climate, altitude, people, and culture, I’ll be able to fully participate in every-day Ecuadorian life. I want to completely take on the culture I’m living in — Everything from taking an afternoon break to eat an insanely large lunch while socializing with family, to celebrating El Dia De Los Muertos, to speaking in Spanish with the locals with ease. I’m also excited to do some exploring. I can’t wait to see the beautiful cathedrals, Inca cites, and natural wonders like the Cotopaxi volcano that just erupted.

I guess in a little over a month from now I’ll be able to tell you if those are realistic expectations or not. I guess while I’m anxiously awaiting my travel date, this will be it for now. I’m sure there will be much more to come once I’ve actually touched down in what I hope will feel like my home away from home.

I’ve been counting down the days for sometime now. It’s quite fascinating how when you are in the moment time can feel so slow, but now looking at it, I keep asking myself where has my summer gone? With only hours left in the states I am feeling a whirlwind of emotions. At times I am ecstatic, at times nervous and at other times sad. I’m not really sure how to describe it, but I guess, it’s all finally hitting me now. I am going to be living in France for 9 months. WOW.

I’m not going to lie, I have been daydreaming about how great France will be. With all the bread, cheese and wine. I’ve tried to learn as much as I can about my host culture before I leave. I am trying to minimize the culture shock (I’ll let you know how that turns out!) As I’ve discovered in my google searches, I expect the French to be very reserved, calm and passionate. A culture that ultimately loves the finer things in life. I expect them to wear nice clothes, eat good food and overall be very conscious of their quality of life.

The most concerning part of their culture is how reserved they are with strangers. This is what makes me the most anxious about going abroad. I hope to find new friends abroad that I can share my experiences in France with. I am sure all the other international students will be eager to make friends, but I also really want to make local friends. I believe this will be the only way to truly learn the culture and their way of life. Hopefully living in a house with all French students will give me a head start! Lets just hope for my sake this is the case!

But enough of that, it’s too late in the game for concerns or uncertainties. I’ll just have to go with the flow and hopefully adapt quickly to my new home in Lyon!

Till next time,

Au revoir!

Monmouth, in the Summer (A Ghost Town)              The Famous PDX Carpet

Wow. The transition to home was pretty weird. I was sooooo excited to get back into Portland, but as I write this, I am just now starting to get over the reverse culture shock that I was feeling. I came from a bustling city into Monmouth in the summer time: a ghost town. I came back to very underdeveloped transportation. I came back to food that is very different than the food that I ate in London. And I even came back to a new apartment.

I think that coming back to a new apartment is part of what made my transition home so difficult. I came back to a room that was all packed up, save my bed (Thank you Shannon!) and had to try to feel like I was at my own home. My first night here, I woke up in the middle of the night and had a mini-anxiety attack because I didn’t know where I was at. I was also very confused about what day it was, I was a day behind for half of the week, and unfortunately missed an outdoor skate I had planned to go on.

I also was struck suddenly with the lack of public transportation here. I walked around for the first couple days, like I was doing in London, but it so much hotter here! And I can’t walk to Salem to skate. I was hit with the need to drive, which makes me sad. I very much wish that we could have and underground here, so that people would take that, instead of driving. If it was possible for me to get to my weekly activities without a car, I would love it.

The food was a big issue for me. I came back and wanted London food, but all I had was processed American food. I hate to admit it, but I gorged a little on unhealthy American food when I got back, so that I could get used to it again. But fortunately, I really didn’t enjoy it. And now I have started on a healthier diet. I lost quite a bit of weight in London, and I want to keep it off. So I have been motivated not only to eat healthier, but to get back into the outdoor activities that I love, like surfing and hiking. I am ashamed to say that it took a trip out of the country to get this motivation back, but I am glad that it worked.

Now that I am back in the groove, I am feeling better about being at home. I appreciate the things that I enjoy about Monmouth/Independence, rather than desperately wishing that I was back in London. I feel like I belong here again: this is my town, not London. I have friends and family here, and a job, and school. Of course, that is not to say that I never want to leave again! The travel bug bit me, and I cannot wait for my next adventure: are you ready for me Ireland?