Today was another travel/flight day. I arrived at the Xi’an airport at around 12:00 noon, BUT just my freaking luck..the airplane was delayed AGAIN by 2 hours. I was about to explode,seriously. Thank god I didn’t, or else people will actually think I’m mentally challenges..but this type of thing is getting freaking annoying. I understand that airplanes often become delayed, but they shouldn’t wait until the passengers are already at the waiting gate to announce it. I was just sitting up in the airport thinking, wow. Why am I here, all by myself about to embark on a 6 day tour I know nothing about..thousands of miles away from home? It is seriously a strange feeling, like I’m in some sort of dream world. After what seemed like forever, the airplane finally could be boarded. I thought I’d never say this, because I’ve always absolutely loved airport/hotels/airplanes..but I’ve enough of these. Thank god the tour person actually waited it out to pick me up from the airport to my hotel. One person, 2 beds! Feels so weird staying all alone like this…as if I’m missing something, like a part of myself. I’m usually always out with friends & laughing 24/7. China somehow made me more calm? This is ironic because the people here have absolutely no patience. I managed to buy dinner( lamb noodles & sesame balls) all by myself from the hotel restaurant downstairs! But the 2 workers there brought up my meal for me. In the way asking, where was I from? I said Canada, they didnt even know where that was…so I explained it’s beside USA. I just feel so bad for them, & the local people there. They’ll never get to travel, make something of themselves other than labour work. No opportunity to break out from their born environment. I can’t explain, the economic difference between people here are much too great. So another days passed, tommorow the first day of my tour! Nacht~
Today was just a chillax day with my aunt! We went out for breakfast at this little store.. had this soup thing with lamb meat & bread, apparently it’s a speciality there. I loved it and wished in Canada there was so much variety like this … then we went to the cell phone store to get my a phone card, was in the line for a long time but at last got my number (etc). I checked all my social networking sites there, and ended up not being able to access anything except for weibo. That’s fine with me I guess, traveling doesn’t leave me much time to update my sites anyways. Then we went to METRO, which equates to our Costco with huge packaged goods & yearly membership cards. I cant believe everything (food, imported goods) can be found here like in Canada. It’s almost exactly the same! Thank god we found a universal adapter for me, or else I wouldn’t be able to use all my electronic plug ins. Also saw 2 foreigners for the first time…2 black men shopping too J I saw a deutsch flag too. It seemed so out of place in the midst of all the business & old buildings with all chinese letters. I don’t know why..everytime I see something from Germany or the german flag I feel right at home. I guess I was meant to be born german J Lastly, after buying all the snacks & goods needed to bring to my 6 day tour tomorrow, we headed out again for dinner. It was chicken, some local specialty vegetable dishes, and a kind of thin noodle that was a bit sour. It was good! The food there is seriously amazing, cant find anything like these local eateries in north America. Also, ironically on the way out of the restaurant I saw the guy that was sitting next to me in the airport waiting area when the Xi’an flight was delayed by 4 hours. I was so shocked, and he was so shocked as well. I mean, what are the chances that we both happened to go to the same restaurant, at the same time, of all the places… weird eh? Now I’m just home about to go to bed. Gotta get my energy level up for my epic tour tommorw, which is a 3 hour plane ride away. It feels like Vancouver was a place in my past life.. and I’ve only been away for how long… 3 days? Feels like every flight I take, is farther away from home and the life I’ve lived. I feel at home in China, really. Not homesick at all. I guess I’m meant to be independent? Anyway, time to catch some sleep. Tschuss!
I was up at 9AM early morniing to get ready for my flight. I finally got to see Beijing without the horrible rain & fog from the previous night! It’s acrtually such a busy, never ending city full of high rises on literally every single block. The traffic was much better driving to the airport..but the flight was delayed. Not just a few minutes, but by 3 HOURS. It was due to the thunderstorm conditions, so no planes could travel there. I certainly got more than enough time to take in the ~*airport atmosphere*~ I’ve always loved. This time however, all I saw was rude, impatient people demanding flight times. Well…I guess that’s how everybody in China is like, again the “everybody for themselves” mentality. I guess that’s what happens after living in such a high populated and busy society. Anyway, I got a stuffed porcupine that can fold into a ball J I just cant resist stuffed toys…people must’ve thought I was crazy kissing & holding it while in the airport waiting room. I also got KFC, which I had no appetite eating because I was way too worried about my delayed flight. FINALLY, our gate number was called and on the plane we all went! Apparently I look nothing like a chinese person, because the guy beside me on the plane kept asking “are you of chinese descent” I don’t think I look that foreign…eh? Anyway, this plane was much faster than the one coming to Beijing from Vancouver, ofcourse! Before I knew it we were there. The weather isn’t all too bad, but maybe beacause I arrived at late afternoon so the temperature already cooled down. Apparently the highest temperature here can be around 40 degrees. The airport luggage claims/customs are much simpler than I thought. So when I got everything & went out of the claims area I saw my aunt right away! Even she didn’t recognize me…. wierd :/ I don’t think I changed that much! We were just making small talks on the way there, and I couldn’t help but notice how poor the people there (in specific areas) are. There are some that fix cars, fix shoes, carrying heavy loads on bikes… I just feel so bad for them? Because basically China’s society doesn’t give anybody a chance to leap ahead. One’s born environment are what they’re stuck with forever. Finally, we arrived at her apartment which is brand-new and very western like. After my stuff was settled we went out for lamb/meat kabobs and other delacacies. Fit my taste just right! Today still went pretty smoothly despite waiting for delayed flights… that’s all for now! ciaoo
Bits & pieces of entries I wrote there. It was such an undescribable, amazing trip :'')
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Today was the first day of my China trip. Saying goodbye to my parents was actually pretty bittersweet because I’ve never been away from them for longer than a week. Thank god the young woman beside me on the plane seat (which I sat in the wrong one at first) was nice & friendly. I watched two movies that were really intense & was squirming in my seat from fear the whole time.. LOL. It was a hell-ish long flight that made me think twice about ~*loving to travel*~ because it’s NOT fun counting down the hours from 10, while the plane was on the runway at arrival for almost 30 minutes because the Beijing weather was thunderstorms & HEAVY rain. I felt really bad for my uncle that he had to pick me up from the airport on such a bad weather like this. We bonded right away & as we drove throughout the city, the the traffic being terribly unbearable I was brought to the knowledge of China’s corrupt system. Basically the government doesn’t fund many of the basic right needs for each citizen, causing outbreaks and conficts as well as bad morals among people. Take the hospital for example, since theres no free medical care..the poor people blame the doctors and demand a refund if they cant save the patient. Rich people get an advantage, and most doctors only learn how to market off rich patients. This system completely scares me, of which I predict that China will turn into a country where everyone is for themselves. Even driving on the highway, the difference between the poverty and wealth gap was very evident. There were people standing in the pouring rain waiting for buses, bicycle services- contrasting to rich businessmen in there audis & BMW’s. I’ve never seen that many audi’s in my life until tonight! This kind of place, especially people’s mentality scares me. I just wish there was something to be done to make us fair equal… anyways I haven’t slept for more then 24 hours & tomorrow I’ll be heading to Xi’an! It’s going to be a very tightly packed schedule. I have confidence I can handle it after I went through the luggage claim/boarding/custom passage by myself this afternoon. Here’s to the beginning of an amazing trip!\
I attended Gleneagle's commecement at Downtown's Orpheum Theatre this afternoon! It was an surreal experience- walking across the stage in my graduation cap&gown, taking pictures with my friends, just...taking it all in. I can't believe I made it, WE MADE IT! All these years of discontent, good times, hardwork, final exams, worrying over university grade averages~ it's ALL done. Goodbye high school, HELLO UNIVERSITY!
It's that time again when I'm doing another make-up theme, this time a
Purple blended Monarch butterfly look :)
I loved blending the colors & drawing the precise lines in the wing. Also, my look was also drawn by an art student- I was asked to pose for 3 minutes. I am SO impressed!
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