Tag: China
Beijing and Conference 1
by Sean on Jul.25, 2011, under China
A days worth of travel couldn’t stop me from being wide awake upon arrival at PEK airport in Beijing. You’d think from the massive grin plastered all over my face that I’d never been to China before, but you all know better.
The happiness in my heart felt like I was walking on clouds and nothing could ruin my day! We took the airport express train into the city and began a long, long search for a place to sleep for the night. From my trip to Vietnam, I discovered a new way to travel: one in which I have nothing planned upon arrival to my destination. This way, I can be open to anything!
We walked around for 8 hours until we met a backpacker who took us to her hostel (Sanlitun) in Dongsishitiao in Chaoyang district. Chris was even more wide-eyed as he’d never been to China and had been dying to come his whole life. He was amazed at how the food tasted, the people spoke (quite different to the way his Chinese teacher taught him), and everything else in between. The fun we had wandering around was better than anything else we could have wished for!
Until the next day, when the conference attendees began arriving in droves. They were so friendly and jetlagged, it was kinda cute. I passed by this Chinese girl who said a few words to me and walked off, but that’s not the end of the story..
25th Birthday
by Sean on Jun.19, 2011, under Daily Life
I know I should be writing this at the end of my birth day instead of in the beginning, but I don’t care because it’s my birthday, haha.
Each time I stop to reflect, it hits me just how much I’m still learning and growing every day. A year ago, I was home sick and counting down the days until I got back to the US for my first visit since I left in 2008. Eleven months ago, I was happy to be home with my friends and family, who I missed dearly. Ten months ago I left home for my first visit to the west coast of the US before I returned to China. Nine months ago I was back in China and wondering if I had made the right choice to go back. Eight months ago I began preparing for my trip to Vietnam.
Six months ago I started selling my things and packing up. Five months ago I went to Shenzhen for the second time and had to go to Hong Kong to fix my phone. Four months ago I was in Vietnam having the time of my life. Three months ago I went back to China for “one last trip,” and moving back to the US. Two months ago I was still struggling to fit in and found most of my old friends to be nonexistent in my life, and thus Meetup.com became my way to find people who would be good friends to me.
One month ago I really began enjoying being home despite the obvious issue of living at home. This month, I am really beginning to figure out how to run a dental practice and am putting things into place. I went to Orlando for a dental convention, where I learned more than I could have ever imagined. I also applied for a position with the Department of State, which if I’m selected, would have meant I beat out 300 people. I would be training in December or January, and it requires I improve my Chinese skills far above what they are now.
Far be it from me to say what the future will hold. All I know is that I’m living the way I want and doing what I want to make sure I’m happy, and that my happiness is always the most important thing (so long as it doesn’t affect other people’s happiness). The biggest thing I learned living out in the Middle Kingdom is that people in the West get so bogged down in details, planning, and trying to become rich that they forget to stop, relax, and just enjoy life. Family, friends, and a loved one is all that you need to be happy. So with that, I’ll leave you to reflect on my reflection, and I hope it goes even a little way towards helping you break the chains of your dependence and fear of change for the better.
Even if I spend today relaxing at home and baking Sunburst Lemon Bars (they’re gonna be yummy), I know that it will be a good day because I’ll be with those who I love most.
Beijing
by Sean on Dec.27, 2010, under China
Beijing: the Communist haven, Mao’s urban planning masterpiece, or just plain !@#$?
We arrived at the Beijing train station and grabbed taxis to the hostel because we didn’t know how to get there. From looking at the map, I was absolutely sure the driver was taking us in the opposite direction, yet after calling the hostel, they confirmed he was correct so I shut up. 50rmb and almost an hour later, we hopped out and checked in. We found out quickly that the owners are real pieces of work, so I highly recommend not staying there if you want to enjoy your experience.
Starved and bored, we crossed the street and found a Turkish restaurant. I have to admit the food was quite expensive, but I didn’t mind eating there because the food was so damn delicious! The average meal was about 50rmb, but we can’t eat this kind of food in Wuhan, so it was a treat!*
Forbidden City Entrance
I’m getting off topic, so let’s get back to it. I originally planned to meet up with my friend Landy who was the first Chinese friend I made RIGHT before I got onto the first plane to China over a year ago, but she was at her parent’s village celebrating her mom’s birthday. She told me about a bar that holds Salsa nights, so I just HAD to go. Upon arriving, I found that they weren’t playing Latin music at all, and there were a bunch of guys drinking and a bunch of girls doing nothing. It was completely boring and a waste of time, yet on the bright side Melba was given a piece of paper worth 4 free drinks (anything from the menu). She ordered two drinks and we pounded them and left. A bit tipsy, we stumbled into a little store that happened to have a huge candy selection. I was in heaven and couldn’t decide what to buy, so I spent about $15 buying one of almost everything there. It lasted less than a day, but I was so happy anyways! For more about my trip, you can read abut my experience at the Great Wall.
*Turkish Mum: 010-85323979 (Tian Jie Hu Zhan, Line 10). Gong Ti Bei Lu 1-2 北京朝阳区工体北路1-2.
Xianning
by Sean on Oct.07, 2010, under China
Wuhan train station
After spending a week trying to make plans for a trip, my original intention was Beihai in the very south near Vietnam. That changed to Nanjing, but when I found out there were no hotels with vacant rooms, it again changed to Xianning for it’s hot springs, and off we went. Matt, Sunny, and I met at the Hankou train station and picked up a bus that took us to the Wuhan train station located in Qingshan district on the other side of the river.
The Wuhan train station was recently finished to the tune of $1.46 billion USD, and is the most beautifully thought out and executed train station I’ve ever been in. In fact, the train was nicer than any European one I’ve been on! 350kph (218mph) and 20 minutes later, we arrived at Xianning, what could be best described as a small and backwards village where the locals are used to conning tourists (Chinese and foreign). We grabbed a taxi and went into town to buy food, as we knew the hot springs wouldn’t have anything but a free breakfast buffet (which turned out to be disgusting), and an overpriced dinner menu that didn’t even fill me up. After that, we grabbed another taxi and headed for the hot spring.
Hot Spring Map
Fish Bath
Budget Summary
- My house to the Hankou train station, 1.8rmb (30 minutes)
- Hankou train station to Wuhan train station, 12rmb (30 minutes)
- Wuhan train station to the Xianning train station, 41rmb (25minutes), top speed 350kph
- Xianning train station to the center of town, 25rmb
- Food at the store, 27rmb
- Taxi from the store to the hot spring, 25rmb (30 minutes)
- Room/Service at the hot spring for 1 night, 390rmb
- Dinner at the hot spring, 26rmb
- Taxi to the Xianning station, 25rmb
- Xianning to Wuhan station, 41rmb
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Total spent = 612rmb ($90)
To see the rest of the pictures (and I highly recommend it because there are some funny examples of Chinglish), click here.
Its Coming to an End
by Sean on Aug.21, 2010, under Daily Life
Four days left in the USA, and I’m beginning to get sad. Coming here, I was at a point in my life where I felt stagnant and redundant, but I was wrong.
This trip to the states has taught me so many things, for example that I needed to move to China to create this new path in my life. I knew I had learned a lot about myself and life while in China, but I didn’t get a chance to really see how much I’d learned until I came back and everyone was amazed at how much I’d changed (something earlier I was worried about whether people would like or dislike this change in me).
The reason I’m sad is because even though there are some things I still don’t care for in the US, I’ve really come to appreciate it a lot more than I ever did in the past. By having the opportunity to take 2 weeks to see a part of the country I’d never been to before, I got to see that Florida is certainly not representative of the whole, and it makes me happy. I also finally found a place I could live (since that’s been a goal of my travels) in one day, and that’s Seattle (I’ll write about Seattle on my other website in due time).
Another reason I’m sad is because, I want to go back to China, but I also don’t because I’m having such a great time here. The last reason I’m sad is because I have been in China for a long time, and I’ve decided to move back to the US next summer, so it’s a bit emotional thinking about China not being my home anymore. To this end, I’ll make the rest of my time in China the best part of my time there. No regrets, full steam ahead!
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