So it's been a while since I have been on this thing. I have been going non stop lately. I don't believe that I have had one minute to just sit down and start writing. I'm actually in class right now being a very very bad student and not paying one lick of attention. I will summarize my life in three paragraphs.
First I have been traveling to Korea and Japan for work. It has been a great experience leading a regional project but it is also tiring. It is tough working across cultures, for example, in Japan, people travel in "packs" and I can barely get the staff to break away from one another to go and do something that I have asked. It just puzzles me how it takes three people to go and check out a venue site! Anyhow, Japan is an amazing place. I absolutely love it. Granted it is just tooooo damn expensive, but I was on the company's dime. People there are way more civilized than the Chinese. Korea however STINKS. No fun whatsoever. It is boring, the people are just as bad, and to top it off, it is damn expensive as well. Not worth the money..but again, it is good I went on the company's dime.
Next my friend Jonathan came to visit from NYC. I know... I have had visitors since August so I was already tired from being the tour guide. However I had time off at that time which was good. October is when China closes down for a week. I took advantage of this and went to Cambodia. Because this was a last minute thing, we decided to sign up for a tour...Yes, it was a BAD idea to go with a tour but I really had no more energy to be searching for places to stay and how to get around. I think it was a good thing we went with the tour because the country is kind of hard to get around. We went to see the lovely temples at Angkor wat and then went to Phnom Phen. That city is just disgusting... but interesting enough... But, back to being on the tour... here are just a few things that were wrong with the Chinese:
- going to a tourist trap place called "ricky gem" where they sold the tackiest jewlery and the Chinese basically bought out the entire store... they think they are rich
- people stepping on sacred land when there is clearly a rope to tell you to stay off!
- the usual sneezing and pushing behaviors... disgusting
- people snorting their food in without chewing...again disgusting
- a man slapping a woman in the face on the bus, very interesting
- asking my friend Jonathan what part of Africa he is from when he has clearly stated that he's American!
- getting in a fight with an idiot on the plane because he said that I could not lean my seat back... who has the nerve to tell ME to not do anything...clearly he got his lashing
- a guy basically thinking that I'm a whore because I was sharing a room with a male friend
- and FINALLY, a child beggar who asked Jonathan for money and he said he didn't have any money and she replied "why you lie to children?"... HAHAHAHA... i died laughing!
So that is the highlight of my trip to Cambodia.
Next, I was in Xi'An for a business trip and took that time to go and see the famous Terracotta Soldiers. These were discovered in the late 50's and date back to the Qing dynasty... many many years ago. I was a bit disappointed in the beginning because a lot of the soldiers have not been preserved but then I took a step back and realized that I was looking at history that dates back SOOOO many years. It was so exciting to see that my people were that creative (and scary too...read the story about the Qing emperor). Anyhow, the visit was short but sweet. I have posted a few photos.
Have to run now...class professor looks annoyed with me. Next trip... Taiwan! Until then... xo
