KTV

Ni Hao Everyone!

If you know me well, you'll never believe how I spent my Friday night this week: Singing Karaoke!! I know, crazy, right? Olivia doesn't like to sing in front of people...

It's true. I don't usually like to sing in front of people (I would NEVER do karaoke in America). However, there's something unique about Chinese karaoke (aka: KTV) that makes it exponentially more fun than American karaoke: Private Rooms.

So, when you want to karaoke in China, you visit your local KTV (they're on almost every other block) and sign up for a room. Room size ranges from 4-person rooms to 20+-person rooms. In the room you have one (sometimes two) TV monitors, two microphones, a couch and some chairs, a table, and a sort-of computer on which you make your song selections.

Then, you choose your songs (we've found a nearby KTV with an amazing English song selection) and belt your heart out... for only you and your friends to hear! It's a great way to let loose and relieve some stress, especially since it's a judgement-free zone (unlike karaoke back in the States). In fact, I like KTV so much, I even have a KTV VIP card for discounts.

So, on Friday, Rachel and I decided to have a girls-only KTV night at our favorite KTV (which is right down the street). We started off the night with a little liquid courage - turns out there's a bar not too far from where we live that has 3-yuan tequila shots on Fridays. That, my friends, is a 50 cent tequila shot. I'm not usually a big drinker, but I couldn't pass this opportunity up! (50 cents!?!) After a few shots of tequila at the bar, we headed to "In-Love KTV" to sing loud and proud for 3 hours... and we sang the entire time! (No breaks!) We even got a special gift from KTV: Cat ears! (Why? I have no idea! But that didn't stop us from wearing them all night.)

So, here are some funny pictures of Rachel and I singing (and dancing) while wearing our cat ears:

Air Guitar!

Rachel & her cat ears!

Jammin'!

Singing Adele :)

Still singing Adele (she's one of our favorites)

Charades...

My thought of the day...

When I get back from China, I'm going to be excellent at charades.

This is attempt to order green tea:

 Me trying to pronounce Green Tea...

 The barista pointing to the menu... NOT at green tea :(

 Disappointed...

 Oh, come on!

 Giving up...

Why?!?!?!?!

Just kidding! We actually took these pictures for a friend of mine - in truth, the barista understood my pronunciation of green tea the first time! Go me!

Also, this week I've been helping my friend/fellow teacher, Dave, to grade his midterm papers. His students had about 8 different topics they could choose from, one of them being "Dangerous Drivers." A lot of the students agreed that driving while fatigued is a bad idea... and then I saw this sign:

So, for those of you back home, be sure to follow this well-written piece of advice and do not drive tiredly!

And now, I'm off to watch some of my students perform fairy tales :)

Dragon Well Hike

So this Saturday, Rachel and I celebrated the birthday of our friend Justin by giving him a "Justin Day." Pretty much, we spent the day wandering around Hangzhou and doing some of Justin's favorite things. We played some frisbee around West Lake, had a picnic, went on a hike, ate some Papa John's, sang some karaoke, and went dancing. It was a long day, but it was fun. And, during our hike, we went to one of the "famous" locations of Hangzhou: the Dragon Well. For those of you who don't know, green tea is a BIG DEAL in China. And Hangzhou is famous for its green tea, "龙井绿茶 (Lóngjǐng lǜchá)" or "Dragon Well Green Tea." It's grown in the hills around West Lake. And it turns out, there really is a Dragon Well - which is really just a well, nothing special. However, around the well are plenty of hiking trails that take you up in the hills and lead you to some really pretty views of Hangzhou - and I thought y'all might enjoy some pictures :)

This is me posing as a dragon in front of the Dragon Well

A man working in the tea fields up on the hills

The view of West Lake from the hilltop - please excuse the pollution

Looking down on tea fields and a small village on the other side of the hill

Making our way back down

Tea terraces!

Justin and I on an extremely crowded bus heading back to West Lake after the hike

母亲节快乐! (Happy Mother's Day!)

Today, I'd like to dedicate this post to one of my favorite people in the whole world: My Mom

For anyone who might not know, I consider my mom to be one of my closest friends - which makes me a really lucky person. She's also my personal health guru, my travel partner, my food and wine expert and my advice columnist. Not everyone has a relationship with his/her momma like I do. My mom is supportive, caring, fun (& funny), not to mention extremely creative and inspirational. I'm not sure she realizes it, but my mother helps me make decisions every day of my life. When I'm having trouble deciding between the "easy way out" versus "the right thing to do", it's my mom's voice that reminds me which choice is the right one. And when I'm faced with a serious dilemma (should I eat the chocolate one or the vanilla one?), I simply think "WWLD: What would Lanaya do?" (to answer the previous question, "have a little bit of both" haha). But in all seriousness, my mom truly does help me to be a better person every day - even from the other side of the world. And if it weren't for her, I might not be where I am today (not just because she gave birth to me, for all you smart alecs out there - but also because of her support and motivation).

Not many people react well to a 22-year-old moving to China on her own. Even people IN China think I'm crazy. "What about your friends?" they say. "What about your family?" And when they ask me those questions, I always start off by saying, "I am very lucky." And I AM very lucky! While other mom's might have said "Are you sure that's a good idea?" or "Why can't you just stay in the United States?," my mom said, "So when can I visit?!" And throughout the whole process of preparing, packing and freaking out, my mother was there to support me. And I know, what ever I decide to do next, she will continue to support me. And that, my friends, makes me one of the happiest daughters in the world.

I'm not sure my mom realizes how much I appreciate her - and I know I can't fully express it. Even if I could, there would be no way to repay my mom for everything she's done for me. So instead, I try to pay it forward. When my friends and family struggle to make a decision, I do my best to give honest advice and offer my full support, just like my mom would. When my friends and family need someone to talk to, I do my best to not just listen, but listen actively - just like my mom would. And I hope that by following my dreams and making my own adventures, I will inspire others, just as my mom has inspired me.

So, since I can't be home on mother's day this year, and since I haven't figured out how to send things from China to America, I would like this blog post to serve as a gift to my mother - to remind her that she is the most wonderful woman I know! I love you Mommy, and I can't wait to see you in China!!

好久不見 - Long Time, No See

Ni Hao Everyone!

First and foremost, I apologize for my serious lack of blog entries. I know this is how most of my family keeps in touch with/follows me, so I'm sorry I have been a stranger the past few months.

However, I've been re-inspired and I'm hoping from now on I can make more consistent entries.

As for now, I'll just give you a quick update on what's going on in my life now and in the future:

1. I just started a new 12-week exercise/fitness program (from bodybuilding.com - don't worry, I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder, I just want to be healthy!) and I'm really excited about it. I've already lost 10 pounds (woo!) and I can see more definition in my muscles :) Which is perfect for number two on this list...

2. Thailand! I am planning to spoil myself for my 23rd birthday this year with a trip to Thailand over the summer. No specific dates or destinations are set yet - all I know is I NEED to have some beach and sun in my life (I think four years at the beach in NC has turned me into a beach bum). But, before I head on that adventure, I'm even more excited about...

3. Mom & Sammy are coming to visit in June! (Cross your fingers - they haven't bought the plane tickets yet, but the visa applications are in the mail!!) I'm so excited to take them all around Hangzhou - to West Lake, to the campus where I teach, to KTV (karaoke), etc. We are also planning on visiting a few other places in China, namely Guilin, Shanghai, Nanjing and Suzhou.

(Photo: West Lake, Hangzhou) 

4. Another year in China...? Why, yes! For those of you who don't know, I have been invited (and I have unofficially accepted) to return to Hangzhou Normal University to continue teaching next year. I'm feeling good about this decision because it'll give me a chance to refine my teaching skills (oh, I have learned so much this year), actually learn Chinese, see some more places and, what it really comes down to, find my rhythm.  

As for right now, everything is going well - we are about 3/4's of the way finished with the semester and (compared to last semester), I'm feeling much better about teaching. My English majors are working on persuasive speaking (which, it turns out, is a lot like persuasive writing - and I love writing! So it's actually more fun than I thought it'd be). And my English minors are working on performances (they're currently re-writing classic fairy tales and they'll be performing them in a few weeks). Final exams are in a little over a month and then it's travel time! 

Again, I am so sorry it's been so long - I really am going to try to be more consistent with this thing from now on. 

So, on that note, I'll be back soon!

- Olivia