广西

Today is cold. And icy. And miserable. I’m stuck at home watching the ice accumulate on our back porch and icicles form on the trees. THIS IS NORTH CAROLINA, PEOPLE.  I did not come home to sunny, warm, fabulous North Carolina to be iced into my parents’ house. Nevertheless, I’m trying to make the best of this day. I’ve been hangin’ out with my wonderful parents, watching Downton Abbey, relaxing in the hot tub, and eating homemade donuts… you could say we’ve turned this nasty day into a nice one. I also figured this would be a perfect time to continue chronicling my summer 2012 saga. So, I’ll start where I left off, which is when my Mom, sister (Sammy) and I were on to part II of our adventure in China!

At least I've got these baby donuts
to keep me warmz!

Mom and Sam Visit: Part II


The Beautiful Guilin
That’s right… I did not say Beijing. I said Guilin. Most people are surprised to hear that when my mom and sister visited China, I did not take them to the world-famous capital. And, no, we did not see the Great Wall. And, yes, we were perfectly fine with it! When my mom and I were discussing all the potential trips we could take during our two-week vacation, we both agreed that architecture and history were not our priorities. So, when we read about the lovely Guilin and its surrounding areas, known for their breath-taking scenery, delicious food and cultural diversity, we were sold! We hopped on a plane in Hangzhou and flew out to Guangxi province in Western China for the second leg of our adventure.

Sam, Pam and Me!

We were greeted at the Guilin airport by our tour-guide, Pamela. Pamela is a native of the area and she is the sole reason our trip went so well. Pamela showed us the most beautiful areas around Guilin and was able to explain its history, geography and culture to us in excellent English (with an adorable Cantonese accent, I might add). Our trip consisted of three main highlights: The Longji Rice Terraces, the Li River through Yangshuo County, and exploring the city of Guilin.


Longji Rice Terraces
Our first stop on our Guangxi adventure took us up into the rolling hills outside of Guilin where we hiked through traditional Chinese villages and caught a glimpse of classic Chinese culture, in the form of rice, of course! The Longji rice terraces are some of the biggest and most well-known rice terraces in China. Hundreds of years ago, Chinese farmers literally carved the terraces into the side of the mountain in order to better harvest rice. “Longji” actually means “Dragon’s Back” because that is what the hillsides resembled. The hike was full of beautiful views and refreshing cool air (which was certainly a nice break from the hot and humid heat of Hangzhou). This was a part of China I hadn’t experienced yet – rural, clean and fresh. We all really enjoyed our day at the rice terraces.

A taste of the village we hiked through

Dragon's Back... get it?!?

And a close-up of the rice paddies themselves

LiJiang and Yangshuo
Our next adventure took place on a river cruise through one of the most scenic parts of China – the Li River and its surrounding mountains. This scenery is so famous, its picture is actually on the 20RMB note. The river cruise lasted about three hours and included lunch, drinks and, of course, some more amazing views. The mountains we saw surrounding the river were unlike any we’ve seen before – my mom was actually calling them “Dr. Seuss Mountains” because their unusual shape reminded her of something out of a Dr. Seuss book!

Check out that view!
(Wait... the mountains or the fabulous hair? ;)

Cruisin' down the Li River 

And here we are, holding up the 20RMB note
in front of the scene that is pictured on
the 20RMB note... inception, anyone?

Our morning river cruise landed us in a “village” of Yangshuo County, where Pamela proceeded to attempt to murder us lead us on a bike ride through the city. And while the idea of a bike ride would normally seem quite appealing and relaxing, biking through road traffic in China is a whole different ball game – one that involves dodging cars and trucks while navigating poorly maintained roadways. Pamela tried to point out different views during the ride, but we were too preoccupied with trying to survive to enjoy them. And while it was a little scary, it was also a lot of fun and we are proud to say we biked in China successfully!

I don't wanna say I survived,
but that I thrived...

Around Guilin
The city of Guilin served as sort of a base during this mini-trip, so we did a lot of quick sightseeing while we were there. This included:


Some Typical Chinese Pagodas

The Moon & Sun Pagoda Towers

Seeing “Elephant Hill”

The mountain behind us is supposed to look
like an elephant...

Checking out this spot – legend has it that hundreds of years ago, a Chinese warrior wanted to test the strength of his sword, and so he attempted to slice through this here rock… and he was successful, as you can see.




And not drinking this stuff – it’s snake wine… you know, to help a man with his “snake.”

Does it actually work? We will never know...

Much like the Li River, the city of Guilin is surrounded by those unique, rolling hills. And, underneath each and every hill is a series of caves (there is an explanation for this, but I can’t remember it…). So of course, we had to do a little “spelunking” in one of Guilin’s more famous caves. I put “spelunking” in quotes because this spelunking experience was pretty glorified – we saw women walking around these caves in heels, if that means anything to you. Not to mention, all the stalactite and stalagmite formations were horrifyingly tastefully lit up with tons of  harsh lovely colored lights. However, the caves were enormous and all of the formations, even with the terrible lighting, were unbelievable.

See how enormous it is?!?
Look at those tiny people down there! 

Our trip to Guangxi province lasted about four days and, as you can see above, it was freakin’ awesome! We got to see so many sights and scenes unique to China – plus, we had a lot of fun chatting with Pamela and, as usual, doing a little shopping. The only negative part of this trip? Its end meant we were that much closer to the day Mom & Sammy were headed back to America.

However, we did have a few more quality days before I sent them off to the Shanghai airport, and I’ll tell you all about those final days in my next post. As for now, I am going to go enjoy another one of my mother’s amazing meals (man! how I’ve been enjoying those) and spend the night watching movies and singing karaoke with my parents.

Zaijian, y’all!

我的生日

I’ve been back in America for about a week now, and let me tell you, it feels good! Eating delicious food every day, communicating easily with everyone around me, driving my car… man! I’m livin’ the dream. Of course, I’ve enjoyed one thing more than anything else, and that, obviously, is spending time with my family. It has not been the easiest year away from them and so this vacation home has been much needed. And it’s been great!

Sister bonding over panda hats and Chinese jammies

However, due to jetlag, I’ve been waking up much (much much) earlier than I normally would (I’m talking before the sun rises). This leaves me with a little extra time and so I decided, “hey!” this could be a good time to fill in those gaping spaces in my blog (you know – that six month period where I was MIA). So I went and checked out some of my older posts and I think the last thing I posted about was picking those delicious Yangmei berries and going to the beach in the beginning of the summer… and then I disappeared! What happened next on my summer of adventures? Let me fill you in…

Mom & Sam Visit: Part I

4th of July
My wonderful mother and beautiful sister arrived to China via the Shanghai Pudong Airport. I took them back to Hangzhou for the night where we enjoyed catching up on life and eating a delicious Korean meal. The two hours I spend waiting for them in the lobby of the airport were the two longest hours of my life.

We <3 America!!

My Birthday! (July 6)

For my birthday, my friends (Mom & Sammy included) decided we were going to dress up (it’s one of my favorite pastimes) and go out. We all went to dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant, Sawasdee, where we enjoyed all sorts of dishes involving coconut and mango – yum! Then, we all went to karaoke (KTV – duh!) where we sang the night away. Most memorable moment? One of our Chinese friends brought his dog to KTV… a dog which proceeded to pee right in the middle of our room. Did that stop our fun? No way! We just paper-toweled that urine and kept on singin’!

No, we don't normally dress like this...

Xitang

I then took Mom & Sammy up to a tiny little canal town to spend a day. I think I have written about Xitang here if you’d like to know what I think of it. Overall, it’s a lovely little place with a beautiful canal running through it and lots of souvenir shopping to be done. If you’re interested, just watch Mission Impossible III – there’s a scene when Tom Cruise is dashing through “Shanghai” – yeah, that’s actually Xitang! It certainly is a famous little town.

Looking over the canals of Xitang

Suzhou

In China, there is a (very) famous saying that goes something like this: “Above there is heaven, on earth there is Hangzhou and Suzhou.” Many people claim that Hangzhou is the most beautiful city in China – it’s only contender in the battle? Suzhou. Suzhou is slightly northwest of Shanghai (about an hour away) and it is famous for its lovely gardens and city-wide canals. Again, we only spent a day there, but it was enough time to explore the most famous garden (“The Humble Administrators Garden” – what a mouthful, right?) and walk along the canal. We also tried some “local” food, including a sweet and sour fish that somewhat resembled a blooming onion crossed with the loch ness monster (see below). Don’t worry – it tasted much less scary than it looked.

Mom & I at the
Humble Administrator's Garden

Sweet & Sour Fish!

Dinosaur Land (Changzhou)

Our last stop on our first mini-adventure landed us in a city called Changzhou, home of a Chinese amusement park known as Dinosaur Land. Sammy and I have developed something of a tradition in the last few years which involves visiting an amusement park every summer (often times Carowinds or King’s Dominion, both here in the Carolina/Virginia region; sometimes Six Flags, Fiesta Texas, closer to where my grandparents live). So, once I learned of the existence of Dinosaur Land, it only made sense to take Sammy there. We spent the day seeking out daring roller coasters (there was one) and listening to the sounds of a Chinese amusement park… which was eerily silent, by the way. They had the standard cheesy music playing across the park, yes, but we hardly heard any screaming or laughter coming from the rides – it was like the Chinese people wanted to see who could be quietest while being hurled around the air and spun shamelessly for minutes. Sammy and I certainly won the award for loudest screamers that day – but it wasn’t difficult to do so. Aside from the lack of screaming, it was actually a pretty normal amusement park and we had an overall good experience there.

Welcome to Dinoland!

Back to Hangzhou

After our 3-day spurt across Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, we headed back to Hangzhou to enjoy some more delicious food (including one of my favorites: “Big Plate Chicken”) and prepare for the second leg of our adventure (which has earned its own post for a later day).

It literally is a big plate of chicken...

It’s been great seeing Mom & Sammy again here in America. We’ve been reminiscing about the trip we took last July and about life in China in general. We even dragged my dad and my grandparents to a local Chinese restaurant (which has pretty legitimate Chinese cuisine – yum!) to share with them the typical Chinese dining experience. For my dad’s sake, however, I think we’ll stick with safe and familiar western food from now on. (I love you, Daddy!)


Until my next update – ZaiJian everyone!

美国做名单

 

For those of you who don’t know, I am currently in America where I’ll be vacationing for three weeks (it’s my winter break right now!) And I plan to enjoy each and every moment of my time here. Plus, I’m going to try my hardest to appreciate all the things that are available to me in America that I can’t get so easily in China. In fact, before I left, Rachel made a list of things for me to do while I’m home. I’d like to share it with you so that, one: I can update you on which ones I’ve completed and, two: you can get an idea of the things we can’t get here in China. And while some of them are a little exaggerated, I still think it’s a great list to try to accomplish while I’m home. Here goes:

To do: America

By: Rachel J.

1. Go to Dunkin Donuts, order a Mocha Coconut Iced Coffee with extra cream and extra sugar (Rachel used to work at the DD, which is why this is number 1 on the list – she tells me I won’t be the same once I’ve tried it).
2. For the first hour you are home, lay horizontal on every soft surface you come across. Appreciate how soft these surfaces are.
3. Test the water quality of each faucet in your house (you may use a cup, but it’s not necessary)
4. Find two different channels on TV playing the same show/movie. Flip between them for no real reason.
5. Drive, even when you can walk.
6. Go to a supermarket, go to a chip section, and buy at least six kinds of snacks that you can’t find in China. Eat them and enjoy.
7. Run around outside barefoot, because you won’t get tetanus (avoid rusty nails – they will still give you tetanus)... also, consider getting tetanus shot before coming back to China.
8. Take a picture of the sky every day while you’re home. Photoshop all of them into a collage and print them out to hang on your windows in your apartment in Hangzhou so that every day is pretty.
9. Stand outside and inhale deeply – do not fear immediate lung cancer (do not inhale near a smoker who is smoking, or you should still fear lung cancer).
10. Pee while sitting down. Everywhere. (Unless you’re peeing on the ground – then hover).
11. Go to a store; buy something; know that they will have a size that fits you.
12. Go to the meat section of a grocery store. Appreciate that nothing is staring at you (or is still alive). Go to fish section; appreciate that there is no fish section.
13. Eat lobster.
14. Go see a movie in a theater.
15. Watch Jurassic Park 1, 2 & 3. Stay out of the tall grass.
16. Go find the longest line available (at Wal-Mart, the check-out line, whatever) and stand in it. Watch as everyone else simply stands in it. Feel amazed.
17. Bask in the fact that perfect strangers will hold doors open, say please and thank you, wait appropriately to board elevators, and, in general, be more pleasant.
18. Everyone understands you! (But be careful, because everyone understands you)
19. Order Chinese food. I suggest shrimp and lobster sauce – do not be alarmed by the texture (it has big peeled shrimp in it – dump sauce over rice with no shame).
20. Talk about whatever things/topics/politics/etc. you want freely, loudly and in public places. Do not fear retribution or punishment.

As you can see, the above is quite an impressive (and random) list. But, I’ll be trying my hardest to accomplish everything on it (and maybe take pictures, too). If you have any questions about any of the above tasks (and what they imply about China), please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I look forward to it!

Until then, Zai Jian!

南京

Trip to Nanjing

Since this has been the last week we’ll spend in China together, Rachel and I decided to take just one more trip – to one of our favorite cities in China: Nanjing. We travelled to Nanjing last year at around this time too, but we went to give a lecture on celebrating the New Year in various countries. We only had one extra day aside from our lecture, so we didn’t get much time to explore the city. However, in the time that we were there, we did get to experience the good vibes that Nanjing sends off, and we decided we’d love to come again and see more of the city.

We also experienced something of a phenomenon when we went to Nanjing last year. The group of people I was with decided we were tired of Chinese food, so let’s try something new – how about this Irish Pub in our hotel? And so, we unknowingly ventured into Danny’s Irish Pub at the Sheraton in Nanjing, where we were soon to have our minds blown and baffled. What happened that was so amazing? One word: Cheeseburger. Possibly the most delicious burger in all of China – nay, the world! Never had any of us experienced such a delightful combination of beef, cheese and bread – especially not in this country. We were surprised, satisfied, and almost in tears. And so we left Nanjing with the taste of our burgers still savory on our tongues, dreaming about it for months and months to come.

So, when Rachel and I were deciding where to take one last trip together in China, the answer was easy: Nanjing. Why? To taste the world’s best burger. Again.

But we were a little nervous… have we made the burger better than it was in our minds? What if Danny’s is closed? What if there’s a different chef? What if they don’t sell the burger? In short, was this burger really the best burger in the world? Or was it just a one-time fluke? But we conquered our doubts and risked devastating disappointment… and this is how it turned out:

Eagerly awaiting the burger

She’s arrived – but will she be delicious?!?

A little intimidated by its massive size…

Finally getting a bite…!

And yes… it was still friggin’ delicious!

Victory! The best burger in the world really is the best burger in the world!!

As you can see, our burger revival (as Rachel has dubbed it) was a grand success! And now we can truly say that Danny’s Irish Pub in the Sheraton Hotel in Nanjing, China, truly has the best burger in the world. What makes it so good? It’s hard to say – maybe the perfectly toasted bun; maybe the fresh and flavorful vegetables; maybe the crispy fried egg and juicy bacon; or maybe just the perfect seasoning, moisture and flavor of the beef patty… I could go on, people, but I don’t want you to get too jealous.

Of course, we didn’t only eat burgers in Nanjing (although we probably could have and been perfectly fine with it). We did a few touristy things too. We saw the mausoleum of Sun Yat-Sun, we went to one of the original Ming tombs, we saw parts of the ancient city wall and we even saw a Jackie Chan movie in a local theater. But even after all those things, the highlight of the trip was certainly the surprise (again) of that wonderful burger – which we ate not once, but twice on our most recent trip. And it was worth it.

The entrance to Sun Yat-Sun’s mausoleum

Chillin’ with one of the guards of XueLing’s Ming tomb

Onward!

Walking along the ancient city walls

Getting’ goofy, as usual…

After this trip, I think I can safely declare Nanjing to be my favorite city in China – it’s got delicious food, it’s easy to get around, it’s got an amazing history and the people here are more polite and friendly than anywhere else I’ve been in China. If any of you ever make it out to this country, I would definitely recommend adding Nanjing to your itinerary. And Danny’s cheeseburger, of course.

And now, I’m about to board my flight from Shanghai to New Jersey, and then finally to North Carolina. And while I’m not looking to the 20 hours of travel I’ve got ahead of me, I am looking forward to being back home! See ya soon, America!

And Zai Jian, China!

烹饪

A few weeks ago, I did something I never thought I'd ever (seriously, ever) do: I cooked a meal for a Chinese family. What?!? For those of you who know me, you know how rare of an occurrence this is - I don't even like cooking for myself, let alone other people. But, it happened, and I think I would even (surprisingly) call it a success! How did I get myself into this situation in the first place though? Let me tell you...

Call me Master Chef Olivia...

So, way back in November, Rachel and I were asked by a Chinese woman, Crystal, if we could do a lecture on America for her husband's university. Crystal was Rachel's graduate assistant last year and she helped us out a lot, so of course we told her we'd love to do the lecture! If you're wondering, our lecture was about American Line Dancing and it was a lot of fun, but telling more about it would deserve its own blog post. Anyway, after the lecture, Crystal and her husband and some colleagues (all Chinese) took Rachel and I to eat at a nearby Chinese restaurant. During dinner, Crystal and her husband asked us all kinds of questions about American food - how is it different from Chinese food? Do we like it better? Is it healthier? etc. We get asked these kinds of questions all the time, so answering them was nothing special. But it certainly must have sparked the interest of Crystal and her husband, because about a week later we received an e-mail from them that read something like this:

"Dear Rachel and Olivia,

Thank you so much for your wonderful lecture...blah blah blah. The students really enjoyed it, etc... And now, my husband and I would like to invite you to our house sometime. You will come to our house and you will cook us an American dinner. Please let us know which day will work for you.

                                                                                                                                                 Crystal"

When Rachel and I read this e-mail, our jaws dropped a little... especially because according to the e-mail, we had no choice. I mean, she practically ordered us to come cook for her! If only she knew who she was asking...

So, Rachel and I actually managed to avoid this subject for a while - we were too busy with schoolwork; out of town for the weekend; etc. Unfortunately, the time finally came when Crystal asked us yet again about our dinner date, and we finally had to give in. Rachel and I brainstormed things we had cooked successfully in the past and we decided on three dishes:

• Lemony Chicken Piccata (it's my mom's variation, which is delicious, but tastes almost nothing like actual chicken piccata)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Corn on the Cob

So, on Sunday night, we arrived at Crystal's apartment to cook for Crystal, her husband, her mother-in-law and her baby boy. A few days before, we had sent a list of things we needed to Crystal so that she could prepare them before we arrived. And, as usual, some of that was lost in translation:

•  Instead of 4 medium-sized chicken breasts, we got 2 huge frozen ones (at least they were boneless!)
•  Instead of vegetable oil, we got sunflower seed oil 
•  Instead of a frying pan, we had a wok
•  And instead of knives and forks, we had chopsticks! 

Fortunately, Rachel and I were able to get past these few setbacks and we actually made a decent meal - to both of our surprise! But, because of some of the miscommunications, it looked like it might not be enough food for everyone (not to mention, a big part of Chinese culture is to serve an outrageous amount of food - if your guests finish all the food on the table, then you didn't serve enough) so Crystal decided to whip up a little Chinese hot pot to accompany our "American" dishes. ("Hot Pot" is sort of like fondue - you have a pot of boiling broth in the middle of the table, usually with some herbs and spices, and it's surrounded by plates and bowls of raw veggies, meat and other food. Then, you just toss everything in, let it cook, and, Voila!, a meal!) This is how our "East-meets-West" meal turned out:

Crystal and Rachel preparing the Hot Pot

Our feast!

It ended up being pretty delicious! And we had a good time talking and laughing with Crystal and her family. Her baby boy is adorable! (I'm sorry I don't have a picture of him). We even got Crystal's super-traditional mother-in-law to eat some of our food (she didn't want to at first - she was fine with her bowl of rice, thank you very much). So even though Rachel and I were not really looking forward to this dinner, it ended up being a big success! And next time, I'm teaching Crystal how to back Chocolate Chip Cookies (something I know I can do!)

And now, I'm headed back to packing because I'm headed home tomorrow! (And I could not be more excited!) If only packing were easier...

Until next time, Zai Jian y'all! 

大雪天

It finally stopped snowing! Thank goodness - because much like NC, Hangzhou does not seem to know how to deal with snow. However, while the snow was still nice and fresh, I dragged Rachel outside with me so we could partake in some typical snow activities. Like I said in my last post, I'm not the biggest fan of cold/snow, but I don't get snow very often, so I feel bad when I don't take advantage of it. So, Rachel and I stayed outside for about 20 minutes, which was just enough time to make a (little) snowman, throw some snowballs and take some pictures. And then, we ran back inside to defrost.

And here are some of those pictures we took:

Attempting to enjoy myself...

But mostly, I was just cold...

However, we couldn't go inside until we made a snowman!

Even if he is a dinky little guy
with money for eyes...

And now I proudly introduce you to:
Sparkles McNubs Jr.

Our family portrait
(And yes, if you were wondering,
I happen to be Sparkles McNubs Sr.
Don't ask.)

I would say our 20-minutes of snow day was perfect... any longer would have been plain miserable. And, if you were wondering, we did not destroy Sparkles McNubs Jr. immediately after his birth. However, I would be surprised if he's made it 'til today; if he wasn't kicked, then he has surely (and sadly) melted away...

But if the snow is melting, then at least it's warming up a little! Woo!

You may be wondering why I seem to hate the cold so much. First of all, I'd like to clarify that, in general, "cold" is not so bad. Cold in Hangzhou, however, is terrible. This is for a few reasons:

(1) I have to walk to get anywhere in this city. At home when it's cold, you only have to brave that cold for the two minutes it takes to get to your car and the two minutes it takes to walk from your car to whatever heated place you're going - not so bad. But here, if I want to go anywhere that's not my apartment, I have to walk for at least 10 minutes, usually more. This is not pleasant when it's gross and cold outside.

(2) The heating in my apartment is practically good-for-nothing. Here in HZ, we don't have central heating. This means that my heating/air-conditioning unit sits up near the ceiling of my room... and, since heat rises, most of that heat just stays up high around the ceiling. This leaves the rest of my room slightly warmer than outside, but not nice and toasty like I'd want it to be.

(3) The heating everywhere else is non-existent. Most notably, at school. According to Chinese government, Hangzhou is located far enough south that it doesn't need central heating... anywhere. So, while some restaurants and stores are lucky enough to have room heaters or heating units, most places don't, turning those places into human-sized refrigerators. Need I say more?

So, if you're reading this blog from America (or anywhere else with consistent heating), please take a moment to appreciate the comfortably warm house/office/restaurant you're currently sitting in. Because not everybody's got it... including me.

Be grateful you don't have to dress like this
to stay warm in your house! 

In other news, I finished all of my grading today! Whoop whoop! Now I just have to head to Xiasha campus one more time to turn in all of my paperwork and get my last paycheck of the semester. It's a good feelin' to be done, y'all. And now, Rachel and I are going to continue watching "The Secret Garden" while trying to stay warm.

ZaiJian!

期末考试

So after returning from my New Year’s adventure in Shanghai, I have spent the remainder of this week in café’s around Hangzhou, doing paperwork and grading final exams. Great beginning of the year, right?

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Really though, we are required to do an insane amount of paperwork in order to submit final grades here at HNU. And it is definitely a pain. But reading my students’ writing finals has been a blast, so I guess it all balances out. I have to finish by Sunday (January 6), so I’ve got two more days of this madness and then I’m free!

In other news, it’s been snowing all day here in Hangzhou, which is really pretty, but really cold. I think I have decided that I prefer warmer climates – even if it means blistering hot summers, at least I don’t have to freeze in the winter. I got enough snow to last me a lifetime when I studied for a semester in Finland. Never again, my friends.

Looking out from my balcony

So, while all of you are finishing up your winter breaks, I am gearing up for mine… and I couldn’t be more excited because I’ll finally be heading home! But before that, I’ll be taking one more little trip to a city called Nanjing, which I’ll hopefully tell you more about next week.

Until then, Zaijian!

新年的目标

So, one of my dad’s favorite quotes comes from the movie, “Office Space.” The quote takes place when the main character is describing how he feels to some sort of psychiatric specialist. The main character explains that “each day is worse than the one before, which means that each day is the worst day of my life.” Every time this quote comes up, my dad cannot control his laughter. And while I agree that this quote is funny, I also agree with the logic. Except, I like to put a more positive spin on it. Rather than each day being worse than the one before, I like to try and make each year a little better than the one before. If I follow this line of logic, that would mean that every single year is the best year of my life… Can you beat that? Really?

The logic is unbeatable...
just like my new Panda hat

So, in order to make each year a little better, I like to make New Year’s Goals every January 1^st. And, yes, I mean goals, not resolutions. When I think “resolution,” I think of making drastic lifestyle changes, and that can be intimidating. A goal, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily imply change, just something to work towards. Overall, I think a “goal” just seems more feasible. I don’t know about you, but trying to reach a goal just seems a lot more attainable than sticking to a resolution… but now I’m ranting.

Back to my New Year’s Goals. I have been writing these puppies down for eight years now – a personal tradition I’m proud of (and also slightly surprised by). The first year I made them, I was a sophomore in high school. I wrote each of my twelve goals on a post-it note and showed them to my parents. And, yes, I was proud. Did I achieve all of my goals? Ha. I doubt it – but I can’t be sure, because I don’t have them with me now. Either way, I’m just excited to be here eight years later with a new set of goals to look forward to. And because I’m nice, I've decided this year to share (some of) them with you too:

1.   Find a New Job by October
• Yes, I’m mostly certain this is my last year teaching here in China, and so in July I’ll be packing up and moving home. And, while I would love to just mooch off my parents for the rest of my life, I know I shouldn't, so I’ll hopefully be employed again by October!
2.   Rescue Roxy
• Most of you know I have a cat – Roxy – who currently resides with my kind, loving and wonderful parents. However, those same parents have given Roxy an eviction notice for the end of the summer. And, so, I must return home so that I can provide her with my own care once again.
3. 3 Go to Jiuzhaigou
• This is a national park in Sichuan province, China. I've seen pictures and it looks a-ma-zing! Google it and you’ll see why it’s on my list.
4.    Stay Healthy
•      Up until these last two weeks of holiday chaos, I have actually done a pretty good job this year of eating well(ish) and exercising on a regular basis. I like the results, and so I hope to keep it up!
5.    Keep up with Blog
•     Ha. I don’t actually have high hopes for this one, but what's a goal list without some challenges? Really though, I would like to become a more regular blogger – both for all of you, lovely readers, as well as for me. Fingers crossed for this one!
6.     Stay in touch with Rachel
•   For those of you who don’t know, Rachel has become my most bestest friend here in China, but she’ll be returning to the motherland (America) for good this winter. But, I can’t bear to lose her friendship, so we’ll just have to stay in touch over the internets for now!
7.    See the Great Wall
•    I know, I know. I've lived in China for a year and a half and I still haven’t seen the Great Wall. What have I been doing?!? Well, a lot actually, I just haven’t made it up there yet. But I won’t let myself leave this country without a Great Wall trip in my pocket, so no worries there.
8.     See my Best Friends
•        I haven’t seen either of my best friends in over a year now – and it’s terrible! So I don’t care where, when, or how, but I will see you Ashley and Meghan! I miss you two too much!
9.    Finish my Finland Scrapbook
•      I studied abroad in Finland in 2009. Yes, that was 4 years ago. No, I’m not finished with the scrapbook yet… It’s detailed and meticulous work, okay?
10.    Eat Dog
•     I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but I've just got to do it. I think it’s another one of those “China” things that I just can’t leave this country without doing. And also, I've heard dog is delicious…
11.    Love your Family (and show it!)
•    I think this one is self-explanatory. And I can start with it right now: I love you, family! <3
12.    Leave China with No Regrets
• This will be my last semester here, so I've got to make it an unforgettable one! Whatever I accomplish and whatever I don’t have time for, I want to be able to leave Hangzhou feeling satisfied and proud.
13.     Be the Best You!
• This one is a little cheesy, I suppose. And also vague. But I think it’s important because it will challenge me to be awesome. And isn't that what's most important in life?

So, those are my 13 goals for 2013! (I actually did not do that on purpose, it just worked out that way. It’s a nice coincidence, though, isn't it?)

Here's to a rockin' 2013, errybody!

So, whether you made New Year’s resolutions, goals, or nothing at all, I hope that 2013 is everything you want it to be…

Xin Nian Kuai Le, everyone!