The Last Two Weeks



New Years day I said goodbye to my two dear friends at the Guangzhou airport. We had finally reached the time where we would all go our separate ways. Celine, my French friend, was going to Thailand. Suzanne, my Dutch friend, was traveling solo to various places in China. I could finally feel that my semester in China had almost come to an end.

That day I flew to Qingdao. I was in Qingdao traveling by myself for almost two days. I went to an amazing aquarium called 青岛海底世界 (Qingdao hai di shijie) Qingdao Underwater World. Below are some pictures from the aquarium. Traveling by myself in Qingdao really gave me a sense of independence and pride because amazingly during these days I did not encounter any problems.

 The people of Qingdao are very kind. When I didn’t know where I wanted to go in Qingdao, I could simply ask anyone and they would advise me on places I should visit in the city.  I only encountered one thing which I found strange in Qingdao. Some taxi’s will run the meter and only pick up one passenger but I encountered two or more taxis that would pick up three different passengers with three different destinations at the same time. After two days I picked up one of my friends from the bus station in Qingdao. We visited with her aunt and uncle for a few days. I remember we had an amazing dinner at their house with fresh seafood! At my hometown there is almost no seafood so during my time in China I have really learned to appreciate fresh seafood.

A few days later I traveled to my friend’s home in Lai Zhou （莱州）. Lai Zhou is a small town, speaking in terms of size compared to many cities in China. Everywhere I went the people who lived in Lai Zhou would stare at me. There were many times when I heard people whisper “外国人” (foreigner) or “俄罗斯人”（Russian）. (I don’t know why but everyone always assumed I was Russian!)  I spent my last few days in China at her home. Her family welcomed me with open arms. I truly felt like I was a part of her family. Her mother was always feeding us. I really believe it is the custom in china, to constantly feed your guests until they are so full they cannot eat any more. I would wake up in the morning and her mom would serve breakfast. After breakfast she would give us fruit and sun flower seeds; then comes lunch and the same snacks after lunch…etc.  I noticed in my friend’s house, like many other houses in the Shandong province of China, they used solar energy. I found it very efficient and actually cheaper. Shandong Province is one of the top provinces in china that uses solar energy.

After my week in Lai Zhou I took a bus from Lai Zhou to Shanghai. I was on this bus for 12 hours. This was a really fun experience. When I got on the bus I realized there were not any chairs there were only beds. My bed was a top bunk in the middle of the bus. On this bed I felt like I was on the deck of a swaying ship. I could feel the bus’s every movement! I think this was the best way to end my semester in China.