Apologies For The Technical Difficulties (Part 1)

Hello!

Sorry I have been so neglectful in my blog. 

I know. I know. I've been in China for a week and I haven't posted anything! Well, the reason is because I (stupidly) forgot that the Chinese government blocks certain sites. One of those types of sites being blogs. But never fear! I have figured out an alternate way to post so my blog can now stay up to date!

Okay, now to tell you about my adventure in China thus far.

DAY 1

Jet-lag and Culture Shock

    When we finally got to the Beijing airport after a total of 14 hours on the plane we were completely exhausted. It was there that the first stages of culture shock began to set in. Even when we were just getting on the plane to Beijing it began to sink in just how different China is from America (obviously, I know). For example, I have always been used to being able to understand what everyone was saying around me. All of a sudden, a majority of the people around me were speaking in Chinese and it hit me how little I understood. So that was the first stage of culture shock for me.

   The plane ride was long but bearable. Once we got to Beijing we just followed the crowd to go through customs and get our bags. Then we met our tour guide Richard from China Tours and he whisked us away, into a car and to the hotel.

    The rest of the day consisted of my dad and I fighting jet lag to go to bed at a decent time. Beijing time is 12 hours ahead of American and although we landed in Beijing at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, it felt like 4 o'clock in the morning. When 8 o'clock finally rolled around, we decided it was a good time to finally go to bed and prepare for our first day touring China!

DAY 2

The Forbidden City and The Seasons of Beijing

    After waking up around 6 the next morning and eating a very delicious breakfast we set off to see two of China's most famous sites, Tiananmen Square the Forbidden City! The weather was nice and the sky was fairly clear and after meeting the rest of our tour group (4 Australians and 3 other Americans) we piled onto the bus and started making our way through Beijing traffic. Turns out Beijing traffic is just as bad, if not worse, than the traffic I have experienced in the States. Except lanes are more like suggestions rather than a strict rule and merging usually entails three cars trying to cram into one lane at the same time. But despite the craziness that is driving in this city, we all arrived to our destination without any problem.

   Tiananmen Square was vast, open, and full of tourists from all over. The security presence was blatantly obvious, especially since the anniversary of Tiananmen Square had only been several days earlier. It was interesting being in an area where so much tragedy and controversy has happened but people come to visit the location on vacation. 

Chairman Mao's Mausoleum in Tainanmen Square

Tiananmen Square

   Then we passed from Tiananmen, under the arch with Mao's portrait, into the Forbidden City. Which was absolutely spectacular.  

Walking through the gate into the Forbidden City

The temple of the forbidden city

The Emperor's throne. I had to throw some elbows to get this shot.

They would burn massive amounts of incense so that the forbidden city would be more cloudy and seem like heaven on earth.

Our tour guide told us the importance of the number 9. It was considered the "emperor's number" so many things were in multiples of nine. These 9 figures are dragons and which was considered the emperor's animal.

So many details were so beautifully ornate, even down to the carvings in the stone gates.

Several other animals are used in the forbidden city. Each with different meanings. This turtle is often accompanied with a crane to symbolize longevity. Lions were also displayed in male and female pairs to keep away bad spirits.


The garden was one of my favorite parts of the forbidden city. With the very intriguing rock garden and gorgeous plant life, then there were trees that range from 100 to 300 years old.

  Overall the forbidden city was absolutely amazing and almost surreal to be at. Just seeing the amazing detail and how ornate every structure and walkway was was simply incredible.

  We finished the forbidden city just as the sky opened up and unleashed a down pour that was supposed to be unusual in Beijing during this time of the year. So we all rushed for the cover of the bus and headed off to have our first full-blown Chinese meal. I must say it was pretty good. Of course, different from anything I experience in the states but still very satisfactory.
 
   After lunch we went to the Pearl Factory. Here we heard about the Dragon Lady who was a very influential empress that held a lot of power in the dynasty during her time. She used the lake in front of the Summer Palace to breed pearls. Now China has a very impressive export in pearls. And of course, while looking around I had to buy some very cute champagne colored pearls and earrings to match. Plus, the adorable saleswoman made it impossible to say no.

  For our last stop we went on to see the Summer Palace and the very same lake that the Dragon Lady used to culture pearls that is still being used today. Unfortunately because the weather was still pretty dreary, most of the group wasn't up to going very far to look closer at the palace but I did have a chance to get some photos.

  And so ended our first full day in China!

  Time for me to go to bed, but I hope to have the second part of the make up post up tomorrow. 

   

Until then!

   Catie

Let The Adventure Begin!

I am currently sitting in an airport on my way to CHINA!

That's right, my first adventure is to the one and only People's Republic of China. You may be asking yourself, "why is this 20 year old girl spending her summer in China?" Well that's exactly what I'm going to tell you.

As I said in my previous post I am minoring in Chinese. It is my ultimate goal to eventually become fluent in Mandarin. Why? Well, I am a firm believer that everyone, especially Americans, should learn more than just their native language. Learning different languages gives one a unique glimpse into the culture, history, and customs of a nation separate from ones own country. Not to mention the ability to communicate and learn in alternate ways is very useful. Plus, being fluent in a different language is an extremely marketable skill these days. And as a soon to be college graduate, I am hoping to use my language skills as my "golden ticket" into the job force.

So, that is why I've decided to go to China. Now onto the how.

Well, I heard from a friend who is studying Russian how incredible language immersion programs are and how much they help in becoming fluent. So, I began looking online and at my school study abroad fair for good and successful immersion programs. I found several, most within the United States, but they were incredibly expensive for just spending a summer in the United States and didn't offer me the same cultural experience I was hoping for. Then at one of my school study abroad fairs I met several representatives from a program called CET Academic Programs. I grabbed a flyer and added to my pile of other flyers from programs offering "amazing, life-changing, splendiferous" programs and carried on. Several months later, I stumbled upon CET's website (link above). It was after spending a ridiculously long time scouring their website that I decided this was the program for me. Not only did they offer full language immersion (I have to sign an honor pledge saying I will only speak Chinese and everything), but it also gave me cultural experience by living in the country for two months. I mean, what better way to understand a country then by actually living and learning there? Not to mention it was actually less expensive than some of the in-state programs I had looked at. So that was it. I was sold. And after some very careful and strategic discussions with my lovely parents (usually involving various themes on the job opportunities it would give me and "how can I tell employers my concentration is on China if I've never actually been to the country") I began the application process, which there is no need for me to go through because it's boring, but ultimately (and obviously) I was accepted to the program! And after the grueling, headache inducing process of getting my Visa and making sure all the other paperwork was in order. I was officially ready to go!

However, unbeknownst to me, going to China has long been on my Dad's bucket list. It's thanks to him that I have such an overwhelming desire to travel and traverse all corners of the earth, which my wonderful Mom doesn't understand at all. And when it became official that this was going to happen, he started to explore some way that he could come with me. That is when we decided that a little over a week before my language program officially started we'd do our own tour of China. I see it as kind of a preview of the adventures I'll have during the 2 months I'm here. So that's where we are now. Sitting in the airport waiting to embark on our trek across China.

Well, that's all for now. I will have another post up in a couple days when I'm finally in China (aaahhh! I'm still in the "I can't believe this is actually happening" phase). But until then, here is a little quote from one of my favorite books that I think is very appropriate.

"It's a dangerous business going out your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to."

Until next time, be safe, be happy, and remember...

 

Hello All!

Hello! My name is Catie Carlson and welcome to my travel blog!

Who?
Before I start my amazing adventure I thought It would be good to tell you a little bit about myself. I am currently an undergraduate at James Madison University studying International Affairs and minoring in Chinese. I'm from Virginia, and I love reading, writing, photography, and movies.

Why?
For as long as I can remember I have loved learning about other countries and cultures and the people who lived there. It has always fascinated me thinking about all the different kinds of people that populate our marvelous world, and all the stories they have to tell. With this fascination in learning about the many different cultures of this world has come a desire to experience all that the world has to offer. Basically, i've always wanted to travel and see the world. Number 1 on my bucket list is to visit each continent (at least). Hence, this blog. I want to document my marvelous adventures for my friends and family and for my self so that when I'm old and grey I can relive my whirlwind adventures and brag to my grandkids about all the amazing things I did...or at least that's the goal.

Where?
Anywhere! Everywhere! Well...eventually...hopefully. The ultimate goal is to go to as many countries as possible, but for the foreseeable future China and Europe are on the horizon for my upcoming travels. And I won't just be posting about places abroad, I may have several posts about trips I go on in the states as well. But really, who knows where else life will sweep me off to?

How?
God's guidance and strength, support from my amazingly wonderful family and friends, luck, and sheer force of will.

To close things out...
Thank you for reading and I hope to update soon about the awesome trips I have cooking up. Until then be safe, be happy, and remember