Hello Blog Followers!
My name is Nikhil Patel, and in a couple days I will be starting my grad year at Michigan!
EGL finally returned to the USA last Tuesday after a riveting Volunteer Abroad Experience in Peru. The last week of the of the trip consisted of completing the greenhouse with the final mud-bricks and roof frame, a breath-taking experience at Macchu Picchu, a soccer game against the local Peruvians in the mountains, and a rewarding time teaching children about hygiene, sports, and education.
The greenhouse was completed with the help of worker's from Peru's Challenge, and as some of us laid the final mud-bricks for the roof, a separate group lifted logs from the top of a hills down to the work site. These logs were used to create a roof frame that was used to hold transparent plastic of the greenhouse in place. As the house got closer to being finished members or the community joined us and helped us make the last push! Once it was completed, all of the mothers including Maria (for whom we were building the greenhouse for) expressed there tremendous gratitude for our group's work. Following tradition, the mothers adorned us with flowers they grew, large and colorful string necklaces, and confetti they called pica pica. Vicki, Gina, and I were also invited to break a bottle of champagne as a groundbreaking ceremony of sorts.
The day before the house was completed, the local Peruvians who worked with Peru's Challenge challenged EGL to a soccer grudge match. Its no secret that soccer in South America, is equivalent to football in the United States. The game was first team to 8 points. Let's say it was Team Peru vs. Team EGL. Team Peru eventually got to a 6-4 lead; however, Team EGL roared back and scored four consecutive goals to win the match! Simply running in such a high altitude proved to be a very humbling experience. The MVP of the game was probably Vicki, who scored two goals: one of which should have made SportsCenter's Top 10.
On our final weekend we began our journey to Macchu Picchu, one of the original seven wonders of the world! A city hidden by clouds, proved to be a majestic, and awe-inspiring experience. Be on the look out for more blog posts from other EGLs about their experience at Macchu Piccu!
Personally, the most valuable learning I acquired is the understanding of the importance of exceptional education geared toward the development of children's ambition and opportunity. Never before had I realized the value of a teacher like the way I did in Peru when I saw children blossoming in a community without internet or clean water.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
My First Experience Abroad (PERU) - Patrick Wilson
Hello Blog Readers! My name is Patrick Wilson and I am a Junior at Umich who had the privilege of joining 19 other EGLs on this volunteer abroad trip to Peru. Im getting charged a wopping 1.5 soles/hour to use this internet (about 60 cents) so I will try to be brief.
This trip was the first time that I had left the country so I was feeling pretty nervous prior to departure. Upon arriving at the Detroit airport I was happy to see some of my EGL friends for the first time all summer. About 12 of us flew from DTW to MIA before catching our final leg to Lima. We filled the down time with several rousing games of Euchre (This has become the house card game). I was super excited for the flight to Lima since I had heard that international flights came with these mythical personal movie screens where you could pick any movie that you wanted to watch. But alas, this was not so. The people on our flight were fairly diverse with all the flight instructions being rattled off in both english and spanish.
Upon arriving in Lima and rendezvousing at the McDonalds (classic americanos) it began to hit me that I was no longer in the great US of A. I was starving so I trundled over to the local Dunkin Donuts and had my first Spanish language interaction. It went fairly well except for some guy yelling at me to go behind him in line even though I was there a good 5 minutes before he was (Joe McCormick can testify). From Lima we all hitched a flight to Cusco and thats where the first Peru Blog post picks up. I will just talk about a few brief fun things about our trip.
1. I was chased by a gallivanting Lama
Our living quarters (a beautiful house with a fantastic staff) is connected to some sort of animal pen. One day, we were tossing the Frisbee and I figured I would try my hand at the hallowed backhanded toss that I saw several lads doing. The attempt went horribly awry and the disk sailed into this unknown land. I scampered back into the pen to retrieve the toss and found myself face to face with the most majestic creature I have had the privilege of laying eyes on up to this point in life. Standing proud as a brilliant white sentinel, I gazed upon a powerful yet friendly looking white lama (click here for a look). For several seconds, we stared intently into each others eyes and for a brief moment, I felt truly free. Then the Lama, which we shall call Brunhilda for the sake of this story, began to approach. Slowly at first and then breaking into a brisk trot. By the time he had reached a full blown gallop, I had turned and was fleeing to the pen door. Brunhilda was breathing down my neck and had reached a speed I can only compare to a Seabiscuit or comparable racehorse. Fortunately, I survived, but continue to suffer lama related nicknames and jokes from the group to this day.
2. I acquired a fun debilitation known as altitude sickness
This one is pretty straight forward. Our first day on sight, I was going HAM on moving adobe mud bricks until I began to feel sick around the lunch hour. Next thing you know, I found myself in a van home where I proceeded to the sleep for the next 8ish hours, took a 1 hour bread chewing session, and then slept the remainder of the night. I felt like a dweeb for having to leave the camp on the first day as it felt like I was skipping out on work but it had to be done and I am glad it is all over. Several other kids have been having sicknesses throughout the trip including one of my roommates but everyone seems to be able to recover in due time. Also, as of today we are done with all of the lower level of our greenhouse, we only need to add support and the roof blocks / roof.
3. It is VERY HARD TO BREATH AT 11000-12000 feet of elevation
Seriously, I am sitting in an internet cafe right now dreading the 10 min uphill walk home. I am not sure if this is something that you get used to over time but it is brutal. All of our guides have allowed us to take breaks when needed which is much appreciated.
Although the tone of this post has been primarily comedic in nature, this trip has already made a big impact on my life. From the way I view the world, to what things are truly important, my experiences here have opened my eyes on several fronts. The fact that we are doing this work for such a worthy cause (helping Maria´s family after everything they have been through) makes the work so enjoyable. I have always thought that I want to make a positive difference in this world and I am thrilled that I have been able to do that thus far through this volunteer abroad experience. I have made a bunch of new great friends and look forward to every remaining day of this trip.
Thanks for reading! See you all soon in A2!
#gaspedal
And here is a picture of our greenhouse so far!
This trip was the first time that I had left the country so I was feeling pretty nervous prior to departure. Upon arriving at the Detroit airport I was happy to see some of my EGL friends for the first time all summer. About 12 of us flew from DTW to MIA before catching our final leg to Lima. We filled the down time with several rousing games of Euchre (This has become the house card game). I was super excited for the flight to Lima since I had heard that international flights came with these mythical personal movie screens where you could pick any movie that you wanted to watch. But alas, this was not so. The people on our flight were fairly diverse with all the flight instructions being rattled off in both english and spanish.
Upon arriving in Lima and rendezvousing at the McDonalds (classic americanos) it began to hit me that I was no longer in the great US of A. I was starving so I trundled over to the local Dunkin Donuts and had my first Spanish language interaction. It went fairly well except for some guy yelling at me to go behind him in line even though I was there a good 5 minutes before he was (Joe McCormick can testify). From Lima we all hitched a flight to Cusco and thats where the first Peru Blog post picks up. I will just talk about a few brief fun things about our trip.
1. I was chased by a gallivanting Lama
Our living quarters (a beautiful house with a fantastic staff) is connected to some sort of animal pen. One day, we were tossing the Frisbee and I figured I would try my hand at the hallowed backhanded toss that I saw several lads doing. The attempt went horribly awry and the disk sailed into this unknown land. I scampered back into the pen to retrieve the toss and found myself face to face with the most majestic creature I have had the privilege of laying eyes on up to this point in life. Standing proud as a brilliant white sentinel, I gazed upon a powerful yet friendly looking white lama (click here for a look). For several seconds, we stared intently into each others eyes and for a brief moment, I felt truly free. Then the Lama, which we shall call Brunhilda for the sake of this story, began to approach. Slowly at first and then breaking into a brisk trot. By the time he had reached a full blown gallop, I had turned and was fleeing to the pen door. Brunhilda was breathing down my neck and had reached a speed I can only compare to a Seabiscuit or comparable racehorse. Fortunately, I survived, but continue to suffer lama related nicknames and jokes from the group to this day.
2. I acquired a fun debilitation known as altitude sickness
This one is pretty straight forward. Our first day on sight, I was going HAM on moving adobe mud bricks until I began to feel sick around the lunch hour. Next thing you know, I found myself in a van home where I proceeded to the sleep for the next 8ish hours, took a 1 hour bread chewing session, and then slept the remainder of the night. I felt like a dweeb for having to leave the camp on the first day as it felt like I was skipping out on work but it had to be done and I am glad it is all over. Several other kids have been having sicknesses throughout the trip including one of my roommates but everyone seems to be able to recover in due time. Also, as of today we are done with all of the lower level of our greenhouse, we only need to add support and the roof blocks / roof.
3. It is VERY HARD TO BREATH AT 11000-12000 feet of elevation
Seriously, I am sitting in an internet cafe right now dreading the 10 min uphill walk home. I am not sure if this is something that you get used to over time but it is brutal. All of our guides have allowed us to take breaks when needed which is much appreciated.
Although the tone of this post has been primarily comedic in nature, this trip has already made a big impact on my life. From the way I view the world, to what things are truly important, my experiences here have opened my eyes on several fronts. The fact that we are doing this work for such a worthy cause (helping Maria´s family after everything they have been through) makes the work so enjoyable. I have always thought that I want to make a positive difference in this world and I am thrilled that I have been able to do that thus far through this volunteer abroad experience. I have made a bunch of new great friends and look forward to every remaining day of this trip.
Thanks for reading! See you all soon in A2!
#gaspedal
And here is a picture of our greenhouse so far!
White Water Rafting
On August 18th, fourteen people out of our group went white water rafting. We left very early in the morning and took a van to the river, which was about 1.5 hours away. The workers at the rafting company had two large St. Bernard dogs-like big Teddy Bears! We first put on wet suits, wet jackets, life jackets, and helmets. Then we drove upstream to the start of the river. I was in the only raft with 5 people, including our guide. I was a little bit nervous since I´d never been rafting before. Our guide was very fun from the start. We made a team name (Cusquena-a Peruvian beer) and would throw our paddles in the water and bump our helmets together yelling our team name. We were quickly soaked from the water and Joe McCormick almost fell out of the raft towards the beginning. Sometimes our guide would have us ´´surf´´, where we would paddle hard up a waterfall and then all lean towards the front of the boat, getting sprayed. Our guide instructed us in Spanish when saying ´forward´ and ´backward´ and ´stop´. The view was breathtaking while paddling the river surrounded by gorgeous mountains. Our raft definitely laughed a lot, and I eventually was brave enough to go to the front of the raft-where you had the largest chance of falling out.
After we rafted, we went in a sauna-very warm after being out on the cold water! It was a tight squeeze to fit all of us. Then we changed from our bathing suits into our clothes. We then went zip-lining across the river. I didn´t actually go because I´m afraid of heights. I took pictures of everyone zip-lining across the river and some people were crazy and put their feet up on the rope.
The rafting company provided us a yummy dinner with quinoa soup, chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans. After that, we headed home and slept on the way back. Rafting has been my favorite part of the trip so far! I hope to come back to Peru someday and participate in the 3 day rafting trip our guide told us about.
-Christine Zugaro
After we rafted, we went in a sauna-very warm after being out on the cold water! It was a tight squeeze to fit all of us. Then we changed from our bathing suits into our clothes. We then went zip-lining across the river. I didn´t actually go because I´m afraid of heights. I took pictures of everyone zip-lining across the river and some people were crazy and put their feet up on the rope.
The rafting company provided us a yummy dinner with quinoa soup, chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans. After that, we headed home and slept on the way back. Rafting has been my favorite part of the trip so far! I hope to come back to Peru someday and participate in the 3 day rafting trip our guide told us about.
-Christine Zugaro
Paragliding
Paragliding, also known as running off a cliff with a myriad of different materials combined into one, was one wild ride for the six most brave members of the EGL crew. It all began once upon an early time when only the dogs were barking aimlessly and the alpacas were gnawing at the grass. The time was roughly 5:30 in the morning when the gang first regrouped for the time of their lives. Breakfast at 6:00 was the next order of business. Without question, a few of us pondered the idea of this being our last breakfast we would ever experience, but alas continue your reading - no bad news will be reported in this story.
Once the food was scarfed down and the nerves were beginning to fire up, the most courageous group of men and women within EGL embarked on an epic journey via the one and only van, which we picked up at the Universidad Andina. Leaving the bounds of the main streets of Cusco, the driver, aptly-named Edwin, lead us through the endlessly congested avenues of the big city. Along the way, many seamingly-random members of the Peruvian society jumped in for a ride. It turns out these civilians were the men and women with whome we'd be floating through the skies.
With a van full of thirteen human bodies, we commenced to scaling the winding roads, taking us to our final destination upon a hill scattered with several radio towers. The ride up was both smooth and rough, jumping from paved roads to solely dirt tracks many times. The van's transmission took a toll, but the six of us with our new amigos settled in at the top of the mountain. Here's where the fun starts.
After peaking over the edge of the pseudo-mountain, snapping a few photo gems, and being debriefed by our leading extreme sports guide Patrick, we were ready to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event. Trevor was up first for apparently no reason in particular - maybe he was the bravest of the six(?). Strapped in his gear with Elvis, another extreme sports enthusiast and expert, the two men sprinted off the cliff, parachute beginning to rise. The breeze was light, but the wind gusts were present. Almost immediately, Elvis and Trevor feverishly elevated to the empty skies. Handling the wind turbulence like a pro, Elvis guided Trevor on a twenty-five minute ride of pure bliss. Trevor was fortunate enough to video nearly all of the flight, obviously to share the experience with his loved ones. Oddly enough, the landing was up there on the list of "most exhilirating happenings of paragliding." Why, you ask? Well, the landing was right in the middle of a field full of lambs, sheep, goats, and horses. Don't you fear, though, because not one animal was injured in the making of the paragliding experience.
After seeing Trevor perfectly dismount from the cliff, Ryan decided to make things a little more interesting with her takeoff. After running for a little bit, she opted to faceplant right before the edge of the cliff, doing everything in her power to not do what the instructors advised. Although her run off the cliff wasn't much of a run at all, her guide fixed the problema, and they were then off to explore the skies like no one could have expected. Up for roughly twenty minutes also, Ryan overcame her fear of heights and enjoyed every bit of the glide.
After failing to jump off the cliff after Trevor, Jamie regrouped himself and went after Ryan instead. There were no issues with his takeoff, and his flight was definitely a good one. He managed to some pictures of his day in the skies. With a camera of his caliber, it was a bold move to risk losing his expensive equipment.
On deck was the one and only Kelly. After running like Usain Bolt off of the cliff, Kelly and his instructor immediately soared the skies and rised to heights no other paraglider reached that day. The expected height of flight was 1,000 meters - Kelly easily reached 2,000 meters. Consequently, his flight was the longest, standing at roughly 30 minutes. Without a doubt, Kelly had the best ride of the evening.
Next, Leif took flight. After leaving the cliffside, Leif immediately muttered the word "alright." It was an adequate word; however, "thrilling" or "I'm going to die" may have been more suitable. Throughout his glide through the breezy Peruvian air, Leif could be heard letting out shrieks of excitement and enjoyment. He landed in the fields full of farm animals with a priceless smile glazed on his beautiful face since he was able to get on video his meeting with the hallowed farmland.
The last member of Team Paragliding to explore the skies was Andrew. After taking several videos of others running off the cliff, it was his turn to paraglide. Without an issue, he dismounted the hill with his instructor tightly strapped to his back. Although he didn't reach the altitude of that of Kelly, Andrew soared for a good twenty minutes, weaving back and forth through the empty sky. He was rather nervous before his ride, but after there was no ounce of nerves in the man's body.
Alas, all six members took their turns floating through the air, and all six members enjoyed every ounce of it. Many a times, Team Paragliding noted that rafting was the worse choice of the two options. Whether there is any truth in that idea is up to the reader to decide.
The ride back to homebase was a long one, involving dropping off several of the Peruvian passengers and forking over some cash as expected. Finally, the group reached the Santa Maria house all in one piece, brimming with an amazing story to tell everyone. In all honesty, it was an utterly mind-blowing experience for each member, and each member can only wait to tell his or her grandchildren about it. I mean, let's be honest, how many people can say that they've been paragliding in Peru? Not many.
Once the food was scarfed down and the nerves were beginning to fire up, the most courageous group of men and women within EGL embarked on an epic journey via the one and only van, which we picked up at the Universidad Andina. Leaving the bounds of the main streets of Cusco, the driver, aptly-named Edwin, lead us through the endlessly congested avenues of the big city. Along the way, many seamingly-random members of the Peruvian society jumped in for a ride. It turns out these civilians were the men and women with whome we'd be floating through the skies.
With a van full of thirteen human bodies, we commenced to scaling the winding roads, taking us to our final destination upon a hill scattered with several radio towers. The ride up was both smooth and rough, jumping from paved roads to solely dirt tracks many times. The van's transmission took a toll, but the six of us with our new amigos settled in at the top of the mountain. Here's where the fun starts.
After peaking over the edge of the pseudo-mountain, snapping a few photo gems, and being debriefed by our leading extreme sports guide Patrick, we were ready to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event. Trevor was up first for apparently no reason in particular - maybe he was the bravest of the six(?). Strapped in his gear with Elvis, another extreme sports enthusiast and expert, the two men sprinted off the cliff, parachute beginning to rise. The breeze was light, but the wind gusts were present. Almost immediately, Elvis and Trevor feverishly elevated to the empty skies. Handling the wind turbulence like a pro, Elvis guided Trevor on a twenty-five minute ride of pure bliss. Trevor was fortunate enough to video nearly all of the flight, obviously to share the experience with his loved ones. Oddly enough, the landing was up there on the list of "most exhilirating happenings of paragliding." Why, you ask? Well, the landing was right in the middle of a field full of lambs, sheep, goats, and horses. Don't you fear, though, because not one animal was injured in the making of the paragliding experience.
After seeing Trevor perfectly dismount from the cliff, Ryan decided to make things a little more interesting with her takeoff. After running for a little bit, she opted to faceplant right before the edge of the cliff, doing everything in her power to not do what the instructors advised. Although her run off the cliff wasn't much of a run at all, her guide fixed the problema, and they were then off to explore the skies like no one could have expected. Up for roughly twenty minutes also, Ryan overcame her fear of heights and enjoyed every bit of the glide.
After failing to jump off the cliff after Trevor, Jamie regrouped himself and went after Ryan instead. There were no issues with his takeoff, and his flight was definitely a good one. He managed to some pictures of his day in the skies. With a camera of his caliber, it was a bold move to risk losing his expensive equipment.
On deck was the one and only Kelly. After running like Usain Bolt off of the cliff, Kelly and his instructor immediately soared the skies and rised to heights no other paraglider reached that day. The expected height of flight was 1,000 meters - Kelly easily reached 2,000 meters. Consequently, his flight was the longest, standing at roughly 30 minutes. Without a doubt, Kelly had the best ride of the evening.
Next, Leif took flight. After leaving the cliffside, Leif immediately muttered the word "alright." It was an adequate word; however, "thrilling" or "I'm going to die" may have been more suitable. Throughout his glide through the breezy Peruvian air, Leif could be heard letting out shrieks of excitement and enjoyment. He landed in the fields full of farm animals with a priceless smile glazed on his beautiful face since he was able to get on video his meeting with the hallowed farmland.
The last member of Team Paragliding to explore the skies was Andrew. After taking several videos of others running off the cliff, it was his turn to paraglide. Without an issue, he dismounted the hill with his instructor tightly strapped to his back. Although he didn't reach the altitude of that of Kelly, Andrew soared for a good twenty minutes, weaving back and forth through the empty sky. He was rather nervous before his ride, but after there was no ounce of nerves in the man's body.
Alas, all six members took their turns floating through the air, and all six members enjoyed every ounce of it. Many a times, Team Paragliding noted that rafting was the worse choice of the two options. Whether there is any truth in that idea is up to the reader to decide.
The ride back to homebase was a long one, involving dropping off several of the Peruvian passengers and forking over some cash as expected. Finally, the group reached the Santa Maria house all in one piece, brimming with an amazing story to tell everyone. In all honesty, it was an utterly mind-blowing experience for each member, and each member can only wait to tell his or her grandchildren about it. I mean, let's be honest, how many people can say that they've been paragliding in Peru? Not many.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
First Days in Peru
Hello from our primary bloggers, Katelyn and Andrew. We will be trying to post updates from the Peru VA trip every couple of days, however, we do not have access to Internet in our house so there may be some delay. We will also have several guest bloggers throughout the trip to share some of their reactions and experiences as well.
Greetings from Peru! After a few long flights we arrived in Cusco on Tuesday morning without any major issues with airlines. Upon arrival in Cusco we were met by one of the founders of Peru´s Challenge (the organization we are working with), Selvy. After a short 15 minute drive we arrived at the house we are staying at, in the mountains. The first day was fairly relaxing as we took time to get acclimated to the altitude and weather.
On day 2 we went to visit the community we will be volunteering in, Pumamarca. Selvy showed us some of the work that Peru´s Challenge had done in the community over the past six years. One of the major projects we saw was the school which they had helped build and operate. Many of the school buildings were painted maize and blue (coincidence, I think not). We had an opportunity to meet some of the classrooms, including 9 first graders who read us stories and sang us a traditional song from their community. Because our visit coincided with recess, we had a chance to play soccer with some of the kids.
After we left the school, Selvy went to show us the construction project we would be working on. For the project we will be building a greenhouse for a lady named Maria Flores, whom we had a chance to meet. Maria has struggled with health issues while working hard to raise her 3 children after the tragic death of her husband. The community identified her as someone they wanted to help so that she could use the greenhouse to earn an additional income for medication and sending her kids to school.
Maria and Selvy then led us to the site of the new greenhouse where we were welcomed by other mothers from the community with beautiful boquets of flowers, colorful necklaces, and confetti. They showed us the current greenhouse as well as some of the construction methods we would be using, including mixing mud with grass to make mud bricks (called adobe).
Later that afternoon we went on a visit to the actual city of Cusco and some other areas. One of the intersting sites we saw was an Incan archaeological site. Selvy also informed us that the Inca was actually the name referring to the king, rather than the entire people, which are called Quechua.
Day 3 was the first day of construction. We arrived at the site in the morning and immediately started moving bricks to the construction site. Each brick weighed 15-20 pounds and we moved several hundred by hand and wheelbarrow. We also worked on creating a foundation for the building and arranged materials for cement formation. After working for 6 hours we eventually made our way home to relax for the rest of the day and prepare for tomorrow.
We will have additional reactions and experiences later this week and will attempt to share some pictures as well, however, as we are writing from an Internet cafe, we are unsure that this will be possible.
Greetings from Peru! After a few long flights we arrived in Cusco on Tuesday morning without any major issues with airlines. Upon arrival in Cusco we were met by one of the founders of Peru´s Challenge (the organization we are working with), Selvy. After a short 15 minute drive we arrived at the house we are staying at, in the mountains. The first day was fairly relaxing as we took time to get acclimated to the altitude and weather.
On day 2 we went to visit the community we will be volunteering in, Pumamarca. Selvy showed us some of the work that Peru´s Challenge had done in the community over the past six years. One of the major projects we saw was the school which they had helped build and operate. Many of the school buildings were painted maize and blue (coincidence, I think not). We had an opportunity to meet some of the classrooms, including 9 first graders who read us stories and sang us a traditional song from their community. Because our visit coincided with recess, we had a chance to play soccer with some of the kids.
After we left the school, Selvy went to show us the construction project we would be working on. For the project we will be building a greenhouse for a lady named Maria Flores, whom we had a chance to meet. Maria has struggled with health issues while working hard to raise her 3 children after the tragic death of her husband. The community identified her as someone they wanted to help so that she could use the greenhouse to earn an additional income for medication and sending her kids to school.
Maria and Selvy then led us to the site of the new greenhouse where we were welcomed by other mothers from the community with beautiful boquets of flowers, colorful necklaces, and confetti. They showed us the current greenhouse as well as some of the construction methods we would be using, including mixing mud with grass to make mud bricks (called adobe).
Later that afternoon we went on a visit to the actual city of Cusco and some other areas. One of the intersting sites we saw was an Incan archaeological site. Selvy also informed us that the Inca was actually the name referring to the king, rather than the entire people, which are called Quechua.
Day 3 was the first day of construction. We arrived at the site in the morning and immediately started moving bricks to the construction site. Each brick weighed 15-20 pounds and we moved several hundred by hand and wheelbarrow. We also worked on creating a foundation for the building and arranged materials for cement formation. After working for 6 hours we eventually made our way home to relax for the rest of the day and prepare for tomorrow.
We will have additional reactions and experiences later this week and will attempt to share some pictures as well, however, as we are writing from an Internet cafe, we are unsure that this will be possible.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Day 16: Bittersweet Ending
Today is our last day in China. Hard to believe 15 days flew
by so fast. For me personally, this trip was once in a lifetime. I would
describe it with one word: FASCINATING.
We got up a little later than usual due to our late night
last night. Jenette and I went to a delicious bakery for breakfast – a great
change to the normal routine. Everyone else in the group went to the same
restaurant that has had all of our “breakfast business” so far in Beijing (the
boys love these fried rolls filled with eggs and tomato, others loved the
Chinese pancakes).
After breakfast, we got tickets to go inside the Bird’s Nest
and the Ice Cube from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They are truly beautiful
structures. However, there are not that many seats in the audience (no wonder
Olympics tickets are so expensive). We spent some time just sitting in the
seats – imagining we were actually there for the games. An interesting fact –
part of the Aquatic center was converted into a huge waterpark and we saw lots
of people there today!
We ate lunch at the “McPatio” we like to call it, which is
the patio at the McDonald’s at Olympic Park that plays the same song on repeat.
Needless to say, we have the lyrics memorized. After that, we made our way to a
pearl market. It turned out to have a lot more than pearls: watches, scarves,
coats, bags, and high-quality jewelry. However, it is very intimidating. The
retail workers are experts at convincing you to buy more than you need at a
much too expensive price.
We finally got a taste of an actual Chinese Hot Pot at
dinner. I thought it was a wonderful blend of flavor with a mixture of meat,
vegetables, and noodles. The best part is the broth at the end with the yummy
taste of all the food.
So with this last entry, I’d like to say goodbye to China
and also reflect and vow to never forget this miraculous trip. May the Black
Rose, LAC bros, and Team Half & Half members have an everlasting bond.
Cheers to great memories, strong friendships, and an
experience of a lifetime.
-Christine
Monday, September 10, 2012
Day 15: The Great Wall!
Some adventures involve heroism. Some adventures involve feats of strength. All adventures involve fear. For me, our trip to the Great Wall definitely involved fear.
I still remember (as I recalled for the LAC bros) my unforgettable first experience with the wall 16 years ago. A strange mix of fear and beauty and awe and tension characterize those memories, and my return delivered the same. The LAC bros visited a less-maintained portion of the Wall to avoid the crowds, but that also meant a lot more un-railed staircases and crumbling wall sections. As an acrophobe, I was anxious about our plans, but I figured I would suck it up and go with the plan. I am very glad I did, as the wall was positively breathtaking. Our section was about three hours outside the city, but the views were well worth the drive. Mountains and trees could be seen for miles, and visions of ancient infantry traversing the walls danced through my head.
Fear was a bit less immediate than beauty. The initial part of our trip was still on a well-maintained wall section, and I was very comfortable (and somewhat tired) there. At one point, however, the stairs started to become rubble at points, and the sides of the wall started to come apart as well. That was when my heart started to race a bit from something other than exercise. I started to whine for the rest and complain about the stairs, but I’m happy to say that everyone else seemed quite unfazed by my remarks. As the wall became more crumbled and steeper, my heart raced progressively more, and I started moving way ahead of everyone else to compensate for my desire to “go somewhere safe.” When I reached the highest guard tower, though, I got a chance to look out again and capture the truly epic beauty of the landscape once again. The fear didn’t evaporate until we were getting off the wall, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss its beauty. I hope I didn’t force anyone else to miss it.
Afterwards, we returned to the hostel for fresh clothes and showers. Everyone else got quite dressed up; it was pretty snazzy. We went to a truly fabulous restaurant for dinner to have Peking duck, and I think everyone enjoyed it. We also got to watch the chef prepare the meat, which was new for me too. Normally, I have the duck with scallions, but this chef gave us pineapples, lettuce, cucumbers, radish, pickled vegetables, and cantaloupe. All were brilliant pairings with the tender and succulent duck meat wrapped in thin rice wrappings. It was also Gina’s birthday, so we celebrated her birthday (and Jenette’s, which was two days prior) with a cake.
After dinner, the night was yet young, and we wandered the streets in search of a night market. We crossed many interesting sites and sights like local stores and foreigner bars. The vibrancy of the city is completely different at night from during the day. Eventually, we stumbled upon a night market to get some rudimentary shopping done.
The night market was a great illustration of the difference between Beijing and the rest of the country. As a frequent tourist destination for internationals, Beijing shopkeepers don’t just rely on Chinese and gesturing – they aggressively hound you in English. I got away mostly unscathed, but Nikki got harassed until she left one particular shop. The negotiations for price also show just how inflated prices can be for some products. I think everyone who bought something got at least some discount, with a few getting offers for 50, 60, 70% off. I bought some NBA playing cards that I was very pleased with, but my hunt for the ultimate t-shirt yet lives.
With the end of our trip rapidly approaching, I feel like we’ve all learned a lot about China, each other, and ourselves. OK, that was too cliché, but this trip has been outstanding, and I look forward to one final hurrah tomorrow.
-Jesse
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