Quick Summary

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So to just sum up the month that I took off from writing on my travel blog, I'll just have a bunch of pictures for all of the activities that have happened since the in-famous sleepover.
First off to start everything off, you should know that we (as always just the group of girls) have begun to celebrate random national holidays that we have found online, including caramel popcorn day, russian cosmo day, blah blah blah day, tell a story day, and blame someone else day (etc).
Our chinese teacher also began taking us out on Thursdays for mini field trips, the first trip was suppose to be to the underground city in Beijing. This trip unfortunately did not happen because when we got there all there was, was a sign on the door saying that it was closed....
we then found our way to a wall.. a very long wall...
but that's another story.
During a weekend.. sometime during this month, Mao Min (the "guidance counselor" who I hosted this fall/winter) took me to the aquarium (inside the zoo) with her husband, daughter, and parents. It was somehow very different to the aquarium back in Boston.
Later on, while Maia's parents were in town, we got a hotel room right next to there's for a weekend, during the first weekend that we began to have rehearsal, which was really nice because 1. it was a nice hotel 2. it was near the school 3. it was just tons of fun. So we technically had a sleepover in the hotel, where we planned to go swimming at the pool, but when we go there- we were told we would have to pay 50 kuai for a swimming cap because we didn't have one, to be able to enter the pool deck... so that ruined our fun...
but yet, it was still a really fun time!!
then we had long hours of rehearsal..
During that weekend, Emily and I found bright neon orange stretchy material t-shirts!! which we bought- obviously...
We went out after another field trip with our chinese teacher, and it was to a museum of the artist who is famous for his horses.. the main part of this story is that we went out- and we found Churos with ice cream!!! and chocolate syrup!!!! BEST THING IN THE WORLD...and we got crepes!! - that my dinner- and it was perfect!!
Another weekend after- if you were counting...- the newton group was taken to the Temple of Heaven, by the school, and had a video camera man and photographer following us the entire time to capture footage of us for the 50th anniversary performance/presentation-- something like that- and the photographer's son was there who is the cutest kid ever!- he was hilarious, and made all of ours' day. We then saw him a couple days after at the school- who knew that he just happened to be a student in the elementary school, who is really good at finding us, and running!
The following weekend, I ended up spending the weekend at Celina's host families house- a spur of the moment event. - it was lots of fun! although I did almost fall of the bed... at least 10 times...
OHhhhhh- and something that I learned this month was that Dorrito sandwiches are AMAZING! why have I never had one until in China - where Dorritos cost a fortune??
And now I still have rehearsals for 6 more days- until the 3 days of performances!!! where I am on stage during the newton group's 'skit/dance' while everyone else gets a small break in between. I am part of a plane- where I get to hold a sign made out of a metal pole and enormous box made out of wood... it at least ways 20lbs.. I'm dead serious, I'll probably kill someone by accident. ...
Then I have to be really happy and act my part of an exchange student who is meeting their host sibling, which is a lot of fun, and a lot of dancing...
then I speak in Mandarin.. on stage... with everyone else- where we have our own lines, I have the second most lines.. and then everyone else leaves while I say a couple more lines.. and my counterpart who is in 'china' is saying his lines- then we show our host families our 'gift' which for me is tap dancing... soooo i pretend to tap dance.. and eh-- there's more-- i can't give the ending away- even thought i told you basically the entire lay out of the dance...
I have yet to get my outfit for this yet-all I know is that it's a dress and is pretty-ish...
This is going to be an incredible experience, and I can't wait- because I have been working my butt off for what- a month and a half now??
Ohhh--- I have been to the theater where we're going to perform, and it is pretty insane.. it isn't as big as I thought it would be, which is kind of nice, but I definitely feel like a professional when I'm there.. ohhh- and I get to wear a microphone... for the entire thing, which I have always wanted to do for some reason...
And now, it's 30 minutes past my bedtime, and I can't think about anything else to say..
AHH- I almost forgot, we had a picnic at the park near the school, where we sat on the grass, and right after a couple of minutes, we got kicked off... it was funny... in a way... but yeah, we had a really good imported food picnic. And it was amazing!!
ohhhh- and we saw 'Clash of the Titans'.... it was a horrible movie- there was no reason to see it in 3-D for 120 kuai-- which is like $20... badddddd choice!! it looked decent, it was just really funny... because it was bad..
okay, I'm really done this time...

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Photos

Never Ending Wall
If I'm correct.. It is the Ming Dynasty relic wall park... something...

Water Calligraphy
(temple of heaven)

Jump 1
(at temple of heaven)

Jump 2
(temple of heaven)

cutest kid
...from Jingshan Elementary school at least..