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Today was my most productive day yet, that’s what 3 cups of coffee does for a girl! But this didn’t start first thing in the morning…today was more of a late start.
Class started at 8am and my roommates alarm goes off at 7:55am! I wanted to wake up at 7am but she set her alarm wrong so it’s not my fault. I pretty much got dressed while brushing my teeth and trying to put on my shoes and made it downstairs a 8:03…just as class was starting in the hotel lobby. I never got ready so fast in my life! My adrenaline was pumping (I hate late people) so I was 110% awake as compared to everyone else.
I sat through the first two hours of lectures about the history of China and democracy and free market economy then grabbed breakfast right before breakfast was over. I was quite disappointed with the turn out. I got a bowl of cereal with milk and the milk was quite warm and tasted horrible…and that was their version of ‘cold milk.’ I sat through the last hour of lecture with a belly ache sprawled out on the floor of the
Way to scary for me.
I never was scared of shopping before. lobby…in the walk away of course…feeling like I was going to die. I hate the milk here, I don’t think it is pasteurized.
Thankfully after 3 hours of lecture we had free time so me and a bunch of the other girls went over to the international fashion district shopping! (same place as the day I missed the pandas) We all split up and went our own ways. I was running pretty low on cash so I went over to the bank first thing to exchange money. I waited 15 minutes to talk to someone who then give me some forms to fill out and once I gave them the money, paperwork and my passport, it took 45 MORE minutes to check to make sure my money was real, my passport was legit and ect. It was such a long and tedious process that I almost wanted to leave. I had to talk myself into staying realizing that if I didn’t get money, I couldn’t go shopping; that’s the only thing that kept me standing there.
Exhausted from the bank, I went to lunch at a Japanese restaurant and did some of my reading for my classes. I found out that I am supposed to be done with about 3 books at this point…opps! By the time 1:40pm came around, I headed over to Haagen-Dazs to meet up with the rest of the group for coffee…ah yes, coffee, this is where my day gets good. Hazelnut CaféLatte…mmmmmmm. We sat around and talked and then headed back to the hotel to catch the bus to the airport at 3pm.
I walked in the doors of the airport first and stopped dead in my tracks…was I in a supermarket? There was a huge fruits and vegetables display that made me think that I was at the grocery store and not the airport and to top it off, there were a few vendors to the side selling meats on a skewer! After getting past the shock of walking into an airport/supermarket, I got the bad news. The professors read the flight document wrong and we ended up at the airport 4 hours earlier then we had to be! What where we going to do for 4 hours?!
We did what any spoiled Americans would do; we went to the VIP lounge for tea and coffee!! The couches were so comfy that I just curled up with my book and kept reading for my class and then after getting antsy with reading, I started doing some graphic work on my computer for my job. I need to pay for this trip somehow!
Unfortunately, while I was being the good little student I am drinking my coffee and doing work my other half(s) were downstairs at the bar getting shit-faced. I love ASU! As much as I look back now and wish I was down there with them (the flight was great sitting with all of them) I realize that I really needed to get my work done. We’ll be going out tomorrow night I’m sure.
I did get a lot done at the airport and then we got on the plane with a bunch of drunk ASU kids. It was a short flight so they served us this dried tofu (disgusting!) and peanut butter crunchy things (good!). I ordered tomato juice expecting it to be the same as in the US; I kid you not, this tomato juice tasted like watered down tomato soup with 5 spoons full of sugar stirred in; it was so gross I had to pass. I drank Bret’s water and peanut snacks (I got them for him since he was passed out and I was trying to be nice and have something for when he wakes up) but he drank so much at the airport that his head wad just bobbing around the entire flight. More for me and Maggie! (Maggie was sitting next to the window, me in isle, Bret in middle obviously)
We got out luggage at the airport and we walked outside to meet our bus and the first thing I see are a bunch of flashing lights and lit up fake palm trees…are you thinking Vegas? This whole place feels like I’m at Atlantic City in New Jersey with all the lights and the little shops. This city/town is a big tourist town so everything is very western. The worst part is the mosquitoes! I got 4 bites between walking out the door of the airport to the bus! Someone give me bug spray!
Once we got to the hotel and checked in, Sean did the face down test. The face down test is jumping on the bed, belly-flop, face first to test to see how hard/soft the bed is. Ally and I decided to participate in our own way and we saw Sean face down on the bed and started jumping on either side of him. Okay, most mattresses when you jump on them you go straight up and down; not these. This mattress is uneven or something and it send me flying sideways off his bed and into Kyle who was laying on the other bed and Ally to fall over Sean! Talk about some messed up mattresses!
Face down test result: softer then the last hotel but still very hard.
Some of us who hadn’t drank at the airport were pretty hungry so we ran across the street from the hotel and I snatched myself some noodles in a bowl. I’m started to get addicted to them cuz all you really need for a meal is hot water which is so easy to get a hold of. I just don’t know which ones are spicy and which aren’t so it’s always a huge ordeal for me. I got lucky tonight; I picked one that wasn’t spicy at all!
So here I am laying on my tummy on the bed with my feet propped on the head board reminiscing on how good it felt to drink all that coffee today and dreaming of when I get this lucky again. I also am trying to figure out how I’m going to get all my laundry into these small bags they gave me…I haven’t done laundry yet on this trip! Tomorrow we are going on a river cruise and I can’t wait; it’s going to be so much fun. Well I guess I better start on this laundry thing…who knows, I might have to decide what gets washed and what doesn’t…a decision! (I really haven’t made any decisions yet on this trip!) Night!
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