...and so I guess for those of you who are interested (which would probably only be my mom), I'm taking an intensive language course (that starts at 9:30 Monday through Thursday), Buddhism and Culture (3:30 on Thursday) and an 8-week Sichuan cuisine course (12:30 on Friday). Soon, I'll have three-day weekends to travel! We toured the school I'll be going to, Minzu Daxue (or Southwest University for Nationalities), a school that was built for the needs of minority students. Because ninety-three percent of the Chinese population is Han, languages and customs of the other fifty-five groups could only easily be met by such universities. That's precisely why I decided to study here. It's perfect for meeting my needs and interests. And, of course, being an anthropology student, it's only natural to study here. Chris, a student ... read more

Jia let me stay in her hometown for about 10 days...it's such a different world here! With a culture of its own, one gets to experience a mix of Mongolian, Russian and Chinese architecture, food and language. Written while in Chengdu: Unfortunately, I was really really sick (and still am), especially on the 5th. I thought I was going to die. And it was on Jia's birthday, too. We saw plenty of snow statues and ice castles. There are mini-cities of snow buildings there! The best part about Haila'er was checking something off the ol' bucket list of mine. Right before I left for Chengdu, Jia's mom took me to buy a morin khuur, because she knew I always wanted one! (For those of you who don't know, the morin khuur is also known as the ... read more

I'll try to make this brief, because I have no time at all! Also, I'll post pictures of the Forbidden City later, because they're on Jia's camera. We visited an old-Beijing style street, where I had pig intestines for breakfast. It was so good! We then visited Yonghegong, a temple devoted to the largest Buddha statues in Beijing. I could not take any pictures of the Buddhas, because it is disrespectul, but that's okay! That night, we went through Dashilar, an old-Beijing style street full of food vendors and cheap local items. I tried (and loved) Bingtang Hulu, a famous local treat. It's probably my favorite! The next morning, we visited Wangfujing, which is similar to Dashilar. I got to eat scorpion on a stick! Even Beijing local said I was brave! ... read more

Shelley Fritz, I feel like, in so many ways, I'm blessed to have a friend like you. Because no matter where we both are in this world, or where we'll end up, we will spiritually support one another through thick and thin...and feel like we're standing side by side, sharing a hug, laughing our heads off. And although we will be half way across the world at times in our lives, we'll still remain the closest of friends. I'm so excited to be able to share a life-long friendship with you. I know we'll both find great things in our lives, but it's even greater when we together can experience what this world has to offer. This'll be one heck of an adventure. ;-) P.S., Thanks again for the letter!... read more

So! As it turns out I don't need vaccinations for Japanese enciphilitis or rabies...which means other than the second round of Hep A and typhoid vaccs, I only need anti-malarial pills. That's great news to me. I'll take anything over needles! Well...that was a lie. haha. I actually wouldn't need anti-malarial vaccs if I wasn't planning on going to Vietnam and Thailand during my trip. But my itinerary is so flexible, and I honestly don't know where I'll end up. I do know I'm going to Lhasa, Tibet through an exursion the Chengdu university offers... Anyway, I decided on the pills, since I know I'll end up somewhere in southeast Asia. It's been on my bucket-list since I was seven, after all. Oh yeah! This Thursday will be a big day for me...exactly 2 months before ... read more