The Far East

So about two weeks ago, I got on this:

And I went here (Thanks for the map www.enchantedlearning.com):

When people ask me how my trip was, I have a one word response: eye-opening. I was pretty psyched to go on this trip as my foreign travels thus far have been limited to North America and Europe, and I will tell you right now that China is a whole different animal. Here are some things you should know about my trip:
1. 40% of the pictures I took were of little Chinese kids. I love them. Probably because I was half of one.

 

2. Another 40% of the pictures I took were of little Chinese senior citizens. I love them too. They make me think of my Po Po and Gung Gung.

3. All foreign places smell, and China has a distinct smell. I'm pretty sure it comes from the squatting toilets...or the fact that I saw multiple children being held over trash cans to pee.

4. I witnessed this while eating at Pizza Hut in the Beijing Airport: http://www.news.com.au/world-news/mystery-explosion-at-beijing-airport/story-fndir2ev-1226682515216.
The crazy part was no one seemed panicked, well except for the American tourists.

5. Climbing the Great Wall was surprisingly hard. I figured after climbing my first 14er merely days before this would be nothing. Well, it was steep, the steps were uneven, and you're climbing with hundreds of other people. It was pretty awesome. I should've gone all the way to the top, but then I stepped in pee and lost my willpower.

6. The government is everywhere. I'm afraid to even write this because they are probably checking my movements. But seriously, I can't believe what a crazy military presence there was.

7. Everyone knows that China has a huge population, but what you might not be able to picture is that it's like Disneyland multiplied by 1,000. No one seems to mind if you are in line or if you bump into them either. I can't decide if it is rude that everyone is constantly pushing you over, or that it is just the culture in a dog eat dog world. Let's just say I gave up saying excuse me after a while and started using my purse as a battering ram.

 8. Chinese people are pretty intrigued by Americans. Everywhere we went people wanted to take their picture with us, because for some, we were the first white people they had ever seen. My dad ate this up.

 

9. Most people know that China has an overpopulation issue and we've also heard about the one child policy. While driving down the street, probably 8 out of 10 people that you see are male. According to our guide, you must have the 4 c's to get a wife in China: car, condo, cash, and cuteness. And we thought the dating pool here was tough! You should also know that it's wicked hot in China, so the men just lift their shirts off to cool off their bellies. Hello ladies.

 10. I am more Chinese than I thought I was. That, or people are really white. People seemed to be really concerned about what they were eating. "Is this chicken or is it pork?" Um, does it matter? Clearly these people have never sat through a Chinese banquet before. The food was okay, but not my Po Po's. I did manage to see some skewered fried scorpions that were still wiggling, however I stuck to eating the sticky rice instead.

11. My great enlightenment came from a discussion with our guide about the pollution in China. You hear about it on the news, but it's even worse than they describe. The smog mixed with the pollution literally makes you feel like you can't breath. Our guide told us that countries from across the globe send their work to China because they make high quality products for cheap prices. What other countries don't understand is that by doing this, China is now taking on all of the pollution from those countries. To top it off, they don't have a government that is prepared to deal with such a huge problem, nor do they really care. This was such a different perspective for me because here in America we always hear about how China takes all of our jobs, but in reality, we are creating even more problems for them! Can you tell my mind was a little blown?

All in all I had a great trip, but I'm also so very thankful that my grandparents immigrated to America. In my mind, one of the best reasons to travel is because it helps remind you that you are just one teeny tiny person in one ginormous world. China definitely reminded me of just that.

Deep Thoughts

Am I the only person that finds packing for a trip to be the most daunting task in the world? Perhaps it's just that my summer brain gets far too bogged down by a task that requires actual planning. Instead of packing for said trip, I find that my mind is full of a lot of random thoughts. No doubt my undiagnosed ADHD is kicking in...At any rate, sometimes I feel like I have things to say but nowhere to say them. Luckily I have this neat little blog. So without any rhyme or reason, here are a few of my random summer musings, and then I swear I'm totally going to finish packing :)

• I had a discussion with a friend the other day about how weird it would've been to be the first person to discover watermelon. I imagine someone foraging in a forest and discovering this crazy large green thing. They attempt to pick it up only to drop it because of its weight. The drop cracks it open and holy crow! It's red, sweet, and amazing inside! I wish I had been that person.
• I think it's really rude when people wave at you when they're doing really dumb things. "Hey, I know I'm cutting you off or almost running you over, but I'm waving so it's cool!" That's not cool, that's dick.
• I'm seriously considering starting a new collection bin out in my alley. I'm going to label it "Hobo" so that people will stop digging through the trash. They'll be easily able to access what they need and move along quickly. Everybody wins.
• Today is laundry day so I have shirts hanging up in every doorway of my house. I just realized that each time I enter a room I've been doing the limbo under the shirts. This has just become very entertaining to me.
• I think that biscuit dough in one of those cans that you peel and they explode is quite possibly one of the scariest things ever, and probably the closest I will ever get to holding a grenade.
• I'm a teacher, therefore I have summers off. When I'm going to the gym, or running errands during the day there are an amazing amount of people out and about. Don't these people have jobs? Not all of you can be teachers! And then it hits me...some people are actually allowed to like leave work for lunch! *Gasp* Or maybe even work from home! *Double Gasp!* Let me just say that people should never take those things for granted.

Digital Dating

"Where do I meet a guy?" This is the most common phrase that I've noticed  among my single girlfriends. We all have the same complaint- if you don't meet someone while you are in college, dating prospects really diminish as your age increases. You could walk up to strangers at the grocery store, but then again there are only so many things you can say about peaches before things turn awkward.

 The  lack of eligible bachelors usually leads to a conversation about online dating. People typically have a lot of opinions about this new form of digital dating, but I've found myself on the fence about it. Therefore, I decided to poll my friends to see if the world of online dating was worth dipping a toe into.

PROS

• Apparently online dating is the new way to date. I got a lot of techie people telling me that in a few years this will be the only way that people will meet. I should also mention that only my guy friends had this response.
• According to recent findings, the divorce rate of people who meet online is only 25%. This is because people have already laid out their non-negotiables as far as what shit they are not willing to put up with. Makes sense right?
• You can pick the person that you attracted to, have the same interests as, and are looking for the same things.
• People have made it work. Every time I asked someone what they thought about online dating, the first response was usually, "Oh, you know so and so, they totally met online and now they are getting married!"

CONS

• My number one feeling about online dating: Stranger Danger. 
• People are weird, creepy, and/or liars. Just watch Catfish for like 10 minutes and you'll see what I mean.
• Instead of just talking to someone you are attracted to, you order them off of a menu. "Hmm, I think I'll take tall, athletic, brain surgeon who enjoys barbecues and ping pong." You could blow someone off just because they wrote something boneheaded on their profile, isn't that like judging a book by its cover?
• People online might not have the same intentions that you do. I have a friend that went on a date with a guy after she broke up with her boyfriend for the sole purpose of trying to get through a new date without crying. She's not looking for love. Nor is the guy whose profile picture is taken in his bathroom mirror with his shirt lifted up to display his 42 pack.

So, what is the general consensus? I think that online dating is nothing more than a personal preference. We are all looking for love, and more often than not in the wrong places. I say follow your bliss and find a good wingman, the rest will all fall into place.