Weekend Off: Cuandixia Village Hiking Trip

Another week passed by with a blink of an eye with only a week and 3 days left with the APSA kids. I'm really going to miss them once they leave and hope they will cherish these last few days with each other. Most of them will never see each other again while others will try to maintain some sort of friendship. I do hope their friendship can carry on even though they will be back in America.

Even though this was my weekend off, I decided to join in on the Cuandixia Village weekend expedition! I'm so glad I did because it allowed me time to take in the beauty that Beijing had to offer. We traveled by bus for about 2 1/2 hours outside of Beijing where we were surrounded by mountains upon mountains. The view was breathtaking because these mountains have been there for god knows how many years!

 

 As the road become more narrow, we buy entrance tickets for the village and chug our way to the village. Once we reached the village, I saw that we were surrounded by enclaves of mountains and the first view I see is the pagoda on the top of the hill. I loved that I was surrounded by nature and so much effing GREEEN!

As we unloaded the truck, we made our way to our rooms to settle down before touring the village.We hiked up to the pagoda and saw the village in its own bubble surrounded by mountains. Mei (Moho) came for the weekend as well so it was great! We left the kids and found a quiet spot we picked out while touring the village to come back to at night. Flashlight, ukelele, and camera in hand we headed toward the spot. It was still foggy leftover from the afternoon so we didn't see any stars. Got us two bottles of beer and just chatted and she played some songs. As we were heading down, I of course flip on the stone steps and twisted my right ankle!!! (3 years I also twisted the same ankle!) It wasn't too painful, but I was still limping around was just pissed with myself that I had to slip and fall!

I was bummed, but I was not about to let this twisted ankle stop me from hiking up the mountain! Next day, it was a bit swollen but I could still put weight on it so I was determined to climb the mountain. I, of course had to keep in mind if the pain did get worse, I'd stop before I actually fracture something. While on the hike, it was a bit hard due to the fact it wasn't stable ground. The path was made of small pebbled rocks, large slippery slabs of stone and some straight paths. As I hiked, I was mindful of where I placed my foot as well as taking it easy. I had my walking stick so it really helped a lot with placement and just pace.

I hiked up the mountain through dense layers of fog every so plateau of land we encountered. Eventually after 3ish hours of hiking, we came to the top and it was GREAT! The mountains were surrounded by fog and mist. It was sort of drizzling as we made our way to the top and we devoured our PB&J sandwiches we made earlier. The group even laid down a bit for a nap before continuing to a higher peak for better photos.

I couldn't believe where I was and what the process was to get up there. I did not want to give up and was so happy I stuck it through. I really wanted to stay up there the whole weekend and just take in the scenery because I could not believe where I was. Fog, mountains, trees, wild flowers and misty rain--all made the scenery that much more beautiful. I tried my best to capture some of the scenery but I feel like I can't do it justice and it's one of those things you have to experience.

Eventually we had to hike down to make it back to the van so we can get back to the village before sunset. It started raining harder which made going down the mountain even more dangerous due to the slippery rocks and the angle we were coming from. Everyone from the team slipped once if not twice due to the rain. We made it back down and luckily by then it stopped raining.

After dinner, we set up the bonfire in the village and it was awesome. S'mores, bonfires and songs --what more do we want? That night due to the rain, the sky cleared up and there were STARSSSS! Tons of stars could be seen shining ever bright in the dark mountain skies. I found little dipper and even Orion's belt. That was a perfect ending to the weekend.

I take for granted little things like this because in even though I like nature, I never truly had a chance to fully immerse myself in it. I normally don't camp, hike or even be around nature let alone spend time in the 'wild'. The stars made me remember being back at Mount Holyoke campus and laying on the green watching the night sky go by and looking out for shooting starts. So many good feelings can come from just looking up at stars in the sky.

I really truly appreciate the opportunity this summer job has given me both professionally and personally. This has allowed me to view Beijing in a different light as well as grow as a person. I'm really enjoying the Beijing I'm seeing now which is filled with nature and hope.

Now, I just have to figure out my sprained ankle business and I should be good.

Week 4: Forbidden City, Coke and Scorpians OH MY!

It's almost the end of the 4th week with the APSA scholars on their epic Beijing trip. I finally feel the kids are starting to open up to each other, girls have sleepovers and gossiping as well as just finally forming more of an actual relationship rather than superficial relationships.

During our cultural excursion exploration, my group decided to go to Forbidden City and it was a great to see their reactions as to the enormous space that it actually takes to build as well as to preserve. I told them to actively think of all the people who have crossed the same halls as them and picture life in the palace before them. Gave them a mini history lesson on the court life as well as the concubine situation with the Emperor back in the day.

For our company visit this week, we went to Coca-Cola factory based in Beijing. It was very interesting because we got samples of their drinks (Fanta, Sprite, Sugar cane juice/tea, green tea as well as normal Coke) and tour their facilities. The factory really smelled like slow churning coke sugar...I'm not sure if anyone knows what I mean, but if you drink a coke and smell a bit of it, that's what it smelled like but more overwhelming. We received lots of free products from them such as an olympic coke sponsored pin, more coke but this time in old fashioned glass bottles (which we were not allowed to keep) as well as LOTS of photos around the factory lol

As a continuation of exploration for the kids, we decided to have a night out in Beijing so we took them to Wangfujin! Kids were going crazy on our way to the locations from singing on the subway to just plain ol' being silly. The full moon--it does have quite an effect on people lol

I made my whole group eat scorpion as a dare/promise. One of the kids pinky promised me and I was like Nope! You promised for the whole group, we eat it together! It was great because it's just an experience they will not get in the States and where else would they find chuars filled with scorpions, spiders and grasshoppers?! It was great to see their reactions and I even ate one...It tasted like really old chicken that's gone stale lol This dare even made two of my kids eat the bigger scorpions!! I'm so proud of them!!

Tomorrow we head out to Cuandixia! I'm so excited to be in this village surrounded by gorgeous mountains! Even though it's my weekend off, I really do want to do the hike up the mountain and just my streak of doing things I would not normally do!

Hopefully I'll take some good photos and maybe even catch the sunrise!

Great Wall Unrestored!

It's already the beginning of the fourth week of the program! Where has the time gone? This weekend was considered a relaxed weekend and I use that term loosely. Instead of our normal weekend excursion where we have an overnight stay, we had a day hiking trip to the Mutianyu Great Wall unrestored section of the wall. By unrestored, I do not mean some rocks hanging off the wall--I really mean trees whacking you in your face, uneven path winding up and down the mountain and eventually you see the wall creeping up in your view. I was part of Team Chill which mean we could take it 'easy' hiking up the wall and had more rests in between the hike. There were 2 other teams: Team Moderate and Team X'treme!

(The hike up on the unrestored portion of the Wall)

The weather for the hike was gorgeous! It was sunny and clear blue skies not the typical Beijing weather we normally get (smog) so I was really grateful. It took us about 2 hours to hike up the mountain to reach the wall where we had to keep following the wall back to the restored portion of the wall. We crossed broken down portion of the wall where it was very easy to slip and fall off the wall. In my head, I kept thinking please don't let a kid fall off or slip or twist an ankle! Luckily, all the kids made it in one piece across and Team Moderate/Team X'treme was cheering on our kids as they approached the restored portion which was a great boost of energy. I'm glad these kids have settled into the idea of family now with each other. The cheering and encouragement really shows the support they have for everyone.

(The path where we came from-had to climb through this window) 

After reaching the fortress on the restored part, we had lunch and prepared for the student presentation. They had 3 different topics regarding the Great Wall: Past, Myths and Modern views of the Great Wall. The kids had awesome presentations where they used the information given and ran with it. After the educational bits were done, we continued onwards so we could explore more of the wall and make our way down the restored part so we could get back to the city in time.

(Us facilitators joining on the fun)

As we passed different forts on the wall, we climbed upon them and took lots of jumping photos which is a must clearly lol I believe the kids really did enjoy the day and even though most thought they were going to die from the hike, in the end it was truly worth it for them personally and overall great experience.
Within the same night, we had a social event where we laid out sleeping bags in the common room and watched Mulan through the night. It was a great conclusion to the night because the kids was just at the Great Wall as well as Forbidden City in the same week.

Sunday rolled by and they had history class and we surprised them with KTV afternoon filled with English music. Kids sang Bieber, Kanye, Drake, Zedd as well as Beyonce. Everyone had a great time singing and dancing. This was a great break for everyone in general because usually we pack the schedule with heavy items that need to done.

Today is the start of a new week--new excursions and even more new experiences that needs to be had.
'Till another time.
Deuces

Weekend Excursions

It's Monday again, which means another week has passed me by. This is the beginning of the 3rd week with the APSA/Jump! program. It has been an overall busy two weeks around Beijing with Cultural Excursions around Beijing (Tian'an men Square, Olympic Park and even the National Museum of China) . This weekend was my first weekend with the kids and groups 1,3 and 5 went to Huanghua Cheng.  I first went there as part of the staff retreat, but now I return with kids camping for 3 days 2 nights.


The group left by chartered bus and takes about 3 hours before we reach the bottom of the mountain. We called for a small transport cart to take all our camping equipment up the mountain to our camp site. I ran up the hill to purchase 20 entrance tickets as well as overnight stay fee. After everyone entered the gate, that was the beginning of the hike up. Mr. Wong, the cart driver was nice enough to let me ride up on the cart with the camping gear! This was scary and great at the same time. I did feel bad for the rest of the group because they had to carry their backpacks, sleeping bags and sleeping mat up the mountain to the camping spot. Mr. Wong was really nice, he kept saying is this speed okay and we chatted in general about what were we doing there. I reached the camping spot in no time and started unloading the cart. Mr. Wong left after making sure everything was settled and told me to call him if I needed anything.

I waited for the group to get up to the spot which took about 20/30 mins. When everyone reached the spot, they all dropped their bags and started resting. I felt so bad, but someone had to go up with the cart, and I was the only Asian looking staff that weekend so Mr. Wong was like 'you, come on the cart.' When another facilitator wanted to go on, he was like 'No, too dangerous'. This is the first time being Asian helped in Asia even though everyone knows I am not a native.

Once we all were a bit more rested, we started putting up the tents and getting ready for dinner. The kids had to learn how to cook so we mainly chilled and supervised as they learned how to chop, dice, cook and clean up the camp site before we called it a night.

Saturday morning, I was in charge of the 4:30am morning meditation--(OMG! SO EARLY) but it was really nice once you settle into the quiet and calm morning. I left the group of 10 to one of the unrestored portion of the Great Wall that drops off at the lake and made them climb a portion of it. We then proceeded to have a silent 'meditation' time where they would reflect on everything that has happened. I really value this because it really was beautiful where the world around you is just so captivating that you can't help but take it all in and wish that time did stand still so you can forever capture that moment.

After everyone was done reflecting, we went back to camp to get ready for breakfast. As the day proceeded, we did different activities and even went boating around the lake for an hour. I also had to run back down to pay for the bonfire that we wanted to have. After that was all settled, the kids had the Iron Chef Great Wall challenge which meant each group had to cook dinner and feed the team as well as us facilitators. My team decided to pasta with pepper tomato sauce with a fruit salad for dessert. They won the best taste portion which I was really proud of because I didn't even help them. They took on the challenge themselves and I think they all learned about teamwork.

After the cleaning up, we headed towards the bonfire. It took forever to start the fire because the park just gave us huge blocks of tree trunks instead of actual wood that would burn quickly. Tim and I had to think of ways to start this all up because they also only gave us 1 small bottle of light fluid! We torched up a ball of tissue paper as well as gather a bit of small branches for the base. It took about 20 mins, but once it caught fire, it was awesome! I spent most of the time tending to the fire because I'm a pyromaniac lol It was just so pretty! This is my 2nd bonfire I've partaken in all my life. Around the bonfire we had smores, ghost stories told and even played 'werewolf' which is similar to mafia.

As the night was winding down, some of the kids asked for another morning meditation. I was surprised because I didn't think they'd want to wake up so early again. This time it was a smaller amount of student (7 instead of 10) but, I thought it was something I should do for them. I told them okay I'll do it and instead of bringing them to the same spot, I was thinking of bringing them to the cliff/lake area in a different portion of the mountain which took about 30 mins to walk to. I was a bit sick, but still I thought when else would they be able to come back and do this.

I woke up the next day feeling a bit better but feel that the cold I have is going to stay a while. The kids woke up and we started our journey to the cliffs. As we walked on the small paths that lead us deeper into the forest, it was weird not to think about what it must have looked like thousands of year ago. I also thought this forest along the path was a great place for thieves to hide and steal from people. We eventually reached the cliffs and I made them cross the streams and choose a rock to reflect. As an activity, I also made them pick a rock that represents them in some way. I told to put all their fears, nightmares and whatever they didn't like about themselves into the rock. Once, they have done that, I made them stand around the lake and when they were ready I told them to throw the rock as hard and as far as they could. This was to represent them throwing away whatever was holding them back. Once they have thrown that rock, it won't ever follow them and they had to leave that behind. After that, I made them pick up another rock that represented them and told them that this rock was going to keep all their hopes, dreams and achievements they wanted in life or out of the program. This rock they will keep and bring home as a constant reminder of what they want to achieve. This meditation had a different tone because it was really somber and actually meditative. One of the students cried while we reflected as well as throwing the rock.

I also participated in this rock throwing because I feel it does help as both physical and emotional reminder to ourselves of where we are currently and to remember who we want to be. The rock I kept is shaped like a heart with little cracks and it's not perfect but, I feel it best represents me and what I want. I really did enjoy this weekend thoroughly even though I did end up getting a cold. This experience overall not only makes me take a walk outside my comfort zone, but it also allows me to do things like shape these kids mind and reflect on all their experiences. They may be young, but that does not mean they have not been through things whatever they may be.  I appreciate this experience and can't wait to hike up the Mutian Yu section this coming weekend with the kids.

China Music Conservatory

I am NOT couch surfing anymore!!

It's almost a week since I've upgraded from couch to full apartment! It's lovely to have my own place but also kind of lonely due to the fact that I'm living in this huge place by myself! Most of the staff is in this apartment complex but everyone is on different floors and I'm all the way up on the 17th floor! I have an awesome view of the pangu plaza building.

The campus isn't huge which is good because the kids won't get lost easily. Since their arrival we've been packing in countless activities and class just started for them so they are starting to get over their jetlag and into a routine. The canteene food isn't awesome, but it'll have to make due. I've stocked up my fridge with beer, 绿茶，冰红茶 and of course normal water.

Since today is July 4th , we've planned an awesome surprise pizza party for them (hopefully the pizza is decent even though I really wanted Kro's Nest pizza!!) This will be my first 4th of July without any fireworks so it should be interesting. Such cultural difference does really stand out at certain times and this is one of those times. I really want to buy the kids some sparklers or something, but don't think that's within the budget..le sigh

This weekend is also my first weekend off!!!! I'm so excited to sleep in and have free time! I'll be touring around NLGX again and hopefully other areas as well. I'd love to go back to houhai and just chill there and take photos without running around.

Now it's back to lesson planning for Tian an men today since that is what my kids picked for today's cultural excursion.. Let's hope they don't get lost!

laters!

Mutianyu! (慕田峪长城)

On Friday it was a gorgeous day to have our hike to the Great Wall section of Mutianyu. The bus was 30 mins late but once we got on, we slept a bit (2 hrs) and then we reached the hike portion. The mutianyu section is older than the badaling section of the Great Wall.

The hike started from the village then up, up we went. Through the path we hiked up past the trees, bushes and at some point it got tighter and tighter together as all the trees were cloistered all over. After about 1 1/2 of walking on the trail, the wall peaks out at you and surprises you. Must be what it was like thousands of years ago when the invaders stumbled upon this giant wall! I had to climb through an open window and slowly climb up the section of the wall...Everywhere we turned was filled in with green--the mountains in the distance, the trees sprouting on the wall itself, the flower bush on the steps and each step you take you are surrounded by the green that had taken over the wall. We kept moving forward until we reached one of the towers and the view was insane! This is a view that you have to experience because it's so hard to capture the moment and the thoughts going through your mind. Even having been there at that moment, words did not come to mind of how to describe it.

 

The view from one of the towers on the Great Wall! 

After the first tower we continued walking through the forest of greens until we reached a halfway point where we had to cross a broken down section of the wall and that was just plain scary! On both side you could see if you slipped and fell you'd tumble your way through the forest beneath. 

After that scary part, we finally reached the normal restored section of the wall (THANK YOUU) and rested up a bit before trekking down the wall and back to the bus station. 

 

Such blue skies hiking that day

After the hike back down, we came back exhausted, sweaty and after a nice shower I passed the 'eff out!