ZaiJian National Holiday

So this past week was National Holiday and I had a full week off from work.  Here are some highlights (be prepared for a long post).

Monday: I went to the bus station around 10am and said goodbye to Robert and Hannah who were on their way to Hannah's hometown. Giles and I met up with Sophie so that we could be on our way to Sophie's hometown.  Sophie lives in Linshu (yes I finally figured out where she's from).  It took us 4 hours to get to Linshu and Sophie's sister HuiZhong (pronounced hway-juhng) picked us up from the bus station.  Lesson #whatevernumberi'mon DO NOT GET IN A CAR WITH A CHINESE PERSON IF YOU CAN HELP IT.  I have made that mistake twice now and I'm hoping I will not make it a third time! Haha they are CRAZZZZAAAYYYYY!  So after we dropped our stuff off at HuiZhong's apartment we went their parents' house.  I literally stepped off the streets of modern day China and went back in time.  Their parents live in a VERY traditional house. I wouldn't even know how to describe it except by saying watch a traditional Chinese movie and you'll see what I'm talking about.  Mama fed us with a LOT of food.  Including chicken feet >.< Blech. Then we walked around the main street and went to the public square.  I danced with a group of guys who were showing off their skills as well as joined in the mama dance.  Finally we went back to the apartment and played cards.  When ever someone lost a game of cards, everyone else drew on their face.  Did I mention that HuiZhong doesn't speak any English and neither does their mother? Yea let the adventure begin.

Tuesday: We woke up and went to breakfast.  It was a delicious soup called Sa. It had egg and beef and some other stuff that I couldn't quite make out.  After breakfast we went to a couple of mountains and valleys with war memorials on them.  We walked around a lot and got some souvenirs. Then we met up with one of Sophie's friends and hung out at the amusement park.  It was a pretty exhausting day. Nevertheless, we still went to KTV (karaoke) that night.  KTV in China is SO much more fun than in the states! Gorgeous private rooms and fancy lights to have private dance parties and sing as much as you want.  Sooooo great.

Wednesday: PRINCESS CHELSEY DAY!! HuiZhong took me to get my hair done.  Then we went to get a massage and baguan (fire cupping).  Then we met up with Sophie's boyfriend, Dylan.  Then we went to get my nails done and ANOTHER massage.  The second massage was a full body massage, which was actually a bit weird.  They have some unusual techniques.  They also start by cleaning your ears... again, weird!  But of course, it's all an experience.  We went back to Sophie's parents' house to hang out for a quick minute.  Then we went to get dinner and shoot some pool.  Did I forget to mention throughout this entire time we've had roughly 6 meals a day?! Yeaaaa I gained like 3kgs in 3 days... that's roughly 2lbs a day!

Thursday: Back on the bus at 8:30am and head back to Jinan.  I didn't do much on Thursday except travel and get back into a daily routine of walking the big hill.  I definitely need to work off all this holiday weight.

Friday: STREET SHOPPING!!!!! I got a new wallet (finally!) and a couple of books.  I love street shopping.  It's so much fun to see everything they have to offer.  Then I came back to the apartments and ate lunch.  I took a quick nap and went for a LONG walk with Eric.  He was trying to retrace his steps to show me a cat that sleeps outside of a shop but we went the wrong direction on JingShiLu so we walked really far before realizing that we weren't going to find what we were looking for.

Saturday: I went shopping for new shoes for dance club.  My hip hop shoes broke in my suitcase on the way here :( But now I have new shoes and they are HOT! After lunch I went to DaMing Lake with Brian, Sarah, Michael, and Christine.  It was a very long hot day and we needed a drink to unwind. Then late into the night I wechatted with a couple of girls in my class to learn more Chinese.

Today: I have nothing on my agenda in terms of adventures.  I was going to go to the zoo but I think I'll save that for another day. I have lessons to prep and dances to choreograph.  Thursday is the first day for dance club and I can't wait! I'm so excited. I hope my students enjoy it :D It's back to work tomorrow so I guess I better get off the internet and enjoy my last day of the National Holiday.  I'll keep you posted as more happens. Until then... Laters!