July 8 - Chengde Day 6: Rett Hooper

Today we hiked up to a really famous rock formation outside of Chengde. The hike took a while and was topped off with a climb up to the base of the rock. Two friends and I licked the rock. The rock and the views were awesome, but the bathrooms there were horrible.

July 24-28 - Shanghai and Thanks: Rett Hooper

On July 24 we traveled through Jinan to get to Shanghai. We went by bullet train (approx. 150 mph) to get to the large city. There we shopped, went to the zoo, saw an acrobatic show, and walked around. Shanghai was probably the coolest city I have ever been to. It was very American-friendly with a lot of English scattered around, and the city was pretty, clean, and huge! About 23 million people live in Shanghai.

I would like to thank the Wilson Family for allowing me to go on this wonderful trip. Without your kindness, none of this would have been possible. I learned more and had more fun than I ever imagined I would, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. This experience has changed my life for the better, and I want to thank you for helping me grow. Xie xie, nin men!

July 21-23 - Qufu: Rett Hooper

We spent 3 days, 2 nights in Qufu. We saw the birthplace of Confucius, the Temple of Confucius, and his grave as well. Qufu was a fairly nice city, but the walled-off portion that was the original city when Confucius was alive was amazing. I read the teachings of Confucius to Confucius himself...or his grave at least. A lot of Chinese people watched as I stood at his grave reading. The city of Qufu definitely seemed to have a aura of importance about it.

July 20 - Rural Village Day 5: Rett Hooper

We spent a full day at Mount Tai today. We rode our really nice bus through Tai’an again to the base of the mountain. After taking another bus ¾ of the way up the mountain, it still took us 1½ hours to climb the steps to the top! We ate lunch up there, saw some temples, and rode a gondola down. We had a dance party on the river beach at night.

July 19 - Rural Village Day 4: Rett Hooper

Today we watched a dance performance put on by the pre-school girls. After our plentiful free time, Carina led a yoga session. After dinner we all met up and danced in the street. Today was chill but fun.

July 18 - Rural Village Day 3: Rett Hooper

Very exciting day today. We rode bikes in the morning. I gave Becky my bike, so I took Carina around in a wagon bike. Then Sarah wanted to take Michelle in it, so she took the reigns. It was too difficult to steer for her, and she drove it into a 6-foot deep ditch! Neither of them got hurt luckily, but the wagon bike was ruined. We will pay to repair it though. Then we played our basketball game against the local village team. They were all in their 20s and 30s. EIL’s teams have never won, but we killed them 74-59! Gao Min had 30 points and everyone played well overall. Ben’s ball-handling, Gao Min’s beastliness, John’s rebounds, Eric’s blocks, and my perimeter defense were too much for them. They fouled a lot but no calls were made, so the game was aggressive, but it was so fun. I got hurt a little, but whatever. The medical clinic was no help at all.

July 17 - Rural Village Day 2: Rett Hooper

Today we cleaned up the village square, we visited a small school, we went to the retirement home, and we hoed a wheat field for a local farmer. Today was insightful, but it was not very exciting overall.

July 15 and 16 - Travel to Rural Village: Rett Hooper

July 15 and 16 were dedicated to preparation for the rural village and travel to it. We practiced our Chinese and listened to our leader as she told us what to expect. Now I am in my rural home, and I am the only one with a western toilet...everyone else has holes in the ground. I love my house here. It has a courtyard in the middle, and it has a TV, a DVD player, a good shower, and a nice bedroom for me. I am staying with the local guide Richard in my house, and no one in my host family speaks English. The food is really good though.

July 14 - Beijing Day 4: Rett Hooper

We are staying in the same hotel in Beijing that we did to start the trip. We have already been here, so we did not do too much today. We did see a cool kung fu show tonight though.

July 13 - Travel Day: Rett Hooper

We left the grasslands this morning and headed on to a museum on Baotou. The museum had a lot of cool exhibits and artifacts. We are on another sleeper train, and we will wake up in Beijing.

July 12 - Inner Mongolia Day 3: Rett Hooper

Today we rode horses in the grasslands. I got to gallop, and I have never done that before, so I am still excited. After the horses we just hung out again. We are staying in yurts again tonight, so I am happy.

July 11 - Inner Mongolia Day 2: Rett Hooper

We arrived at the grasslands of Inner Mongolia today. We get to sleep in yurts tonight! There are windmills all over, and the yurts are plentiful. The food here is quite sub-par though. Also the people here are a little bit freaky, but the music are awesome.

July 10 - Baotou Day 1: Rett Hooper

We got off the sleeper train, made it to our hotel, and pretty soon we were leaving for the desert! We did not get to ride camels though because it was raining...in the desert. Therefore, a very disappointed group of kids went back to Baotou unsatisfied, and we went to sleep. I talked to a camel as well.

July 9 - Travel Day: Rett Hooper

Today we said goodbye to our host parents, and we traveled to Beijing to get on a sleeper train. We spent a long time on a bus back to Beijing, and now we are on the train. The train has little cubbies of 6 beds, so it is actually really fun. I am finding it hard to sleep though. We are going to be in Baotou when I wake up.

July 8 - Chengde Day 6: Rett Hooper

Today we hiked up to a really famous rock formation outside of Chengde. The hike took a while and was topped off with a climb up to the base of the rock. 2 friends and I licked the rock. The rock and the views were awesome, but the bathrooms there were horrible.

July 7 - Chengde Day 5: Rett Hooper

Today the Americans all visited the Little Potala Palace, a replica of the Potala Palace in Tibet where the Dali Lama used to live. The palace was amazing, and the views were even better.

July 6 - Chengde Day 4: Rett Hooper

The highlight of my day was definitely seeing the best play I have ever seen. This new play called Royal Dreamy Romance premiered tonight, and my host dad got us tickets. It told the history of Chengde through the dynasties. The play's music, dancing, costumes, lighting, staging, and background were all amazing!

July 5 - Chengde Day 3: Rett Hooper

Today we did not hang out with the Chinese kids very much. For lunch the Americans split off and went to a really cool restaurant with a lot of trees, rocks, and water. After that, we went to visit a farmer in a village to get a look at what agriculture here is like. Today was a chill day.

July 4 - Chengde Day 2: Rett Hooper

America! We met each others’ host siblings today. We went to the Mountain Resort. Eric and Hu Yang, Christian and Yinglei, and Gao Min and I played a card game called King-10-5 at the college. Then we played sports. Basketball was a fail, but Eric and I threw Frisbee. Eric and I live in the same building, and we played Mahjong at Hu Yang’s apartment. This picture was taken of a famous setting from the Mountain Resort

July 3 - Chengde Day 1: Rett Hooper

We took a really pretty train ride from Beijing to Chengde. This “small” city with a population of 1 million is beautiful. The city is newly developed and still growing, and it is fairly clean. We met our urban home stay parents at a local college, and they took me home. Our apartment is very nice and comfortable. Only my 19-year old brother Gao Min speaks English. For lunch I ate with some of their family members (14 people), and everybody stared at me. This city really lights up at night! I am very happy right now.