On Signing another Contract and Traveling to China's Old Capital

So...I'm staying in Shanghai until 2017

Working for an International School in Shanghai has really payed off for me so far. I have finally been able to make some serious progress on my student loans and my travel opportunities have been amazing in Asia. Because I would like to be debt free by the time I'm 30 and I still have quite a few places to tick off my bucket list on this side of the globe, I have decided to stay for at least another two years in Shanghai. 

I'm really comfortable with this decision and it is the first time I have felt so confident since I began teaching abroad in 2010. I've been really lucky to make some amazing friends in China, save money, travel and grow professionally. Why would I want to leave? 

Traveling to Xi'An--Capital City of 13 Dynasties in China

Every year my school does a week of EOTC--Education Out of the Classroom. We take all of our students from 6th-11th grade on a weeklong trip somewhere in China or to Thailand (those lucky 16 year olds!)

Last year I spent the week with the 9th graders in Guizhou, a beautiful province in southwest China. I spent time hiking and staying in a Miao village. While it was tough, it was very memorable and an experience I am so thankful to have had.

This year I was selected to go on the 6th grade trip to Xi'An, China's old capital. Taking 50 12 year olds around an unfamiliar city was an extremely daunting task, but it ended up being a blast. My fellow chaperones and I had a lot of fun and the students were amazing. There was very minimal drama-save one student attempting to bring a bullet on the air plane and some bullying-and we were all able to enjoy the trip.

The bullet experience was a bit hectic. One of my students got held up in the security line. When I asked about what was going on, security could only tell me that there was a problem and we were waiting for the police. They took me and the girl to a back room while they lectured me on why I didn't search the girl's bag for ammunition. (Guns and bullets are illegal for civilians in China and it was a BIG deal)

Eventually the police came, realised it was a 12 year old girl, confiscated the bullet, and sent us on our way. There were a few tears on the girl's part but we were happy to make it to the plane on time.

Once we got to Xi'An things went pretty smoothly. I got to see the Terracotta warriors which was an experience I'm glad I had but would not want to do again. It was PACKED by the time we got to the main pit and it was nearly impossible to see the clay army through the swarms of Chinese tourists trying to take selfies with the statues. Eventually I got up to the front of the line and was able to snap a few photos. It was pretty impressive but the crowds stressed me out.

Backstory on the terracotta army: Emperor Qin Shihuangdi was the first emperor of China. He was pretty crazy and tried to make himself immortal. When he couldn't find the potion to help him live forever, he started construction of his tomb and the terracotta soldiers. Eventually over 8,000 soldiers were created. Most impressive of all is the fact that each of their faces is different, leading most researchers to believer they were modeled after actual people who lived around 215BC. There are 4 types of soldiers that have been uncovered so far, including cavalry and archers. It is pretty amazing to see these things up close!

Pit 1 

Soldiers up close. 

 We also had the opportunity to go up Mt. Hua, which was about 3 hours away from Xi'An's city center. It was beautiful, but it was very similar to Yellow Mountain (which if you recall I did not enjoy!) At least this time we took the cable car up and only did a few hours of hiking.

Surprisingly Well Behaved Students (49 of them!)

   

Mt. Hua

Locks on Mt Hua

 We also had the opportunity to ride bikes on the city wall. It is one of the best preserved walls in China and the ride was around 9 miles.

Bikes on the City Wall

 And enjoy the Tang Dynasty show...something similar to the opera.

We also got to check out a Kung Fu school, puppet show, and enjoy the Muslim section of town. All in all it was a fantastic trip. I'm definitely looking forward to next years adventure!

Trekking in Tibet

We have just returned back to work after an amazing Golden Week here in China.

This past holiday I decided that I would try something different and have the most adventure packed vacation in recent memory.  I went to Tibet!

For those of you who don't know, Tibet Autonomous Region is technically part of mainland China, although the people and culture are very different.  This is the former home of the Dali Lama.

So I set off with two other adventurous ladies on a 40 hour train ride from Chengdu, China, to the capital of Tibet--Lhasa.  We thought it would be a good idea to take the train in order to acclimate to the high altitude.  Unfortunately for us we booked too late and had to stay in a hard-sleeper compartment, one with 3 beds stacked on top of each other.

I've done this before--back in 2007 when I went on my whirl-wind backing adventure with a few of my besties.  However this experience was not quite as pleasant.  I'm not 20 years old any more and I had a hard time coping with the lack of space and dirty toilets.  If I have to take a train again, I am going 1st class all the way.  The train to Lhasa felt like torture in a prison cell.

Once we arrived, things started to look up.  Tibet is absolutely stunning and we were excited to meet our guide and get exploring.  Due to the political situation in Tibet, all foreigners need to have a special permit and a guide to take them around the region (something that the authorities checked and rechecked a ridiculous number of times on the train).

When we met our guide, everything seemed okay.  He took us to the hotel, let us get cleaned up, and explained where we could go look around.  Old Lhasa was actually really cool.

We got a chance to see the locals walking around the main square and take in some of the sights.  We had an early day ahead of us so we turned in at a respectable hour and started our "Tibetan Bedtime" ritual of sleep at 8pm.

Day 2 in Tibet saw us to the Potala Palace, the former home of the Dali Lama.  It was a beautiful building and even though we struggled up the stairs (warning sign for things to come) we had a great time checking out the Buddhist temple and taking in the views.

Nun praying as she walked down the street

Monks checking out what is happening below.

After the palace, our guide informed us that we would head out to our first camping spot.  Unfortunately the car that was hired couldn't make it up some of the steep hills, so we were forced to camp about 2.5km away for the intended spot, making our first day of trekking slightly more difficult. 

Before the trekking began.  We didn't know what we had gotten ourselves in to yet.

Man, trekking was NOT easy.  Although the hiking itself wasn't too complicated, it was very tough to complete the walk.  The high altitude affected each of us very different.  I felt like my brain was going to be squished out of my ears and eye sockets, which made climbing uphill all the more difficult.  In total we trekked for three days, around 48km (30 miles) and up to 5850m (over 19,000ft...higher than Everest Base Camp!) We walked for about 5-6 hours per day, would have some dinner, and then collapse in our tents.  

Home for 3 nights

View from my tent in the morning.  Notice all the yaks.

This was the first time I have been proper camping.  Like sleeping in a tent, going to the bathroom outside for multiple days, camping. It was freezing at night, something we were NOT prepared for.  Our tents had frost on them in the morning and we could hear the yaks chomping away on the grass outside most of the night.  It was definitely a new experience for me.  But the views were definitely worth it.

Even though we had a pretty awful experience with our tour company, I'd still recommend Tibet to anyone looking to get off the beaten path.  During our 3 days of trekking, we didn't see another sole. The mountain was ours, which was especially nice when we were struggling up the hills.

After we finished our trek, we headed back to Lhasa for a final day of shopping, showering, and rest. At this point we were ready to go home.  My first night back in Shanghai was one of the best nights' sleep I've had in a long time.

I can safely say that I am looking forward to my next beach vacation, but I am definitely happy I had the experience.

Serious Case of Slacking

I know I like to use the excuse that I'm busy...but its been so true this past month!

I'm finally settled back in to life in Shanghai.  My students have arrived, classes are in full swing, and I'm even getting ready to head out for 3 days of IGCSE training in Guangzhou, China (not as exciting as it seems).

Life here has been pretty steady.  I moved across the river and am loving life in Puxi.  It is so much easier to go out for dinner/coffee/drinks during the week when there are hundreds of options within a 10 minute walk.  Fall is upon us and the air quality has been great so I am a happy camper.

I've been keeping busy with work, coaching volleyball (who would have thought), and being social so I am looking forward to some down time.  The problem is I don't see any coming in the near future.

Here is what my next few weeks are shaping up as:
Training in Guangzhou
Trip to Tibet (woo!)
A few weeks back to work as normal
Trip to Xi'an with 60 6th graders (hopefully my patience can hold up!)

Don't get me wrong...I'm pumped to travel and see new things.  But traveling in teacher mode is so draining so hopefully the Tibetan air will do me good.  I've got a few creative extras in the works as well so its safe to say that life in Shanghai is my new normal.

Until next time =)

Its Been A While

I'm back in China after an amazing 6 weeks in the US.  I decided not to take my computer home with me this summer in order to recharge and relax, although that didn't really happen.

While I was home my mom schlept me to the airport way more than anyone should have.  Here's how it broke down:

2 weeks in Florida, including one trip to the Tampa Aquarium to dive with Sand Tiger Sharks (Amazing)

Hanging Out at Universal Harry Potter World

4 Days in New Orleans with my bestie

Airboat Ride in the Bayou

3 Days back in Florida

5 Days in DC/VA with my second family:
Springfield, Yorktown, Arlington, Alexandria and DC all crammed in to this trip.

Being a tourist in DC

4 Days back in Florida

5 Days in California
Healdsburg, San Francisco, a drive down 101 and the PCH and LA

Korbel Winery, Sonoma County

Whew! I'm tired thinking about my travels all over again. But it was so amazing to be home and explore more of the U.S.  Trips like these remind me how lucky I am to call such a beautiful country home and that I really do need to come home at least once a year.

Now that I'm back, I am overwhelmed with work.  I'm teaching 4 new courses this year, leading the student council and coordinating extra curricular activities.  Who do I think I am?  At least I'll be getting some good training so that I when I finally decide to leave Shanghai (not any time soon, though!), I'll be more marketable to other schools.

I'm already booked for a trip to Guangzhou, China for a training course, and I may head back to the Philippines in late September for some more diving.  Although I am very tempted to head to Jeju Isalnd off of South Korea.


Where would you go next?

The Time I Climbed A Million Stairs

Spring has finally arrived in Shanghai so I have been trying to enjoy every minute of it.  Apparently we get two weeks and then it turns in to summer, so I'm not wasting any time.  And I have been celebrating like anyone would...going to two pop concerts and hiking an insane mountain.

Up first was Katy Perry.  It was her first venture to China and she put on a great show.  Unfortunately I dropped my phone in one of the massive beers they were selling and now have to deal with a bunch of water damage.  You win some, you lose some I suppose.

Fans at Katy Perry

The following week I went to see my favourite band from 1997, none other than the Backstreet Boys! A few girlfriends and I went out for a few cocktails (which we certainly couldn't do before the Millennium tour in 2001) and headed to the show.  BSB was actually pretty decent.  They sang all of their hits and still had some dance moves, even though most of them are in their 40s.  Two of them were clearly on drugs and they all looked a little rough, but all in all it was a great night out!

Obviously we dressed up like the album cover for Millennium

That brings us to this past weekend.  The one where I climbed a million stairs.  Okay--maybe not quite a million, but it certainly felt that way.

A friend of mine invited me to go hiking in Yellow Mountain, about 6 hours outside of Shanghai. She said the hiking would be tough, but it would be worth it.  I'd been with her to an amazing series of waterfalls in August and had a great time, so I agreed to go.  I knew it would be challenging, but nothing prepared me for what lay ahead.

What some of the stairs look like from afar.

We were a group of 8 and almost all of them were really fit.  For some crazy reason, we decided to walk up the mountain, hang out and do small hikes over the weekend, and then take the cable car down.  

Here is the breakdown of the walk:

Distance: 12.5-13 kilometers up hill, mostly stairs  (it was paved, at least)

Time: ~7 hours

Steps: Roughly 15,000

Difficulty:  Endurance wise, very hard.  Technically, no problems except for one section where the stairs were so narrow it was tough to squeeze through with a backpack and it was STEEP.

I am not joking--this is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  We got about 3km in to the trip and I was ready to turn around, but there were already about 10,000 Chinese people trekking down from the cable car and it was insanely crowded.  (They had the right idea...cable car UP and walk DOWN the stairs.

It may be hard to see my face, but I was not happy about more stairs.

Even they were struggling though.  I saw countless ladies with no shoes on or small children crying as their parents dragged them along.  One lady had clearly been wearing heels (Chinese people like to hike in heels, who knows why) and was walking down in her bloody stockings while her husband prodded her along.  There were even old men and women huffing and puffing their way down.

For $20 you could have porters carry you.  I seriously considered it.

Once we got about 1/2 way, we realized how much work we actually had to do and I almost broke down and cried.  It was hot.  The stairs were steep.  There were so many Chinese people coming down they almost knocked us off the path several times.  You get the picture.

Miraculous I pulled some strength out of nowhere and motivated my friend and I to keep moving.  (We got separated from the really fit people for a bit, but we were only 40 minutes behind them!)

It was worth it.  The views at the top of Huangshan were absolutely amazing.

Love Locks--Like in Paris or London you secure a lock here and throw the key away and it is supposed to help your love stay strong forever.

Our second day on the mountain was rainy and misty, but I don't think any of us minded too much. We played cards and drank a few beers, gearing ourselves up for a sunrise walk the following morning.

The "hike" wasn't that bad.  It was only about 700 stairs from our hotel and there were amazing views of the mountains.  It was a little crowded, but we were able to find a good spot eventually.

Everyone wanted to take a picture of the sunrise.

This view was worth those 15,000 stairs.

How amazing is this??

We were smart and took the cable car down, which was nice since we got to see a different section of the mountain.

Overall it was a great weekend, but I am glad it is over.  With the crowds and difficulty of the walk I can comfortably say that I will not be climbing Huangshan again, but I am certainly glad I did!

How Diving Became My New Obsession

Quite a few people were shocked that I went on a diving vacation in the Philippines for Spring Break this year.  After my horrible experience in Myrtle Beach, even I never thought I would dive again.

As a recap, in 2011 I went diving in South Carolina with a few family friends.  The dive was horrendous.  The visibility was terrible, I didn't see much in terms of aquatic life, and I ended up with decompression sickness.  Apparently I couldn't read my depth gauge and I surfaced two or three times during my dive first dive (really bad) and went back in the water for a second dive (really, really bad) and lost my dive buddies.  I had a horrible bloody nose and once I got back to shore was sick and had some crazy hallucinations.  

I tried again in Honduras in 2013, but didn't love it.  Maybe because I didn't see a whale shark?

Anyway, I decided to listen to the advise of a few colleagues and go for my Advanced Open Water license because they PROMISED me I would feel more comfortable in the water and I would finally enjoy scuba diving.  

They were right.

Loving life on my morning shark dive

I was pretty nervous to start my course, but when I met my instructor I new I would be fine.  I got to work with Angus, a 6ft+ Scotsman (who looked more like a viking).  We knew that I'd be in good hands.  Once I was able to concentrate, I realized that I was lucky enough to be taking a course with the lead instructor at TSD. 

The course went well and I even ended up doing a night dive, entering the ocean when it looked like this outside:

And surfacing in the pitch black.  I loved it!  

Throughout my week on Malapascua I did a total of 17 dives.  I went to see the Threshers 4 times (and with a 4:30am call time that was impressive) and averaged around 3 dives a day.

Not the best picture, but I got to see several of these guys.  They were so cute!

Since I've gotten back to Shanghai, all I can think of is when I get to dive again.  So, I've already made plans to dive with sharks in Tampa. 

I'm also planning to continue my diving education, and am going back to Malapascua in October to complete my Rescue Diving course.  Woo!

Can't wait for another Shark Bite to celebrate my certification!

Way too excited to be diving.

How cute is this place??

 

I'm so glad I listened to everyones advice and cannot wait to get back in the water.  Maybe my next job will take me to somewhere tropical where I can teach scuba on the side.  Diving friends...who's with me??

Chinese New Year in Myanmar

Over the Chinese New Year holiday I finally had the chance to get out of China and travel somewhere in Asia.  I set off to Myanmar with two friends because I knew some friends from college living in Yangon and figured it would be a great way to see a new country and catch up with my friends.

We planned our trip around the major tourist spots- Inle Lake in Shan State, Bagan, Ngwe Saung for the beach, and a few days in Yangon to check out the city and see my friends.  I had high hopes for Myanmar because everyone I talked to told me how wonderful and undeveloped it was and this trip definitely didn't disappoint.

We arrived in Yangon late the first night, stayed in a really nice hostel and collected our tickets for our first internal flight.  The next morning we flew to Heho, which was about an hour from Inle Lake.  The airport was pretty crazy.  We got there two hours early (at our travel agent's suggestion) and proceeded to wait around with nothing to do.  Security took 2 minutes and they didn't even look at our passports before giving us our tickets.  I guess we looked pretty trust worthy.  Once our plane landed the airport staff quickly ushered off the previous passengers and then loaded us in to a pretty small plane with visible propellers.  The flight was uneventful but we did make a few stops before landing in Heho, so it was more like being on a bus than a plane, but at least it was comfortable.

After landing we took a taxi for an hour to our hotel near the lake.  It felt way too touristy because I was expecting there to only be a hand-full of backpackers, but once I got over that it was great.
We rented bikes and road around town, eventually finding a winery that was recommended to us.  The view was great, the wine...not so much.  We still had a great time.

Amazing View!

Look how exited we are about the sun!

The next day we arranged a boat tour and spent 8 hours on the lake, stopping off at different places to check out some of the local culture.  We saw the famous fishermen who fish with their feet (they also tried to pose and ask for money), lots of handicraft shops, the long-necked Kayan Lahwi weaving, a pretty sad lotus textile factory and the first of several thousand pagodas.  

Local fishermen:  They use their feet to paddle while they try to catch the fish.

Kayan Lahwi 

Budda in one of the temples

 That night we also took a cooking class with a local Myanmar family.  They showed us how to make some classic Burmese dishes with a western flare, and it was all amazing!  

Enjoying our dinner

From Inle we took a 7 hour bus ride to Bagan, home of over 1,500 Buddist temples and pagodas.  This spot was much less touristy (strange) but very beautiful.  We spent most of our time here checking out all of the different pagodas and the surrounding area. 

Our first day exploring was very eventful.  We rented electric bikes and rode around town, stopping at different pagodas and restaurants for breaks.  The group (actually just Danielle...)had several issues with the bikes.  Her kickstand stopped working so we had to wait around for a new bike, which the company that rented them happily provided.  We also had a very nice man and a police officer help us while we waiting.  Once the bike was switched, we continued on our way exploring a few of the pagodas in New Bagan.

More pagodas

Danielle trying to fix her bike

Once we got tired and hungry, we decided to stop for lunch.  This was the best part of the day because a.) Danielle crashed her bike in to a fence and it was hilarious--no one got hurt! and b.) we found an amazing spot to have lunch.  Our friend who helped with the bikes told us that he worked at Hotel Bagan, so we decided to stop in to check it out.  It was ridiculously nice.  Part of the hotel was built around an old pagoda and it was right on the water.  We decided to stay there for lunch and a few margaritas before continuing on our journey.  

After lunch we explored more of the town and then headed back to one of the most popular pagodas to watch the sunset.  When we arrived we found that about 1,000 other people had the same idea, so we asked a guide if he knew of any other places to watch that were less crowded.  He pointed us to a much smaller pagoda and we decided to check it out.  It was definitely worth it!

What we avoided for the night.  Too many people!
(We ended up at this pagoda in the morning, though)

Tight Squeeze going down

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Beautiful Sunset

The next day Danielle and I decided that we had to go back to the pagodas for sunrise because we wanted to see the hot air balloons come up over the pagodas.  We left our hotel around 5:30am and it was worth the lack of sleep.  As we were driving in, the sky started to turn purple and it was a beautiful morning.  I forgot the dress code and wore shorts  because I'm an idiot, but luckily there were vendors selling some delightful hippie pants outside.  We opted to climb the main pagoda because it wasn't quite as crowded and my bike was not going to cooperate on loose sand, but it was much less crowded at sunrise and we had a great spot.  

All the steps we had to climb to get to the top

 I have thousands of pictures of the pagodas and the balloons, but I won't bore you with them all here.

After Bagan we flew to Yangon and caught an overnight bus to the beach at Ngwe Saung.  This was one of the worst bus rides I've ever had.  It was so uncomfortable and took forever.  Plus, once we arrived at the resort our room wasn't ready and the hotel staff suggested that all three of us share one double bed.  We politely, but firmly, told them no way and the quickly sorted out our room.

Once all of that drama was dealt with we had an amazing 3 days at the beach.  We lounged under the tiki huts, had drinks delivered to the beach, swam in the Bay of Bengal, and hung out in the pool.  It was so great to be in the sun and out of the pollution.  Unfortunately, all three of us got horrendously sun burnt.  In Inle Lake we bought what we thought was sunscreen (because it said Sun Factor 50 on it!), but after we spent 10 minutes in the sun and turned lobster red we realized we had made a mistake.  It turns out that we bought skin whitening cream (very common in Asia) and it did not prevent sunburns.  We made the best of it, though, and spent the rest of our time in the shade.  Sunburns be damned!  It was our only chance at the beach and we were going to enjoy it!
Our group did walk in to town in search of aloe, but all we could find was some menthol, mushroom cream.  Whatever it was did the trick and we felt much better, just in time to head back to Yangon.

You can already see the sunburn coming in!

Once we begrudgingly left the beach, we headed back to Yangon via taxi.  There was no way we were taking that bus again!  It took us 6 hours, but we finally made it back to the city in time to meet Mark and Kelsey for dinner and drinks.  Our massive group enjoyed some Myanmar BBQ and national beers.  It was a great night out.

The next day we explored Yangon a bit.  We went to Shwegadon Pagoda, famous for housing 9 of Buddas hairs, and spent some time looking at all of the different statues set up in the space.  Afterwards we walked around Kandawgyi Lake and saw the famous dragon boat restaurant.  We also found a shop with some of the best ice cream I've ever had!  That evening we met Mark and Kelsey for dinner and drinks again before heading back to Shanghai.  Our time in Yangon felt way too rushed and I wish we had another day to spend with friends and explore.  I'll definitely be back to see more soon!

Shwedagon Pagoda

Dragon Boat!  

Yay! Reunited with the Cices

Once we made it to the airport we realized there was a little bit of drama because Danielle's flight was the following day, but she was able to sort out her ticket and flew standby to Seoul.  I made it home with no issues and had two full days to recover, which were 100% necessary.

It's been a hard week back at work, but this trip reminded me of why I am living in China and what I have to look forward to for the next few years.   =)