Whoops

It’s been brought to my attention that I haven’t updated in a while.

Sometimes I forget, honestly. And we were roaming around China like nomads. And before that I was taking tests every day. Things got crazy there for a while. So crazy that the days began to blur together.

We probably looked like some afterwards.

But seriously, we had a great time. Here’s a hopefully quick recap:

Time: Two weeks
Cities (In order): Xi’an (Shaanxi Province), Beijing (Beijing Municipality), Linyi (Shandong Province), Shanghai (Shanghai Municipality).
Transportation methods: Plane (2), Bus (1; 10 hours, however), Sleeper Train (2)
Famous places seen: Terracotta Soldiers, LouGuanTai Daoist Monastery, Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter (Xi’an), Xi’an city wall, Da Qin Nestorian Pagoda, Forest of Steles (Beilin Museum), Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, JingShan Park, BeiHai Park, YongHeGong Tibetan Temple, Han Tombs where the oldest manuscript for Sunzi’s Art of War was found, Shanghai Museum. I suppose one could include Xi’an, Beijing, and Shanghai as sites seen.
Times I rode a horse: 1
Times I gave a presentation after riding that horse: You guessed. 1.
Strange things eaten: Dog (again), Donkey (again), Scorpion, Locust
Hotels stayed in: 4
Pictures taken: Over 1,000 (700 in Beijing alone)
Times called “uncle” in Chinese: at least 7
Times I was solicited for “a lady”: 4
Times I pulled ponytails/tapped kids on the shoulder and ran away/or generally played with kids: The entire time we were in Linyi (5 days).
Times I sang the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” with Michelle in a classroom: 3
Schools visited in Linyi: 3
Banquets/Ceremonies attended: 4? Maybe 5?
Classes visited in Linyi: at least 6
Times I felt like a celebrity when I was at those schools: Every single freaking time
Times I saw a woman with bound feet: 1
Times I took “illegal photos” (that is, a photo where a sign said “NO PHOTO”) in temples: I lost count after something like 30.
Times I got yelled at for it: 1
Times I saw things that can never be described in a story or a photo: Too many.

So hopefully there is a brief overview of what went on. We toured, except in Linyi where we visited schools and churches and taught. Lots of time on the road. Lots of time walking. It felt great to be in the cold for once. Xiamen is around 75ish F. Evening are perfect.

It is good to be back thought. Familiarity and all. The Trek did seem to bring us all together as a group. Some good time, some hard times, some times I wanted to kill folks… that’s all normal though. Now, I’ll just be taking Chinese 2, Chinese Painting, and Taiji. Mondays are going to be crazy busy for about two weeks. We have a four day weekend over Thanksgiving. Some are going to travel—I’m probably just going to stick around and relax. Visit some places here in Xiamen. I’d love to travel to Yunnan or something, but four days… and I’m sick of traveling and spending money.

Anyway, I’m slowly uploading photos over at http://picasaweb.google.com/tyler.cronk. Drop by. I think I’ve finished the photos in Beijing. I’ve tried to only select the good ones and offer some commentary/historical context on the places. I also have eliminated the many temples I visited—I find those things totally interesting, but most people think one Buddha looks like the next. If you’re interested… talk to me.

Should be posting a non-China story sometime soon, in two parts. So strap yourselves in for that.