Finally, a break to all the traveling and the routine of school! Today, Sunday, was one of the most relaxing days of the trip. I actually got to sleep in for once, which was nice. (In China, my usual wake up time of noon has changed to about nine o’clock on weekends). After waking up, my host dad, David, and I went to Zhejiang University to walk around. Zhejiang has multiple campuses just like some colleges in America; the difference between this location and the campus my previous host family took me to was drastic.
The entrance features a wide, open field encompassed by large, grand buildings. Just down the road is a pond surrounded by a grassy field where families from all over Hangzhou come to have fun with their families. Cherry Blossoms and other flowers were sprinkled all around the pond like a Jackson Pollock painting. Ms. Lockrow would have loved it there because you couldn’t take a step without seeing a cute Chinese baby. We walked around, ducking and weaving through the copious amounts of kites until we got to the dining hall for lunch. You don’t know the meaning of crowded until you come to a Chinese college cafeteria during lunch rush. I felt like I was being pushed out of a tube of toothpaste just to get out of the room.
After lunch, the three of us drove back to the apartment, but it was too nice of a day to go back inside. David had a lot of homework to do so I went out for a walk around the neighborhood. There was a park on the way where I became like Buddha, and became one with nature for a few hours. (Mr. Catalfano, Thoreau would have been proud. No technology, no distractions, and no worries). I almost fell asleep in the shade of the tree I was lying under. It wasn’t weird; I saw many other people sleeping too. These people didn’t have a care in the world.
I got back to the apartment and went on QQ for a few hours before going out with David. David, like myself, is an avid QQ user so when we went out, we took pictures of cool things to post onto QQ. Then we walked around to the mall where we got milk tea (bubble tea) and browsed a sports shop. The prices for everything were much higher than in America. I saw a pair of sneakers I had owned a few years ago being sold for 429 Yuan, or about $70. I had bought them in America for $30 a few years back. There were other things, like some nice Jordans that were being sold for over $250, and a hoodie with the Texas Rangers logo on it was on sale for a steal of $150! Don’t get me wrong, the mall was built for rich people, but the prices still amazed the both of us.
We got back home just in time for our last dinner together. My host parents are great, and the three of us have fun picking on David; they’ve told me a lot of funny stories about when he was learning English. I’m really lucky to have had them as a host family, and I’ll miss them a lot. Dinner ended on a high note and we all went to our respective rooms. I have just finished packing my bags, for tomorrow is the last day at Hanggao. Our time at the high school has gone by so quickly, but it has also become the most memorable part of the trip. Just five more days until we come back to America, but until then, we tackle Beijing!
After lunch, the three of us drove back to the apartment, but it was too nice of a day to go back inside. David had a lot of homework to do so I went out for a walk around the neighborhood. There was a park on the way where I became like Buddha, and became one with nature for a few hours. (Mr. Catalfano, Thoreau would have been proud. No technology, no distractions, and no worries). I almost fell asleep in the shade of the tree I was lying under. It wasn’t weird; I saw many other people sleeping too. These people didn’t have a care in the world.
I got back to the apartment and went on QQ for a few hours before going out with David. David, like myself, is an avid QQ user so when we went out, we took pictures of cool things to post onto QQ. Then we walked around to the mall where we got milk tea (bubble tea) and browsed a sports shop. The prices for everything were much higher than in America. I saw a pair of sneakers I had owned a few years ago being sold for 429 Yuan, or about $70. I had bought them in America for $30 a few years back. There were other things, like some nice Jordans that were being sold for over $250, and a hoodie with the Texas Rangers logo on it was on sale for a steal of $150! Don’t get me wrong, the mall was built for rich people, but the prices still amazed the both of us.
We got back home just in time for our last dinner together. My host parents are great, and the three of us have fun picking on David; they’ve told me a lot of funny stories about when he was learning English. I’m really lucky to have had them as a host family, and I’ll miss them a lot. Dinner ended on a high note and we all went to our respective rooms. I have just finished packing my bags, for tomorrow is the last day at Hanggao. Our time at the high school has gone by so quickly, but it has also become the most memorable part of the trip. Just five more days until we come back to America, but until then, we tackle Beijing!
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