I almost killed a child yesterday

I think I am really due for a new post on this. It has been over a week now and I have disappeared from the Western world and gotten lost in the East.

I've had some amazing days during which every day I have at least one moment of awe at the realization that what I am living is not a dream. When I signed up for exchange in such a foreign country, I knew I was getting myself into something big but I never realized how big or the impact that it would have on me. It feels like every step I take is surreal and everything I see is too incredible to be true. I often take a look around me and am just wowed by everything I see, smell, taste and touch. Coming to China has opened my mind beyond anything I imagined. From food, to culture, to people, the only way to enjoy this experience is with an open mind and a smile so I've taken that approach and have been rewarded back with the most interesting people I have ever met, the most delicious food I have ever eaten and the coolest places I have ever seen. Learning about this country's history and culture with people from all over the world heightens the experience in a way that is unparalleled in my life. I feel like although I'm in China, so much of what I am learning goes beyond this massive country and extends to better understanding the world. I am just incredibly lucky.

On that note, I will briefly share with you some of my latest adventures and hope that between this and my facebook pictures, you will get an idea of what I'm doing.

Yesterday we took a day trip to Tianjin, a port city northeast of Beijing. Jenny and I were the instigators and planners of a successful 20 people excursion and so far, I think it was my favourite day in China. We took a bullet train that traveled at 350km/hour, getting us to Tianjin in a short 30 minutes. Once we arrived, we split into two groups because the Spaniards and the Mexicans walked too slow (surprise surprise...and no, I was not in that group!!!). I went off with ze Germans, a Dutch guy, two Aussies, a Finish guy and Dan and Jenny. We spent the entire day walking around being guided by a map that led us to the main tourist destinations yet enjoying the journey just as much, if not more. We encountered a small, neighbourhood park in which we played ping pong with some locals and got told. There's a reason why they won every ping pong medal at the Olympics, let's just say that. At the same park, we learnt of the Chinese equivalent to hackie sack- a tower of metal rings with some feathers on top. We bought one of them later on and amused ourselves at the train station on the way back.

Tianjin is known for its gou bu li, a delicious dumpling, so we had lunch at a place that specializes in gou bu li. Awkwardly enough, we each paid 50 kuai for food that was good, but nothing special, and a few hours later stumbled upon a street market in a sketchy alleyway and bought way more food, way more delicious for probably 50 kuai total (10 or 11 of us). It was disappointing, but you live and you learn...and now we know to eat on the streets!!!

One of the funniest/scariest moments of the day was when we encountered a group of children playing on the street and I decided to play with them. The game consisted of holding one of your feet up against your other thigh (a la yoga) and bumping into each other- with the first one to lower their second leg being the loser. They were very aggressive and I wasn't really fighting back...which is good...because when I bumped one of them, he went flying and almost rolled down some stairs. Thankfully, I was able to grab his hand and stop him from falling. I definitely underestimated my strength and size (they were like 10 years old). We had a good laugh though and it only added to the day.

The city itself was very interesting. Having been a German colony, the European influence was etched in every building, street and historic site. Catholic churches, colonial buildings and wide streets marked every corner of the city, making it pleasant to stroll along. We were also lucky because the weather was amazing. It was the nicest day since I got to China and we were able to walk around without coats. A memorable day for sure.

The day before, Jenny, our friend Markus and I decided to check out the Olympic Village. We walked through the area and decided to go into the Water Cube only because we had been told that the Bird's Nest wasn't worth it. The aura in the water cube could definitely be felt and it was really an experience to just sit there and imagine what it must have felt like during the Olympics. After that, we went to some hutongs. Hutongs are small streets in Beijing that have been preserved, so they are sort of like a window into the past and into the "real" China, which you don't often find because everything is so modernized now. The hutongs that we went to were awesome- in particular, there was this one little quaint street full of shops, restaurants and bars where we had dinner. It felt like the Distillery District in that its old, but obviously with a different feel. It was beautiful and I can't wait to head back there.

I feel like every day I am discovering something, learning something and seeing something, but when I sit down to write, all I remember is the past few days. For that, I instead will tell you all a little about my friends here.

Jenny, whom most of you know, is my other half. We live together and do basically everything together. We went for coffee tonight and talked about how glad we are that we have each other here. We really weren't friends back at home- we were friendly, I'd say, and I think if we hadn't come here, we probably would have never really gotten to know each other. The two of us have gotten along really well and as we said today, although we are different in many ways, we share a burning love for life and desire to experience as much as we can and that has brought us very close and has resulted in an amazing friendship and a better experience. There's lots of things about her that I admire and I feel ok saying this because she doesn't read my blog hahaha I really think I can learn from her laid-back lifestyle and her appreciation for the beauty that can be found in apparently unattractive things. It's hard to explain and the best example I can come up with is her love for photography. She takes pictures of...shit. Literally, things lying on the ground that I would have never noticed before and they turn out amazing. That approach to photography is how she lives life and I have started to take that on a bit and I've already seen how much greater everything can be.

Rebecka is my roommate from Sweden. If nothing else, I have learnt that the Swedish are rockstars and have provided us with music, furniture, companies and food that have impacted my life all along. Becks is a really sweet girl and the best part of her is how considerate she is. It has been fun to have her with us and I think that finding a better roommate would be hard. She is not loud like I am, so it's also nice to have someone to bring me back to ground and cool me off when I'm jumping off the walls. Becks is actually heading to Canada shortly for the Scotiabank Case Competition and I hope that all of you in London can meet her, greet her and show her a good time. She is my Chinese family (and believe me when I say that as much as I love them, they hold none of my heart in comparison to you out there) so treat her like it :)

Clare is an Aussie from Sydney who might be the happiest person I have ever met. She is always laughing, smiling and having a good time and as a result, making me have a good time. Dave is also from Sydney but has Chinese in him so he speaks Mandarin and knows the culture a bit better. He is fabulously gay and proud of it, making for really fun chats, checking outs and some hilarious laughs.

The five of us are like...the core 5, the five who party, play, cry and laugh together. From the very beginning of our friendship, a few weeks ago, there was no pretension, competition or secrets so we have managed to have a complete riot sharing everything ever since. We hang out pretty much every day and talk about everything, and I must say, I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life (ok that's a lie, but it's comparable to my greatest laughs). Dave and Clare are planning on coming to Toronto in November to visit so I hope everyone gets to meet them then.

Beyond the 5, there's many, many more people who have already claimed some of my heart and will be in my memories forever, but I feel like naming or explaining all of them would mean little to all of you and would take me far too long.

This weekend we are taking a trip to Harbin, a city at the very north of China that has a strong Russian influence, and I hope that I have many stories to share from that.

Hope all of you at home are living the dream. I saw Ben Dickie's "I go to Ivey" today and cried laughing. It is definitely bittersweet to be reminded of how much fun we have together and how much I love you all and Ivey. I miss it all dearly but I know you're going to be a huge part of my life for a very long time and I take comfort in that. Most of you reading this are my family (that I chose) and that will never go away, so that's what matters.

Love always,

C