Monday, January 19, 2009

We'll be home soon...

This might be my last time blogging from the mountain because tomorrow is our last day here. We will be heading out to Chengdu a day early to ensure that we don't miss our flight. Overall, although this trip had a rough start, we caught on to their lifestyle pretty quickly; the cold weather, the squat pots, the flying phlegm, all the good stuff. Quite frankly we have made ourselves comfortable here.

During this trip, I saw a lot of things and met a lot of people. I probably learned more on this trip about Chinese culture than I did on my past study abroad trip. Unlike cities like Beijing or Shanghai, Ya'an, a little mountain town, was able to give me a more personal experience with the people of China. Without being tainted by Western values, many traditions and beliefs can still be found in Ya'an. I am very glad to have met many friends in Ya'an because it is them who have really taught me about the Chinese people.

In addition, the level of hospitality we received is unheard of in the NYC scene. Bar owners treated us out, the girl that helped us activate our cellphones took us out, the whole mountain we live on pretty much partied with us. At first I thought to myself, "these people are just trying to take us out so they can some how rip us off down the road." Now, I feel like an asshole for thinking like that. Not only do they ask nothing of us, they treated us as their close friends. Although we are excited to return to NYC, we will definitely miss Ya'an and the friends we have met here.

I will attempt to blog while I am in Chengdu, but if I can't, SEE YOU IN NEW YORK!

Here are some more pics:











5 comments:

  1. ever thought about being a travel writer brother? your ability to capture and express your precise emotions and thoughts are amazing.

    nevertheless.. i'm glad you are coming home soon! just make sure you remember not to squat on american toilets... lolz

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  2. werd, i agree w/ fickler. so touching. i'll be your producer and together we'll make big money on the discovery channel. yo, that dog to the right looks like a monkey. what's up w/ the dogs that you find looking like another animal?

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  3. lol, at first, i was like "hmm tai lee is taking a picture of a girl's leg...nice" and then i saw the basket and was like, "so THAT'S the focus of the picture....."

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  4. so thats what it is!!! I was wondering the same betty

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