Coming upon the conclusion of my seventh week in China, there is still much to do. However, rather than worry about the future, we took this week to go on a cultural excursion to the Yunnan province. Visiting Yunnan was great because it was much more rural than Zhuhai and we were able to see a different side of China. It was great being able to see the beautiful nature and mountains in Dali, but it was also a great time for us to bond as a group again. After separating into our host families, we haven’t had much time to hang out as a group, but this trip gave us an opportunity to feel more like a family and spend more time together. I will say that the food did not rest well with my body as I became very familiar with the hotel toilet. I felt like the trip was a fun experience but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I weren’t sick. Unfortunately, I could not barter with the local people; even though Dali was a more underdeveloped area than Beijing (for comparison) I found that the people were quite offended when I said that their goods are too expensive and would not barter me (and actually the cost of stuff was more expensive than Beijing which I thought was odd). Coming back to Zhuhai, I was welcomed by my host family and it felt as if I was returning home from a long trip. I will definitely miss my host family as they have treated me with great hospitality and made me feel part of the family.
IMPORTANT SIDENOTE:
I finally beat my host dad at Chinese Chess which is probably one of my greatest achievements.
