International Convention Center & Resort Golden Pebble Beach Dalian

The people in Dalain, omg, I dont know how they get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and think they can step out in public. Heres some tips of how to fit in in Dalian:

Perm- The perm is IN. Get a short perm, wax it down with excessive wax but with fuzzy bits fraying out everywhere. Maybe like a huge afro waxed down I guess, but shaped like a bob.

Shinny ...

Ok, I did it, I ate some western food. I still haven't eaten at McDonalds or KFC yet. KFC is everywhere. I wonder if they were the first American chain to come to China. McDonalds are prolific as well. No, my roommate and his friends wanted to go out for a western meal and we headed down to a place called "The Real Eddies" Not sure of the story behind the name. But here goes - Eddie was trained as a cook/chef in the ...

I have decided that I am going to roast once I get back to south Texas. Hot in Dalian, China is 90 degrees and that is long gone here. I hope I am still acclimated to real hot weather because I haven't felt hot here. Sure I get a little sweaty walking home but not like in Harlingen. Also, fall must be coming because the mornings and evenings have been cool. I almost thought about pulling out my long sleeve shirt the other day but knew it would warm up. Plus, my roommate would strangle me ...

... a big pang. So it wasn’t just me who felt that way about them. They missed me too. I told him I missed him too and missed Songpan. He asked me if I would ever come back again. I said yes, definitely, but I would not have any time until winter vacation. Chuffed, he told me to come to his family’s home when I came back in winter. I was touched. Goodnights were said. I fell asleep in a room in Dalian, but I dreamt of mountains, friends and horses on the other ...

... of the owner, who is also the school’s librarian, told us how long it took him to teach the local bakery to make real hamburger buns, both in shape and taste—they couldn’t understand why he didn’t want sugar in the recipe like their sweet buns.

It is amazing what kind of impact ‘comfort’ food can have when you are travelling, or away from home.

Yum... cheese.

~Ashley

We have all been volunteered to help the school put on an English Festival. I was very reluctant to get too involved in something I had no interest in, because there is a lot of other activities the school does that is more up my alley... but we had no choice.

The most Chinese thing about the whole event was that the slogan was incorrect grammar, for a festival celebrating English. Classic. We will, we will English You! Good lord.

So, when given a ...

... br>Before we arrived in China, the one thing we were told was that it was really hard to get the students actively involved in the class—that they remained stoic, sombre, and serious. That was NOT our experience. With very little prompting, students were up, out of their seats and rapidly trading, wheeling and dealing.

One student I watched kept making deals right before whatever stock he sold went up by hundreds of dollars, groaning at his misfortune ...

... Almost all the respectable street art is associated with construction not older than 20 years ¨C either the piece itself as with the Youhao Sphere, or as part of a new apartment or office building. China has great regard and pride for its history, but being part of the global 21st century is every bit as important. Of course, of all the public art, the live street action is the most entertaining. Vendors hawking everything from oysters to Ming china ...

... the enrollment this year is approximately 2500 students. We were relieved to be at an established school where there it no construction, and sufficient resources. Teaching here has been great so far. Dalian is, according to the Lonely Planet, "One of the most modern and prosperous cities in China."

... that have invested their time and money solely for you to become successful and make them proud. But there is very little time to think, let alone breath. You take classes from 7:00am in the morning and don't get out until 6:00pm in the evening. On top of that, your parents have enrolled you in extra classes of math or English so that you can stay ahead of the pack. You don't get out until 8:00 or 9:00 in the evening now. And when you finally get ...