Bye!

Well I am finally back in the states and it is great. The last week was so great that I really was sad to leave. I was so excited to come back home and see my family that I did not think I would be so sad to leave and say bye to everyone. The last week went by so fast. We pretty much spent the time hanging out and saying our goodbyes to all the people we met in China. I knew it would be sad to say goodbye to the people in the program that I had met but I did not think it would be that bad saying goodbye to my lab. Not only did I learn a lot about research and science but also I learned a lot about China from my lab. It was truly sad to say goodbye to the grad students.

When we had to say goodbye to everyone in the program the morning we were leaving we were all truly sad. During the last 2 ½ months we had all become so close it was hard to believe that we were all going our separate ways now. We took pride in the fact that when we went around China we could all say that we were Americans, like we were all part of the same group, now we realize that even though we are all Americans we live so far away from each other. There is truly something special about being in a foreign country with people from the same country as you, it binds you in a way that I can never imagine and I am sad that it has finally come to an end. However, like they say, all truly great things must come to an end, I am just happy that I got to experience this. All in all I was excited to come back to the US and see my family and get ready to move into my dorm.

The first day I got back I was really happy because I finally got to see my family but after the first day it all wore off and now I want to be back in China. This truly was a rewarding experience. Not only have I learned so much about research and discovered new things that I hope to take back with me to my lab in Ann Arbor but I have learned more about myself and the person I want to be and for that I am truly grateful!

Last two weeks!

So as it turns out I did not totally finish my abstract and poster that same week but I did get a lot done. It is really nice because my grad student let me work on my abstract and poster a lot in lab instead of running a bunch of other experiments. Now that we are in the final stretch and we are finally getting close to going home I am starting to realize how much I am going to miss it here in China. I am soo excited to go home but here it feels like I have made a whole new family with my lab and the other students in the program. For the last two and a half months we have spent so much time with each other and have gotten to know each other so well it is going to be sad when we all have to leave. As sad as it is I can still say this has been one of the best experiences of my life!

Besides counting down the days until I go home this past week has been great. This weekend we all pretty much spent working on our abstracts and posters and buying gifts to take back home. We spent so long in China that we all did not even think about buying gifts to take back home because we thought it was going to be so long before we finally went back home, now we are all scrambling around trying to buy gifts in these last two weekends we have in China. The weekend was still really fun, we did almost all of our shopping at the Pearl Market which is jam-packed all the time with foreigners. We were all so tired and hungry by the end of the day because we spent so much time at the Pearl Market. It is not like regular shopping at all. You can spend 15 minutes trying to buy something; bargaining is great. I remember when we first came to the Pearl Market during the first week we were here, we all were totally imitated trying to bargain and buy things. Now we have been here for so long that we were totally fine bargaining and arguing with them. It does, however, ware you out and all you want to do is pull your hair out of your head by the end of the day. We spent both Saturday and Sunday at the Pearl Market so we were pretty much worn out in the evenings. It was still a great weekend, I am happy I am finally done shopping for people in my family and I finally have all my gifts done and bought. These next two weeks are going to go by really fast, now I have to take in every aspect of China I can because pretty soon I will be back in the states!

Weekend!

This was such a fun weekend!!! Saturday was pretty much a chill day around Beijing because a lot of us went out Friday night and we were all really exhausted. Later that evening we all layed around and watched movies-we wanted to save our energy for Sunday. We had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning on Sunday because a few of us planned a trip to go to this park where they have bungee jumping, canoeing, and other fun stuff. It took us a while to get there because we had to continuously transfer from bus to bus and we were all exhausted because we made the stupid decision to stay up all night in anticipation for Sunday but in the end it was so worth it. The first thing we did when we got there was go bungee jumping-I was soo scared it was ridiculous, but so much fun. Before I went I wanted to chicken out so bad but I forced myself to do it and it was without a doubt worth it. The best part was it was not expensive at all. We went bungee jumping, sky walking, and canoeing for 250 RMB, which is really cheap compared to how much you would have to pay for it in America. It was also cool that we got to leave Beijing for a little bit and see more of the other surrounding areas around the city. Where we were was definitely not a big city like we were all used to. The area looked a lot more like the country and people definitely liked looking at us a lot more because we were foreigners-which is not so common in Beijing because there are soo many foreigners in Beijing. The day, however, was really long but so worth it. Going there and back was a pain because the seats on the bus are small but being at the park was great and I definitely recommend that anyone that comes to Beijing sets a day aside to go visit this area.

Other than having one of the best weekends ever I have started to realize that it is officially crunch time. We have our poster session coming up in two weeks and we need to have our abstracts and posters done by then so I really need to get working on those. Working in the lab here has been really great and I have learned a lot, now I have to get working on the poster. It is still hard to believe we have been in China this long, even though it is not long enough for good solid results, I have had a blast and have learned so much from working in the lab. I have learned a lot about the projects the lab does and more science but the best part I think is that the grad students taught me so many new things about working in a lab that will be very helpful when I go back to working in my lab in Ann Arbor. This past week was amazing-now I need to get back to work, I am determined to finish this abstract and poster this week!

Life

Opps! It has been soo long since I have blogged, not so good. Anyways, I cannot believe we are more then half way done with our trip to China. This has been going by so fast and every moment has been so much fun. I have finally started to make a lot of progress in my research and I am starting to get a lot more comfortable going places by myself. Before I was not so confident in going to the grocery store and other places by myself because of the language barrier but I have started to pick up on a lot of things and I have become really comfortable with living in the city. I finally feel like I have established a schedule here and that I have a daily routine almost everyday. It is still hard to believe that we leave in less than a month. As excited, as I am to go home and see my family, I know I will definitely miss life here in Beijing.

These past couple of weeks have been somewhat relaxing and fun. Most of the time people would not associate research with being relaxing but it really is not so bad at all. Once you get to know the people in the lab and become comfortable working in the lab, going to work everyday becomes fun. My experience so far has led me to feel that the labs here are a lot more stress free and friendly then the labs back home. People do not just come in at 9am and leave at 5pm; working in the lab is not just a job but rather a big part of their life. People go to lunch and dinner with the people in their lab and also stay in lab late into the night. Sometimes they do not even stay in the lab to work but just stay to talk and discuss things together. The atmosphere in the lab is really relaxed but also there is a sense of hard work and time constraints that does not let you get to relaxed. Basically work has been great and it will be sad when I have to say bye to the students I have been working with because they really have been helping me a lot!

Since our trip to Qingdao I have not really gone anywhere outside of Beijing. A couple people took a trip to Hong Kong and Shanghai but I unfortunately could not get off of work to go. During the week I have little time to do anything but go to dinner with the other people in the program. During the day we are all working and in the evenings we are all usually exhausted. I usually come home from work and meet up with a few people to go to the gym then grab some dinner. Occasionally we will watch a movie or just hang out in the courtyard. There is a lot more time to do things on the weekends. There is soo much to do in Beijing, once you learn how to use the subway you can go soo many places. The subway will take you almost anywhere and the getting there is not that bad at all. Last weekend a bunch of us took the subway to this area next to a body of water, we rented a boat out for an hour and just cruised around. It was late in the evening and the city was surrounded by bars and other areas with lots of lights, it was really fun. This weekend was a lot more laid back. Last night instead of going out a couple of us walked along Chung Fu Lu (the major road we live on) and just went shopping. However, this was not ordinary shopping it was shopping amongst the vendors. There are soo many great things and the best part is you can always barter-which took me a while to get comfortable with. It is still early today so we will see what the day holds in store for us!

Trip to Qingdao!

What can I say about Qingdao? The trip was definitely something worth doing while in China. Before going I envisioned a beach city that you would find in Florida or somewhere else in America, but it is nothing like that. There was so much to do in Qingdao but it was good that we made it a weekend trip because it would have gotten boring if we stayed longer. The train ride there was not bad at all; it was like 6 hours and we got soft seats so we were able to sleep or just rest but the train ride back was absolutely horrible. To save money we all bought hard seats, which was our first mistake but then we also took a slow train back so it took almost 10 hours to get back, which took forever. Everyone was absolutely miserable and tired especially because it was an overnight train. But other then the horrors of the train ride the trip was soo much fun. A big group of us went so it was almost impossible for us all to hang out together the whole time so we all broke up into groups for the whole trip, which worked out really well. After we arrived we all went to our hostiles to sleep because it was really late and we were all really exhausted. A few of us took a taxi to our hostile, which I must say was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. It started off with the driver totally ripping us off but we did not care because we were so tired and just wanted to get to the hostile. First we left the train station and went the opposite direction of the hostile, which we thought, was odd. We were freaked out, we all thought that our organs were about to be stolen then the driver stops in this shady alley, gets out of the cab and comes back 5 minutes later with a woman and food. He gets in and offers us to eat with him but when we refuse he starts having a conversation with the woman. After listening to them argue for 5 minutes he realizes that we really need to get somewhere so he finally takes us to the hostile. I was so happy to get out of that cab! I half expected the hostile to be dirty and uncomfortable but it was not bad at all. We stayed on the beach at a hostile called the Beach House and it was really nice. There were five of us in a room; the room was set up like a dorm only more spacious and a bathroom. On Saturday we spent all day on hiking around the mountain in Qingdao. We originally wanted to spend it on the beach but it was cloudy and the water was freezing so we decided to go hike around the mountain to find the waterfall. We spent 8 hours walking around the mountain looking at temples and searching for the waterfall, which we finally found around 7 hours into our excursion. Hiking up the mountain was definitely my favorite part of Qingdao. After that we were exhausted and worn out so we went and got dinner then rested. Later that night we went out to check out Qingdao nightlife. Qingdao is pretty enjoyable during the day but it does not compare at all to the nightlife in Beijing. The next day we slept in, and then we went to the Brewery. Apparently Qingdao is known for its beer, which I did not know going there. It was pretty cool to see the Brewery and walk around; a lot of the people in the group enjoyed it because during the tour you get to taste a few cups of different beer. After we wanted to kill some time because our train did not leave until 8 in the evening so we went and walked along the pier and the beach. It was a fun day and definitely a good way to end the trip. After we were so exhausted and sticky from the humidity that we just wanted to shower and sleep. Unfortunately we had to check out at 12 noon so we had no room-one of the best things about China is that everything is negotiable. A few of us negotiated a deal with the hostile, we wanted to shower and put on comfortable clothes for the train ride so we came up with deal to check out a room for an hour and pay 30 RMB (which is less than five American dollars) for it! Qingdao was a great city and is definitely worth visiting. Everything was enjoyable but I cannot help but relive that horrible experience on the train on my way back from Qingdao.
I did not sleep that whole night on the train and I had to be in lab at 9am, which was an hour after we got back from the train station. I was so tired that whole day in lab and when I finally fell asleep on my lab bench my grad student was really cool and told me I could go home and sleep. That Monday was the worst day ever. I have never stayed up for 24 hours straight but I never want to do that again! After sleeping all day and night I finally feel better. Today was like any other workday long and filled with experiments. Even though the week already started it feels like it is going to be a good week, now I just need all my experiments to work out right!

Condensed Week!

As things start to come along I have so little time to do other things. This idea of blogging everyday is really not going to well but I will make it work. These last couples of days have been crazy. I got out of work early on Tuesday which was good because later a few of us were able to go to Yoga class at the gym in the evening. The Yoga class was really nice, I am not going to lie it was really hard but it definitely tested my flexibility. After we came back we hung out outside in the courtyard (aka the meeting ground for all the people in this program). We are all very fond of buying watermelons and cutting them in the courtyard then inviting everyone to eat-great times in China. The next day was a lot crazier and did not allow for much free time. I was basically in the lab from 10am until 9pm doing work. It was a very long day filled with a lot, but I definitely enjoyed it because I learned a lot-especially stuff I can apply to the lab I work in at UM. At the time I was really tired and hungry because I did not get a chance to have lunch or dinner but later it definitely paid off to be in lab that long. After that long day I pretty much crashed, I was soo tired. The next day was better because I only had to go into lab for lab meeting, which sounds like an easy day but since lab meetings last four hours it still felt like a long day. The good thing about the day was that I got to meet some people from the group for lunch. We all usually only get to see each other in the evening after work for dinner, if we do not go to dinner with our lab, so it was nice taking a break in the middle of the day. To be totally honest I could not help but think about other things during lab meeting. This weekend about half of us planned a trip to Qingdao, which is where all the beaches are. Most of us could not get off of work Friday so we leave by train tonight around 5pm. Some of us got lucky and were able to leave Thursday evening so they get to spend some extra time enjoying the beach. All I know is that I am really excited and cannot wait until we go this weekend. Really the only ting we had to take care of before going was buying the train tickets there and back which cost 400 RMB and booking our room at the hostile. Four of us are staying together in a room at a hostile, which is right near the beach; I think you can now realize my level of excitement. I will save the details of our trip until after we actually go. Anyways the rest of the day turned out well. After lab meeting a few of us went running and then to the gym-great workout on a really hot day. Later we all went out, what else is there to do in China in the evening but to enjoy the nightlife? Well that’s all for now, I am so excited my three day weekend has arrived, next stop Qingdao!

First Free Weekend!

This weekend was the first weekend we did not have anything planned as a group and I must say it was still a blast! Even though today had to be the hottest day of the year it was really fun. A bunch of us went out last night so everyone wanted to sleep in, we got a late start and then went to a mall/ice skating rink. It was fun and definitely a way to use up all of our free time. The best part of the day had to be later in the evening. A few of us went out for dinner and instead of eating at one restaurant we basically hit up a bunch of places and tried all sorts of food, it was actually really good. Then we walked down Chung Fu Lu (a road filled with a bunch of shops and street vendors) and looked at all of the things on the street. It is really weird because you would not expect the locals to be buying things from the street vendors but that is how a lot of the people buy their items. We spent a lot of time looking at everything, if there is something you need you will have no trouble finding it-we even saw a guy selling puppies, rabbits, snakes, and chipmunks. My favorite vendors are the ones that sell books and music. They have a wagon filled with books, both in english and chinese, they have such a huge selection and the books are really cheap. You could get the whole Harry Potter series for under 10 American dollars, the best part is all of the books still have the wrapping on them from the manufacturer. Another great vendor are the ones that sell music. A bunch of us wanted typical Chinese pop music, so we bought two cds They were definitely worth the five dollars we spent on them. Whether you want to go to the club, bar, chill in a cafe, or hit up the street vendors the night life in Beijing is definitely something anyone who comes to China has to experience. There is so much to do and the best part is anything you choose to do is nothing short of an adventure. I guess my prediction of charging through the haze was right, there was definitely a shinning light through all the fog, I only had to go looking for it!

Official Boredom!

Today has to have been one of the most boring days I have had since I have arrived in China. The grad student I am working with had to travel for the weekend so she told me I did not need to come into lab today. Yesterday I thought it was a blessing because a day off of work is always good, but because everyone else is at work I really have nothing to do. Besides lunch, when we all got together, I have literally been doing nothing all day-as you can see from this post that is being put up in the middle of the day. In the morning it was really nice relaxing and sleeping in but after a bit it just got boring. Other then the that the weather has gotten a lot better, the sun finally decided to come out today and also a slight breeze which made excellent weather for running. Well I guess that is all my exciting and insightful news for today, maybe I will be more inspired later.

Amongst the Haze

Well looks like when you hope for something you better be prepared to take it as it comes! As much as I anticipated a little cloud coverage for the next few days I did not expect for it to be completely miserable outside! Before I came to China I knew a lot about the pollution problems and how bad the air quality was but I definitely did not expect to notice a big difference. Today is one of those days where you can actually feel how bad the air is and actually see it. What seems to look like fog is really a whole lot of air pollution. Also, the fact that it is 88% humid outside does not make matters any better-what can I say other than welcome to Beijing! Weather aside the day is pretty much a good one. Before leaving lab yesterday I was told I needed to brush up on knowing how to make a primer so I pretty much spent all of last night trying to teach that to myself, with, might I add had little success. I ended up sleeping an hour past when my alarm went off and my roommate had to wake me. I basically got ready in 15 minutes then ran to campus to find that of course, even though I was late I was still the first person in the lab-you really cannot help but love Chinese punctuality. Other than that the day was pretty much golden. We did not spend a lot of time in lab because we have lab meetings on Thursdays and those last a little over 3 hours so after people pretty much disperse. Since so many of the grad students in the lab have things they need to finish over the weekend I do not even have to come in to lab tomorrow which gives me a three day weekend. Not matter what country you are in the weekends always bring about a since of joy. I am definitely looking forward to relaxing and hanging out this weekend, it was well earned! As fun as it would be to have a little sun and a nice breeze there is still a lot to discover amongst the smog. Even though I cannot see to far where I am going amongst the smog, charge through the hazy area because at the end of every haze there’s a radiance of light; so what will I discover this weekend?

Great Life

Well now what more can I say, just another day in Beijing. Today like the past couple of days and what seems to be the next few days was pretty cloudy and humid. As much as I love those sunny days it definitely does not make me sad to see that the sun is hiding for a little while. Even though it is still really hot it is even hotter when the sun is out and I think I have had my fair share of sunlight and heat for a little bit. Other than the workday it is pretty much like it has been for the past two days. I am looking forward to tomorrow more so than today because tomorrow is our lab meeting and the grad students I am working with are presenting tomorrow so I will get more insight into the project and then be able to actually start “experimenting” on Friday. So far my thoughts about this are still positive, but then again I still am in my first week of research, I still have 9 weeks to be positive about. It does however, seem that everyone in the group has already developed a daily schedule because these past three days I have seen the same people walking to work and from work and around campus around the same time everyday. One of the things that was really on my mind a lot before research was whether I or not I would be able to see everyone in the program as much as I did before research started. We all get along really well and have a lot of fun; I thought after research started everyone would have their own schedule and we would not be able to get together. That really is not the case. A lot of us work in the same building or across the hall from one another and even if that is not enough in the evenings a bunch of us are always hanging out in the courtyard to see who wants to go to dinner or we just sit around talking and playing bad mitten. This really is turning out to be one of the best experiences I have had, I cannot help but anticipate waking up every day to experience Beijing all over again. As much fun as I am having here I still miss my family a whole lot. The truth is that this experience is filled with so much to do you really cannot help but discover more about yourself while here, thinking about your family just becomes something else to think about that puts a smile on your face. All I have to say is life is great; live, love, and laugh FOREVER!

College Food!

Today is a great day; at least that is what my optimistic self is telling me. Besides the fact that it is cloudy and rainy all day today is a good workday. It started off with me and my roommate sleeping in and not waking up to go run which of course would put a downer on anyone’s day but sleeping in was definitely the right thing to do. Luckily we slept in only a little so we were both on time to lab, actually I would have to say I was more than on time considering I was the first one in the lab! I basically sat at my desk reading some more scientific papers waiting for someone to show up. Apparently getting started early in the day is not a popular thing in China like it is back home, they spend most of their time working in the middle of the night, so I guess in a way that is understandable since they spend so much time not sleeping!
Later after everyone started showing up to the lab we went to a talk that a researcher from UCLA was giving on circadian rhythms and how they relate to aging. Even though it really did not relate to the research the lab was doing or the research I have done in the past it was really interesting and I definitely learned a lot about how important sleep is and finally understand why we experience jetlag and what exactly that entails. The talk pretty much went until lunch when a big storm hit and no one wanted to go out for lunch. It was literally nothing I have ever seen. It was 12 in the afternoon and it was completely dark out. I really think it was our best bet staying inside. Plus, I really did not mind skipping lunch because I still wanted to read up on the labs research so I could better understand everything. Now I feel a lot more comfortable talking about their research and asking questions because after yesterday I was so confused about what I was expected to do and know. After reading up on the literature and teaching myself the big scientific aspects relevant to my project I am a lot more comfortable and excited about the research and the lab I will be working in.
After the storm subsided we all went out to lunch to a noodle place on campus. One of the things that I really like about the university is the food system. Every one has meal card that has money on it. The program started us off with around 40 RMB and then after we refill the card as needed. Almost all of the food places on campus accept the food card. The best part are they do not even seem like they are cafeterias, at least foreign students would definitely not consider them to be “dorm food”. Each place has different food and they have smaller places on campus that offer specialty foods, like the one we went to today. Where we went for lunch was a rice noodle place. Some of the best Chinese food I have had in China has been from a university food place, it mind sound ridiculous and totally not true but I kid you not. They definitely give a whole new ring to the phrase “dorm food”! Although I do find it surprising that if you talk to a student here who has been eating the food for two years or more they will tell you that they are not to fond of the food and that it does get sickening to continue eating-funny because one of their favorite places to eat on campus happens to serve the food that Americans would call “typical dorm food”-I guess the phrase wanting what you can’t have holds true!

First Day

Today was my first day researching. As exciting as research can be today was not that exciting. I woke up around 7am just because I was so anxious to get to the lab but I basically spent an hour and a half lounging around my apartment because I didn’t have to be there until 9am. Luckily we have a 10 minute walk from our aparWhen I got there I was told to attend a microscope training class, which I do not believe proved effective because the whole class was in Chinese. It was however, and interesting experience especially the occasional stares I got from other students. Overall though it was an experience so I appreciate it. After that however, my day went by real slow. Before coming into lab my mentor had me read four papers on their current work and what I would be expected to do and know, however when I came into lab there was a whole new stack of papers waiting for me to read. I literally spent the whole day in lab reading papers. I realize that it is important to understand the literature behind the science before you dive right in but it really was a whole day of reading which really tired me out. But it was still a good workday because now I understand my project a lot more and now more about what I will be working with and I got a better feel for the people in the lab and their expectations. I have a feeling that this will definitely be a cool lab to work in; I’m excited!
Anyways the rest of my day went by pretty fast. After coming back to the apartment I rested from a long day of reading endless articles then rode my bike to the grocery store. A few of us were getting bored eating out everyday so we bought a few items to make in our apartments, I mean we do have a sweet kitchen mind as well use it. After that I pretty much chilled and did absolutely nothing for the rest of the night. I could not believe how unbelievably tired I was from reading all day. I am however, looking forward to tomorrow because I know that now that I know a lot more about the lab I will be able to do a lot more and actually start learning more about what I need to be doing. Now it is officially time to sleep, good night!

Weekend before Research!

This weekend was definitely an enjoyable one before getting started with research. On Saturday we went to the Temple of Heaven, which has to be one of the best places we have visited yet. I had so much fun at the Great Wall but this was definitely a whole new experience. Most of the people at the temple were natives basically hanging around each other, playing card games, singing and dancing. It was really cool listening to the different songs and watching the different dances. They were also very open and welcoming. As we were watching the dances they came up to us and wanted us to join them. They were really happy that we decided to join in and participate in the dance. Most of the places we have visited did not want visitors interacting with the activities that the natives were doing; the temple was definitely an exception. Most people go there to relax and enjoy the company of others. It was really interesting to see the way in which they all communicated with one another. Most of these people did not know each other, they only thing they knew was that they all shared the same nationality and yet they get together everyday to sing, dance and play card games with one another. It really makes you think about how peaceful and enjoyable life is meant to be and what a mess we make out of it with all the unnecessary stress. All of these people have jobs and families to worry about just like every one else but they make time to enjoy the beauties of nature and celebrate life, it truly is an eye-opening experience. Many people might not have the same reaction I had to the Temple of Heaven but it is definitely and experience I will never forget.
Sunday was a whole other story. There are a lot of differences between the United States and China but one thing both countries know how to do is how to enjoy a roller coaster. We went to Happy Valley, which was a long bus ride away but totally worth the time. The park was practically empty but we still had to wait a while in the lines for the big rides. It was a fun trip but nothing to unique to China, mostly things you could find and do in the United States but it was still a fun day. I would have to say that the best part of the day was definitely dinner. My favorite food is sushi but this place delivered it a whole new way. We sat at a table and there was a constant conveyor belt of sushi passing right next to our table. Instead of ordering you just picked up the plate you wanted, whenever you wanted it. It was the most interesting restaurant I have been to yet! The only bad part was that we all overate and felt so sick afterwards but it was definitely a sweet experience.

So Tired

One of the most important things that I recommend to anyone who wants to travel to Beijing or China for that matter is to bring comfortable shoes. When I was told that I would be doing a lot of walking in China I really did not think it would be as much as we have done. I walk a lot back home, especially in Ann Arbor on a college campus but here it is absolutely ridiculous the amount of walking we do. One day one of the students measured how much we walked on some sort of watch monitor and it showed we all walked around 11 miles in one day. As tired as I get from walking every day I will admit that by the end of the day no matter how relaxing and care free the day was I pretty much pass out on my bed and get a great nights rest.

Other then the ridiculous amount of walking we did today, my day was pretty much a vacation day. I went to language class in the morning and as insightful as it was I am glad that the language classes are finally over. After a couple of us went to the gym on campus. I did not realize there would be a lack of gyms in China. People here really do not consider working out a part of their daily routine. If you ask some of the students what they like to do in their spare time almost all of the them will say play ping pong. When we found a gym that was close to our apartments we were all so happy. It has all that we would need in a gym and the membership is really cheap. You can definitely tell that a lot of the Chinese students do not spend a lot of time there because every time I have gone I have seen most of the international students working out in the gym.

Later we all met up and went to the joint institute for lunch, which is our weekly meeting together. After we spent the rest of the day with our language teacher going to the zoo and dinner and later on a boat ride which a few of us skipped out on because we were so tired and wanted to get back. The zoo was pretty nice, nothing that you would expect to see in America. When people say that America is the fattest nation in the world they really are not just referring to the people but also animals. It sounds ridiculous but the animals here, even in the zoo all look like they are starving. I have never seen such a skinny elephant or panda. I have seen the pandas from China at the San Diego Zoo but they are big compared to the pandas here. The elephants are definitely not the best sight. Some of the elephants are full grown adults and yet they look like the baby elephants in America. The zoo looks well kept but I feel really bad for a lot of the animals. Don't get me wrong they are not living in horrible environments and being treated poorly they just do not get the treatment that animals in America do. You do not see zoo personnel walking around and monitoring the animals; the only animals that are really guarded are the pandas, go figure their main attraction. Nonetheless the zoo is definitely something that someone should check out if they come to Beijing.

Another great thing I got to experience today is the core and greatness of China's public transportation. Now that we have our subway and bus cards the program no longer rents a big bus for us to take around the city but instead we use public transportation to get around EVERYWHERE, and because there is so many of us using taxis' would get expensive. The busses here get so crammed you literally cannot breath. Everyone is literally on top of each other and the worst part is is that the temperature here is almost 100 degrees and there is absolutely no air circulation. As for the subway, during the day it is absolutely ridiculously packed and crazy like the bus system but it is very convenient. Having the basic image of what a subway station is like in American I thought China's was going to be soo much worse, I was surprised to see that it is actually a whole lot better and cleaner. The technology and the station is really nice and almost every stop I have been to the station is really well kept. As much as I pick on and complain about it I absolutely love this city, everything about it. Whether I am crammed on the bus or sweating to death on the subway without a seat for 10 stops I am loving every moment of this trip and am so happy to wake up every morning and discover something new I can either complain about or love. This really is one of the best experiences of my life and I cannot help but smile anywhere I am. If I can wake up every morning feeling as happy as I am here for the rest of my life even with the long lines, tired feet, being really hot, and feeling totally helpless in communicating with other people I would still do it forever!

And so it begins...

VACATION IS OFFICIALLY OVER! Today was the first non-vacation day I have had in a while. I really did not think that the vacation part of our trip would go by so fast, I only hope that the research aspect goes by just as fast. Anyways, after meeting everyone in the lab I have pretty much narrowed down my research topic and decided on who I hope to work with in the lab. I am really excited to get started especially since I have spent so much time not even thinking about anything academic it is about time I started-although I am pretty sure I will be regretting that statement in a couple of days. All in all my day was pretty much a "relaxed work day"; language class in the morning went by a little slowly and then I had lab meeting. I have been to many lab meetings back home in Michigan however, this lab meeting was one of the longest ones ever. Everyone's presentation was meant to take 5 minutes, which of course did not happen. The best part about the whole thing was that they all had to present in english because of the three american undergrads in lab, which I am sure they were not too happy about but they did pretty well. I could not imagine having to present information about my research in a another language; that really takes a lot of confidence they definitely get credit for that in my book.

Beginning Summer Experience

WOW. I think that is the only word that can be used to describe my experience thus far. It has been a crazy first two and half weeks. The first few days in Ann Arbor went by really slowly, mostly because we were all really anxious to get to China but it did help us to bond really well and now we have all become accustom to each other, I think it is fair to say we have become really comfortable with each other. Coming to China I was so worried about the language barrier and the fact that I am a vegetarian and would not be able to eat. The whole being a vegetarian fear in China was basically gone after are first day in China. There are really so many dishes for vegetarians it is some what ridiculous but for the most part it has been really great. The first week we were always together as a group that I really never had to worry about getting around on my own once I spent all that time in a group you start to learn and become more independent.
So far it has been great not having to worry about waking up and getting to the lab because it has pretty much been a vacation up until this point. The only things we have been really doing have been sightseeing and eating a lot of great food. Also, we cannot forget about the language and culture class we have every morning for the first two weeks. They start to feel like somewhat of a hassle to wake up for but they are really helpful. Coming from a background of knowing absolutely no Chinese, not even knowing what Ni Hao meant, I have really learned a few phrases that allow me feel a bit of confidence walking around the city alone.
Today was actually the first day we actually started really getting into the research aspect. I met with my mentor today and learned a lot about the projects that he has in his lab. There are so many projects I am still thinking about which ones I want to do. Well I think that is pretty much it for my first blog I just hope I am able to keep up with it every day or maybe every week.