Bye-Bye Beijing!

Hey!

So yesterday we went to the Botanical Gardens and Fragrant Hill, and I think we were all glad that the tour guide decided to set us loose rather than drag us around as a group this time. It was our last tour, and all of our feet are tired. At the Botanical Gardens we spent most of our time trying to recreate the Olympic statues, which mostly ended with Tim landing squarely on his back and Kelcy getting clocked right above his eye. If you'd like to see some comedic pictures, I believe it was Kelcy's camera I was using to take these pictures, so you can see them when he uploads his. Tim and I have also been trading back and forth taking pictures together and of each other to make sure we end up with plenty of pictures of ourselves, so you should all check out his gallery also!

Speaking of...I'm in the process right now of uploading my pictures! You can find them at http://photos.oc.edu under International Programs>PacRim Fall 2008>Amy Butler. Hopefully I can get them all up. I'm at an Internet cafe right now with high speed Internet, it's just an issue of uploading ALL my pictures... I have SO many!

Today is our free day with no tour, so after class our sponsors threw a birthday party for everyone with birthdays in June-September. We had some amazing cake, and then were free to do our last things before leaving for Xi'an tomorrow. Some people headed back to the Silk Market, some went to the Post Office, some are here with me.

I have really enjoyed my time here in Beijing, and I'm amazed at how much we've already done! It's funny because a few of us were talking to our sponsor, Ryan, about how it almost feels like we're heading home now. Most vacations or trips out of the country would definitely be wrapping up about this time, and we are all in the process of packing back up after spreading our stuff all over our dorm rooms. But home is not in the cards for us yet. We've only just started, and it's so exciting!

In Xi'an we will be staying for one night with a family (in groups or individually - we'll find out when we get there) and the rest of the time in a hostel. These will both be very new experiences for all of us, and I sure hope my two words in Chinese pay off. Haha!!

I think the one thing that I have been most impressed with is the openness of the Chinese. For example, at English corner, we could walk up to anyone and they were so open to talking to us about anything! In America, I can't imagine anyone doing that without wondering about your underlying motive, and especially they would walk away if you even mentioned religion as your motive. That night will stand out to me the most on this trip. Free English lessons...who would have thought that you could use just your native language as a tool to spread the gospel?

This trip is definitely shaping my view of the world as a whole and of the Chinese culture. I'm wondering how it will affect my goals and plans for the future, but I still have a ways ahead of me on this trip before I'll be figuring that out.

Thanks again to EVERYONE that has supported me financially, with words of encouragement, and through prayer. I'm not sure how much access I'll have to a computer in Xi'an, but I'll post again as soon as I can! I love and miss you all!

Amy