Jackie and I set off on our great Xi'an adventure and of course, always up for a new experience, decided to take the train...ahem...the 20 hour over-night train. If we only knew what was in store for us as we boarded our clunky red and grey train, we might have considered rethinking our decision. After waiting a while for the train people to try to open the rusty train car door, we all flooded into the train. I looked in amazement at what stood before me...a tiny compartment with two triple bunks, no doors and no privacy. There were other 66 people joining us for this 20 hour train ride. Jackie and I struggled to get up into our top bunk, which we had been told by people were referred to as the "coffin bunks". They couldn't have been more right!! We could not even sit up and could barely roll over!! Jackie and I just cracked up as we crawled into the tiny space onto sheets that had not been changed in quite some time....What a start to our adventure!! As we settled down to sleep, the lights were still on at 10 pm...hmm...and they were blasting some sort of Chinese rap music combined with a harpsichord. With all that and the many people chatting up a storm all around us and the AC blasting us from the ceiling, lets just say it was a very long night!! :)

As soon as we got off the train and dropped off our things at the hostel, we jumped right in, and headed to the Great Xi'an Ancient City Wall!! Jackie and I rode a tandem bicycle and had a great time and Tyler went the safe route and decided to ride a solo bike. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to bike around the city walls! It was a lot of fun!!

I went with the ladies from work (Alpine Pro) for a Starbucks date!! So much fun!!! Of course the perfect way to spend any hot, summer afternoon!!

We got Duck noodle soup and a side dish of webbed duck feet....mmmm!! And yes, I ate them, i felt bad that Kingna and Oo-Yan had ordered them especially for me...(gulp)....

My train ride back to Jiaxing was quite an adventure. When I purchased my tickets I had not realized that my ticket back was set for the 30th of June, and I was planning on going back the 1st of July. Me, being very oblivious to this fact attempted to board the train with an invalid ticket. When I went to the ticket check the machine kept rejecting it. I just gave a confused look to the lady checking tickets and she smiled and let me through. Once I boarded the train, I went and found my seat, only to be approached by and elderly lady showing me her seat number and I realized that I was in her seat. looked down at my ticket and it also said car 5 seat 03D and so did hers. I was so confused!! Then they pointed to the date on my ticket 2012.06.30. OOPS!!!! My heart sank!! Oh no!! My train was YESTERDAY!!! I gave the lady HER seat back and stood at the front of the train. A little while later somebody motioned for me to go sit in an empty seat in the car ahead of me. I thought "Ok, well i guess it is better than standing". So I went and sat down, in FIRST CLASS!! Yes, that is rights they gave me a first class seat. I was in heaven!! And very thankful that I even got on the train!! Once I arrived back in Jiaxing, I was a little nervous about the ticket check at the exit of the station. But once again, it was no problem, They just looked at me, smiled and let me through!! I love China!! Even when I make mistakes, like taking my train a day late, everything just comes together with a smile!!! I quickly boarded the last bus 97 bound for downtown Jiaxing and heaved a sigh of relief!! Almost home!!

Kathy, a very wonderful Apline Pro employee took me out to Yue He (Moon River) my favorite place in Jiaxing, for dinner. We met up after work and went to a little restaurant where she ordered two types of dumplings and some glass-noodle soup as well as squid (hmm). As we ate, we just got to know each other better and it was great because I learned a lot about Chinese culture and she got to practice her english. Afterwards we walked around Yue He and looked at the shops. It started raining, but it was still very beautiful with the lakes and all the lights and bridges around them. Kathy is very sweet and I really enjoyed getting to know her outside of work. It was great to just hang out with one of my friends at a cafe talking about life and watching the rain fall. 

Jackie came to Jiaxing to see me this weekend for the Dragon Boat Festival. It is a famous holiday especially in Jiaxing and Hongzhou due to the popular Dragon boat races on the lakes. Jiaxing is famous for this throughout China known for Wu Fang Zai, which is the company here that makes Tzung-Tse. It is a triangular shaped sticky-rice dumpling-like thing with either meat, veggies or fried egg in the middle. It is wrapped in banana leaves and tied with string. The link these little pyramids of rice have to the Dragon Boat festival goes way back to the Ming Dynasty where a famous political leader named Chu Yuan committed suicide out of loyalty to his country by jumping into a river. Men raced in boats to rescue him, but they failed. To honor him, the people of the village threw Tzung-tzi in the river so the fish would eat them instead of his body. This is how the dragon boats also came to be, in representing the men who raced in boats to rescue Chu Yuan. Now, it has been a tradition for 2,500 years. Wow, this country has such a fascinating history full of traditions!

So Jackie and I took the train down to Hongzhou and met up with our Holland Fellow friends from Fudan University John, Robert and his girlfriend Maggie. At the train station we were excited to reunite with them and from there we all took a taxi to the Hongzhou Xixi Wetlands where the festivities and Dragon Races were being held. As soon as we got there we were flocked by hundreds of people eager to see the great dragon boats with and to cheer on their teams. There were over 200 registered dragon boat teams from villages all over Hongzhou. As we approached the river, we could hear fireworks, cheering and the sound of many dragon boat drummers keeping their team in time with one another. It was a great sound and very exciting as we came in sight of the boats. They were all so energetic and passionate about winning. It was great to see and we even joined a group of people cheering for their boats. They gave us flags and we joined in the "Yi, Er, San, Si" (one, two, three, four) cheering for their dragon boat. 

To wrap up the day, we went to visit the famous West Lake of Hongzhou. It was absolutely beautiful. A tranquil lake surrounded by willow trees and giant flowers and lilly pads floating in the water. There were thousands of people there. It was a little bit crazy at first but never-the-less worth every second. As Jackie and I headed to the train station we boarded the bus and we were PACKED in there like tiny sardines. I NEVER imagined that so many people could fit into a bus. Even though people were standing blocking the bus doors, the bus driver still stopped and my mind was blown as we managed to squeeze EVEN MORE people on the bus. We didn't even have to hold on because we were so crammed that there wasn't even any where to fall!! After a looooooong 40 minute bus ride getting closer to strangers then I ever have before, we finally got off at the last stop which was the train station. Relieved not to have people's arms and legs all over us, we rushed to our train and boarded with time to spare. As we were whisked off on the bullet train towards good ol' Jiaxing, I closed my eyes and let the experiences of this fantastic day sink in. 

Emma and Joyce are two Alpine Pro employees that I have gotten to know during my time here. They are around my age and are super sweet and very welcoming. As I was getting to know them I asked them what girls our age do together here in China. Like in the US we will get coffee or go shopping, I figured that it would be pretty much the same here. Well the answer was yes the girls here do hang out and talk just like the girls in the US but instead of going to coffee shops to catch up on all the latest gossip, they go to tea houses. I asked them what exactly that was. Basically, you pay for some tea and then fill your belly on a scrumptious buffet of fruits, and delicious chinese dishes and finger food while catching up with the girls. I had never heard of such a glorious thing and they could tell by the curiosity in my eyes that I wanted to see this for myself. So when they invited me to join them on Thursday night for a Tea Party I was thrilled.
When we walked into the tea house, I was taken aback at the beautiful oriental scene before me. Evertyhing about it was truly Chinese from the couches, decorations, vases, to the beautiful instrumental Chinse music in the background. You only see places like this in movies!! I think I  was the first westerner ever to go in there because as I walked in, the waitresses were all gathering to look at me and flooding Joyce and Emma with questions.

Once we ordered our tea, we went to the food platters and loaded up our plates. When I came back to the table I was surprised to see that the staff had brought several other dishes to our table. As I sipped on my Lotus Blossom tea, I began to try the food on the table. There were so many new flavors and foods that I never knew existed!! Some things I will never know what they were and some Emma tried to explain to me in english. It was absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed every minute and savored every flavor....that is...except one...the CHICKEN FEET. Yes as they brought that to our table and I was filled with dread as I faced these little feet that looked an awful lot like baby fingers... Emma and Joyce were very excited to eat these tasty morsels (they are a delicacy here and considered very delicious). I however, thought otherwise. Now, I can eat spiders and scorpions, but things that resemble and feel like fingers, just get me. I looked at the Chicken feet in front of me and glanced up at Emma and Joyce. They were watching me eagerly and urging me to try them. I didn't want to disappoint these girls, so I put the chicken foot in my mouth. The girls smiled! "You will love it Rachel, they are VERY delicious." As I tried to hide my disgust I began to chew on the foot. However, as soon as I felt the Chicken's toe nail and the rubbery skin, I knew I was "deFEETed". I forced myself to swallow it and looked at the girls, "I really can't do it.....I'm sorry." They understood and thought it was funny and were pleased that I had a least tried this brave "feat".

Today at my internship I had the privilege of talking with one of the Alpine Pro employees named Jenny. She is the head merchandiser here and probably one of the wisest people I know. I sat down with her for an english lesson, to which, I ended up gaining way more than I had expected.
Jenny is very smart and he english is fantastic. She knows the in's and out's of the business and knows the ways to be succesful. According to her, the best way to besucessful is to 1. have knowledge and 2. put it into practice. You must challenge yourself to know every angle of the business you are in. In Jenny's case as a merchandiser "Know how to do every single stitch." Even though she does not physically make the Alpine Pro sports wear, she can look at a garment and know what stitching was done, the quality of the materials, what is a good price and what kind of person will purchase it. 

Advice that she gave me was that successful people 1. Have a very large heart. They are willing to bend down and understand the people they work with. They are willing to put aside their own needs and look out for others. 2. experience. In Jenny's words "You must have experience. Or else how can you know what you are doing, let alone what others you work with are doing?  Each corner of a task looks a different and takes a different approach. It takes everybody working together as a team to communicate their ideas, expertise and skills to make a company work." Wow! Jenny completely blew my mind. I was so impressed and learned from her in one hour more than I could days elsewhere. 

The other thing that amazed me was that as we spoke, the cultural difference were cast aside, the differences in age, background and even personalities. That is the beauty of working with other people who are different from you when you can really reach the core of a relationship when you can talk one to one with with nothing holding you back.
This experience is one that I hope to have similar ones during my stay in China. It is definitely something that I will bring back with me to the US. Sometimes I had found that people who have the same culture, values, backgrounds, age and personalities in common, still can't even reach this level of relational conection that I have found in China.

It seems only fair for me to dedicate an entire blog to coffee, as it has been my constant companion these weeks in China. Yes, it is a good thing that coffee isn't addicting or else I probably would addicted to it! But thankfully I am not, for me, its more of a hobby. The Chinese people find it amusing how much coffee I drink in a given day. To them coffee is not AS much of a daily routine, or even weekly. I try to explain why I love places like Starbucks and why "yes this is my fourth cup today" and "yes I can still sleep at night". My co-workers think it is amusing when they come in  to my office for an english lesson or to discuss something with me and, always, without fail, I have an Alpine Pro mug filled with hot coffee in hand.
I will admit, instant coffee is not my favorite, nor had I ever drank it before coming to China, but when a coffee maker and a bakery that sells brewed coffee is hard to come by, "Caffeine Survival Mode" sets in.

So this weekend I travelled up to Shanghai to visit Jackie, my great friend who also did the Holland Fellows program with me. It was quite an adventure to get there...took a taxi to the bus station, a bus to the train station, a train to the metro station and a metro to another metro which led to the metro station which led me to Shanghai and of course JAckie!. Finding your way around China is a fun task but takes a lot of attention and planning. The Chinese people were very wonderful and helped me if i had any problems, which was NEVER the case ;)

Jackie and I went to the Oriental Pearl Tower, which is a great land mark in Shanghai's skyline. The neat thing about this building is that it has three "pearls" that you can go up inside. My favorite one was the one made of glass...yep you guessed it...glass!! the floor and everything! It was strange at first going out and walking on what felt like meters of air!! 

After spending a considerable a=mount of time in Peoples square, wandering around the "match-making market" we eventually tabbed dinner at a restaurant just nearby the metro station. Lesson #1 always order something that has a picture next to it...that way you at least have an idea before-hand of what you are ordering. 

HIGHLIGHT: We met up with Aaron, a HF alumni, and our Holland Fellows partners from  Fudan University, It was great to see them and reunite. I am hoping to see some of them down in JiaXing for the DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL!! It should be fantastic!!!!! Then go to their Fudan graduation on June 30!!