Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Wǒ ài Shànghǎi

Shanghai.


We had the opportunity this weekend to attend the district conference for church, held in Shanghai. Because there's so few mormons in China, people from way up north (Beijing area), and some from way down south attended the conference in Shanghai, and it was still only the size of a normal ward back at home. It's amazing to see how dedicated people are to church here. 

We arrived Friday night after taking a K-train for 4 hours. We missed the metro by 5 minutes, and had to take a taxi because everything was closed! Our hostel wasn't awful. They gave us toast in the morning for 20 cents so that was nice. haha. 

Saturday morning the church organized a tour of Shanghai for us, and we spent all morning and afternoon wandering around Shanghai! 


The Shanghai Museum, in the center of the city.
This was just outside the museum- It is a center point for the 4 different highways that travel North, South, East, and West. It's like standing on the 4 Corners almost! 


This was an entire park filled with people showing ads... for their children. Parents come to this park on the weekends and literally advertise their children who are marriage-age. They have their age, occupation, income, job title, and some even come with a picture. If you find someone that you're "interested" in for your own child, you exchange numbers and set them up on a date. Can you imagine!? 



Nanjing Road felt just like home. It was like walking the Vegas Strip- just shops and shops and shops lining the road. Me and Ashley got so excited when we saw M&M world- we had to take a photo. We were back at home!!! 





YuYuan Garden






Saturday afternoon was a session of conference, and after was a YSA dance. Me, McKayla, and Jordy, being not so fond of dancing, bought tickets for the Shanghai Circus World. And oh my goodness. They advertise that "You miss this, you miss Shanghai!" and boy were they right. It was spectacular. It's a must see for anyone visiting China. 



After the circus we decided to go see the Bund again, because it was night time and it looks cooler! Except it was foggy out, so the pearl tower wasn't lit up... good thing we'll be going back to Shanghai! 


Sunday was another session of conference, and it was amazing. Especially the refreshments. Because we all know that's what we actually go for. Just kidding
After the conference me and McKayla rushed with our friends Maddie and Lindsay to the underground shopping mall, and got some killer deals. I bought two shirts, a Chinese dress, and a pair of Uggs for 40$USD. That's right. FORTY DOLLARS. I don't know how I'll ever be able to spend money in America again. 

I love this place, so incredibly much. I'm definitely a "city-girl".  I can't wait to go back soon!



Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Nanjing Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival was on March 5th! It is on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, marking the end of the holiday. Nanjing held a lantern festival downtown at the Confucious Temple, and so of course we had to go. We went and bought paper lanterns before we went so that we would be able to light them off... But... Well... That didn't go so well.
Ya see.... the paper lanterns... *picture Tangled*... (well at least that's what WE pictured)... YEAH. NO. China doesn't do that. 
Apparently that's only a Thailand thing. China just has a big carnival basically with lanterns hanging everywhere. It was still gorgeous! I mean you can never have enough pictures of Chinese lanterns, right? 




Well. Being our stubborn-american-selves... We just wouldn't accept that China didn't do the paper lanterns. and we had spent TWO WHOLE DOLLARS on paper lanterns. We weren't gonna let those babies go to waste. So we found a spot by the lake, (we decided to ignore the trees near us), and we lit our lanterns! A few girls got theirs off and we watched them go up. We attracted quite a crowd, everyone was fascinated and loved watching us, and we obviously weren't getting in trouble if everyone was watching, right? 



Well. My first lantern lit, andddd.... fell into the water. 
So yeah. That was just great.
Luckily I had bought two. So I lit my second one, and held it and waited, and waited... And then it got windy... and it was ready to be let go. It was pulling on my hands ready to go up. It was either let it go, or have it catch on fire again from the wind! So I let it go... 






Yeah. It flew into a bush. Almost caught a girl's hair on fire on it's way there.
Then the cops got called over and they told us "We don't do that in China" and they made us leave. They continued to follow us around the park for another 30 minutes or so. Obviously they didn't believe us when we said we wouldn't light them off anymore. I don't blame them I wouldn't believe us either. 

So apparently I just shouldn't be allowed to light lanterns.

So we left and just walked around and looked at lanterns the rest of the night!(: 






Thursday, March 19, 2015

13 Months

He...

helped Rosa and Lewuin get married 
Rosa got baptized
baptized Elvis
got transferred to Nagarote in Leon
Was made District Leader
Started training Elder Rosario
went to a Catholic Cathedral in Leon

I...

visited the Avatar Mountains (Zhangjiajie National Park)
fed wild monkeys
came home from our month long vacation
went to the Lantern Festival
was invited to my student's house for dinner
taught Chinese people how to roast marshmallows
visited Tianmen Mountain