China 2015

In August 2015, I traveled 7,000 miles to China to visit my friend. This was the first time I have traveled outside of the country (well, besides Canada) and I was SO excited to see what the world looked like from that view. From their culture, food and sights to see, I was very impressed with what China had to offer.

I stayed in Shanghai for two weeks and Hong Kong for four days. While I was in Shanghai, I visited the smaller cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou (two very interesting cities) for two days each. When I was in China, I did not know the Chinese language (Mandarin), so it was a bit difficult to navigate. But since my friend is from Shanghai, she taught me a couple "survival phrases" and how to order a meal. From knowing a bit of the language, it inspired me to learn the language on my own time outside of my studies. If I ever go back to China, hopefully I can communicate to the other citizens. In Hong Kong, people spoke both English and Cantonese; it was easy to communicate to the citizens there.

The food was beyond delicious! I tried xialongbao (Shanghai soup dumplings), fried dumplings, duck heart, chicken stomach, Suzhou Noodle Soup and more! The flavors of the food are indescribable, although I can say I've never had anything like it in America.

Throughout Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou, I visited many buddhist temples. To respect the temples, I could not and did not take any pictures, but the statues of the different Buddhas were a breathtaking sight. Some stood 30 feet tall with gorgeous intricate detail of every inch of the statue. I liked learning about the Buddhist religion since I did not know too much about it prior to my trip.

Hong Kong reminded me of San Francisco: many hills, big financial district, tall buildings, lots of high class malls, and the similar layout of the city. There was a lot to see in Hong Kong, such as the peak, Stanley (beaches), the downtown area, and the Big Buddha. I took a tram up to the peak, which is suppose to have an amazing view of the city, but unfortunately, the fog hopped on the tram too and took over the view.
The Big Buddha was the epitome of learning about the Buddhist religion. This was located on an island off of Hong Kong and the only way to get there was to take the cable "ski lift". And once I got to the island, there were like a million stairs to get to the great statue (ok maybe not a million, but there were A LOT of stairs). The climb was worth it and I had a great view of the surrounding mountains in the island.

Some Cultural Differences:

RULES OF THE ROAD: When people drive motorcycles, they use both the street and sidewalk. I had to be extra cautious to not get hit by the motorcycles. Many times, my friend had to pull me away to not get hit.

Also people rarely use their seatbelt, and I was questioned as to why I was wearing the seatbelt.

Their malls are 10x bigger than any American mall I've been to. Also, the subways are beneath multiple malls. So if you're shopping and its raining, you would never have to go outside.
McDonalds sold macaroons, red bean ice-cream, and looked fancy*

*Fancier than any American McDonalds

Fountain drinks are rarely served, and hot tea comes with every meal.
Their money has a different texture than US Dollars. Hong Kong's dollar is a thin sheet of printed plastic. They also have $1 coins and 10 cent coins. I keep a "Lucky" yuan coin with me wherever I go.
The trains are packed with people, I was shoulder to shoulder with the other passengers.
Mall food courts are the heart of where many of the upscale restaurants are.