San Francisco, Calif. — I returned from China just over a month ago and looking back I realize how important that trip was as a way of closing my UCI experience with something memorable and significant. This summer was full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I graduated from UCI, went to China as an Ambassador for Peace, moved to San Francisco, and began graduate school at San Francisco State University in Ethnic Studies.

I try to look at my experiences in life to see how they have changed me as a person. Going on a trip to China is something I never thought I would do, and now there are so many more things I want to pursue that I wouldn’t ever have dreamed of before. Honestly, I would go to China again next summer if I could. I want to take all my friends and family and let them experience the exhilaration of what it is like to be half a world away from home. There were so many awkward moments, unexpected cultural misunderstandings, moments full of laughter and even a few tears – it isn’t something you can experience unless you take a risk and do something out of your element.

Everyone asked me, “Why would you go to China?” And my answer was always the same, “Exactly. I wouldn’t ever think to go to China. That’s why I’m going.” The unattainable and unthinkable dreams are always the ones you ought to go for. Where’s the fun otherwise? I want to truly thank the Legends of China program for letting me be part of something so historical, for allowing me the privilege of experiencing some of the best things China has to offer, and bring a few important life lessons back with me to share with others.

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Shanghai, China — I am exhausted after a week of nonstop 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. days! Today the bus took us to another small town, Hangzhou, which is famous for its green tea. We went on a little boat ride around the West Lake in Hangzhou, but unfortunately it was so overcast we mainly just saw the water and the nearby boats. Nonetheless, it was lovely. There were so many lotus blossoms in the water and everything was so colorful.

After our tour, we went to a tea village that grows and dries the best green tea in China. After a little demonstration by Dr. Tea, bus B-2’s riders once again spent a great deal of money on this Chinese specialty. I learned that jasmine tea and anything in a tea bag are shunned by real tea drinkers because they are very low quality tea. It was a fun demonstration and Dr. Tea really did an amazing job; at the end he said, “So do you think I could sell refrigerators to Eskimos?” It’s great how humor transcends cultures and language barriers.

From the tea village, we headed back to the bus for the three-hour trip back to Shanghai, which is our final destination. Our tour guide, Tony, took us around the city at nighttime and as we came around one corner, he told us that we were approaching something that every person from Shanghai is proud of and would take our breath away: the Shanghai Bund. By this point, I thought I had really seen everything and, honestly, I was pretty wowed-out. But, Tony was right. We turned the corner and saw this enormous lake surrounded by buildings that were lit up in amazing colors. It looked like New York’s Times Square or the Las Vegas Strip built around a huge lake. It was phenomenal. That night in Shanghai, most of us went out to celebrate and enjoy the nightlife of this fantastic city. The activities included clubs, bars, restaurants and even massage parlors open until 3 a.m. It was a great way to close off the trip. The tea and the bund really sealed the deal.

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Hangzhou, China — Today we toured around Suzhou and even the rain couldn’t take away from the beauty of Tiger Hill, where legend has it that a white tiger appeared to guard the hill following the burial of King Helu in 496 B.C. One of the most unique parts of this historical site is the Yunyan Temple Pagoda, which is seven stories high and leans slightly. Most people don’t know that this pagoda actually is older and taller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

From Tiger Hill, we headed to a silk factory to learn more about this trade – one of many trades in which China’s skill surpasses others in the world. Step by step, we explored the process of making silk, from boiling the silk worm cocoons to stretching the material into blankets and other products. It was amazing, and those of us riding bus B-2 spent countless dollars on merchandise.

Next we headed to the Lingering Garden, which is now my second favorite site in China (still nothing can surpass the Great Wall). The garden was full of beautiful plants and it had a spectacular pond full of Koi fish. I have to admit I was tired today, and I was suffering from a bit of sensory overload. It would have been nice to put China on pause, jump back to California and just take a deep breath and go back. This experience has been so amazing, but there have been some moments when I have realized how far away I am from everything I have ever known. That is something that immigrants, exiles and refugees all over the world feel every day but those of us with privilege only experience when we choose to do so. I look forward to more uncomfortable moments in the next few days. After all, those are the most real of all the experiences.

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Shanghai, China — Today we left Beijing to head south to the city of Shanghai. We arrived as a group at the Shanghai Rainbow Airport and were greeted by our new B-2 Tour Guide, Tony. We boarded the bus and headed for the small village of ZhouZhang, a town built entirely on canals, resembling Venice. There were even gondolas floating down the canal, but instead of men with red and white striped shirts, they were being guided by older women singing high-pitched Chinese songs at the top of their lungs. The population of Shanghai is around 20 million, and for the first time since we arrived in China, I felt how overpopulated it is here. We walked through the small alleys of ZhouZhang where people were shoulder to shoulder. The town is small and has become a tourist attraction but the heat – and especially the humidity – were at a record high today and the close proximity to other people made it very intense.

Shanghai is very different than Beijing. So far I have seen many suburban areas that could very well blend into any large city in Europe or even the United States. This evening we had dinner with Chinese university students, and it was very interesting to hear their perspectives on China as well as their perceptions about life in the United States. The best part of the day though was staying in a beautiful, brand new five-star hotel that had its own dance club. We dropped by the club and discovered that its dance floor was built on springs so it bounced as the people danced. The hotel was beautiful, even though the rooms were wet from the moisture inside. It was a nice place to rest after yet another long, action-packed day.

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Beijing — There is too much to say about today. This has by far been the best day of the trip and a monumental day in my life. Today we went to the Great Wall of China. I didn’t know what to expect because when it comes to the Wonders of the World, it is difficult to know how you will be impacted by the experience. I have visited the Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon, so I waited with great anticipation, expecting to have my breath taken away. After a visit to a jade factory we headed out of town toward the Great Wall, on the sunniest, most beautiful day of the entire trip, with a wonderful breeze and hardly any humidity. When we arrived at the Great Wall, my jaw dropped and I just started laughing. Laughing with amazement and shock as to the enormous staircase built into the side of a mountain range that I was about to climb. Needless to say, it was quite a difficult task, but I climbed all the way to the highest tower of the region in a little under two hours, and even though our group was half an hour late back to the bus (we underestimated the time it would take to go back down!) when we were all at the top together it didn’t even matter. The view was breathtaking and I could feel the history beneath my feet. It wasn’t even 1 p.m. but the day could have ended here and it would have been the best day of the entire trip.

We headed back to the hotel, everyone was given five minutes to change and we were hurried off to the Silk Road to the Future Ceremony, the first time that all of the Legends of China Peace Ambassadors, as well as the participants from China, were together. It was a fabulous ceremony, full of performances and speeches bridging East and West to show the unity we are trying to create with this type of cultural exchange. It was a great experience.

Today was my last day in Beijing and I am really looking forward to experiencing some of the other unique places China has to offer. The rest of the trip will be full of smaller cities and towns further south. So for now, I bid farewell to Beijing. Maybe I’ll come back in 2008 for the Olympics … if I can bear the humidity, that is!

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Beijing — Today was full of historical sightseeing and we were in full-fledged tourist mode. We began by walking around Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world, large enough to hold over one million people. The heat was pulsing through my black hat and I began to understand why all the people around me were carrying umbrellas on this rainless day. It was interesting to see Tiananmen Square and hear our tour guide talk about the history of this vast space, without ever mentioning anything about the huge protest and massacre that happened here in 1989. I suppose that controversy never went away and it is better not to talk about such things on a guided tour. I went home though and did a bit more research on the event and found out that most of the information written about the government’s attacks on the protesting students is unclear and no agreement has been found as to what actually happened during those summer months.

We pressed onward, though, to the Forbidden City, the former home of the Chinese Emperors from the late 1300s until the last emperor was forced out in 1924. Legend says that the Forbidden City has 9,999 ½ rooms, just ½ room less than the believed kingdom of heaven, because the Emperor must be slightly lower than the Gods, but the actual number of rooms is somewhere around 8,000. The most interesting thing is that an enormous portrait of Mao Zedong hangs over the entrance to the Palace of the ancient Chinese Emperors. The evening ended with more bartering for goods and exploring a bit of the nightlife in China … another day well spent here in Beijing.

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Beijing, China — Another lovely, muggy day in Beijing. The first stop of the day was at the Temple of Heaven, which is by far one of my favorite places so far, even though it was incredibly hot and humid. Our tour guide mentioned that most retired senior citizens go to the park outside of the temple and sit around all day with each other doing tai ji, playing music, cards, board games and singing and then they all go back home. It made me wonder what the lives of the elderly are like in China versus in the United States, where it seems like if an older person isn’t living with their adult son or daughter, they live alone or in a senior home and have many lonely and desolate days. It’s nice that these retired men and women have somewhere fun to go on a daily basis and see one another. It was also interesting to see something that goes on in the real lives of Chinese men and women as opposed to so many tourist locations full of other foreign visitors.

After the temple, I went to the Silk Market, which is a huge building where they sell knock-offs of every famous brand on earth. There are 6 or 7 floors full of fake Adidas, Puma, Fendi, Armani, Sony and every other brand, and each vendor was ready to barter for the best price. This was the basic script:

ME: How much is this backpack?
VENDOR: I’ll give the best price just for you. Just for you, the best price of the whole day, 800 [or about $100 U.S.].
ME: What! That is ridiculous. I’ll give you 50 yuan [which is approximately $6 U.S.].
VENDOR: No way! You are breaking my heart!
ME: OK. Forget it. (walking away)
VENDOR: No, wait, come back my friend! Give me your best price! (Grabbing me forcefully and pulling me back to their area)

Basically after about 15-20 minutes, I bought a backpack for 90 yuan, or about $10 U.S. and she originally wanted to sell it for $100 U.S. And that is the Silk Market. We bargained for purses, shoes, suitcases and clothes over and over until we just couldn’t take it anymore, and then we headed for the acrobat show.

The show was phenomenal; the Chinese are known for their acrobatics for a reason. These young men, women and children were so phenomenal, and I can’t believe they do that rigorous show over and over every night. It was another long day in Beijing, but so fantastic. I can’t help but smile through the stickiness and the hot air I keep breathing in; Beijing is breathtaking anyway.

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Beijing, China — After our first night sleeping in Beijing, we had a nice breakfast with an array of Chinese and American options and then boarded the bus to head for the Summer Palace. It was hot, muggy, and it began raining as well. Despite soggy pants and muddy shoes, I found the Summer Palace was quite spectacular. The palace used to belong to the royal family, and they would spend part of the year there. The man-made lake at the palace has a portion that extends all the way to the Forbidden City, which was the home of the Emperor of China many years ago. Something interesting about the Summer Palace is that the Empress Dowager, infamously known as the “Dragon Lady,” was very extravagant and when she was given money to form a strong Navy for China, she used it to redecorate the Summer Palace and build a ship built entirely out of white marble. The ship doesn’t move of course, but it is the most beautiful misuse of marble and money. We were also told that the empress would have meals prepared for her that were around 125 courses. Of course, not all of them were for eating: one whole area was designated for visually stimulating food, one area was for appreciation of smell, and just a few dishes were prepared for her to actually eat.

After the Summer Palace, we had another extravagant lunch and headed for Qin Ghua University, one of the two most famous universities in China, the equivalent of Yale or Harvard. It was such a beautiful campus that I don’t know how anyone would ever make it to class. We walked past lakes covered in flowers and full of fish, heavily forested areas, and so many different types of natural scenery that I forgot we were even on a college campus. Then we came around one corner and ran into buildings that matched those on the UC Irvine campus. The contrast was quite humorous; it was an actual fusion of East and West.

We have a few Chinese university student volunteers on the bus with us and they are just great. They help bring things into perspective because they are so similar to us in so many ways, but our life experiences are so contrasting. Their chosen American names are Claire, Thor, Flora and Zero. I asked most of them how they decided on what name they would use, and the reasons were logical, usually because it sounded similar to their Chinese name, had the same meaning, or represented something they felt would help them express their personality. Talking to the Chinese students is by far the best part of this experience.

On the way home, we stopped by the construction site of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Village and took a few pictures. There is so much Olympic pride in Beijing it is really amazing. To end, I just want to mention that being out of my element here in China is helping me develop even more of an appreciation for the way all recent immigrants must feel when they first come to the United States. I’ve already dealt with the language barrier, the common misunderstandings, and the different cultural norms that I’m not familiar with and I know I must be failing by their standards. But they are so patient and kind, and I feel welcome in their homeland.

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Beijing, China — I have never been more nervous about a trip for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t so much about the flight or the distance or whether or not it would be fun, but I know so little about Chinese culture and China in general that I didn’t know what to expect. After leaving LAX at 1:40 a.m. on Sunday, July 16, it was a fairly agonizing 12-hour flight to Beijing. My mind was too busy and the seat was too uncomfortable for any real sleep, so I just walked around the airplane to stretch my legs and laugh at the many awkward sleeping positions of the other passengers. We arrived in Beijing at 5 a.m. today and the moment we stepped off the plane, I could feel the air get warmer and thicker. As we walked through the nearly empty airport, I thought about how many amazing people and places I would see. Now, at the end of day one, I can’t believe how much I’ve already experienced. Today we had three amazing Chinese meals, all prepared and presented in the finest style, with a little Western flair to help us feel more at home.

After eating, we were taken to the Desheng Gate, one of the original gates that enclosed the city of Beijing. There was a small girl there who just captured the hearts of our group. Her parents were merchants, and she was searching desperately for a playmate. Many of us took turns pulling her around in the Budweiser box she was sitting in. Her smile was infectious. The history here is so different than ours in the United States because the history of China is so ancient compared to our young nation. So far, every moment has been enlightening, and the Legends of China staff members are unbelievable. They greeted us with roses at the airport, and have just shown us so much hospitality and kindness. I can’t wait to see what the next few days bring … but for now I need to catch up on sleep!

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Irvine, Calif. — I am a recent graduate of UCI in the School of Social Sciences. In my four years at UCI, I have taken many risks and embraced new experiences as often as possible. I took a few chances and ended up with some of the best learning experiences and fondest memories all over the UCI campus. I was highly involved at the Cross-Cultural Center, as well as in housing and the campus tour guide program. My time at UCI is now coming to a close and will end in the greatest style as an Ambassador for Peace on the Legends of China program.

This time last year I was preparing to leave for two months in Europe, as a participant of the Education Abroad Program at Cambridge University in England. Europe, and particularly the United Kingdom, was such a “safe” place to visit because it was very easy to find English speakers and many things that reminded me of home and the American cultural norms. In Western Europe, it is possible to eat at Subway or Pizza Hut every day, drink Aquafina and Red Bull, and hardly worry about a language barrier or a cultural misunderstanding. Studying abroad in England was one of the most amazing experiences and I was able to travel to Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, France and the Czech Republic all within the summer.

Although I would consider myself to be well-traveled, I am truly looking forward to traveling to China because it will be unlike anywhere else I have been fortunate enough to visit. I have been to Iran and India, as well as all over Western Europe, but China excites me because of how culturally distant it seems from anything else I have experienced. I will be in China for ten days, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, ZhouZhuang, Suzhou and Hangzhou, along with many other students, staff and families from UCI and the other University of California campuses. The most exciting part about the whole trip is that I know people who will be on the trip, and it will be amazing to experience something like this with friends and colleagues. I don’t know when in my life I will have another chance to visit China and see the culture and beauty, as well as the hardship and poverty, of this country with over a billion residents.

I am nervous and excited about what I will see and what images I will be able to capture and add to my collection of worldwide photographs. This trip to China truly does mark the end of my time at UCI though; upon returning from the trip, I will be promptly moving to San Francisco to continue my education at San Francisco State University in the graduate program in Ethnic Studies. I know that there will be awkward moments – moments that will challenge me culturally, morally and spiritually, and moments in which I will be overcome with joy as well as moments of sadness, but I will savor each moment for its uniqueness. Sixteen days until departure…

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