Joel's Trip to China

Do you ever get stressed when there is a crazy driver or when you are driving in California and cutting across 4 lanes of traffic?  Well, if that stresses you out, then never drive in China.  Some of the intersections like the one in this picture are chaotic with e-bikes and cars changing lanes and going the wrong way in the intersection.  When you think of China, you think of constant honking.  Well, there is actually some reason to their honking.  The most common reason they honk is because people don't look behind them often, so someone hons because you will hit them otherwise.  Even though honking is illegal, it is still super common and the law isn't really enforced. In the United States, when a road is going to be closed for road work, you know plenty in advanced and there are lots of signs before you get to that point.  In China, they just put up barriers when they are ready.  So sometimes there has to be quick lane changes Now to pub...

Yesterday we went to a garden.  There was lots of green vegetation and old people.  The old people think that being out in a garden area will keep them healthy and give them good luck.

Last night we went on a walk to a square area.  They had a water fountain with lights that went to whatever music was playing on the speaker.

This minion is actually made of bread. We went on an old chinese road that had shops on the side.

I just got home from the school. I took the English test.  It was hard, for even me.  I was surprised with some of the content in the test.  Also some of the words they used in the test aren't used anymore in a normal conversation.  I took the test by myself in this classroom.  For the first part there were some photographers taking my picture while I was taking the test, then I was left alone to finish it.  Here is a picture of a typical classroom.  There is normally 40 people in each class.  This high school has about 2,000 people that attend it.  I also met the principal.  The meeting was interesting because it was basically a photo op for a bunch of photographers.  It reminded me of when people meet the president.

We went to the countryside outside of Yangzhou today to visit family.  The drive included an adventure with road construction.  There wasn't a detour, we just had to find our way through.  The family makes and sells these instruments.

Here is to all of you stuffed animal lovers!!!!  Today we went to the wholesale factory.  Yangzhou sells over 30% of the stuffed animals to US.  Let's just say in America we are getting ripped off on the price of them.

We went to a supposed California steak restaurant today.  Let's just say it wasn't the best steak by a long shot.  But it was still better than nothing.  The family thinks that I am way to skinny so they are stuffing me.  I have eaten so much food today it is crazy.  We also went to the supermarket and got some food for me to try.  I got to ride on an E-bike to the mall.  This attached photo is the first sign that I have seen where something went wrong in the translation.

Today we went to the sports center. This was basically a really big park. We walked around for a hour or so. There was a lot of people there. This place was also a lot of fun. I got ice cream for way cheaper than in America.  They have milk all the way from Germany

After a 12 hour flight I am finally in China. We then drove 5 hours to their house. There was like no one on the roads but it was a great experience. I get to sleep in for as long as I want.  The drive was really crazy because the Chinese follow some rules that are in America very strictly, such as using a turn signal. Also when they pass a car or truck they either flash their lights or use their horn. So the trip was very crazy to see how they drive. Once we got into Yangzhou the driving was even more crazy because they had tons of motorcycles around and they just go whenever they want. Also the streets are super confusing because the lights make no since and roads aren’t at a 90° angle. But overall I am having fun. I also leaned that the Chinese like their toll stations I think it cost about $60 in American money just in tolls to get to their house.  This is the view from my bedroom

I am leaving for China on the 22 of June. I will be staying for 4 weeks. I have been taking Chinese at Mountain View High School and have developed a large interest in the Chinese culture. I will be flying into Shanghai. I will be staying with the family for the entire time and all I will have to pay for is things that I want. Then after the 4 weeks WenJie (Chinese student) will come back to America with me for 4 weeks.