Crazy China.

I’ve been kinda MIA since I arrived in China due to the internet restrictions, but I wanted to share a little of what I’ve been up to.

I went on a trip to see the Giant Buddha at Leshan. It is 71 meters tall and absolutely incredible!

I visited JiuZhaiGou National Park, which was INCREDIBLE. I will be writing a whole post about this place because it’s truly amazing, here’s a sneak peak…

I have also been exploring the area around where I’m living, it’s a really interesting part of Chengdu. It is located near a university dedicated to different ethnic groups so there is a lovely diverse feel to the area. Below is Wuhou temple and Jinli Street.

Also, I got the opportunity to visit one of the projects that the NGO I’m interning for is working on. We visited a remote village and got to see their work in action.

And finally, I went to watch the Sichuan Opera. It turned out to be more of a cabaret show which was kinda difficult to follow because of the language barrier. But the actual opera parts were seriously awesome.

I can’t even begin to describe how interesting, crazy and weird China is. I think it is something you have to experience for yourself to truly understand.

I have experienced every season in the past 5 weeks (all four in ONE day at Jiuzhaigou…including snow)! I’ve been continuously stared at and had pictures taken of me. Constantly been stuck in human traffic. Had wonderful days. Been lost in translation too many times. Had days when you can’t breathe because of air pollution. Learned a lot at my internship. Met some cool people.

China is one massive contradiction and that’s what makes it so exciting!

xo Gem