Hello/Goodbye Beijing

The past 5 days have truly flown by. I don't know whether it was b/c the days were so jam packed or that this city has so much to offer. I wasn't expecting that much out of Beijing... but I got so much more than I ever expected. 

Today we went to so many places. We went to the Opera House which was built exactly a year ago to date. It was HUGEEE!! I wish so much that i could see a show there. We only get 30 mins there, I probably could have walked around for a good 2 extra hours. Secondly, and most importantly, the Birds Nest and the Water Cube. Even though it was such a tourist trap, it was very special being in those places in real life. You think about what happened in those buildings and the records that were set, and all that can be in the future. I wish i could become an Olympic athlete... maybe in my next life eh? The last attraction was the Summer Palace which was built by this insane Queen during the Ching dynasty. It was so funny/scary listening to some of the stories of obscenity that Chinese history contained. There was this one story where the guide showed us this huge rock in the garden. He told us not to take a picture of it (of course me, being stupid and impatient did it, but i erased it right after he told the story to us) because if you took it, it was a symbol that you would lose everything. This is exactly what happened during the Queen's reign where they literally used up all the money to move the damn rock from one side of the country into the Summer Palace. Millions of lives were killed, and countless money was poured into moving this rock because the royalty thought it was beautiful and rare, so they wanted to see it in their summer escape location. To top it off, this was a time where China was incredibly poor, and they used this money and exploited millions to fulfill their own selfish needs. It's really sad and disappointing to hear stories like this... but let's hope that the Chinese have learned from their mistakes. It's hopeful though, cause even in a developing country such as China, Beijing has benefitted so much from having all this exposure to the international stage. It's become so much less polluted and the tourism industry has taken off. I think it's given people the opportunity to get a taste of what Chinese culture is all about - including myself. 

I look yellow on the outside, but I am definitely not on the inside. I really enjoyed coming here with my parents b/c they know so much about Chinese history. It was interesting being in the places where things happened and having someone that experienced a lot of what it was explain it to you. It's even more special when it's your own parents explaining it. I think i'll remember this trip for the rest of my life... and I'm so glad that I was given this opportunity to come. Hopefully it won't be my last time :)