An Update

I really should be sleeping because its past midnight and the beginning of a really busy next 2 weeks… but… I keep thinking in the back of my mind how much I need to blog. I haven’t written in seemingly forever, so I thought I would just check in and say hi.

These last few weeks have been filled with really busy but really fun days. We had a day off to go rafting as a group, which was cancelled due to pouring rain. Instead, we spent the day together as an intern group having a big American breakfast, going bowling, making pottery and going out to dinner. Another highlight was getting a massage and Chinese Ba Guan, which is the traditional cupping practice. The masseuse takes a glass cup, puts a flame inside for a second and then presses it on your back so that it suctions and pulls your skin up inside your back. Historically, it was used to pull all of the toxins out of your body, and the darker the marks are that are left, the more sick you are in that area. It was definitely an interesting sensation, and my back looks like it has light pink/purple polka dots. And, one other very fun night was going to the TV tower that overlooks Shenyang. The tower has awesome views of the city and a rotating restaurant. We sat and ate (mediocre) Chinese food while making a full rotation in the tower and seeing different parts of this massive city we have spent the last six months living in.

Today marked the beginning of our replacements arriving. Until Sunday, the new bunch of interns are will arrive. The next two weeks will be filled with wrapping things up in Shenyang, airport runs to pick up the newbies, training, showing them around the city, hanging out with students and saying goodbye to everyone here. It should be a really busy and chaotic, yet very fun and memorable last two weeks.