Random Thoughts of an Intern

6/29-6/30

Having Sophie around is great, we have been going out to eat and keeping each other sane as well. So

 yesterday we met up after breakfast and then headed over to our event that we both had to be at. I had my hotel call us the taxi and handled the receipt. We arrived and with no one to help us communicate, struggled to find our tables. We finally did, though, after some coordinator took pity on us, and unfortunately we were in different rooms. We both had WiFi, though, so kept chatting via WeChat. A few people came up to talk with me but either realized I didn't speak Mandarin or I didn't have the right statistics they wanted and soon I was left alone to read. I was nice, but not at the same time because I felt pretty useless. Sophie and I won't to quite a lengthy lunch with another StudyGroup rep and then headed to McDonald's for some bub tea and to kill more time. We element back and I actually had a family to talk with, and totally convinced them to send their son to UMaine. While the rep and the parents talked I helped the student practice his English. He had no confidence, but I assured him that he would learn quickly if he studies in America, because no one speaks Mandarin he would have to learn! Sophie and I packed up early and headed out, our pretense was apparently not needed after that, so we

Bunnies at Work

got a relaxing few hours to kill at our hotels. I read and read and read, addicted to the Hunger Games, and broke away from the book only to head to sushi with Sophie.

We went to the bottom floor of the building across from my hotel, which I assumed was office buildings, but apparently held not only restaurants, but a mall and a super market as well! We went to the sushi place, which was delicious and even had a conveyer belt you could pick anything off of that caught your interest. We sat and chatted until maybe about 8:30, and then turned in for the night. I happily returned to reading and was engulfed in my book until maybe 11:30. After being a little lonely and a but sad about being all alone I drifted off to sleep. Luckily we didn't have to be at our expo today until 2, so I got to sleep in until 10 which was marvelous. I got up, got ready, and then hunkered down to finish my book. I finished it right as I was supposed to be headed out to lunch and met up with Sophie down the street. We got way, way, way too much food and the basically rolled out of the restaurant. I met Kevin at the hotel while Sophie grabbed us coffee and we headed to the expo where I sit now.

It's even more busy here today than it was yesterday, but we are sitting near other foreigners so its sort of interesting to be here. People have been coming up to me more often because Kevin is here to

Fanta

translate, so that's good. There's a man from Boston sitting next to me, I just found out he is actually from Andover, which is neat because the where Molly is from! Other than the occasional person, though, I'm basically sitting here, without WiFi, alternating between writing here and looking at old photos, reminiscing. Not a great way to spend my day, but it's always a learning experience. The woman in charge of this expo, Ming I think her name is, is Chinese-American, and reminds me a whole lot of Kim Dao. Like, a lot. It's pretty funny, I can totally see Kim doing this if she wasn't going to be a doctor. Maybe it will be me someday, if I can ever learn Mandarin, which is unlikely.

There are a lot of really good universities here, like High Point, but UMaine is defiantly holding its own, which is great. I wish I had better training before I came here, though, because I would be even more successful in snagging kids to go there. Oh well, maybe next time!

Let's see, I am missing a whole lot that happened over the last couple days, but I am so wrapped up in the ending of my book that I am having trouble snapping

Tableside Tea Spout

back to reality. I always get so consumed in what I am reading, so much so that it basically becomes reality, and it is crushing when I finish. So I am here in Beijing until Saturday, mostly at the office right around the corner from my building. It's kind of nice to not have to travel a lot, but then again the office I am going to is super boring, with no WiFi and no one wants to talk to me. Other than that, though, it's nice to be on a block with restaurants and work right nearby, and Sophie is staying right down the block. On Saturday I head to another city, jut for overnight, and I'm p retry sure I'm only own. I ope that Kevin does find me a travel partner, but if not I'm sure I will be fine on my own. Then I come back Sunday night to the same hotel, and then I have until about three o'clock on Monday before I head out to the airport for home. It is bittersweet already, I really enjoy China and would really love to stay, but I am missing home a lot, especially since I am basically living in a hotel and am by myself a lot. It's pretty lonely. I think next time I come I really want to either come with friends who are super adventurous like me, or with Jacky, who can really show me around from a locals perspective, which would be great too. I'm pretty excited because the day I fly in is one of my best friend's 21st birthdays, so even though I won't get to see her I can still call her, and then I'll be back in Orono two days later to celebrate properly. I'm super excited because she can finally go out with us! Woot! Love ya Heather!

But I am definitely gaining weight here, oh well, the food is beyond delicious and rich, so I figured I

Yum Yum Octopus 

barely eat at home I can spoil myself a little here. The sheer amount of food I am consuming is probably super bad for my health, and especially my appearance because I am wearing pretty tight pencil dresses for the most part to these events. I doesn't help that I get a frapacchino and milk tea at least once a day. Ronald consuming three times my allotted amount of calories. Oh well. Can't stop won't stop. I may only be in China once, I want to make the best of it.

All of the babies here are beyond adorable, too, which is not helping my baby fever. I want a dog more than I want a kid, but they are super superrrr adorable and the parents always catch me staring and smiling. I like everyone here they are really nice for the most part so they just smile back or say hello and make the baby wave to me, which is nice. But yah, being her is making my puppy fever even worse as well, because I haves so much free time to think about what kind of puppy I want. My mind has already changed dozens of times, I'm trying to pick one that can be active and maybe learn to hunt, but can also be calm so I can bring it to the office with me often. Also a dog with minimal health problems and a long life span. All of those qualities are really hard to find in one breed, so I definitely need to keep doing my research. I also need to find an

Favorite Shopping Market

apartment that allows dogs. The one Terri and Bry are in next year does, if they like it I think I might sign it after them, and then all I would need is three more roommates, which shouldn't be too hard to find. Maybe I'll ask international students to live with me, that would be too cool. My dream dog is a Newfoundland, but they are way too slobbery for a college apartment. I really really really want a Bernese mountain dog, but they don't live very long and their cancer rate is over 50%, and I'm not sure I'd be prepared to handle that. Labs are also always a favorite, but there is always the health problems they have with purebreds and so many misbehave and they just shed too too much I'm not sure if I want one anymore. I really like English Springer Spaniels, they are obedient and can hunt really well and are super friendly, but they are also very very very energetic. So, again, I have my research ahead of me.

Today, my life is just Shelby.