Blogged by Serena
Today was the day when we had to depart from our friends in Guangdong Service Learning Program: Urban Sustainability and went to live with Zhong Shan middle school students. Some gifts were given and last minute "Thank You" notes were given out. I got paired up with Karen, who was very excited to have me live in her home. A couple of us went to 饮茶(yin cha) for brunch at the Hiyet Oriental Hotel. We feasted on various types of dim sum, buns, and noodles. During this time, we exchanged cultural ideas and took many pictures to treasure this moment. We also got to meet some of the students' parent and attempted to converse with them. Right after brunch, we walked to a tapioca store, which is quite popular among the teenagers in Zhong Shan. As we walked along the Qi Jiang river to the tapioca shop, motorcyclists zoomed past us without a single thought of running us over.
Loud music and the honking of cars and motorcycles showed me the bustling life of Zhong Shan residents. As we enter Central Power Plaza, the relieving feeling of air conditioner quickly cooled us down from the sweltering heat. We ordered tapioca drinks at Royaltea and then went to take pictures at a sticker picture machine (like Pika Pika).
Today was the day when we had to depart from our friends in Guangdong Service Learning Program: Urban Sustainability and went to live with Zhong Shan middle school students. Some gifts were given and last minute "Thank You" notes were given out. I got paired up with Karen, who was very excited to have me live in her home. A couple of us went to 饮茶(yin cha) for brunch at the Hiyet Oriental Hotel. We feasted on various types of dim sum, buns, and noodles. During this time, we exchanged cultural ideas and took many pictures to treasure this moment. We also got to meet some of the students' parent and attempted to converse with them. Right after brunch, we walked to a tapioca store, which is quite popular among the teenagers in Zhong Shan. As we walked along the Qi Jiang river to the tapioca shop, motorcyclists zoomed past us without a single thought of running us over.
Loud music and the honking of cars and motorcycles showed me the bustling life of Zhong Shan residents. As we enter Central Power Plaza, the relieving feeling of air conditioner quickly cooled us down from the sweltering heat. We ordered tapioca drinks at Royaltea and then went to take pictures at a sticker picture machine (like Pika Pika).
My group also visited the first Business Culture Museum in Zhong Shan. Inside the museum, we found out that Zhong Shan was also called Xiang Shan. The museum displayed a variety of stores that sold fabrics, exotic tea, pottery, and many more. We also saw bottles that used to contain opium. Even though Zhong Shan is a small city, its history is really interesting. We then went to Leitaria I Son and had 双皮奶 (shuang pi nai), which is a mixture of milk and eggs.
Our group decided to go fruit picking in Xuijing, which is south of Zhong Shan. Due to some miscommunication among the Zhong Shan students, we got lost and spent almost an hour trying to get to Xuijing. When we first arrived at the farm, I noticed that the water was very murky and had debris floating in it. The soil looked like rocks and seem like it would give enough nutrients to the plants to bore fruits even a bit. Yet, tons of fruits grew on the plants and they all looked healthy and tasted delicious. It is amazing how these plants are able to survive these harsh conditions. We got to pick dragon fruits, Wampees, and papayas. If we were to leave the farm with the fruits, we would have had to pay for them. Thankfully, people were allowed to eat the fruits inside the farm without being charged . So we took the chance and gorged ourselves on various fruits.
Our group decided to go fruit picking in Xuijing, which is south of Zhong Shan. Due to some miscommunication among the Zhong Shan students, we got lost and spent almost an hour trying to get to Xuijing. When we first arrived at the farm, I noticed that the water was very murky and had debris floating in it. The soil looked like rocks and seem like it would give enough nutrients to the plants to bore fruits even a bit. Yet, tons of fruits grew on the plants and they all looked healthy and tasted delicious. It is amazing how these plants are able to survive these harsh conditions. We got to pick dragon fruits, Wampees, and papayas. If we were to leave the farm with the fruits, we would have had to pay for them. Thankfully, people were allowed to eat the fruits inside the farm without being charged . So we took the chance and gorged ourselves on various fruits.
We had dinner at Xu Jing and hung out with some of the other students right after. Then my host parent took me to their home. At the end of the day, I was exhausted. It was nice meeting Karen's family and today was a very fun and informational day.
Notes from the blogger:
My group happened to walk upon this amazing store. It's INVISIBLE by the way!
Notes from the blogger:
My group happened to walk upon this amazing store. It's INVISIBLE by the way!
Additional photos by Nate Ivy