The summer before seventh grade was mainly spent traveling China. I maintained a journal that I wrote in almost every day. As I was reading through my entries, the memories caused emotions to come flooding back. I could remember each event as though it was yesterday. Those were some of the best days of my life, and I decided to quote several excerpts from my journal and tell the story coordinating with it.
June 4, 2011
“You have to actually hold onto something to make sure you don’t tip over. The trails started out nice and easy. Very nicely paved and not steep at all. Then you start getting to the more secluded area and the terrain got harder…Some of the pathways were just basically just on air. There was nothing supporting the bottom of the pathway, it was just sticking out of the mountain.” One of the most adventurous parts of the trip was cclimbingang Shan (Yellow Mountains). The majority of the trail had steps, but I remember at one point that the trail was just a big boulder with no railing and no steps. The wind was blowing forty mph and the nonexistent guardrails gave me qualm feelings. In that second, I thought I was going to fall off the cliff and die. My dad made the decision to turn back around because it was getting too dangerous. It was a clever choice.
June 21, 2011
“I officially love this city. So many streets. So many cute little shops.” I remember one city in particular: He Xi. The cobblestone streets and hanging lanterns made the city look as though it was taken out of a book. There were so many memories made there; I remember one in particular. It was our last night in that city, so we (my dad, Lucy, and I) decided to split up from the rest of our caravan and have a family dinner. That dinner was one of the best times of my life. It made me want to stay in He Xi for eternity. It did not help that the hotel we stayed at was breathtaking. The eccentric flowers and absence of tourists created such a peaceful ambiance.
June 24, 2011
“All I got to do was sit next to it and put my arm around it while it sat there eating away on his bamboo. I think it wanted to eat my ear though because he looked at me with his mouth wide open and got closer. The workers had to distract him with more bamboo.” When I say “it”, I am referring to a baby panda at the zoo. My dad had a friend of a friend who was a manager at the zoo and was able to get us into the panda area. It was a mind-blowing experience. Thinking about the soft panda fur gives me chills and is bringing tears to my eyes. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to spend even a minute with that panda bear.
July 10, 2011
“My hair is like gone. Just a little bit shorter than my shoulders. Different. But a good different…I love my hair so it’s no problem at all. It was scary how much hair was on the ground though. It had to go eventually though.” I remember exactly what I wore the day I got my hair chopped off. It was terrifying for me to have someone besides Lindsey, my usual hair stylist, to cut my hair, especially in a foreign country. I had no idea if this guy was going to give me something that looked nothing like the picture or cut my hair up to my ears. I had always wanted to make the big decision, and I guess the traveling had opened my mind up. Even to today, I am happy that I made the choice. Also, I find it ironic that I was afraid that the Chinese guy would mess my hair up when he actually cut it the best. Since then, none of the hair stylists in America have been able to replicate the style he created.

If I could go back to China right now, I would, without a doubt. Most people think of China as just a populated, polluted nation when, in reality, there is so much natural beauty everywhere. After this trip, I have become more aware of the opportunities that I have here that kids do not have in China. It has also shown me a new, natural side to the country that I had yet to see.