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Pictures from My China Trip Part 1!

4/29/2013

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed my video post, and my post about my life-changing epiphony, but today I wanted to post something just for the fun of it! So here's some pictures of the incredible things I've got to see and experience on my trip so far!

I got to see some of the world's most beautiful cars in the world! A Lamborghini, and Lotus Elises! *Droool!!!*

The Big Goose Pagoda Fountain and Light Show is DEFINITELY a must-see! I got to go watch this after walking around town drinking beer for 5 hours with my new British friend Olly!

I got to see a Chinese Fashion Show!!! Oh my word, I couldn't believe it, it was SO incredible to see! The models were all just breathtaking, and the clothes were awesome! I am SO stoked I got to experience this!

And this is the wonderful market that I am absolutely in love with! I walked through here almost every day when I lived here, and so of course I had to return! It has food vendors right out on the street, with some of the best food I've ever had, and tons of shops with the cheapest clothes, shoes, and anything else you could imagine!!! It's called 样家村, but I always called it the Cool Market! This is one of my favorite places in China!

Well, there is just some of the great things I'm experiencing in China! Come back in a couple days and I'll have some more pictures for you (:

Peace Love and China Trips
Jess <3

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Video Greetings from China!

4/26/2013

2 Comments

My Epiphony
Not Letting Fear Rule Your Life

Peace Love and Video from China
Jess <3

2 Comments

An Epiphony in China.

4/21/2013

4 Comments

Right now I am sitting here trying to decide how to start this post. Should I start by telling you all the things I've done since I've been here? Or about all the food I've eaten, the people I've met, or the different places I've stayed at? Hmmm, I think no. I'll save all that fun stuff for later. I think I'm going to let you guys have (yet another) peek into my soul. I have only been gone for 12 days, and already this trip has changed everything. Take a peek into what I wrote in my journal after only 4 days of being here. "I could not have imagined that coming back here would be this hard. I knew it would be emotional for sure, and it has been-but what I didn't think about, was how difficult it would be to be back in this place, knowing it is no longer my home. I walk the streets, ride the buses, eat the food, and speak the language, but all of that feels completely different when you don't live here. When this was my home, I had an apartment. I went to school, went to work, went to band practice. I hung out with friends, had daily chores and duties to attend to. Now I feel like a tourist. Most of my friends have moved away; moved on to other cities, other countries, other lives. This city is full of 8 million people, but to me, it feels like a ghost town. Nothing here has changed, but everything has changed. It feels like the same place, but it no longer feels like home. To me, this realization is both a blessing, and completely heartbreaking. For three years, I have been pining for this place. So much so, that I have missed a lot that has been right in front of me while in America. I now realize, that this chapter in my life, is closed. And it has been closed for some time, but I have just been unable, or unwilling to accept that. I realize now that this trip was not just for fun, and to see Xi'an again, but to help me get closure. Closure that until right now, I didn't even know I needed! Yes, I miss this place greatly, but I realize now that I need to let it go. Acknowledge that it was an incredible 2 years that I am eternally grateful for, and then let it go. I will always have the memories, and the love, but I need to move on. I don't know what the future holds, but I don't want to live in the past either. I need to just worry about enjoying the present. I no longer live in China, and I don't know if or when I will again, but I now know that I can't spend my life worrying about that, or living in the past. I have a wonderful family, amazing boyfriend that I can't live life without, great friends, and a life in America. So that is what I will be focusing on now. It is sad that it took me three years to figure this all out, but I will forever be grateful to this trip, for helping me come to this realization. I will forever treasure this city, and the time I had here, but I am now ready to move on."

Peace Love and Epiphonies
Jess <3

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China Barbie in South Korea!

4/11/2013

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(^^^Some of the amazing food in South Korea^^^)

Hello everybody! Greetings from South Korea!!! I am quite excited, as I've never been to South Korea before! I won't be leaving the airport today, but *hopefully* on my return home I will be able to!
Right now in S.K it is 3am, which means that it's 2pm in Ohio. I am going on 37 hours of traveling now; Akron/Canton to Atlanta, 4 hour layover in Atlanta, then my 15 hour long flight to Seoul Incheon Airport, and now I am waiting out my 15 hour layover in Seoul before heading to China!

The 15 hour flight from Atlanta, Georiga to Seoul, South Korea was not too bad! Everyone thinks I'm crazy, because I actually enjoy flying! I love having the time to myself, to do whatever I want; read, watch tv (I watched the Life of Pi, and Friends this time), and I love airline food!
I flew with Korean Air, and it was spectacular! The stewardesses were all ADORABLE (I even found a Chinese stewardess, so I got to talk to her), and the food was great!
As you can see above, I was SUPER excited about our own personal tv's having Pac Man, Street Fighter, Tetris, and Solitaire! They also had as much free wine as I could drink, and to me, that is always awesome!
I arrived in South Korea at 5pm, and have now been in the airport for 10 hours, and I am loving every minute of it!

The Seoul Airport is INCREDIBLE! Free WiFi, a full food court, and SHOWERS!!! For free! Ohh my goodness, I can't even begin to describe how incredible it was! After over 30 hours of traveling and feeling gross, this was HEAVEN!

And since I had about 5 hours of sleep in the last 44 hours, I took a very nice little nap on this recliner in their relaxation lounge! Let me tell you, I haven't slept that solid in months!
And yes, those two bags are the only pieces of luggage I brought with me!!! I am sooo proud of myself!

Here I am just chillin on my chair before my nap (I could barely keep my eyes open)!

Thanks everybody so much for being so interested in my travels and for staying in touch with me! It means a lot! My flight to China leaves in 5 hours, and I will write again in a couple days! 안녕히 가세요!

Peace Love and South Korea
Jess <3

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How to Let Go of Fear and Live your Dreams!

4/6/2013

9 Comments

Six years ago when I first started telling people that I was moving to China, I got all kinds of mixed reactions, but the most prominent one, was that of worry. People told me that I was crazy to move to such a dangerous place; I was only 20 years old, I didn't speak the language, and I had never been there before! But I knew what I wanted to do, and told people just that. So fears, doubts, and doubters aside, I went. And as you all know, I fell head over heels in love with the country, and would name it as one of the best decisions of my life.

This post is about fear, and not letting it control your life. We have such a short time on this earth, that if we don't do certain things just because of fear, then we WILL miss out on so much!

No, I'm not talking about this kind of fear hehe.

The reason I wanted to talk about fear today, is because apparently, I picked a very bad time to visit China! All the panic about North Korea has been surfacing lately, and I have a 17 hour layover in South Korea, and am going to try to venture outside of the airport to explore! And just this morning, my Uncle was telling me about the new outbreak of Bird Flu in China! It has JUST surfaced about a week ago, and has killed a couple of people already.
So with all of this ringing in my head, and people telling me they can't believe I'm going to go there, I have two options; 1. Go. 2. Stay home. And I think all of you know that I am choosing option number 1. You might think I'm crazy, you probably do! But that dosen't bother me. What WOULD bother me, is sitting in Ohio the rest of my life, never going anywhere, never doing anything, because I am so completely paralyzed by fear. Yes, of course I am a bit anxious about the bird flu. Yes, I am a little worried about exploring South Korea by myself (especially not knowing the language), and yes, I usually get a little nervous about flying, but I am NOT going to let my worries and fears stop me from doing what I want to do!!! And you shouldn't either!

I am not saying that when you push through your fears, and live out your dreams, that scary stuff won't happen to you. IT WILL! For example; When I moved to China, I got stranded in Beijing! My flight from Chicago got delayed, so I missed my connecting flight from Beijing to Xi'an (the city I was moving to), and couldn't get a flight out of Beijing until the next day! I did not know the language, had never even BEEN to China before, and I had to somehow find a hotel, transport myself, and all my belongings I was moving with, to that hotel, and then make it back to the airport in the morning to catch my flight. I was TERRIFIED. But somehow, and to this day I don't even know how, but somehow, I managed to do all of that. Was I completely scared out of my mind? Yes, I was! But when situations like that happen, it shows you exactly what kind of a person you are, and thanks to that scary situation, and plenty of others, I know how strong of a person I am, and I love it!
During my time in China I also survived an earthquake, had a man try to force his way into
my apartment, and was living there when the Swine Flu outbreak hit China. All of these things, and more, I survived. They were terrifying, and several times I thought I was going to die, but I survived. That is what I'm trying to say here. Fear is a part of life. Scary, life-threatening situations, are a part of life! Whether you go backpacking across Europe, or stay sitting in your house doing nothing, bad things can happen! So why not go out and enjoy life?!!

After the May 2008 earthquake hit China, people (including me) slept outside because the aftershocks were so bad

Now, after saying all that, I do not want you to use this as an excuse to go out and be stupid! You HAVE to use common sense! You HAVE to be smart and be careful! Know your limits! Do research before you go and do something! This world IS a VERY scary and dangerous place! So do NOT go out into it thinking that you are invincible and nothing can happen to you! It CAN and it WILL! You just have to be prepared as much as you are able to!
It may seem like I just go out and do whatever I want to, not worrying about what could happen, but that's not true! I try to be as prepared, and safe, as possible! I always do research before going anywhere, so I know kind of what to expect. It also helps to know some self defense, or even just common sense, quick thinking, and the willingness to stand up for yourself (when a man tried to break into my apartment, he followed me up to my apartment, and when I went inside and tried to close the door, he stuck his foot in the door and then tried to push it open. I let go of the door, letting it open, shoved him as hard as I could, and when he stumbled backwards, closed and locked the door). Sometimes you just need to have faith in yourself (and carrying a pair of brass knuckles [like I started doing after that], helps too!:P)

The face mask I wore to protect myself during the swine flu epidemic

If I had listened to my fears, and the fears of others(!), I would have NEVER gone to China! I would have just stayed in Ohio my whole life, feeling bored and restless! I never would have discovered my passion for the Chinese language, and for the country of China! I would have never got to work in an orphanage, visit The Great Wall of China, modeled, rode a horse up the side of a mountain, or seen the Olympic torch being passed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics! I definitely wouldn't have traveled to 15 different countries! And lastly, if I would have let fear run my life, I would never had experienced the freedom, joy, love, friendship, and LIFE that most people can only dream about!!!

The 2008 Beijing Olympics passing of the ceremonial torch! The man standing in the middle of the road was the one receiving the torch

I want all of that to inspire you. What I want you to do right now, is get out a piece of paper, and write down this ONE question.
1. What do I want to do SO BAD, but haven't, because of fear?
Now answer it. Sit and think. If fear were not an option, what would you want to do? Write down your answers.
Next, I want you to take a good look at your answer.

Now GO DO IT!!!

*Please let me know what your answers are! I would looove to see them! Leave them in a comment below!

Peace Love and Courage
Jess <3

9 Comments

One Week....!!!

4/3/2013

2 Comments

Hello everybody! Today I am just ECSTATIC beyond all levels! My mind is twirling, and my stomach is jittery. I feel like throwing up, and dancing all at the same time! All of this, because I am FINALLY returning to my beloved China in exactly one week. ONE WEEK! One week till I step foot on the land that I have missed so dearly for three years. One week till I get to smell the air, taste the food, see the people, and speak the language.

While I am gone, I will not be on my Facebook (as Facebook is blocked in China), and as of right now, I'm not sure whether or not blogs are blocked. I am trying to find out before I go, so I can let you guys know. If it is not blocked, then I will be writing and posting pictures of my adventures as I go (probably not as often as I do now). I will also be posting pictures to my Instagram! So if you're not following me already, follow me @china_barbie_
I will be writing to you before I leave, to let you know whether or not my blog will be blocked, so I will talk to you guys soon!

Peace Love and One Week
Jess <3

2 Comments

Pictures from My China Trip Part 1!

Video Greetings from China!

An Epiphony in China.

China Barbie in South Korea!

How to Let Go of Fear and Live your Dreams!

One Week....!!!

I'm China Barbie!

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