Moral of the Au Pair story.

First of all: I know, and I'm sorry that I fell completely off the radar through my last moments in China. That's not the point though.

It has now been exactly one year since I got on that airplane and 6 months since I got home to America, and it doesn't even seem real anymore. I LIVED IN CHINA! I honestly can't believe it myself. My best friend, Linda (you've all heard plenty about her. Swedish and cute), is now back in China, living in Shanghai, to study the language, and I guess it's just really making me think back to the days we were both off adventuring together, trying to figure out what the hell we were doing. In these circumstances, I really wish I was back out there with her. Living on our own, not having to abide by the rules of parents anymore and especially not having to share a room with a 5 year old boy. Probably best I'm not out there, though, because we would for sure be arrested this time.

When people ask me about my experiences In Beijing, I don't know what to tell them. Do I sugar coat it and try to stay positive? Or am I allowed to say, "You know what, I had a lot of really bad experiences out there and I'm glad to be home."

So now I'm going to be honest:

I really did have a lot of terrible experiences in China. I've never broken down like I did there, felt as violated and have never been more frustrated with the human race in my life. There were times that I was treated so poorly I couldn't believe it. Some of the things I saw made me sick to my stomach for a week at a time. I was forced to become hard and believe nobody was trustworthy, to save myself from theft and being screwed over. I can come up with a good amount of times I truly wanted to come home because I was over it, and that made me lose a lot of respect for myself because I didn't think I was strong enough to stay.

So why did I stay?

I really did have a lot of terrific experiences in China. I met a couple of my closest friends there. I stay in touch with two of them that live in different countries more than I do with people that live 45 minutes away from me. My best friend is Swedish and smart and adventurous (how many of you can say that?). I kind of fell in love. I was forced to find the people I really could trust and stay as close to them as possible, actually letting them in. The happiness my blonde hair and white face gave people proves that the smallest things can be big. I learned to speak Chinese. I can come up with a good amount of times I was proud of myself because I made myself strong enough to stay.

I can say I will never be an Au Pair again. Teaching Chinese kids is the greatest form of birth control you could take. Seriously. My friends are dreaming about their upcoming families, and I'm scared of babies. But, I am more than grateful I had my one time experience. I do believe that everyone should. Sometimes I wanted to take their heads off, but I also had moments with my China babies that I will cherish forever. Also, being an Au Pair is the only reason I ended up in a different country. These different agencies, some better than others, make it pretty easy to get out there. One of my Brazilian friends from China is now in America with another Au Pair group! People from all over the world have been asking me for advice. "How did you do it?" "How are you still alive?" "How did you make this kid stop screaming?" It's so awesome being able to help these other kids that are going through the exact same things I did.

Most importantly, this China Au Pair experience started the travel bug. I've now been to 6 different countries by myself, just turning 20 years old. I actually just went over to Europe to visit three of my friends that I met while I was in Beijing. We had a big reunion in Oropesa and Madrid, Spain. Then I hopped over to Geneva, Switzerland and Annecy, France. I have connections all over the world now with people that would let me crash on their couch any time of the year. I will admit, I get a lot of crap from people for not going to University right out of high school, but honestly, I feel like I'm learning a lot more than half the kids my age going to school. These cultures and languages I'm experiencing hands on teach me more than any text book.

So my moral of my Au Pair story is go and get out there. It doesn't necessarily have to be to teach kids English. Just go. Take your leap of faith, go against the norm, disappoint your parents for a sec by not going to school, because you want to go experience something new (sorry parents...). I swear it will be worth it.

xo Lucy

Chaoyang Acrobatic Show

If I can give you any life advice for traveling Beijing, China here it is - GO SEE THIS SHOW NOW! It is incredible. The whole time my mouth was wide open or working through a fit of giggles. Maybe it was the gymnast in me that made me appreciate it so much, but my friends, Kelly and Tarshi, enjoyed it just as much. It was super cheap too! Only 120 yuan, which are the cheapest seats, but I think they were just as good as any of the others. If you go, please take me with you.

The Great Wall of China x4

I admit it, I am completely obsessed with the Wild Wall. It is just so unbelievably crazy to me that this wall is still standing without any reconstruction in some places. And you know which parts are the most fun to go wander around? Yes, the illegal ones that are falling apart. This time I was accompanied by my good friend, Nicolas. And the fact that he pretty much speaks fluent Chinese makes my day even better. We think we were on a part called Ming Dynasty, between Moshike and Jiankou. We hiked up through a beautiful, green valley to get up to the wall and once we did it was incredible. Everything is so green this time of year! The air was bad but lets take it as a positive note of making things more mysterious and dark? Oh wait, it was raining. That's why it was dark. 

So we are going up this part that is pretty much straight up and down; I think about 90 degrees. Anyway, he was on his hands and knees climbing up, me behind him, and suddenly the huge boulders started breaking and coming out from under him. Next thing I know there are huge chunks of the wall flying through the air, hitting me, and then it got to the point where it was so bad I had to run over to the side to dodge a huge one and I pretty much fell right off. I am pretty banged up and bruised from it but I'll be fine. We can say that Nic was really just trying to kill me. I think that I should be added in history books or at least newspaper headlines reading - AMERICAN GIRL, PART OF THE CRUMBING OF THE GREAT WALL. 

Lets say I'm a living piece of history.

 GREEN!

 This feels so good.....

 haha after the fall.

Storming!

Glad to be alive.
xoxo

Little things become big.

Today, on my way to the kindergarten, I noticed a Chinese man staring at me and giggling. Nothing new though, right? So I continue on with my book, ignoring my fans, sitting in my luxurious bus seat when a couple minutes later I hear, "Nǐ zuò de hěn hǎo?"  (Are you doing fine? / how are you?) I turn to see the same giggling man gawking in my direction with the silliest grin on his face. With that facial expression how could I not try to pick up the conversation with this guy? 

"Wǒ zuò de hěn hǎo. Nǐ ne?" (I am doing fine, and you?)
The grin fades and turns into the toothiest smile I've ever seen, obviously taken by surprise that I could speak some Chinese.
"Nǐ shì piàoliang!" (YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!)
"hahahaha Xièxiè" (same translation / thank you!) 

Then he starts speaking in English because what Chinese business man would let the opportunity pass by of practicing English with a foreigner?

Keep in mind this smile is glued to his face the entire conversation.

"You have the most beautiful hair I have ever seen!" 
My hair is in a ponytail.... 
"I have traveled to New York for work and I still have never seen such beautiful hair. I think you are the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"

My cheeks turn beet red, "Do you want to touch it?" And I promise you, this was said in the most sarcastic way possible. ANYONE and I mean anyone would be able to tell that I was joking, but him? No way. His face lights up like a Christmas tree, and I have never witnessed faster movement of getting out of your beloved bus seat (which you don't come by easily), throwing people out of your way and galloping with arms pushed out like a zombie. 

Before I can even take a second breath his hands are tangled in my ponytail, and for a slight moment I was sure a pair of scissors were going to appear and he was going to chop it off to hang on his wall. Maybe sleep with it on his pillow? Haha it was just too good. 

The craziest thing to me is that when I first got here it was always the big things that weirded me out or got me excited. But now the big things are normal life. They are just the same as maybe someone at home starting a pot of coffee. A small amount of pride has tingled throughout me by knowing I have made this bazaar experience into a life. I am a fiend for things like this to happen. I watch someone get hit by a bus and it's not even cool anymore because it happens all the time......

That was a joke. 

But my point is I love that something as simple as my hair can make someones entire day. Two random strangers made each others days without trying, without getting hit by a bus, without singing opera on the Great Wall. 

And then when I get to my stop and say goodbye he replies with, "Stay beautiful!"
Sweetest thing.

xoxo

798 Art District x4

Yes, this is the fourth time I have been to this district, but it kind of has my heart. I would definitely say it is one of my favorite parts of Beijing.

That is a Chinese Pancake. AKA greatest thing on Earth.

xoxo