Hard Days Work

As you may remember, yesterday I had a 3-hour break randomly during the day, and today it's the same thing haha #WhatAJoke


Anyways, after we went back to work yesterday, we stood around for awhile, talked with the chefs and servers, and then about ten minutes before we were about to leave the chef gave Sarah and I two rows of sushi, California rolls and some salmon roll, FO FREE. We scarfed those down in about .5 seconds (I think that's a record or something), and then it was basically time to go! We still of course went to icafe after work to get some free fruit and mango ice cream. Yes, mango ice cream. And it's even more delicious than you're thinking #Obsessed That pretty much concluded the night considering I went to bed at like 10 #GrandmaStatus (Actually I think my Nana stays up later than that haha :) )


Didn't have to work until 11 again, and today we're at Shang Palace, the Chinese Restaurant in the hotel.. Got there at 11:00, and sat in one of the Private Dining Rooms (PDR) until 2:00.. Literally sat there and did nothing, quite a waste of time.. Fortunately we got a 3-hr break from 2-5. Unfortunately we have to go back from 5-7, likely to sit around in the PDR again #WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO #jkz


Side note: Watched Water for Elephants, not that bad, kind of impressed by Sparkles' performance (Sparkles = Robert Pattinson = Twilight superstar = British = Accent = Not bad looking) <-- Kind of got sidetracked with that #ADD


Tonight's plan = ?


Tomorrow I start at 2! 4 hours in the Lobby Lounge and 4 hours in the bar #alrightalright

Lazy Americans

Well currently I'm catching up on my blog during some random 3-hour break they decided to give us.. But more on that later.


I think having a lazy Sunday is pretty universal. Especially when you are hungover haha Basically we slept until around 9 or 10, and then at 11:30 Wei Wei & Denise (the Purdue people) told us we could come get their free fruit that Shangri-La gave them since they were leaving that day and couldn't take it with them. However, due to some rum drinks the night before, and Sarah being the only functional one at that point, we thought she was going to go get the fruit.. Not so much though, and we didn't find this out until Denise called us back being very confused as to why nobody came haha We quickly got ready and went over there to sign some papers (I may have signed over a kidney, not quite sure..) and get free fruit. Well after that we basically went and we going to get lunch at icafe when Chef Nicholas (the head chef) stopped us and said how often are you in China? Why don't you guys go try new places? We then thoroughly explained that we are cheap college students and don't know any places haha Then we felt guilty and asked him to tell us where a place is.. Then he felt guilty because he felt like he was kicking us out haha #AwkwardMoment 


This is where a Spain-like-Bone-Soup incident. SO we listen to Chef's directions, except the BBQ place he was telling us was open, but the BBQ doesn't start until later #OurLuck So after being awkward and trying to decide if it would be acceptable to walk back into icafe for lunch and face Chef, we decided to just eat there.. #WrongChoice So we have to order using pictures on the wall because, well, we can't read Chinese haha We pick something that looks like shrimp/seafood and then something that is a beef/chicken with broccoli, and then we wait... awkwardly while the entire staff stares at us.. then they bring out the dish we thought was shrimp/seafood, it turns out it was sweet potato fries covered in some sweet and sour sauce hahaha.. then the laughter stops when we see the dish that we thought was beef/chicken with broccoli.... #SomethingsNotRight One thing we got right: there's broccoli.. the other thing.. ummmm.... questionable.. mainly bones, weird inside things, we didn't know what to do.. ummm... so we ate the broccoli, someone tried to eat this boney-mystery dish (which we find out later are pig trotters and are a delicacy here), and then we paid and left hahaha At this point we're starving but have no courage to face Chef so we all went back and napped haha

Our delicious lunch

Once we all finally rose from our naps (and I say rose because it was a close call for any of us to get up), we went to icafe for dinner haha Luckily Chef wasn't there so he didn't ask us how lunch went.. That pretty much concluded our night haha Quite a Lazy Sunday, it was great, I finally got some sleep!

Onto Monday.. Well Monday we were told to be at the in-room dining office at 8:00am, where they gave us all the in-room dining procedures in about thirty minutes.. Then.. we waited for an order.. and waited.. and then waited some more.. in order to actually do stuff for in-room dining, people need to order food! haha So we go to lunch and by the time we come back we had just missed an order #MyLuck then basically we waited all day and had about 10 orders.. Oh and did I mention that only men are allowed to deliver the food and actually go into the room (for safety reasons)? So Sarah and I would accompany the guy upstairs and the awkwardly wait around the corner from the room haha And that was how I spent my day in in-room dining, not that exciting haha After work, we came back and quickly changed and left for the gym! Then after the gym we stuffed our faces with dinner at icafe. #TheUsual Then Dennis met Ann, Heather and I outside our apartment and we went to our little coffee shop that we found the other day, where I ordered a cappuccino and this is how it came:

So here's my day so far (Tuesday for those of you who aren't good at the whole time/day change haha): Didn't have to be into work until 11 at Nishimura, the Japanese Restaurant, get there and everyone at the place was looking at us and confused as to why we were there, then the restaurant opened at 11:30 for lunch.. They asked us probably four times if we had lunch and if we wanted to go to the staff cafeteria to get lunch, finally we were like okay we'll go... Keep in mind that this restaurant doesn't get a lot of business, so it's VERY slow there.. Went to lunch, came back and nothing had really changed, only about ten people in the restaurant... Then we waited.. waited.. nothing to do.. Then Ruby, who's some high-ranked employee in the Food & Beverage Department stopped by to check-in, then she told us that from 2:30 until 5:15 that we could take a break since the restaurant is closed then and then we will work from 5:15 until 6:30ish.. Yup, that's been my day so far haha #EasyPeasyLemonSqueezy <-- Name that movie

OH, and I finally tried some of the Chinese chips I had bought the other day. They're steak-flavored. And they're uhhhhmaahhhzzzinnnngggg!!!! They literally taste like a steak. 

Anyways, have an hour until I go back to work (if you can even call our cross-training that right now haha).

Miss you all!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes guys, I'm alive

Sorry it's taken a little while to blog, but at least when I blog you know they're good haha

Where did I leave off last time?

Oh yeah, we finally have friends here!!

Before you go any further, prepare yourself. It's a long blog, but obviously well worth the read.

Thursday:

So Thursday was our last day of orientation, finally haha Overall it was just super repetitive but not too shabby considering all we did was eat and do role plays. Which by the way, Rene (our training manager) raveddd about to everyone else, guess we're just that awesome. After we finished all the regular orientation stuff, we finally were going to be getting our city tour of Dalian!!!

They let us go back and change out of our bidniz suit and we were ready to see Dalian. Sharon met us in the residence lobby and then a Shangri-La mini-van took us around. It was pretty sweet. They took us to Bing-High Road, which was awesome and then we drove through the square that Richard and Dennis had taken us to the night before. I managed to get a picture of the open book monument thing I was talking about in the last blog (if you still remember, it's more like a giant skate ramp, but it's meant to look like a book). We mainly drove around but we were driving up this beautiful mountain side and we would stop off and take pictures. We stopped at the zoo, only outside didn't go inside :( that's where heather decided to run at a group of pigeons in hopes that they would all fly away, I think only one pigeon moved hahah guess the pigeons here don't care about that stuff #ChinesePigeons #TypicalAmerican 

After the zoo, we went to tiger beach and were taking pictures with statues there, because well, it's fun haha but everyone loved Ann there and we're taking pictures of her haha she was the only one of us with shorts on and loved that she was white, it was awesome! Thennn we went to another park/beach/area-thing and we were taking pictures all around and we decided to take a picture of us jumping together. Sharon is trying to take the picture while we keep jumping, literally crowds of people come over and take pictures on their own cameras of us doing this, then we finally got a good picture and people started coming up to us and asking to take pictures with us #CelebStatus #PeaceSign it was soo much fun cuz they were all excited and so were we!! Oh and we were doing the typical Chinese peace sign in the pictures haha after that we got back in the van and stopped off at another picture place and it was so pretty!! Thennnn we went to CarreFour, aka the Walmart in China. You know what can be worse than a Walmart-type store in china? A Walmart-type store in a mall in China. DEAR LORD. That was quite the experience, I think I blacked out there because there was just chaos and we didn't know what to buy and were so confused. But hey, I'm alive! Our adventure to CarreFour concluded our city tour.

We're the foreigners in this picture. #Weird

One of the places we stopped at! 

CarreFour, yikes

Sarah, Heather, Dennis & Richard!!

FIRST LEGAL DRINK!

After, we quickly dropped off our purchases and went to icafe and stuffed our faces haha 

Of course being in China for six months means you will get fat if you don't work out. So luckily Richard knows some people at a gym that's about a 10-15 minute walk so we went there and took a tour of the gym. Let me tell you, it's uhhh-mahhhzing. Back home this gym would probably cost like $100 a month, but we're getting it for like $40ish a month, and the only reason is because Richard knows someone who works there and got us a huge discount, must be because they know we're celebs. haha #kiddingbutnot Anyways after signing up for the gym, Richard and Dennis took us to this coffee/bar place, which was very hipster-y haha It was fun though, we just sat around and talked! OH and I finally had my first drink since I've been 21!!!! WOOO!! Corona with lemon haha They gave us lemon because they didn't know what a lime was when we asked for one, but it was still delicious, and it was free because Ann bought it for me! Thanks Ann!!! That concluded our Thursday night :)

Friday:

Well Friday was the first officially day! Except not really, because we do a week in the other department before we actually get started in our department. My department is front office, but today I was in food and beverage. I worked in icafe (where we always have dinner since it's a buffet and I love food). Basically all day I bussed tables, served drinks, and went around to all the tables to give them a special tempura shrimp.. in heels.. Kill me now. All day bussing tables in these heels was the worst. I think these pantyhose are ruining my beautiful feet haha

Oh and how could I forgot that I got my uniform for my first rotation?!? I knowwww, it’s because I look god awful in it haha There’s only one color that just does not suit me in any way, and what color is it you may be wondering? It’s red. What color is the uniform jacket? Red. #OfffffCourse It took an hour to get a uniform that fit me because I am not built like a typical super tiny employee here. #Curvy After trying on about 4 different sizes, I finally find a shirt and jacket that fit me, buttttt the skirt is tighter than an emo-kid’s skinny jeans. I mean we’re talking, corset tight haha Sooo they extended the skirt and made it bigger #fatty

After working in icafe, got off at 4 surprisingly haha, I went back and napped, but oh wait there’s construction going on so I didn’t really, but hey laying down after wearing those heels all day felt fantastic. Then finally at like 6 we ate dinner at… icafe haha #Tradition

Earlier in the day, all four of us were ready to finally go experience some Dalian nightlife, but after dinner we were all just ready to sleep.. so we did! Finally caught up on some sleep!

Saturday:

In the morning, we had a meeting with Wei Wei (the graduate student in charge of this internship) and Denise (who is also in charge of the program, not a grad student though) who were visiting to make sure that everything was going all right. We got to hear about the other interns and how their hotels and internships are going, it was nice to see some familiar faces! We had lunch with them at icafe and then went back to the apartment and hung out for awhile because we were waiting for Richard so he could take us to the gym (yes, we need a chaperone).

AND YES, I actually worked out. In China. I have a membership. It’s pretty official.

After about dying at the gym, we all went back and showered and then were starving. We were talking to our friend Dennis who was at Pizza Hut with his cousin’s daughter.. mmm Pizza Hut… Yeah that’s what we thought sooo Dennis waited for us at Pizza Hut and that’s where we had dinner haha It was the best Pizza Hut ever. You should have seen the menu! They had everything!! They had seafood pizza, steak, Chinese food, it was awesome! Totally worth it, got a little taste of home J So we had big plans to go out, but we were just so exhausted from the week, but coffee sounded delicious. Dennis took us to this little coffee shop only 5-8 minute walk from the hotel and we got the “Dennis.” It’s not actually called that, but it’s his favorite drink. What is the Dennis? It’s Half coffee-half tea with a little milk, and IT IS SO GOOD! Oh and it also gets you SO HYPER!!!!!!! After that we were pumped up and ready to go out! Dennis went back home, and we went to the apartment and got ready for a real night out!

Ann, Heather, and I met Thomas, the German guy that works at Shangri-La, outside the apartment lobby and we took a taxi to where all the bars are (taking a taxi there was unnecessary, but oh well).  We went to the foreigners bar called JD’s and it was actually not very crowded, but Thomas set us up with a bottle of rum and some coke. (They buy it by the bottles in China.. I like the way they think! Haha). Let the drinking commence! After a couple of drinks, we decided to make the dance floor useful. Ann and I started dancing like foreigners and then a bunch of people joined in and our job was done! Yes, we started the dance party. #ClassicInternMove We actually didn’t stay out too late, but we took a taxi back to the apartment at like one! #SuccessfulNight Then we all passed out in our beds haha 

On our balcony!!! 

haha with the statues

WE HAVE FRIENDS!!!!!

Oh boy, today was quite the adventure. The days went from tears, to a ridiculous amount of laughter, to just smiling all around!

Part one: "I'm 21 and still pouring my eyes out while getting my blood drawn."

I think that quote pretty much sums this up, buttttt let me explain. Shangri-La requires a yearly health check for their employees, which for us included an x-ray and getting blood drawn. Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate needles, veins, blood, the whole thing.. they also know I'm a big baby. So Ann (my roommate) was worried she would pass out since she passes out every time she tries to give blood. We were legitimately scared. When we get to the clinic, we get a number and are shuffled into this line. First step: take a picture (with everyone in line watching).. then step two: get your blood drawn.. It's basically set up like a bank teller, 3 "doctors/nurses" in a row and you just step up, and get rushed out.. While everyone is waiting in a line behind you watching.. Unfrotunately for them, Sarah, Ann and I went all next to each other because Sarah was freaking out and singing to calm herself and immediately when Ann and I sat down, we started crying.. We're big babies, we know, but they way they just rush you in, kinda makes you feel like your in a production line of sorts, I don't know, it was all just so freaky, but HEY I'M ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Take that China Clinics! haha :)

Part two: Poor Rene (our training manager)

Well basically for orientation we are cooped up in this super nice banquet room, but we get a little stir-crazy in that room for so many hours and at some point we just gotta let loose. So all of the sudden we started thinking about how ridiculous we must have looked earlier in the day at the health clinic.. four american girls.. two crying.. one singing to herself.. and the other showing no emotion.. hahahah we were kind of pathetic, but it's okay! We started bursting out laughing and then Rene wanted us to do little skits where we just took complete advantage of it and made our skits very long and we just kept going on and on and on.. poor Rene, she had to deal with all of this haha Luckily an employee named Richard gave us a tour of the hotel later and gave Rene a break. This hotel is so unbelievably beautiful! We also got to see the presidential suite and let me tell you, it is worth the money. Although I don't actually know how much it costs haha

Part three: We have friendsss!!!

So our tour guide Richard was soo friendly and super cool, and we kept telling him that we wanted to explore Dalian but that we don't know where to go, so him and his friend Dennis offered to show us around one of the many squares in Dalian, called Xinghai Square. It was soo pretty at night with all the lights on! And we found out what Chinese Zodiac signs we are, according to the year we are born, and I'm a ram!! Kind of stubborn, makes sense haha Anyways we kept walking and then we had to pee. And the adventure began. For those of you who don't know, China has porcelain holes in the ground, and no tissue paper. #Challenge Accepted Luckily Richard had Kleenex for us girls and guess what it was a #success. FIRST EASTERN TOILET, ALRIGHTTTTTT haha Although I will be holding it until I make it to my apartment from now on hahah After our pee adventure, we went on the top of this little open book momument (not too high up) and then slid down! It was a lot of fun :) Then we walked around the square some more and Richard and Dennis tried teaching us a few Chinese words while we taught them some Enlgish words. And it's official, WE HAVE CHINESE FRIENDS!!! About time. We've been cooped up in the banquet room and then our hotel for the past days, but not anymore! haha Oh and I rode my first double-decker bus #AmIinEngland? haha Anyways, Dalian is pretty awesome and I feel so lucky to be here!!!

Sorry there's no pictures. I'm slacking. And I'm embarrassed about it, I apologize.

Anyways, more adventures to come tomorrow for sure because we are finally having a little tour of Dalian!!!!!!!!!! :) :)

Miss you guys! And 'merican toilets!

Btw I tried sushi today, you should be proud :)

It's a buffet and there's chocolate fondue?

Gotta be honest, not much happened today, but that doesn't mean I don't have any stories to share!

So today was the first day we were supposed to take the staff entrance to the banquet room where we've been having orientation.. Of course we ended up going the wrong way and to the wrong floor at first haha  but do not worry guys, we got there on the second try! Andddd OF COURSE they had fruit, pastries, tea and coffee there for us because we are spoiled and Shangri-La is just so awesome! I really mean that, they are all so incredibly nice and sincere. They have already done so much for us and they just keep continuing to do so, so lucky to be interning and learning from them for six months. #sohappy

Anyways, the first two presentations we had were from people who couldn't speak English very well so they had a translator. Pretty sure I got a good neck workout in from looking from the speaker to the translator who was standing on the opposite side of the table from the speaker haha

Oh and btw I'm currently reppin' Lockport Lacrosse with my awesome sweatshirt! **Thank you O'Sheas!!**

Didn't really luck out so much for lunch, mainly fish, but they had chicken neck (actually quite tasty, tasted exactly like normal chicken haha) and rice.. lots of it haha anddd then some fruit and pastries

We got through orientation really quickly today, and Sharon took us to get SIM cards for the phones here, so we officially have cell phones (two of us do, the other two of us are getting phones tomorrow). Then we went and just walked down Renmin Road (the street that Shangri-La is on).. passed Louis Vitton.. Armani... Gucci.. Fendi.. Prada.. Hey mom, want to go shopping while you're here? :) haha They are actually legitamate stores too, quite classy here in Dalian.. And for some reason everyone was staring at us.. Not sure why, I think we must have looked really good or something haha (it was obviously because we're the foreigners)

Then we decided to eat at iCafe in Shangri-La, which is a buffet, therefore I ate a lot haha (we get three meals a day at the staff cafeteria, although we can substitute one of those for a meal at iCafe) I mainly had some fried rice, pork, salad **yes, salad** and then we found out that there was a chocolate fondue fountain for dessert. I think that's enough said haha

Welp, tomorrow we're going to do our health check, let's hope I don't cry when they take my blood, which I might do because I'm a big baby.. a 21-year old baby :) haha

If you want to try and set up a time to skype with me, just text me!

Looking awkward outside the patio of one of the restaurants at Shangri-La

Kuok. Kuok. Kuok.

Orientation time.

So our day began by going to HR and filling out a bunch of paperwork. SO EXCITING :P

After, we went to this sweet banquet with fruit, pastries, tea, and coffee which was fantastic because we hadn't had breakfast and none of us can go more than two hours without eating #WeLikeFood Basically we went through what we'll be doing for the next six months and met a lot of the staff that we'll be working with so that was nice :) 

Then came lunch. It had been a good 2 and a 1/2 hours since we at so luckily lunch was good. We ate at the staff cafeteria, had some rice (obvi) some spinach, beef, eggs, standard stuff haha AND GUESS WHAT FOLKS?!! I used chopsticks!!!! I think it might have been a fluke, but guess we'll see. #ImAChild

Thennnn was the boring handbook information where all of us girls began laughing uncontrollably. Let me explain: Rene (Senior Training Manager) was telling us about the history of Shangri-La and apparently one of the people's name is Mr. Kuok. Now I know many of you are thinking Kuok is pronounced Koo-oak, well that would be incorrect. It's pronounced, excuse my language, cock. Yes, you read that right. So Rene kept saying his name, and because us girls are still children we began laughing uncontrollably and tried to hide it, but it most certainly did not work and we just bursted out laughing and then had to explain what cock means in English. (We make a great impressions hahahah) After to Kuok incident, not much else happened other than standard mission, philosophy, vision, and guideline rules.

Once we got back from orientation we knew we had to go outside and "explore" since we've been inside all day, however it was getting dark and we didn't want to walk around China in the dark on the 3rd day we're here. So we tried to take one of Chris' suggestions for a restaurant to eat at but when we got there it looked expensive so we ended up goin to the Bellagio for dinner. No, not the casino, a taiwanese- style restaurant. After much language barrier problems (I mean a lot, we need to learn to be good at charades haha), we ordered dinner and it was out in like ten minutes and it was delicious! Oh, our version of exploring was going to the restaurant, which is one block away from the hotel, and then went to this little grocery store to grab something for breakfast tomorrow since we still haven't gone to the supermarket yet.

Anyways, day two of orientation begins tomorrow!!!

Who would have thought I’d be spending my 21st birthday in China!

Well my birthday started immediately at midnight on the plane! #21212121As soon as we got to the hotel, around 1:30 and we were greeted by the night manager who wished me a happy birthday and gave me a card (with a Panda on the front haha) and a bunch of managers wrote happy birthday messages too me in it, and he gave me a little bear with a pastry #spoiled 

Btw the apartment has its own balcony!! #ballinnnnn We’re on the twelfth floor so we have a sweet view :) #SUPERspoiled haha 

I got up around 11, got ready, blah blah blah.. then Rene met us at the hotel lobby and we at the hotels buffet style restaurant, iCafe. The food was delicious, not sure exactly what I was eating, but I think that’s how all the majority of the meals I eat will be like #DontAskDontTell After lunch, we had our first excursion!!!!.. to the bank haha Finally got some RNB! Thennnn jet lag hit us haha So after our official room check-in, we all took nap and got ready for our welcome dinner #SuitedUp 

DINNER WAS DELICIOUS. We met Rene at the lobby and walked to one of their nice restaurants in the hotel and had tea while we waited for the managers to show up. I have never drank so much tea in my life, it’s already addicting. When Peter & Lily showed up we moved to the table and the 5-billion course meal began. I cannot explain enough how much food there was (and unfortunately I don’t have a picture), but you’ll be happy to know I tried everything and even at seafood!! THENNNN the lights went out.. and the brought out a birthday cake for me and started singing happy birthday :) The cake was awesome, there were angry birds on top!! (not literally birds that are angry. I mean the cartoon game haha).  

**Thank you Chris!!!!** 

After gaining about ten pounds at dinner, we all went back to the apartment, caught up on Facebook news and skyped haha BTW I can’t get on Twitter here. #MyLifeIsOver Overall, it was such an exciting birthday of food and more food :) My kind of day!! Thanks to all my family who wrote me birthday notes secretly at the America Party, you’re the best & love you! 

WELP, orientation begins tomorrow. I’ll be pulling a Barney Stinson & SUITING UP. #BidnizSuit 

Miss you guys already :)

I pack lightly.

WARNING: hashtags will be used frequently throughout my blog, so get over it. And if you don't know what a hashtag (#) is, Google should be able to help you out :) 

• So here's how our flights to China worked: we flew from Indianapolis to JFK (or JF Kennedy as Lauren calls it haha), then from JFK to Shanghai (That's in China for those of you who don't know Lolz), then from shanghai to Dalian, then we take the hotel limo to the apartment. #celebstatus

The flight to JFK:

•I'm almost positive that this plane was made for midgets, it was absolutely tiny! I mean when I stood up in the aisle, I had about an entire centimeter to spare. Pretty sure my two- 50 lb. luggage pieces took up the entire undercarriage.  And incase you don't know, I HATE flying, and tiny planes are the worst. #claustrophobic Although I think American Airlines was just trying to prepare us for how huge we'll be in China. So thanks for having my back American! And I knew I was headed in the right direction because there were a lot of Chinese people on the plane haha kidding #sorta. One more thing: During take-off the overhead storage opened up haha luckily heather and another girl were able to shut it quickly #smallplaneproblems 

Oh, and I basically broke my carry-on luggage trying to fit my pillow pet in the bag haha I have an obsession with pillow pets and there's nothing wrong with that!! 

The trip from Terminal 8 in JFK to Terminal 1:

•Want to know how to make me filled with a lot of anxiety? Give me 45 minutes to from from terminal 8 to 1 while getting lost, print our tickets, go back through security and get in line to board a 15 hour flight. The plus side is the employees printing our tickets felt bad for us and let us go through the first class line through security haha "If you appear helpless, someone will help" -Tricia Adreani

The flight to Shanghai:

•LONG.

•Believe it or not, dinner was served immediately after take off and was pretty damn tasty. 

•Just an FYI, my butt was numb for about 13 hours of the flight haha 

•Worst part about this flight: the obnoxious wine-o's who got drunk next to me and wouldn't shut up the whole flight. If you want to know about their entire life stories, just ask me because I heard it all. 

The flight to Dalian:

•Well we actually made it here with extra time!.. And then the plane was like a half hour delayed :/ but better than the other group who didn't make it in time to Qingdao. Anyways this was a short flight with turbulence the whole time. MY FAV! Not.

The apartment:

It's freaking sweet! It's 2-bedroom with 2 beds in each, but we rearranged everything so now we have 3-bedrooms, so currently Ann and I are sharing one and then after 3 months, we'll each have a single room and Heather & Sarah will share one. We have a little balcony too :)

Oh and upon our arrival at the Residences, the manager greeted me, wished me a Happy Birthday, gave me a card signed by the employees and a little bear with a pastry :)

Love you guys!

Let the journey to China begin..

Well everyone, Ann, Heather & I are currently hanging out in the Indianapolis Airport waiting for our flight to JFK. AND guess what? My bags were both only 51 lbs. and they were freeeee! Thank god for Skycap.. and tipping haha

Can't believe this is finally happening!!!!! :) 

Here's my skype name for those of you who don't have it: trida18

Let the 24 hour journey to China begin!!!! :)

Try not to cry too much.

Well everyone I leave for Indianapolis tomorrow and then I'm off to China for 6 months of who knows what! (well I mean I kinda do since I'll be working haha) but for those of you have already forgotten, I'll be interning at one of the Shangri-La Hotels in China. I'll be working in front office, although I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing in front office yet, but I should find out within the first day :) I'll be arriving in Dalian on Saturday, May 19th at 11:45PM, and the hotel limo will be picking us up (holllaaaaaa). From there we'll head to our apartment and won't have to meet up until 3:00PM on Sunday, May 20th, aka MY 21ST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! :) I know for sure my mom is excited for me to be 21, finally! Haha then from Monday to Thursday I'll have orientation, so much exciting things!!!!

Gotta be honest, I'm super nervous but I'm more excited than anything!!! I know most of you are thinking why china? Well WHY THE HECK NOT! :) I know I'm going to learn so much and will have so many new adventures. Thank you all for your support! And I am going to miss you all like crazy!!!!! Email me your addresses so I can send you post cards! Love you guys :)

P.S.- expect my blog posts to be more entertaining than this one because let's be honest I'm going to be a Panda in a sea of Bamboo sticks in china haha

 #GoddamnAmerican (<-- and proud of it!!!!)