We are officially half way done with the program, and it’s kind of hard to believe that I only had two more weeks in China this time last year, but now I’ve got another month to go. It’s amazing how an extra two weeks makes a world of difference in terms of how long we have left.
So, my master plan was to wake up at 6:40, because I don’t need that long to get ready, but they gave us a wakeup call at 6:30. Honestly, it’s probably because I was tired, but I did not appreciate that. We’re all adults; I think we can all figure out what time we need to be up in order to make it downstairs by 7:00.
Perhaps the other reason this annoyed me was because the hotel bed is actually soft, and the AC was actually blasting, so I had one of the most comfortable sleeps in a month.
The air quality was a bit of concern considering when we looked at it, all our phones said it was 800, and another website we found said 1300. We were all very concerned we were going to die. Trees that weren’t even 20 feet away from us were in a soft focus; that’s how much pollution there was. I think they said that it’s not the city itself, but all the pollution blows into Ningxia. Either way, it was awful.
We took the bus to breakfast and ate some good food. At some point, they asked who wanted noodles, and I assumed this meant they were going to bring a plate of noodles for all of us to share, but it turns out that assumption was wrong. They ended up bringing out individual bowls of noodle soup, and that could have been a meal by itself for me. By the time they brought out the noodles, I was already full, so I ended up not eating them.
Also, Logan and Korey took great photos of my RBF. Apparently, my face is the hardest to read because I look so blank when I’m not actively using my face muscles. Honestly, though, I’ll take that because it means people can’t make assumptions about my thoughts.
I’m not sure where we went after breakfast, but it was an adventure and a half. We looked around huts, saw some really bad air pollution, walked around, saw some ostriches, rode on a donkey carriage, took some more photos, and then made our way back to the bus.
Honestly, so much happened so quick, and I’m struggling to recall everything that happened. The bus ride was lit though because Holden, Korey, Hannah, and I all sat together, so that made for some solid conversations. Korey told us about some of his military training, and it was really cool. They taught them how to follow someone without getting caught, which meant a lot of stakeout missions. We also talked about growing up in the south (aka how we were disciplined as children.
We got lunch and were then put on a bus for what felt like forever.
I know that the tour guide is supposed to give us information, but it’s so annoying having someone scream into a mic for 30 minutes without pause in a language that you only understand 50% of. I think it wouldn’t be so bad if they mic quality wasn’t awful and/or the tour guide didn’t talk for so long without pause. It’s really grating on the soul.
The film studio was not what I expected at all. I guess when I think of a studio, I think of an indoor space with a lighting grid and a set, but this place was a literal film set. Apparently, a bunch of dynasty dramas are filmed there.
I was looking forward to learning vocab related to film, but they didn’t really give us any of that. Also, they called action and cut in English, so I didn’t even get to learn that.
We were shown around the set and then taken to get changed into costume. It was actually really cool seeing everyone in traditional Chinese outfits, and I was digging the bride outfit they gave me.
Filming was really off because we did it in public instead of a private studio. Again, not what I was expecting. Of course, a crowd of people had to gather around to watch the 外国人s speak in Chinese.
I’m not sure what kind of content they’re expecting to get out of this video, but I would be so stressed if I were the one having to edit it. They had multiple DSLR cameras around us (none of which were built by the way), and a single zoom mic placed near all of us. Most of us struggled to get our lines out (it took John five takes), and no one called quiet on set. People were talking and moving around, so I have no idea how they plan on getting a clean shot. I’m very interested to see how this will turn out.
We were free to walk around after filming, and the girls went to go take some photos in the sunflowers. We got some good photos.
When we all reconvened, each of the classes took a group photo, and my class lifted me, so that was great.
We then got dinner, and Hannah abandoned Korey and I. Somehow, I found myself at a table with all the guys. At some point, the conversation shifted to laws and why people do or don’t abide by them. Korey asked me if I knew what was going on, and I joked that I heard something about Atlanta. Apparently, we had moved on from that conversation, so Logan gave me a brief rundown. It’s funny because after he told me what was happening, I was better able to follow along. It’s like all of a sudden, I was hearing the vocab, and I was like “oh wait, I do know that word for law.” I should probably try actively listening, but sometimes I get in my own thoughts and the Chinese gets drowned out.
Finally, after another long day, we made our way to the train station, bought some snacks, and boarded the train. I’m so happy because I managed to get a bottom bunk again.
Since it was so late, we didn’t get to stay up and chat like last time, but I did get to play fire emblem briefly with Hannah and Rachel.
Also, when I went to pee, the toilet sprayed water on my ankle, and I wasn’t ready.