What were you grateful for this week?Mango cake! And birthday celebrations. 

What was the most challenging part of this week?The language barrier. 

Tell us about a “wow” moment you had this week. A wow moment for me this week was spending some quality time with [my host family’s daughter] after her English class on Friday night. We got Coco (yummy drinks) and then laughed and talked as we walked home. When we were almost home she told me Friday nights are her happiest nights of the week because she gets to be out in the city when it’s dark, drink Coco, and talk with me. It was so sweet! It made me happy that [she] enjoys spending time with me so much. 

Tell us about your week! This week was very exciting for me! On Monday I went and toured an authentic Buddhist temple. I felt like I was in a movie the entire time. It was truly beautiful, and there was definitely a feeling of peace there. People come to pray to Buddha, asking for help and/or blessings for their lives. I met a lovely Chinese girl named Grace who was there seeking good fortune with her upcoming move of Germany to get her masters degree. I was amazed by how many Buddhas there were, and how massive some of them were! Some were gold, but some were very colorful! There were several buildings, each one with it’s own Buddha, or Buddhas inside. There was usually a bench for people to kneel and pray right in front of the Buddha. It was so neat to observe people worshipping in a way I have never seen before. 

Another one of my favorite activities this week was visiting Yu Garden. The Garden was originally built in the 1500’s during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan for his father. For decades, it was passed to a variety of owners. In the 19th century the garden suffered a ton of damage due to a couple different conflicts, but was rebuilt and then opened up for the public to come and see in 1961! It is an incredibly popular tourist site, and now that I have been, I understand why. It was absolutely breath-taking!