20 Awesome Moments From Being 20

So it's my birthday tomorrow and I will officially be an adult. I mean, I can drink, get a hotel room, play slots at a casino, and get married (mom's rule). Not that I think I'll be doing any if those things real soon (or at all for drinking and gambling).

But I want to take a moment and remember all the awesome things that have happened in my life since the last June 18th.

20. ESPN Cameo

I have been on ESPN a couple times before, but this was the first time my little brother saw me on ESPN. Instant "cool sister" status.

19. Finding Guard in Taiwan

Because I'm such a guard nerd. Read more about it here.

18. Hiking to the Big Buddha

It was one of the harder hikes I've done, but I felt so B.A afterwards. Read about it here.

17. Tubing Provo River

Roommate bonding time on the river.

16. Thanksgiving Road Trip

Sometimes you go on a roadtrip with a stranger and you have one heck of an adventure in Southern Utah and then continue it in Hong Kong. Another example of the magic of travel. Read about it here.

15. Failing at Pre-Game

Falling TWICE in front of all the football players' families? Yeah, it was pretty embarrassing.

14. Touching the Hands of Almost Every BYU Football Player

OHMIGOSH!!!! Totally never wanted to wash my hand again (but I did cause, you know, not washing my hand would be pretty gross).

13. Beach at Lamma Island

Four hours of playing in the waves, collecting sea glass, and taking hipster pictures.

12. Dragon's Back

The first of many hikes in Asia with some beautiful views of Hong Kong. Read about it here.

11. The Spy Adventure

That one time the guard went to the Provo Beach Resort and worked on our spying skills. I am now a master at avoiding lasers.

10. Karaoke

One of my favorite activities, especially Asian-style.

9. Rode an Elephant

So amazing. Period. Read about it here.

8. Kayaking in Sai Kung

I love kayaking SOO much. And it's even better when you have amazing friends with you. Read about it here.

7. Colorguard Sleepover

20 girls, one cabin, and a temple equals one fantastic time.

6. Cat Cafe

A cafe full of cats!! Gotta love Asia!

5. Roughing It in Rural China

No gain without pain, right? And by pain, I mean really icky hostels and no traffic laws. Read about it here.

4. Crashing a Local Parade

I promise I will post about this soon. Or just message me and I'll tell you, in case you can't wait.

3. Petted a Tiger

Getting up close and personal with some really big cats. Read about it here.

2. Hiked the Great Wall of China

The last thing on my bucket list. Time for a new one!! Read about it here.

1. Moved to Hong Kong

Definitely the best 4 months of my life. Even though it was one of the scariest decisions I've ever made, it was totally worth it. It straight up made being 20 absolutely amazing.

Here's to an even better 21st.

Thoughts from LAX

I'm back in America.

And it's my second May 30th. It's pretty funny, but when I arrive in Phoenix, it will be the exact same time I left Korea-- 8pm on May 30th, 2013. Weird, right?

I have realized that I'm SOOOOO awkward. I have to take my shoes off for security? Why are there so many African-Americans (only knew 2 in HK)? Why is everyone speaking english?

It's going to take some time getting used to American life again. I've realized that I'm kind of living a mixed cultured life-- a blend of Chinese and American customs and attitudes. And although that's totally awesome and everything I want, it kind of excludes me from both cultures. The Chinese think I'm weird when I do something American and vice-versa. 

For example, I was always accidentally cleaning up after myself at fast food restaurants in Asia (they pick up after you), but now that I'm in the US, it takes a conscious effort to throw away my trash. 

Basically, re-acclimation is going to be an adventure.

The Great Wall of China

There's nothing more exciting than achieving a dream. 

So I was pretty psyched when I went to the Great Wall while I was in Beijing. It was a dream come true. I have been scheming on how to get to the Great Wall since I was a little kid and now, before I turn 21, I got to go.

And it is as amazing as everyone says. Absolutely breathtaking. 

Melissa and I took a tour through our hostel to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. It's a bit farther than Badaling (the popular section), but it's totally worth it. There's fewer tourists, meaning that at some points, we had the wall to ourselves. Also, there are both restored and original parts of the wall, so you get to see both sides.

To get up to the wall, we took a little ski lift up the mountainside.

After you have had your fill of exploring the wall, you can then take a toboggan back down!! Straight up the coolest thing ever.

So all my childhood travel dreams are now completed. Snap! 

Luckily, I happen to have a new list. ;)

What I Ate...Beijing Style

Egg tarts with mango on top= happiness

Buns!!!

Tofu with chili!!!

Spicy food at a restaurant with a lady who LOVES foreigners, especially Melissa.

So McDonalds has a new product out called black/white burger. The black burger is a squid ink bun, 2 patties, bacon, mash potatoes, lettuce, and truffle sauce. A deluxe burger at McDonald's? Let's just say my mind was perplexed. 

The Babies of Beijing

As any of my HK friends can tell you, I am obsessed with Asian babies.

I think they are one of the cutest things in the world.

And even though there are lots of adorable Asian children in Hong Kong, whenever I go to Mainland, I am beside myself with all the cute babies there.

So I used my stealthiness to snap some pictures of some of these adorable small children.

The little prince is unhappy. :(

Jammin' out to an accordion.

Those cheeks!!

Check out those tights!

And that hat!!

Are you feeling Asian baby hungry now?

Good.

Why Everyone Needs to Go to Beijing

Yes, the pollution is disgusting. Yes, people are going to rip you off. Yes, children will go to the bathroom anywhere and everywhere.

But despite that, Beijing is a place that everyone needs to visit.

Why?

1. The Sights

The sights of Beijing make the trip totally worth it. The morning of my first day in Beijing, all I wanted to do was rush back to safe, little Hong Kong. I had already been ripped off twice. The hotel/hostel room we had reeked of smoke. The pollution was absolutely terrible.

But once I stepped into the Forbidden City, I was overtaken by the magic that only Beijing can provide. It was a dream come true.

In Beijing, you have access to all of those famous Chinese sights like the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Bird's Nest, and access to multiple parts of the Great Wall. Places that will leave you in awe with their grandiosity.

2. The Food

Courtesy of Melissa Woodbury

Beijing is the capital of China and therefore, you have access to the many Chinese cuisines. And real chinese food is SOOOO good. I wanted to smack all the tourists who whined about how different real Chinese was from (American/French/Spanish/insert country here) Chinese food. Duh it's different! And better! You just have to know what to get.

Even if you just eat street food (what we did), Beijing has delicious choices that will make your tummy happy. May I recommend buns and dumplings. You can't go wrong with those. But if you want to try more adventurous things, I suggest trying Sichuan food or getting dim sum (yin cha in Mandarin).

3. A look into the Communist regime

In America, we are taught to have a certain opinion about China, especially its government. But I believe it's important to see and experience it for yourself and develop your own opinion.

I had a great time in Beijing and I know I'll be coming back.

1 Week Left

After my first week in Hong Kong, I was walking to the cafeteria on campus thinking to myself, "Well, 16 more weeks to go." And that seemed like forever away.

But now, school is over and I have one week left in Asia.

And it's made me pretty sentimental.

For the past four days, I've been tearing up randomly. It started in Beijing on the bus to the Great Wall. We were passing through streets of chaos as Beijingers made their way to work and I was overwhelmed with the magic of Asia and, yeah, got a little teary-eyed. And since then, I've been a little bit of a sappy mess.

But truth is, I love Asia. I always knew I would like Asia, but it has been great to see my love confirmed.

Asia is so different from what I knew before coming here. There's a different set of rules that can make a Westerner uncomfortable. I mean, pedestrians don't have the right of way? There's TWO words for thank you in Cantonese? But if you stick with it long enough, Asia has plenty of rewards in store.

But anyway, I am being way sentimental and I really need to get off campus and take advantage of my last week in Asia.

So I'll get back to you later.