30 Day Blog Challenge

I've seen some people doing these "challenges" on Facebook and blogs and I thought it was a good way to prompt me to blog. Basically I've begun to cave to the peer pressure, since I've newly discovered that apparently all my friends have blogs. So off we go:

1. put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs
2. a recent picture of yourself and 15 facts about you
3. a picture of you and your friends
4. a habit that you wish you didn’t have
5. a picture of somewhere you’ve been to
6. favorite super hero and why
7. a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
8. short term goals for this month and why
9. something you’re proud of in the past few days
10. songs you listen to when you’re happy, sad, bored, excited, mad
11. something you could never get tired of doing
12. nicknames you have and why
13. a picture of you last year and now; how you’ve changed since then
14. a pic of you and your family
15. a song that makes you cry
16. an art piece
17. a talent of yours
18. your idea of a perfect first date
19. a youtube video
20. whatever tickles your fancy
21. your day in great detail
22. a picture of something that makes you happy
23. a photo of the last thing you purchased
24. your best friend
25. a photo of the town you live in
26. what's in your purse
27. a tv show your addicted to
28. something you regret
29. something you miss
30. a photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the last month

Pictures

It's been a busy, fun year! I found this great website that lets you show off your pictures in a really cool way! Check it out:

Adventures of 2010 Slideshow: Melody’s trip from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States to 19 cities Beijing, Paris, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Brussels, Xi'an, Seoul, Qingdao, Ho Chi Minh City, Geneva, Guilin, Basel, Busan, Lausanne, Annecy, Versailles, Leysin, Gruyères and Börsborn (near Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) was created by TripAdvisor. See another France slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

Au début

This is my favorite time of any trip: the beginning. Not only do you still have a whole suitcase of fresh clothes or some semblance of sanity, but you also have the promise of adventures ahead. The possibilities are still full of potential. It is still seemingly unreal to be sitting in Switzerland right now. This trip has been unique in that I haven't had much time to mentally prepare. The last five weeks have been simply survival, and I wasn't even doing a very good job at that! I had no time to psych myself up for the trip, so it's already off to an interesting start.
Switzerland is so pristine and beautiful. I love it so much. I have missed the tranquility. There is such a respect for the quality of life here. The US is so busy all the time, it's easy to get lost in the hustle. Although I'll still have responsibilities, I expect the Swiss air to calm my soul. Just being here for a few hours has been soothing.
Plus I've gotten to know some people in my group better already. I love how traveling together bonds people. We have a great group, with some really great people!

Well, it's currently 10:28 pm local time, and I've been traveling since yesterday morning, so I'm going to bed. Here's to the start of something new!

World Expo

While we were in Shanghai, we had the awesome opportunity to visit the World Expo, also known as the World's Fair. Basically a chance for countries to show off to each other, the World Expo is a gathering of pavilions (or semi-permanent structures) from almost every country in the World. Basically you could get a taste of the world in one city. It was so much fun. We spent almost two whole days there!

In front of the Nepal Pavilion



My friend Brooke and me with the China Pavilion in the background. (And yes, there was a group of Japanese tourists standing behind the person who took this picture, so we ended up on a bunch of Japanese cameras as well... Creepers.)



The Morocco Pavilion



And finally, a shot of the cityscape of Shanghai. It was so beautiful!

So I Climbed the Great Wall...

I know it's been a while since I blogged; I didn't realize that Blogger would be blocked by the "Great Firewall." Tragic, I know. But I thought I'd still post some of my favorite memories from the trip.

One of the stand-out days was when I fulfilled a life's dream of going to the Great Wall of China. It was pretty sweet. We visited just a part of it when we were in the Beijing area, but it seemed to be a popular place to go. It was totally crowded, but still way fun to see.



I think one of the things that surprised me the most was how steep it was. The wall literally just followed the mountains and was quite the hike to make in my flip flops...

Something I love about historical places is the way they make you think about those that came before you. So many people lived and died for this wall. Hardly any of the workers ever got to see the work completed. I wonder if these men could have known that in hundreds of years a girl from a country that didn't even exist back then would come and snap a few pictures, walk around, and leave. They couldn't have. They just did their job because that's what they had to do.



And when we came down off the wall, there was a camel. Kinda random, but of course we had to take pictures!

Puppets and Perusing

First off, I'd like to make a confession. I have a slight addiction. Not to opium or anything, but to dragonfruit. I knew I like the stuff before, but my consumption has rapidly increased since getting here. Today I had some form of dragonfruit for three consecutive meals: fresh cut for breakfast, juice drink at lunch, and a smoothie drink at breakfast. I just can't get enough! (Props to anyone who started to sing the song, I know I did.)

After a day of shopping and walking around the city, a large group of us went to a water puppet show. We didn't really know what we were getting into, but it was actually really entertaining. I could never guess how they controlled them. But the music was traditional (I would guess) and the show was very well done.


P.S. I found this in one of the knockoff art stores and thought it was probably what all the poor Vietnamese people are thinking when I walk down the street.

Culture Clash

Today is our first full day in Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. We've gotten a chance to see a little bit of the city and visit some businesses and the common theme I've seen is one of seeming culture clashes, and I'm not just talking about my towering white American frame. These apparent clashes are all over the city: between old culture and new ideas, leftover French architecture and classic Asian influence, open economic markets and communist rule, shacks and high rises. Even its name is a split issue, technically called Ho Chi Minh, but still referred to as Saigon by most. Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh particularly, is a country in transition and trying to find its identity. I hope that they can find a balance between all of these differences, as it makes for a unique experience for all who visit.


P.S. I was a Vietnamese millionaire for about an hour today. A whole 1.000.000 Vietnamese dong rested in my lady pocket from the time I took it out of the ATM till we got to the restaurant. Don't worry, it was only about $50, but it was still a nice feeling.