On Friday morning, the group took a train from Beijing to Chengde On the train there was a woman selling a bunch of different items. One of them was a little grip for your phone that you could stick on a surface so your phone stays there. Megan, decided to buy one. Then, she stuck it to the window and we all leaned in to take pictures. I’d say it was worth getting up at 5:30am for.
This week, we met our urban host families! It’s been a wonderful experience to get a look inside daily Chinese life and culture. On Saturday, all of the experimenters and their families met in the Chengde Summer Palace for an afternoon of games and bonding. We all got to know each other better and had fun while doing so. The weather was beautiful, and the experimenters went touring through the palace with their host siblings. The mountain peak of the summer palace gave an exquisite view of Chengde, and was well worth the hike!
For our second day in Chengde, we went to the Great Buddha Temple. There, we burned incense for good luck before going to see the Giant Buddha Statue inside the temple. The statue had three doors to get in. If you enter through the left door and exit through the right, you have good luck. Otherwise, you will be doomed! Anyway, long story short, I think a few of us are cursed now. If you ever visit Chengde, I HIGHLY recommend you visit, the temples are very beautiful! Just make sure you use the right doors.
Nora, Ben, and Jackson G.
