UDNSLIY July 11, 2017
Holly Pappano
Today after a fun-filled get-together with our Chinese “buddies” at Xiamen High School of Science and Technology, we left for a well-known Xiamen beach for our “hard-earned” free-time after so many days of hard work! Excited, everyone piled onto our tour bus and we made our way down narrow roads enveloped by low-hanging trees and busy sidewalks. The drive to the beach was unbelievably scenic, and we came to the conclusion that the palm trees and stucco buildings along the coast give Xiamen a very Californian vibe. Upon arriving to the beach, we had various group games and made our way to the water’s edge (BUT without going in!) as we happily embraced the freedom. Many of the Chinese people on the beach found our group highly amusing, and we were the focus of their pictures on more than one occasion. We left as the sun began to dip below the horizon, reluctant to leave the afternoon behind, but still in high spirits at the thought of a McDonald’s run 🙂
We were promised a trip to McDonald’s after tasting delicious Chinese foods for close to two weeks since we left for China. The McDonald’s was right outside the entrance to the university, and the night outside was lit up by the neon glow of car lights and electronic signs and buildings. After ordering and getting our food, the majority of us meandered next door to buy the iconic bubble tea.
Buying bubble tea was definitely interesting, because nobody at the small shop spoke any English and we used our Chinese almost completely! Indeed a good practice!
