My goodness, I'm finally in Shanghai! It's great to know that I'll be staying in a place for longer than one day. I should be here for two more days and then it's on to Guangzhou . . . I think. I'm having trouble remember what I last wrote about but the past few days have consisted of the cities Nanjing, Wuxi, and Shuzhou. I must say that Wuxi was not my favorite place. And on top of that everyone seemed to spit and snort a lot more than the rest of China. It was dirty and the people pushed more.

I find the culture here different than what I've been brought up in. I've always been under the impression that the Chinese were into the whole honor thing but it seems like the elderly here are totally ignored or rudely referred to. There have been a couple of memorable experiences that include a little stubborn arguing . . . but for the first time it wasn't on my part! Don't worry ( . . .Grandma) I'm not getting into trouble nor am I making eye contact with anyone. Haha, that brings me to another story. People here STARE as if they've never seen human life! I guess it's because we are foreigners, but when staring gets to the point of an entire train full of people watching your every move for five minutes it starts to cross over into the 'you're being rude' domain.

I'm exhausted but I felt like updating. I miss many things here in China. I miss my Mom and Dad, I miss my Grandma, my family, Christmas, my friends, DANCING (Ooo, I get to take a dance class on Saturday! Woot woot, Merry Christmas to me!), church, and two very important things to me . . . my independence and complete communication skills. I enjoy the safety I've had while here, but I also feel suppressed! There's just too much to write, so I better end with a few upbeat notes on China. The food is yummy and cheap. The hotel we are in has a computer! I'm in Shanghai . . woot woot! I'm getting a haircut tomorrow. I get to see China! Love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!