Saturday, May 26, 2007

China is great

More than 10 days in China and I just have to say good things about this country. I am really tired because in this trip we don't stop one moment. We go from one city to other, by bus, by train and by plane. We visited museums, families, farms, monuments, we have some lectures and we visit some cultural resources.
So far we have been in Beijing, Luoyang, Tai'an, Tianjin and now we are in Chengdu. Tomorrow we are going to see the Pandas and in the afternoon we are going to fly to Lhasa and we are going to visit Tibet.
In total we are 21 students, 3 Drake professors and other two adults, and a Chinese guide and a city guide are always with us. Sometimes is hard because not everybody speaks English, so they have to translate things and explain to us the things. This is a picture of our group with Miron, our Chinese guide who is seating next to me.
One thing that have surprised me a lot is the food. I really like Chinese food, probably more than American food. We eat always together, we seat in three tables and the plates full of delicious food are in the middle as you can see in this picture of my table. Normally we never finished the food but this time was a special dinner and we did.
I love taking pictures and in this trip I have taken so many! More than 1,000 already! And I am going to be in China for another 2 months and a half. But everyday we do so many different things. I really like taking pictures of Chinese people, as you can see in the next picture, there are two Chinese pictures that we met while we were visiting the White Horse Temple.
That's all for today. Not it is 11.30 p.m. and Rita is going to bed because tomorrow we have to be ready by 8 a.m. at the hotel's lobby to see the pandas while they are eating breakfast. I am writing from a Starbucks in the city center of Chengdu, just in front of our hotel!! So lucky to have access after so many days without service.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Sorry

Hi everybody! I'm alive. I travel from one city to other and I don't have access to Internet everyday so it is kind of hard to upload pictures from the trip.
Big Buda
I will try to tell you more things soon!

Friday, May 18, 2007

First days in Beijing

The first days in Beijing have been great! We visited the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall and three factories. Now we are in Tianjen, yesterday we visited two traditional Chinese families and today we are going to a museum and to talk with a professor about the research he has been doing.
This is a picture of all the group in Tiananmen Square:
Inside the The Temple of Heaven
In the Great Wall
The Great Wall

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I have just arrived in Beijing

I am in China!!! I have just arrived in Beijing two hours ago. I took three planes with stops in Minneapolis, Tokyo and finally Beijing.


Now, I am in the hotel in Beijing and I have Internet connection. I do not know if I am going to have access daily but I will try to upload some pictures and let my friends know how everything is going.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Chinaaaa!

It is 1.04 a.m. and I cannot sleep! So nervous! I am going to China in just 11 hours. The plane leaves around 12 but we have to be at the airport by 10 a.m.
Since Thursday I was in Kansas City and Columbia. I went with a friend to visit Mizzou University, her family, her sister's graduation and now I am back in Des Moines.
I want to leave to China soon and view new things but I also know that I am going to meet my friends from here.
In the last three days I have eaten in some many international restaurants: Italian, Mongolian, Japanese, Mexican and American. And the best thing is that I love the four of them.
Tomorrow I am planning to have a breakfast with my friends at Mars Cafe and then I will write you more things from China.
Have a great summer! =)
Goodbye dinner
Japanese dinner with Yoko

Friday, May 11, 2007

I am done!

The final day of the semester arrived. Yesterday was my last day at Drake University. In the morning I finished the magazine and the business plan and I was done, well not really.
I said goodbye to some friends who were leaving. I worked with Lois for the last couple of hours. I said goodbye to the Journalism School staff that was around Meredith, I went to Carpenter to finish packing, I checked out from my dorm with my RA, and I moved all my things to my friend's house.
I didn't know that I have so many things. I put everything in boxes and I tried to do my baggage to China because I am leaving on Monday.
Then I talked with people from the international center, I had a coffee with some friends and I left to Kansas City, Missouri. I am spending this weekend with a friend and her family. I visited Mizzou University, Kansas City and I am going to see an American college graduation.

With Sandrine
With Marion
With some friends
With my roommate

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Pella Tulip Time

I am busy during these last days at Drake. Last final projects, last days of work on campus, packing all my baggage, books, memories, saying goodbyes, taking the last pictures....
On Saturday I went to Pella Tulip Time for two hours. I love tulips, they are one of my favorite types of flowers. I was wearing a Drake T-Shirt and a man who was next to me while we were waiting in the bakery's line said "I am a bulldog too, graduating 60 years ago." It was so nice to talk with him. I cannot imagine in Spain someone telling me does. It is not popular to wear University's clothes and my University was founded 15 years ago, so most of Nebrija's alumni are really young.
If you go to Pella, remember to go to a bakery and taste a lof of things, everything I tried there was delicious.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

World Press Freedom Day

I am done with my classes. In my last class I was talking about a job shadow I did about a copy editor from The Des Moines Register.
Today is also a special day for journalists, today is the World Press Freedom Day. A day to remind that there are journalists killed around the world. According to Reporters without Borders, 24 journalists were killed since the beginning of the year and 125 are in prison.
Iraq was is the war were more journalists have died since the World War II. Since March 2003, 155 journalists and contributors have been murdered.
World Press Freedom Day

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Just one more class!

Just one more class! I'm so sad! The school year is over!
Just one class tomorrow at 8 a.m. My favorite class. I am going to make a presentation about the Web page I have been doing in the last days with the stories my classmates wrote about working in Iowa.
Today I had JMC 59 as always, we completed the last assignment, an InDesign document about Mars Cafe and then, we made an evaluation of the class.
We finished the class early and then I was working on my presentation for JMC 119.
At 11 a.m. I had my last Honors 84 class. Professor Woodward was really nice and helpful during all the semester and he said very nice words at the end of the class that made me feel more sad.
The moment of my presentation arrived soon. It was at 12.30 p.m. I had to talk about my magazine, the magazine's sponsor, its audience and its philosophy. It was not a very hard presentation for my classmates because all of them in this class are Americans, but in my case it was.
I was in front of the class looking to the people I know, and to the professor. They knew that I was nervous and they help me a lot with their smiles! :)
Then, I taught my last Spanish classes and it was very sad too. We were making a review for the final exam that they have tomorrow and then, the moment of the farewell arrived.
In the afternoon I went to Mars Cafe to a party that celebrated the launch of the magazine THINK. It is done by Journalism senior students and I really like the design. I didn't read all of it yet.
Today I had dinner outside. When I was coming back from Wallgreens to my dorm I saw some of my friends eating outside and I stayed with them. It was really cool and the weather is warm again.
THINK magazine cover
Think

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

More Relays videos

I took more videos at Drake Relays. Here there are:





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