This is What Happens When You Move Abroad.

My first day here was a bit crazy. I left my hotel in Manila at 2:30 in the morning to catch my flight. I got into Beijing around 11, corralled myself through customs in about an hour, and got into a cab with an HR guy from the company I am working for by 12:15. 

The countdown in my phone! 

Do you ever have those feelings where you feel like the decision you made was the right one? Well, while sitting in the back of the cab and watching Beijing fly by with all of its glorious pollution and neon signs, I had that feeling. I knew I made the right, albeit difficult, choice to leave the U.S. for a bit. 

The night I got here I went on a solo adventure around my hotel. Last year, when I came to Beijing to visit my bestie, the school she worked at was right up the street from where I am staying. Luckily, I recalled eating at a cafeteria in the basement of some random building. When I recognized the building, my heart leapt! I found it! I found delicious local food! My first meal here was a spicy pot filled with quail eggs, cilantro, peanuts, potatoes, seaweed, lotus root, bean sprouts, tofu, seaweed, and a few other things that just looked good so I piled them into my bowl. I was not disappointed. I've eaten there twice since.... no shame.

Two other teachers arrived when I did, but I wasn't able to meet up with either of them for a bit. But when I did, we went on an adventure to find our way around the subway, which is relatively easy to navigate I might add. We ended up in The Forbidden City and Tiananmen  Square. We had so much fun exploring.

We can go in, but first, let me take a selfie.

Forbidden City Touristy

Forbidden City

I can already recognize 4 Chinese characters! Only 4996 to go! :)

Ifugao 2014

July was incredible. 

I know I say that every time I go on some adventure, but this July was truly something special. Ifugao Archaeological Field project's 2014 field season was one for the books. 

Highlights include:

-Turning 25 in the middle of the season. My birthday also coincided with a typhoon that came through so we didn't have to work, but we definitely partied. I was also gifted a gorgeous tribal necklace from some of the guys who work with Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement. One of my absolute favorite gifts ever. Looking at the photos still make me grin. 

-Crossing two landslides in two days. The first landslide crossing was probably the most terrifying experience of my life. Our group had just finished with our community presentation and we were scheduled to visit waterfalls (maybe? it was a secret field trip). Anyway, about 35 minutes into the drive we realized there was a HUGE storm coming through and turned back. Except we turned back a little bit too late. We continued back to camp hoping to beat the storm.... that didn't work out. At one point, while the rain is coming down on us in an absolutely horrifying torrential down pour one of the boys who was in my Jeepney just started saying, "no, no no no no no no" over and over again. The road in front of us had started to slide out! Albeit, it wasn't too close to our Jeepney, but close enough to scare the hell out of me. Then, we proceeded to cross the landslide on foot. Even scarier. As we were going rocks started to come down from the slide..... and the other side was a straight drop probably 50-60ft down. It was a moment I will never forget.

Landslide Walk of Shame

-Having to excavated from my stomach in trench Sisyphus. We named him that.  Yes, the trench that was continual mud and water and a (potentially) collapsed rice terrace. 

-I fell off a rice terrace after spending the most wonderful day playing in hot springs and swimming in a river. In case Doc tries to make anyone think otherwise, I was completely sober. 

-Becoming the group of most unlikely friends. Room two- judgement free! <3. I love these four so much! They made the month so incredible.

From Left to Right: Me, Jen, Yi-Ting and Alex. Beautiful women. 

-Watching a beautiful Harvest ritual and Mumbaki (the local shamans of Ifugao) being ordained. Being able to see rituals like these remind me why I majored in Anthropology.

This barely scratches the surface of my month, but it is a good start. I had internet only on my phone in Ifugao, so I wasn't able to post like I wish I could have. Now, on to Beijing!