One Great Experience

  Before coming to China I had never traveled internationally before so I have never had the chance to experience and see and of the "Great Wonders" or "must-see" locations around the world. I knew that I would be able to spend some time while in Beijing getting to sight-see and that the Great Wall was a must-see place before I left. So this weekend I got to check my first Great Wonder of the World of the list. 
  Three other of the summer staff girls and I, along with one of the long-term volunteers who served as our tour guide, visited the Great Wall this past Saturday and it was such a fun day! Weather in China can be rough between the pollution and the heat (which has been upwards of 95 degrees F recently!) so we prepared ourselves for what could have potentially been a very hot and smoggy day. But instead of the miserable weather we had been getting we got beautiful clear skies with breezy weather that made for the perfect day to hike along the Wall. We took a chair lift up to the wall and then once up we walked along it for about an hour. It was an incredible experience getting to walk along the wall and be at one of the great wonders of the world. We took lots of pictures, climbed more than our fair share of unevenly spaced steps, and altogether had a great day just taking it all in. When we finished walking we got to take a toboggan slide back down to the entrance, and while being on the Wall was incredible, the slide was definitely one of my favorite parts of the whole day! It was just so much fun! I definitely recommend anyone who visits the Wall takes the slide, you won't be sorry. 
   Besides getting to visit the Great Wall, which was obviously a must-do thing while I was here, I have enjoyed lots of other cultural experiences in Beijing over the last week or so and plan to see even more over the next several weeks! It has been so exciting getting to travel and experience another culture and I am looking forward to the adventures to come!