Oh China...you're just like a bad tease!!!

You know that guy (or girl) who totally flirts with you every time you see him (or her). And just when you start to think you might be interested in him (or her), you find out that he (or she) was never really interested in you. That person is just the inevitable bad tease. Well I've come across my own tease. However, this tease doesn't come in the the form of an attractive young man. No, no...this tease is much larger. Let's think like country large. China, you're just like a bad tease!!! You're probably thinking what could this rant possibly be about? Well, let me tell you.

So in my past posts and in all the conversations I've had with any of you, I've been quite positive about all China has to offer. My last post even kicked around the possibility that I was beginning to fall in great like, possibly love, with this country. But just like a bad tease, China has drug me along for the past 3 weeks only to humiliate and hurt me this week. (Sidenote: This note probably shouldn't be taken too seriously. Since "the incident" I've recovered and fallen back in love with China. So no one worry too much about the severity of this post.)

On Sunday, I went to the Summer Palace with a couple of friends to see the beauty of the area before fall had completely overtaken summer. So we went, and it was absolutely beautiful. The art and the architecture...simply beautiful. Well, about half way thru the tour of the Summer Palace, which ended up being about 20 times larger than we first believed it to be, it began to rain. It wasn't a cold rain or a necessarily hard rain. Thus, we decided to continue on our journey. We were, after all, at the highest point of the Summer Palace. I suppose we didn't have much option other than to descend the mountain. And herein this simple and menial task of descending stairs did "the incident" occur. The majority of the steps at the Palace are marble. So the rain made them wet. And I just happened to be wearing flip-flops (unaware of the chance of rain). You probably already guessed as I slowly and cautiously walked down the last set of about 20 stairs, I slipped and fell in front of, oh let's say, 35 Chinese people. It was in that very moment, I knew China had been setting me up for the last 3 weeks; allowing me to think I could trust and love it, only to humiliate me in front of a crowd. Oh China...you're just like a bad tease! So I hurt my ankle and couldn't really walk on it for 2 days, but now I'm better...YAY!!!

That's pretty much the most exciting thing that has happened in the last week. On Friday, we're leaving for our week long trip (with the Alliance program) on the Silk Road into the interior and west parts of China. I'm REALLY, REALLY, REALLY excited about it!!! I'll def post again before then and let you all know what's going on here in China!

LOVE YOU!!!

Kendall