Aloha from Dalian!

After 13 hours of flying, finally got into Dalian yesterday afternoon. I got pretty homesick during the final hours on the plane as it landed in Dalian, China. Probably because I got really tired and my head started hurting. But as soon as I saw Mangpo ( my good friend and teammate for the summer ) and two of the University students ( one of them holding a sign with my name on it ), I felt much better. We took a taxi back to the school, where we checked into the guest house. It's not the Sheraton, but it'll do for the next three weeks. If anything I sort of remember this lifestyle from my previous trips to China; besides, I'm not here to live a fancy life. I'm here to get away from everything else that has happened these past few years, and sort of just give some time to myself and meet new people, learn how to find my inner peace, and be able to live in the now moment. We had a pretty good dinner, though as soon as I opened the menu I wished I had paid more attention to the Chinese lectures on food and menu items at MIT. They were entirely written in Chinese, with no pictures or English translations. Luckily we had our student order for us, which turned out great with Beef,Chicken, and Vegetables. Glad my Chinese speaking skills aren't too rusty, but I have a feeling they'll improve immensely even before I begin my Chinese classes in Tianjin. Louis ( our third team member ) got in later that night, and the three of us chatted for a bit, talking about a possible trip to Beijing before heading to Wuhan. I'm really excited to just travel and explore all of China. It's Julian time this summer; no other human species to cause any more drama for me ^_^