Since today is a Saturday, I asked my family if I can go somewhere yesterday. My sister said I can go to the silk market with my grandma tomorrow, but I ended up going to West Lake with my grandpa. JUST my grandpa. We left the house at 7 AM and finished at 11:30 AM. Although we walked a lot and explored many places, I HAVE to go back there again because there are so many more areas there that I haven't been to. I had some quality bonding time with my grandpa. At first I was scared to go because we will only be able to speak Chinese, but it was alright. 西 湖 (Xi hu) really is a beautiful place. The aesthetic natural scenery is breathtaking, with the lake, mountains, and plants were all together. Willow trees lined the road, as well as many other types of plants that I didn't know the name of. I also went to different areas that were remains of the Song and Qing dynasties. There were lots of lotuses...and I mean LOTS. The lake has a lively atmosphere, with people dancing, doing tai chi, practicing kong fu, and just having fun. When I got there around 8 am, there were already so many people, especially 老 人 (old people). The elders here in Hangzhou are very active and all seem very healthy, and so are my grandparents. Near the end of our trip, I asked my grandpa if he's tired, and he said no. I was so tired after walking and climbing steps for such a long period of time! He can definitely climb any mountain if he wanted to. One thing I like about looking Chinese is that no one suspects I came from America (that is until I speak). Because of that, I don't get stared at. I like the fact that I can blend in and seem like any other person because I don't attract any attention. I asked a woman to take a picture for my grandpa and I today, and after she did, my grandpa told her that I'm from America. Right after that, she seemed to have awakened and called her daughter over so that I can practice English with her. That didn't happen because we daughter was too shy. The lady was extremely nice. I think a lot of people were smiling at my grandpa and I because there weren't many people that would spend time with JUST their grandpa or just their grandchild. (of course they thought we were related because everyone here says I look Chinese). So yeah, this morning was fun, and I'll be going to a nice park tonight with my whole family.
By the way...my host dad and my host aunt came from Pu Jiang (a city in Zhejiang province) to stay with us over the weekend. Actually, my family is from Pu Jiang, but came to Hangzhou for education. Currently, I'm living with a host mom, host dad, host aunt, host uncle, host grandpa, host grandpa, host sister, and host cousin. Awesome, right? I love big families.
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