This was the first time I walked towards the right-side at customs under the sign stating “Foreigners.” Returning to China after renouncing my Chinese citizenship, nothing has changed. As our bus left the airport, I recognized all the signs pointing to “x Ring Rd” and “Chaoyangmen Bridge.” Beijing felt like reuniting with an old friend … Continue reading It is good to be home →

Today was our first full day in China and it was packed with events and great food! One of my favorite moments was in the Forbidden City when our tour guide, Henry (the real ZQ), explained Daoism to us. He explained it is based off of Ying and Yang being in balance with one another. … Continue reading 5/14/19 Blog Post- Josh Gitogo →

It still doesn’t seem real that we are actually in China! Today, we went to the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden city. I loved all of the intricate details within the architecture, such as the gargoyles that sat on each corner of the the roofs to signify the importance of the building. At the … Continue reading 05/14 – Blog #1 →

We did some really cool sightseeing today that got me amped for the rest of the trip! First stop was the Temple of Heaven followed by the Pearl Market. After a nice family style lunch with traditional Chinese food, we walked around Tiananmen Square and then toured the Forbidden City. My initial thoughts are that … Continue reading Day 1! →

Today at lunch we had some more authentic Chinese food at a local restaurant. It was cool to try new foods but they gave us a chicken dish with the cooked chicken head on the plate. I’m usually not freaked out at seeing meat or dead animals but for whatever reason this head really grossed … Continue reading Beijing Day 1 →

First meal in China was a success last night. We went to De Shrimp and had some dumplings, then got some ice cream. It was a little difficult to communicate with the servers because they didn’t speak English, but we figured it out. Today was a crazy busy day. We saw Tienanman Square and the … Continue reading Beijing (5/14) →

Today was packed with sightseeing and learning about historic landmarks. Something that stood out to me at every location that we went to was the symmetry of the architecture, and how different the buildings were when compared to western or European architecture.

Today we went to the temple of heaven and the forbidden city. I was impressed by these man made feats and got to learn a lot about Chinese history which has been interesting me a lot lately. I also got to help explain to my dinner table how to eat the Peking duck which has … Continue reading 5/14 Blog →

Today was a fantastic first day in China! I loved that we were able to start the trip by doing some cultural tours and seeing the temple of heaven as well as the forbidden city. I thought it was so funny how people would automatically jump in our group pictures. I'm also definitely not used … Continue reading First day! →