Xiamen Tour 2016 Experience

2016

Hi guys!

We know that we've been gone for quite some time (jk) not just quite some time, we've been inactive for three months! We're really sorry for that but it's because we went to Xiamen, China! We went there on March 31 and came back last week! Pretty crazy, but we really did stay there for that long. It wasn't just any other tour, it was a study tour. You might think that that wouldn't be fun at all, but it was actually a really great experience. We got to familiarize ourselves with dorm life, being independent, wandering around a foreign country on our own, making new friends, conversing with others in a language you're not great at, and much more. Although it could get tiring and a little stressful at times, it was certainly an enriching experience.

Audrey: On my first day there, I remember thinking that the campus was huge and that I'd get lost in it everyday. I also remember being really exhausted when I got there after waking up having gotten nearly no sleep, and as I placed the luggage by my bed, I instantly flopped down onto the mattress covered in amusing green sheets that reminded me of green tea or matcha ice cream. I regretted that. The mattress was very thin, therefore I, jumping onto the bed, expecting it to be as bouncy as my bed back home, was thoroughly disappointed and also in pain. I also remember having this bruise on my hip because I was clumsy and had fallen, and it made sleeping on that bed seem like torture. Nevertheless, I grew used to the dorm beds, and they became the most comfortable thing I could find in China. It wasn't long before I started referring to my dorm room as "home", and to me, it really did feel like it. My dorm room inevitably became my home in China.

Even though it was a study tour, it was one of the best trips we've had! Studying wasn't stressful there and honestly you don't have to take it seriously haha. It's so fun because there's a lot of free time wherein you could just go out with your friends and go to the night market, cafes, restaurants and mall nearby!

One of the best parts of the tour was meeting new people! We met a lot of new and awesome friends there. Like seriously it's heartbreaking that we had to separate and return to the Philippines! This was truly an unforgettable experience!

Here are some of the pictures we took! :)
Performance day :)

Roomie :)

Umbrella dance x Fan dance

Signs Tea at Laughings Cafe :)

Wuyishan Adventure Day 2 :) 

At a milk tea shop located in the night market 

Wuyishan Day 1 with my roomie :)

Xiamen Buddies

Feeding pigs and monkeys at an amusement park :)

Room 104 ever

Beryl's best friend HAHAHA sorry Andrea

At a random temple :)



Heading back to the campus

Beryl, Nadine, Audrey and Andrea

Dress day at SM :)

Zhongshanlu with roomies (with a cameraman HAHA)
Our campus

Another gorgeous temple

Just a little Xiamen culture

Day 1 antics

Drinking one of the many milk teas I've had during my stay

Sunset in Xiamen

Shopping at Zhongshanlu

This cute little flower shop at Zhongshanlu

So cute, right?

What I do every break: take selfies, lots of them

Enjoying ice cream from this chemistry themed shop

River rafting at Wuyishan

Another one of the many temples we visited

A maze on water

Audrey's Wushu teacher

Eating Japanese food in China because why not?

Xiamen in our hearts


We've had a lot of experiences in Xiamen that are so meaningful and can't ever be fully expressed in photos. This has honestly been the best summer we've had, and the most memorable one. It felt like the trip was over way too quickly, but in that short span of time, we've experienced so much, learned so much. Xiamen will forever be in our hearts. 


Book in Review: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer

2014 publication




Title: The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy
Author: Kate Hattemer
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 8, 2014
Format: ARC
Hardcover: 336 pages
Rating: 4.5/5

Ethan and his groups of friends decide to fight against a reality tv show being filmed in their school via long poems. They believe that the tv show is ruining their school and taking away their freedom. While studying Ezra Pound, they get the idea to use long poems to take away the reality tv show and show their fellow students what's going on. Luke, one of Ethan's friends and the one who came up with the idea of rebellion, turns against them and joins the reality tv show, For Art's Sake. The remaining 3 friends and a certain gerbil named Baconnaise try to get Luke back while still rebelling against the show. Along the way, they unravel a web of corruption going on in their school involving their principal, vice principal, and even their favorite teacher. Will they be able to get Luke back? Can they stop For Art's Sake? Can they stop the corruption?


I really, really, really enjoyed this book. It was funny, witty, smart, a little bit immature, but still heartwarming. Hattemer managed to make a book that would find its way into your heart without you even knowing it. Ethan and his three best friends, Elizabeth, Jackson, and Luke, share a special bond with each other. They are all unique, they all have they own distinct voice and they all are very intelligent  in different ways. The characters were well-developed. You can easily understand the motives of the characters and relate to them. The plot wasn't too complex and the way it was written was excellent. From the very start I was hooked.

The author must have put a lot of effort into this because if it wasn't written in the right way, it could easily come off as obnoxious or pretentious. There isn't really anything that I would change in the book aside from maybe a little more detail about what happened to Luke and his relationship with his friends after he betrayed them. I loved the poems that were placed at the start of the chapters, I even highlighted the ones that I liked. The writing went straight to the point and didn't try to gloss over the events. The author was able to give just the right amount of detail in which you can still fill out some of the blanks yourself while leaving enough so that you can easily understand the story.

At first glance, you would think that this book is just about a bunch of kids rebelling against a certain reality tv show but no. It's so much more. It shows just know deep the bonds of friendship can be. It shows how people are affected by what the people around them do. Its about how people fall in love with people they don't really know. How they think of those people as perfect therefore also thinking that they will never be able to be with that person. They don't even know that that person isn't who the person really is the person they think about is someone who has been idealized by them. It's even about how siblings can love each other so much because even if Ethan may act like he only plays with his little sisters because he has nothing better to do, you can see the love he has for them. It's so much more than just a book. It's someone's emotions and doubts. It's love, jealousy, and betrayal embossed on the pages. 

All in all, this was a great book and I would like to thank the author for giving me a copy. This book would be perfect for anyone who wants a fun yet heartwarming read or anyone who just wants to read a good book.

Have you read The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy? What did you think about it? Leave a comment!

BOOK IN REVIEW: Me And Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

amulet books




Title: Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Amulet Books
Hardcover: 295 pages
Rating: 4/5

When I first saw this book, I thought that it would be another book about cancer. I thought that it would show the usual things that books about cancer do. When I read it though, I realized that the story was actually very different.

Greg and Earl are friends who love making films together. When Greg's mom hears that an old girlfriend of Greg's, Rachel, has cancer, she tells Greg to spend more time with her because she needs friends. Greg, Earl, and Rachel slowly become close.

Right from the start, the author warns you that there will be no deep realizations in the book. The author tells you that while reading this book, you will want to punch yourself in the eye. Did I wanna do that? At some points, yes. Did I give up on the book? No. Even though it was stated by the narrator that this book is pointless, I don't think it is. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl actually made me tear up at times but not when Greg is talking about Rachel's cancer. I usually teared up when Earl would open up about how horrible his life actually is, how he finally plans to become selfish because he realizes that he can't help his family without them helping themselves. In this book, I have to say that Earl is my favorite character with Greg coming close at second. My problem with Greg is that he can be a little dense at times. He also always thinks the worst about himself and doesn't believe the compliments that are directed at him. What I liked best about the characters is how realistic they all are.

New Year's Kiss Unraveled

12:00
Hey everyone! There's only a few hours left til the clock strikes midnight. How's your New Year's Eve so far?


The New Year is often celebrated by parties, good food, revelry and of course not to forget the infamous midnight smooch to greet the New Year. I've never kissed anyone in New Year, but that's because I've always celebrated it with my family, and I'm left with choices like: my stupid brother, my parents, our annoying dog, and 1234567890 relatives who I don't feel very kissy with. And who kisses their family on the lips anyway? Well, not in our family.

Does Friendship Have An Expiration Date?

anger
friend·ship
\ˈfren(d)-ˌship\
noun
  • 1 : the state of being friends
  • 2 : the quality or state of being friendly : friendliness

   Friendship is one of the strongest things and the weakest things. It is something that everybody craves, everybody wants to be part of a group, to have friends, to feel like they belong. Nobody really knows when friendship starts or ends, but what I will write about now is how it ends, not when, but how. Is it true that friendship has an expiration date?

   I have been friends with a classmate of mine for six years. We were best friends and people have always mistaken us for twins. When we first met, I was a very shy girl and she just walked up to me and introduced herself. She helped me become more confident. We were inseparable. So, why do I dislike her now? I talked to a classmate of mine and he told me that he had a group of friends before, all of whom he fought with, he isn't as close to them now. He also told me that when you have been friends with a person for a long period of time you start seeing the bad things about them and they start seeing the bad in you. Eventually, all of the anger, irritation, and contempt boil up to the surface, people get hurt, and friendship ends.

   For me, when a friendship survives seven years worth of arguments, misunderstandings, and trials, it can then be considered true friendship. When a person knows everything about you and is still your friend, then they can be considered genuine. 



   Friendship should have love and care.
   Friendship should survive tears, smiles, laughter, anger, and confusion.
   Friendship should be strong, yet gentle.
   Friendship should have trust. When you have gained someone's trust, take care of it.



   Friendship is something that can happen at the most random times. Friendship is something that can end in the blink of an eye. We should talk to our friends about our problems are ask them for advice. 


  I don't think that friendship has an expiration date, I think that friendship just has a lot of challenges. We can overcome these challenges if we work hard enough. I believe that the reason why people think that friendship has an expiration date is because at one point in friendship, friends will encounter a challenge so big that it seems impossible to get past. If we put faith in the friendship that we really want, we will be able to get past that 'expiration date' and the bond between two friends will grow stronger. 




   Remember, friendship isn't easy. Friendship is something you put effort into, but also remember that if the effort you are exerting is not appreciated maybe it is time to put effort into something or someone else.


-Audrey




   




Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Geeky Chiquitas

Stalk Us

2015 Reading Challenge

2015 Reading Challenge
Kimi has read 3 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide