Today Tyler and I spent the morning with some fellow employees at the Food Fair location setting up the Sagamiya booth. If you know me, you know that I am a perfectionist and am quite particular about things. I also am not a fan of anything cheesy. Well that is what the booth for the food fair looks like. I would say definitely slightly cheesy and not as professional as I was expecting. We came back to the office before some others, so it could look a lot better tomorrow. I am going to wait until tomorrow to give my fool opinion! Honestly, it also seemed like a good amount of the vendors were doing things half-ass, which is weird to see as an American. Because when it comes to business most Americans want things perfect! Oh well, different culture.

There will be many different types of foods there than what Tyler and I imagined. It is definitely not like what I know of American expos. It is more of a food fair where you can go buy food for cheaper, I am not sure if these vendors are really there to start selling relationships with people. But I could be totally wrong! We are hoping to buy some tea for friends back home tomorrow during the time we are there, I also want to get some Chinese wine for some friends. We were told items would be cheaper there during this fair compared to stores, hopefully that is the case! I keep looking at my gift list and nothing is getting marked off, or I add something or change something. You peeps and family better be happy when I schlep all this stuff back to the States! I also need to come up with a gift for my new host family. Any ideas? I was thinking probably tea or maybe 

Something funny that happened, a lot of Chinese people kept coming up to Tyler and I and speaking Chinese. While we were all standing around the booth (Tyler, and I and more than 4 Chinese people) some Chinese lady came up to me and started asking me a question about tape or something, why would she pick me out of all the Chinese there to ask??? It happened all throughout the day! Then the booth next to us had a lot of different foods (which were already being set out, even though it does not start until tomorrow - gross!) and the lady kept giving me stuff to try. I tried a nut and a couple different dried fruits. I had this one that tasted like strawberries and it was quite good! However, their booth will also have fish stuff so it is going to smell so bad throughout the whole fair (which lasts about a week or so).

Tonight, Tyler and I are going to head to WalMart to look at the sealable packing bags to free up more space in our bags. The ones I got require you to use an actual vacuum compared to just rolling it, and one was torn. So we need to find the rolling ones or buy the tiny pump that I saw when I was buying mine. I also need to get to Starbucks to buy the travel mug for Jessica, and she got my Chengdu mug yesterday. YAY!!!! I have no clue how I am going to pack my stuff, I am not able to get rid of as much as I thought I would be able to. But I am leaving my awesome Zebra/Pink bathroom bag here (very sad about that) and the yoga mat I bought to work out with. My tennis shoes have to make it to Shanghai, then I will throw them away there. I figure those will be good shoes to have in Xi'an and Bangkok and Shanghai!

So I am down to the final stretch here in Shenyang. Which is so weird! I arrived here June 6th and it is almost already time to leave. In 10 days I will be heading out to start a new adventure for the remainder of my summer here in China. Since I am leaving soon I was thinking today what are things I still have left to do here in Shenyang.

This week at work we will be helping with the setup of the Food Expo booth, it will be interesting to see how close to our design it is. We will also get to spend time at the expo looking at different booths and observing how  our company, Sagamiya, operates in this type of business situation. We may also be heading out to the tofu factory sometime next week to observe the manager there for a day or two. I actually think that would be a lot of fun, to stay out at the factory and see how things work there!

This is my last weekend in Shenyang! Also Saturday could be the last day I go to the Dream Home forever, hopefully not though. This could also be the last weekend I ever see Elaine, really hopefully not! Sunday is my last chance to do some historical attractions here in Shenyang. All the places are only open until 17:00 everyday, so week days are not possible to go to them. I decided I really wanted to go see the "9.18" Museum (about the bombing here by the Japanese) and Nanhu park on Sunday. I also want to go to the Imperial Palace on Sunday, if I don't get to go on Saturday. These two weeks are also my last chance to get to the bath house with Elaine, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it works out to do that!

Surprisingly, I have not bought many gifts for people. So I need to get that done within the next couple of days. Some things I want to buy, are northern Chinese gifts so I will only be able to get them here.

There are a couple of things that I regret from my time spent here. I wish that I had started seeing historical and cultural places earlier. There are still one or two things, besides what I mentioned above, that I would like to see but will not have the chance. It is funny, you think you will have so much time to do things, then the time flies by! I also regret that I did not look for an orphanage earlier in my summer. I have loved going to the Dream Home and I am so thankful to have added Elaine as a friend this summer! Another silly thing that I regret is not writing emails to friends sooner into my time here. I wish that I had gotten on top of that and skyped people more! I also wish I had taken more walks around neighborhoods taking pictures and getting exercise! But it can be so complicated when living situations are different than what was expected. I am also disappointed in myself that I did not attempt to learn more Chinese. However, to my defense Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to pick up and the tones of words is what really messes me up. 

But when one door shuts, another always opens! So what is in store for me with the remaining time in Asia? On July 27th I will be off on a small journey of a lifetime! I will start in Xi'an where I am meeting my amazing travel partner, Liz Rabe, to explore the Terra Cotta Warriors and Muslim District in Xi'an! On July 31st we will continue our journey by taking off for Bangkok, Thailand with a detour in Kungming for a 7 hour layover (ugh, but it was the cheapest flight). Bangkok will be home for 4 days and we have so much planned for that time, we will be wiped out by the time we get back to Shanghai on August 4th. Then Liz will head back to the States on August 5th and I will continue my little adventure with my Mum and Phoebe in Shanghai until August 12th. It will be great fun and I can not wait for this adventure! However, it will be bittersweet leaving what has become my summer home in Shenyang, especially leaving Davids parents whom I have come to love in the short period I have been with them! 

My Mum and sister, Phoebe, will be leaving Charleston on August 1st and arriving in Shanghai PRC on August 2nd. They are going to adventure around without me for a couple of days, then once I leave Bangkok (SO EXCITED) Liz and I will fly to Shanghai to meet them on the 4th of August! Sadly I will not be able to stand at the airport waiting for them with signs and such, but don't worry I have that welcome up my sleeve for someone else. Wahahaha! If only they knew what they were in for :)

Did I mention that I am super excited for them to come???? Or that I am super excited to go to Bangkok!!!!!!!! I AM JUST SUPER EXCITED, haha. 

I will be looking at things for my Mum and Phoebe to do when they first arrive. I think they should definitely go to Suzhou, one because it was quite beautiful and a good day trip, and two because I have already been there. Because we were doing research and I was sick when in Shanghai, I actually have not done a lot there. I pretty much was just on Fudans campus or in my hotel bed. So there is a lot of stuff I want to do. Maybe they can go to an acrobatic show or the zoo. The big stuff, like the Oriental Pearl Tower and bigger museums I am looking forward to seeing. I will also suggest to them that they do a Night Cruise along the Bund. I would definitely do that again, but I don't have to so that is something that will keep them busy. Also, another day trip that I want to do with them is go to Hangzhou which is where West Lake is. I plan on being selfish and only suggesting that they go do lame stuff while I am in Bangkok. Is that awful? If you have any suggestions for what they can do, leave a comment! 

It will also be interesting to hear their initial reactions once I get to Shanghai. And to see how they have fared so well. I am not worried at all about my Mum, first off she has lived in the Philippines and second she has 4 kids. Also, she got all the itinerary stuff done in a matter of hours less than 30 days until leaving. She can work miracles! Unfortunately my Mum was unable to book the same flight back on the 12th, which is sad but I can deal with that! However, it would have been really fun to be on a 14 hr plane ride with my sister! I am going to have my Mum bring me some Agatha Christie books to read on the plane. Haha, also I am having them pack in two suitcases but then be able to combine into one that way I can even out my stuff more. We shall see how that goes over, but who has been here for 3 months I may say????

But since they will be leaving at 10 am on the 12th and I leave at 3:50 pm, it will give them perfect time to get back to Charleston and take there stuff home. Then get my welcome home extravaganza together. I am talking balloons, flowers, and signs. If you don't know me, you probably think I am joking. Well jokes on you, because I am being DEAD serious! I want some damn Welcome Home Margaret signs! Take note family and friends :)

Love and can't wait to see Mum and Phoebe in China and the rest of my brood/peeps Stateside!!!!

I had an extremely sluggish morning this morning. I am not sure if it was because I was tired from yesterday or because Tyler is still in Xi'an so I had no one to do anything with. Oh ya, did I tell you. TYLER LEFT ME HERE ALONE!!!!!! But that is okay, I was perfectly able to fill my day without him.