So nothing exciting happened today, no surprise. The highlight of my day was finish the Ozzy Osbourne book Elaine gave me. I seriously recommend it to anyone that is down in the dumps or looking for a hilariously funny book, I was rolling on the ground half the time. Warning though, there are about 5 cuss words per page on average. But you just get used to it, it is Ozzy Osbourne anyway. You will be completely surprised that he is still alive!

I had a wonderful skype video chat with Katelyn this morning which was so nice! We chatted like birds about random stuff. I totally miss that girl! Lunch was my favorite lunch, egg and stewed tomato (I pick out the big pieces of tomato) and rice. We ended up at the food fair again today, and it smelled even worse than it did yesterday. You can probably smell Tyler and I in the States, however everyone in China smells like this so its no biggie here. We went so I could get some more pictures, we didn't stay very long so hopefully I got some good ones. When I am taking pictures I don't like feeling like I have a certain amount of time. I just want to wander, process, and find weird things to take pictures of. While we were there I bought some dried fruit, nuts, and this weird semi-sweet flour cracker roll thing. It is very good and extremely addicting; I could eat the whole thing!

This morning I went through my emails as always. That is what I look forward to every morning when I get to the office. I love opening up my inbox and seeing which of my friends has emailed me back with a lengthy novel size email. Then I giggle through it and reply with an email the same length or longer! Of course Ciara (my room mate) and I have started talking about what needs to be brought or done at the apartment for this fall. I love planning apartment stuff. And my Mum got all of my necessary eye and teeth and hair appointments figured out. One less thing to worry about now. 

Tonight will be filled with some shopping and relaxing. Tyler needs to get a suitcase to use, he packed very light (unlike thee). We found a place very close to our apartment that had nice suitcases for pretty cheap. So we are going to go back to get that tonight, I need to do some looking around for little tidbits, and then we need to head to WalMart so I can pick up some of those vacuum seal type bags to pack in. The other package had one that was ripped and I want the roll ones, hopefully they have those!

Tomorrow we are heading to the aquarium. Sunday I will finally get to see the Shenyang Imperial Palace, plus some shopping. Then Monday brings the bath house with Elaine and visiting the orphanage!

One week left.... Can you believe it?

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! 

We finally had a meeting with David for the Tofu booth at the Chinese Food and Equipment Fair. It went well, David really liked our plan and ideas. Of course, Z kept repeating the same thing over and over again. I feel like she does not listen, and I don't think it is the language barrier. But anyways, Z is supposed to be making a list of  work and supplies to make the booth; however, we shall see if our whole design is used. Honestly, I don't think they are really keeping the size of the space in mind or the purpose of a Food expo, unless they work differently here in China than what I have seen in the States. Oh well, we shall see how it goes.

Besides that meeting, later in the afternoon, was all we did today. I also rearranged the blog and changed the design, I hope you like it! If not, then tough luck :P

After work I headed to my apartment by way of the company transport van, which was making extremely nerve-wracking noises. It was a sort of metal against metal sound that happened when the brakes were used. I don't think it was the brakes, but something with the clutch or brake pad thing that is in the tires. It was a little distressing and I was on edge the entire time, but I made it home in one piece and without any problems!

Dinner tonight was odd, my hosts husband was helping her with the cooking. Which since I have been here has not happened. To be honest they have a weird relationship that has puzzled me since I have been here. But dinner was good, really hot temperature wise so I burnt my tongue. So after dinner I headed to the treadmill for a good workout and then a wonderful PB&J sandwich for a little protein boost. It was absolutely excellent, however it could have been a lot better with some Ezekiel bread. I am down to one last serving of peanut butter, which means I need to head over the the international grocer soon; which I recently found one closer to my apartment. After my lovely sandwich, I headed to shower and I realized that my shower head actually does move higher. It is one of those detachable shower-heads that you can hold and until now it was at chest level. well last night I realized it moved, so now I can stand up straight and not have to hold the shower head to wash off. Excellent find!!!!! It was kind of an AHA moment!