stuff your eyes with wonder.

One of my favorite things: When a normal day leads to an unplanned, crazy adventure.

Yesterday, we went to a ward party in Guangzhou. It was a 30 minute taxi ride to get into the city. We had subway sandwiches, met some of the ward members, and were planning on swimming. Then, one of those huge monsoons I've been talking about came out of nowhere. The little kids ran outside to a garden walkway in their swimsuits and ran around. They were basically swimming. The rain was coming down so fast and there was at least 1/2 a foot of water along the pathway.

Alyssa, Bekstrand, Amber, and I decided to explore the city. First that meant finding the metro. It turned out to be a couple blocks away. We had umbrellas, but they didn't help much! It was still raining like crazy. We ended up wading across 2 very big streets. I say wading because there was over a foot of water in the streets. Apparently crosswalks are casually observed here...you just have to cross when there's a break in traffic and hope you make it! We were waiting at the first street and the cars would zip by, splashing water into the air and sending waves of water towards us. Finally we made a dash for it. About half way across the road I turned back and saw Bekstrand trying to save her flip flop which was floating away. A big bus was heading right towards her. It was an intense moment. Luckily she got the flip flop in time and we made it across safely. Just a little wet. We were all laughing. I think it was a pretty exhilarating moment.

We finally made it to the subway and rode several stops. I've never been pushed on a subway with so many people. When we got off, we were literally herded to this escalator to exit. You did not have a choice if you wanted to go that way or not. You just had to follow the crowd. I was pushed to the far side of the escalator and right when I stepped on my pinkie toe got jammed into the side of the escalator. I prayed that it didn't break skin, but when I looked down, my toe was bleeding. I thought I'd be fine, but with the combination of all those people, the humidity, and my hurt foot, suddenly I felt very faint. Luckily there was a place to pull over at the next level. I just sat down on the nasty subway floor and drank some water. Also, being raised with boy scouts, I was prepared with sanitary wipes and some tissue. So I made a makeshift bandage. Hahaha it was such a crazy moment.

We finally made it out. And guess what? Magnum was doing some promotional thing where you could make your own Magnum Bar for free. So naturally we waited in line for our Magnum bar. The ice cream, coupled with making it out of the subway alive, made me one happy camper.

The rest of the day we walked through the streets of Guangzhou and also through this crazy huge mall that included an ice skating rink, aquarium, movie theatre, and game place. And so many people. You know that U2 song where it talks about how after it rains all the colors come out? That really is true. And after the rainstorm finally ended, Guangzhou was stunning.

Here's my custom made Magnum bar. Vanilla dipped in dark chocolate covered with white chocolate, chocolate cookies, almonds, and peppermint. :) Also, you can see my injured toe. Had to document that. 

Welcome to a free ice cream store where they do it your way. Just don't go crazy. 

Here's part of the super huge mall. 

Walking the streets after the rainstorm.

Til next time, Guangzhou.

british invasion.

England. My first "i'm-going-to-travel-there-someday" love. While kids were throwing out China and Fiji and Mexico as awesome destinations, my response was consistently "Great Britain, please." I'm not quite sure when the obsession surfaced. Let's just say it's been here awhile. And visiting the UK last summer only made me want to go back more, because two weeks is not NEARLY enough time to see/smell/taste/do everything. Really. I've added to my dream list a study abroad to London. (Don't worry. My next adventure is still my mission to France and I am beyond excited to study the gospel, learn some French, and experience the sites and tastes of France. Maybe it's just Europe in general that I'm obsessed with.)

Anyway. This sudden blurb about England surfaced because some of my friends are traveling/ studying in Europe and I'm a tad bit jealous. And then there's the whole One Direction boy band that's not half bad. Which translates to, "I've been listening to their music. A lot." (Just preparing for the fast approaching 18 months of straight classical music and MoTab). It's funny, they kinda remind me a little of Beatle Mania, what with all the recent hype here in the states.

And this picture...

...looks a little familiar.

A few of my loves of England:

Fish and chips. Harry Potter. The Lake District. St. Paul's Cathedral. Coldplay. Jane Austen. J.R.R. Tolkien. Muse. Green expanses of countryside. Oxford & Cambridge. U2. Big Ben. Red buses. Kate & William. Shakespeare. London Town. Musicals. The Rolling Stones. Hadrian's Wall. Pubs. The Cotswolds. Wimbledon. Stonehenge. Robin Hood. The Beatles. English breakfasts. Trains. The Police. Rainy days. The Cliffs of Dover. The Smiths. 

And in case you want a lovely video of places around London (plus One Direction), take a look at this.

Cheerio!

After the flood all the colors came out.

Me at the Sea of Galilee.

Where to begin?! I just got back from spending 10 days in Galilee. They were filled with so many incredible moments and adventures. I learned so much about myself and others and the gospel.

First off, it was nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem and spend time in the peaceful countryside of Galilee. We stayed in Ein Gev, a kibbutz right on the shore of Galilee. 1 minute walk to the beach? Yes, please! On a side note, my little cabin was the second to last one in the kibbutz. 20 minute walk to all meals and the interwebs? No, thanks! But, hey, it was good exercise and gave me an excuse to eat the desserts at dinner. (Real chocolate cake, people. I forgot what it tasted like.)

Our days followed one of two patterns. Either we went on an all day field trip or we had 3+ hours of class, followed by a free afternoon. At night we had more class or special lectures or bonfires. Whoever thought that having students go on an 8 hour field trip and then spend all night in class was crazy! But I kinda liked the intensity of it all because it reminded me of the short amount of time I have left here in the Holy Land and all that I want to accomplish before I leave.

Attempting to blog about all that happened in Galilee would take forever (and might get slightly boring), so I've decided to put up some pictures of highlights from my trip. On our trip we had several rainy days which I actually loved, because I got to wear a rain jacket and jump in puddles, not to mention I love the rain. But mostly I loved the rainy days because of how everybody reacted to them. Everyone just put on their jackets and headed out into the stormy weather, not complaining or having negative attitudes. We sang and dance in the rain, we took awesome pictures in the rain, we even went swimming in the rain! You can tell a lot about someone's character by how they react to situations that don't go exactly according to plan. I loved hanging out with people that embraced the rain and made the most of it. Plus, after a rain storm, when the mist cleared away, the hills and valleys and sea were beautiful. It reminded me of England. :)

Me and Danielle loving the rain at Gamla, a fortress that the Jews
used in a Jewish revolt similar to Masada. 

Black jackets unite!

Dancing to gospel music on our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

Danielle, me, and Robyn at the Sea of Galilee. 

Pig noses close to Capernaum where the pigs threw themselves off the cliff
into the sea. We referred to this place as "The Hill of the Bedeviled Ham." :)