Fall Camp is a three day trip made for the Middle School. Since I’m in 6th Grade this was my first Fall Camp. It was great. We are all put into different cabins with one or two teachers. We played many games and had lots of fun. The theme for our Fall Camp was unity. We played many games around that theme. The first night you’re in camp we play a night game where all the 8th Graders catch the 6th and 7th Graders. Fall Camp is all about your House winning. You are put into a house when you first come to Middle School and you stay in that house till you Graduate from Middle School. There is House one, two, three, and four. I was in house two. During Fall Camp Houses get points for different things in the end the points are added up to a winner. House two got in 2nd place! We also had free time where you could ride bicycles, do go carts, and paddle boat around the river. Most of the time I was in free time I played around with my friends. I can’t wait until the next Fall Camp!

This year I have decided to be on the Middle school soccer team. It has been going great and I love it! Our first soccer game was against another International School in Tianjin. It has mostly European students there. something funny that happened was on the field they were all speaking French! We had a great game and we won 5 to 1!

It has been great these two first weeks of school. 6th grade is great and I can’t wait for more fun to come! I’ve gotten a locker that is really nice and I have decorated it with pictures of family and friends. Another privilege we get is that you get the choice to eat ice cream and soda any time you like!Also after school on some days I have soccer practice. Those are the days I always look forward to. Even though we get a lot of homework I think I’m going to have a great time on Middle School!

China has many Traditional, gross, and delicious foods in their Country. I’m gonna tell you about the traditional foods. There are two main dishes Chinese people eat a lot Bao Zi and Jiao Zi. Bao Zi is like  a bun with Meat, Vegetables, and sometimes Shrimp.Jiao Zi is like dumplings or what we call potstickers. It has a noddle outside and the same fillings you put in Bao Zi. There is a also another snack that we like, steamed  Soy Beans. They are soy beans boiled with seasonings. They are also delicious. Chinese people always eat Jiao Zi during their Chinese new year celebrations. We eat these foods at least once a week.

Jiao Zi

Bao Zi

Soy Beans

Summer has been so fun. I can’t believe it’s almost done! this summer we have been swimming, shopping, and  playing with friends. Almost all of our community is gone in the States. even though my best friend is here sometimes  I get lonely. But I have been having a lot of time with my sisters and brother. I am really EXCITED to go to 6th grade but do not want to start school work.  I’m going to try to use every little time to enjoy the summer before it’s gone!

Yesterday Me, Michael, and Jessie went to a Chinese Market. This Market is huge and you can find about anything in it! It’s actually an outdoor Market but with tarps on the roof so it doesn’t get too hot. There are many little passages some crowded and some empty.  people just set up there shops and try to sell things. Some of the stores are actually little rooms and some are just tables with stuff piled on it. you also can bargain there. bargaining is when you try to get the thing for a cheaper price! It’s really fun to Bargain! You can never go empty handed out of that Market!

A few days ago our whole family went to Beijing for about two nights! The main reason went was to pick up my dad at the airport.  We were also excited to go swimming at the hotel pool because they had an outdoor pool ! It was really nice! We brought a lot of snacks and hung out.  Also near the pool they had a playground that was nice. One night we went to our favorite restaurant in Beijing called Peters. It’s a Mexican restaurant! Another fun thing we did was play Monopoly.   So we mainly hung out in the nice sun and had lots of fun!

On June 15 I went back to the Ji Xian portion of the Great Wall. This time with mom, all the kids and some friends from Tianjin. When we got there we started our 3 hour hike to the bottom (parking lot) with Megan! About 1/4 of the way there we stopped and ate lunch. After a while we got to the half way point and saw there were people that had horses to ride down the hill instead of climbing the rest of the Great Wall! Megan was getting a little tired so mom, Megan, Rachel and I decided to take the horse ride. Rachel and I also came because we had already hiked the Great Wall and mom might need help. It was a little scary going down the horse trail, but it was also fun! After we met up with the rest of the gang we headed home!

On May 20th dad and I set off for my spring trip. We got to go to Ji Xian a place about 3 hours away from Tianjin.   When we finally got to Ji Xian we went straight to the Great Wall!  The Wall was a really long hike but it was fun. Then we got to our hotel and ate dinner. The rest of the trip we did a high-up-in-the-air Ropes Course, then went Rock Climbing, and played games. It was a great experience.I also learned many important lessons.  Like when I went up on the ropes I realized that even though it was scary, if I tried maybe I could make it and trust that I would not fall. I also learned that team work is important.

Great Wall!

I’m the one at the top of this picture in the white shirt!

me and my friends on the bus to Ji Xian!

Bus to Ji Xian!

Me in a Great Wall Tower!

My teams mouse trap tower!

One thing I love in China is their snacks! You can get snacks in China about anywhere! Yesterday I went on a walk with my mom. While we were out we bought nuts, vegetables, flour, and Sweet Popcorn. You can get sweet or chocolate covered popcorn! You can also get juice anywhere. I have noticed that lots of people use a room in their first floor apartment to sell snacks! One other thing I love here is Egg Bing. Egg Bing is like a thick flour tortilla fried in oil then they put a little hole in it and pour an egg in while it’s frying! You can also get many other kinds of Egg Bing but it would take to long to tell you them all!

This is Egg Bing toppings!

This is mom with a different snack!

This is Egg Bing ready to be eaten!

This is the worker rolling out the doe!

This is the other worker frying the Egg Bing!

This is me in front of the stand!