Burger King was the first thing I saw after stepping off the plane in Hong Kong. That really worried me; I thought all I’d get to see was an Americanized Asia. The area of Beijing that our group of 20 students from Preston High School stayed in looked a lot like Toronto. But as the trip went on, our surroundings became less and less familiar.
    
It all started with our visit to an average household in the “old quarter” of Beijing. A couple shared a few small rooms with their two sons, two daughter-in-laws, and granddaughter. The whole family shared a home that was about the size of my kitchen and living room. Their house was so different than mine; I can’t imagine having to live in such close quarters with my extended family. I can’t even imagine sharing that space with just my parents! We still got a taste of Western influence there — the family had an Obama magnet on their fridge.  It was funny at the time, but also quite sad to see first-hand how all the world’s cultures are melting together.
   
That same day we also walked through Tiananmen Square. The security there is ridiculous; you have to go through bag checks just to walk into the area. Ever since the violent protests in 1989, the Chinese government has been nervous about demonstrations. There were guards and police cars every couple of metres in the largest city square in the world. It was packed with people, but surprisingly not many tourists. Apparently white tourists (especially blonds!) are very sparse in China. We were treated like celebrities — people pointed, stared, even took pictures and videos of us just standing there. I couldn’t believe it! I expected people in a big city in China to be used to seeing travelers, but everywhere we went in Beijing, it seemed like people were fascinated by us. How shocked people were to see us was, for me, the most shocking part of the trip.
   
The Great Wall of China was yet another surprise. I expected it to be a nice stroll, looking at the beautiful scenery along the way. But it was hard work! The section that we were visiting was in the mountains, so it was very steep and slippery. That night we also got some time to walk around a nighttime food market in the city. It’s amazing what some people will put on a kabob and sell.  Sheep testicles, scorpions, starfish, sea urchins, anything.  A few of us splurged on a $1 silk worm kabob, and we each ate one worm. Luckily, it wasn’t as revolting as I expected. The cook was nice enough to fry the worms in chili powder, which overpowered the taste.  The texture was by far the worst part — crunchy on the outside, stringy on the inside. That was definitely my proudest moment of the trip though! None of my friends thought I’d be brave enough to eat something really gross.
      
Vietnam was a lot different than China, but still not as different from Canada as I had expected. Surprisingly, there were many more foreign tourists in Vietnam than China, so we got less attention, which was a relief. Ha Noi is a really cool city;  the architecture and culture has been influenced by such a range of countries, including France, China, and America.  Another plus was how much nicer the vendors were there compared to in China.  Once we got to Vietnam, I didn’t have to fear for my life every time I looked at a purse!  I did however have to fear for my life every time I crossed the street.  People on motorcycles, scooters, and bikes weave in and out of traffic and there seems to be no rules on the road.
   
Our first big event in Vietnam was a trip to The Peace Village, which is a school for kids who have mental and physical disabilities from  'Agent Orange'. Agent Orange was a chemical used by the American military during the Vietnam War, and it is still causing disabilities today in close to 5% of the Vietnamese population.  Seeing how happy and talented these kids are was absolutely inspirational.  We had a great time laughing and playing with them.  We met more children in Sa Pa, where we spent a day trekking.  The mountain ranges there are absolutely breathtaking.  As we walked we gave out toys, school supplies, and toothbrushes to the kids.  This is where culture shock finally set in for me.  Seeing how different the lifestyle there is compared to ours was life changing.  The people in Sa Pa farm just to harvest enough food to survive, and share tiny shacks with entire families. But once again, modern influence was becoming obvious. Half the tiny shacks had satellite dishes outside. They may not have warm clothes or running water, but they’ve got 200 HD channels!
   
After 17 days, we were all missing home. I may not have missed school, work, or Canadian weather, but I sure was ready for friends, family, food and all things familiar!