Just today and yesterday

Yesterday was really fun, we met our partners in the city where they had taken the bus from the new campus. We met up with them at the Mountain of 1000 Buddhas. We were all excited to get out of the classroom and just chill out for the day. We climbed the mountain which was really cool. There were many large Buddha carvings out of rock and people burning incense in front of them. On the way up we stopped off to shoot some archery, which was strange in itself, but what was even more invoking was the fact that there were no safety regulations in any shape or form (as is the case with what seems to be the entire country of China) We were given a full quiver of arrows and no instruction on what to do with them. The range had two trees about 3 feet in front of the shooting area, so we just tried to avoid them as we launched arrows down range with the most reckless abandon. The employee smoked a cig and darted across the field to retrieve the arrows in between the firings. Soon we were on our way to the top to gaze out upon the city of Jinan. On the way down we ran into a little carnival which looked to be built in an earlier century... The playground was made entirely of steel built upon a field of cement. A steel slide lead up into a rusty wire cage, then across a metal bridge to another cage full of children. I quickly realized why their hospitals are so accessible. As we ventured further into the carnival we came across a bumper car arena straight out of the 70's. Of course we bought tickets. The buzz of the electric plated ceiling and the snapping of sparks from the metal rod protruding from the backs of our carts, combined with the fact that the air inflated bumpers that offered our only protection had lost their air long ago, made for a wicked ride. The jarring metal on metal contact between the carts was incredible. The loud cracking of the fiberglass bodies and the screeching of the tires is something you can only experience in a place without safety standards. It was simply amazing.
We headed to the bus that took us to the KTV bar. KTV (karaoke) was incredible. We took an escalator underground to our own private room with a huge projection television. With the laser disco ball lighting the room, everyone sung along to songs I had not heard since middle school. It was a great way to spend time with our partners and also unwind from the stress of the projects.

Today we woke up extra early and headed to a festival that a small city was having to celebrate the holiday and their city. It was hot as we sat and watched the performances. Afterwards we headed to the new campus to work with our partners on finishing up our projects. And that is where I sit now. Tomorrow morning we come back here to set up for the exhibition and then after that we are off to Shanghai for the last portion of our trip! I am looking forward to Shanghai and just the change of scenery.