Great Wall Class Trip

On Wednesday, all A-level classes took a trip to the Great Wall. I was very excited to go because it was a gorgeous day to be outdoors. My classmates like to poke fun at my love for the outdoors (apparently this is very Canadian of me). My favorite line of the day: "Oh look, the Canadian is in her natural habitat.

Once we arrived we were told to meet in the parking lot at 12:40, which gave us about just under three hours to wander around. Most of the students from my class were able to attend, plus one extra :)

We thought that all fees were included in our tuition fees, but little did we know that this only included transportation. We walked through the souvenir filled streets and eventually made our way to the gondola lift. Surprise, it's 60 kuai for a 30 second ride! I wanted to climb to the top anyways, so this was a great excuse for others to join me.

We started our trek to the highest watchtower. This was when my personalized theme song, "Jianada Ren", to Rocky III's soundtrack"Eye of the Tiger" was created. The happy mood and singing was short lived. After 10 minutes of climbing, I was being told off (in a nice way) by my Swedish classmate. I don't care who you are, climbing stairs can only do your butt good.

As we climbed more stairs, we eventually made it to a plateau, and our group went from 16 to 4.. hmm maybe my classmates really don't like me. Nah, that can't be the reason.

There is a slide you can take back down, instead of climbing. We were told not to take it because it is "extremely" dangerous. You know how it goes: when you tell someone they can't do something, it is the only thing on their mind. So, while waiting in line, we met up with a few other classmates. This was definitely the most fun part of the day.

The slide was made of metal and took about 2 minutes to go from the top to the bottom. The sharp turns could definitely be dangerous, but you are in control of your speed, and the person in front of you dictates how fast you can actually go, we don't want any collisions happening on this thing. Do you remember sliding around on those scooters in gym class as a child? Well, these slides were like those scooters, but on steroids, and had a handle for a break. My justification for assuming it was safe: parents were allowing their children to go down on it. Now, I don't know if this was an observation of natural selection or not, but it was fun!

I enjoyed getting away from the classroom for a day and spending time outside in the fresh air. The sky was clear and I was surrounded by some great people. If you have a chance to take the slide, DO IT! I wouldn't recommend the zip line, but I know people who have braved it and are still alive. Bravery or stupidity, you can decide.

Couldn't resist !