Yesterday, some of the girls and I decided to take the bullet train back to Beijing to do a little shopping on our last free day in Tianjin. It was great to do some traveling away from those that know the language. When we sight see as a group, we do so with ease. We have a private bus that takes us directly to our destinations and when we arrive, Dr. Li or our guide takes us quickly through the gates and lines and gets us an up close view of whatever shiny thing we are looking at. We see an amazing amount of attractions because of all the planning that our guides prepare before hand. Being on our own, we found ourselves having to navigate, read signs, look at maps, fight over prices with the locals, and ask others for help when we were confused. It was a really great experience for us all, and it increased my confidence in traveling in a foreign country. And, how could I forget, the shopping was fantastic and my haggling skills have really improved over these past 3 weeks. To think, the first day I saw haggling in the street, I thought I'd never be comfortable enough to do. As I left the market with a backpack full of items, I was quite proud.
