Hi, I'm glad you stopped by.
My name is Lizbeth. Grab a panda and join me as I leave Las Vegas in pursuit of adventure in China's tea houses, classrooms, dirt roads, and industrial cities. I shoot with a Nikon D3100 and am sharing my journey through it's lens.
Share with me, talk to me, ask me: Feel free to leave any questions or thoughts in the ask box below.
Photography by Lizbeth Arias is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Day 8 - Technology
Three Quite integral parts of my technological China experience: Macbook Air, Nikon D3100, and my iPhone + Pleco Dictionary.
1. MacBook Air 13”
The awesome battery life on my Air has allowed me two suffer less on 10 hour bus rides, to share and teach more during 6 hour teaching days, and to take hours and hours of class notes without worrying about a recharge. iPhoto, iMovie, Photobooth, and the overal Mac interface has been quite a pleasant and easy experience.
2. Nikon D3100
As an amateur photographer, I’m really glad I started shooting with a Nikon D3100. It is a user-friendly, entry level DSLR that comes equipped with many features professional DSLRs are built with. I feel that my photos have been steadily improving as I learn my way around DSLR functions and as I continue to explore the creative possibilities found in different landscapes. I have learned of a couple D3100 downsides, yet I still love that I have a reliable camera to capture all of these crazy China adventures with.
3. iPhone 3GS + Pleco dictionary
Yes, I still use a 3GS (pictured above in the poorly lit photo of my Macbook). Although I can’t wait to get home and become current with the times (cell phone wise), this two year old iPhone has been dropped and mistreated more times than I’d like to admit. It’s glitchy, a little sad looking, and worn down… but it’s still kicking! I use it all the time with the Pleco app, which is a Chinese to English, English to Chinese dictionary. My fellow Chinese language learners know that Pleco is like a life line here.
Day 7 - Something New (Belated)
Today, a group of us traveled about an hour outside of Chengdu to visit Yellow Dragon Town. This little tourist spot (Huang Long Xi) is and an ancient town built by the river. A stream runs through the center until it eventually runs back into the main river. Large stepping stones in the shapes of turtles and frogs can be found along the stream, along with tree trunk bridges and water wheels.
Adults and children alike can be found splashing and playing in the water, while old tea houses, small restaurants, and a variety of shops line them on either side.
Obviously this old town isn’t new, but is was definitely new to me. :)
fostermatt replied to your photo: Russian Cocaine Shot - Shot of Vodka - Slice of…
What the hell…
Matteo! It’s actually one of my favorites now. We should have one when I get back home!
Russian Cocaine Shot
- Shot of Vodka
- Slice of lemon
- Sugar and Coffee Grounds
Nikon D3100
killcainbangbang replied to your post: Downpour
What do u mean by 走出租汽车？if u wanna say take a taxi u should use “乘”出租车 or more specificly “打的”. 一洗澡就喝茶 sounds a little bit strange. i guess ur trying to say 一洗完澡就喝茶
Awesome. Thanks for the corrections. They have been fixed!
Downpour
I blame Gene Kelley for making me think singing in the rain could be romantic or pleasant. *wagging my fist* Tonight was more like wading through China water under a torrential downpour. My weak attempts at sining’ and dancin’ were defeated by what seemed like a perpetual bucket of water falling on my head… not cool China, not cool. I hope I don’t get sick. :(
Here, have a bad picture…
晚饭以后，开始下雨了. 我跟朋友一起回家, 可是暴雨太大了. 我们不能乘出租车, 所以我们走路。一个小时以后，我们到大学的宿舍，现在我又冷又不舒服。我一洗完澡, 就喝茶。我不想生病。 明天晚上，我们都一起看电影. *
*If anyone has corrections on my Chinese, by all means correct away!
Day 6 - Favorite 成都 Memory＊
(30 Day Photo Challenge)
I’ve spent countless of unforgettable days and nights here in Chengdu, but one of my favorites is the night we all celebrated Chinese New Year together. We started the night with Sichuan’s famous Hot Pot for dinner. It was my first time having it and as those who have had it know, it is quite an experience. After dinner, Mary and I went to Somaya’s kitchen where the lights didn’t work, to make a pancake birthday cake by flashlight for our friend. Fantastic.
After she blew out the candles on her pancake, a few of us had our first experience with China’s most famous liquor, Baijiu. We went out to the road in front of the apartments, bought a ton of fireworks, and watched the sky illuminate in a multitude of color. By that point, we had started to become more comfortable with each other and were just happy to be enjoying a great night together. The night ended with me accidentally lighting a firework upside down and having it go off in my face, lying in the middle of the street singing, and losing my phone (to later find it in the middle of some shrubbery). More importantly, we met our favorite and best Chinese friend Stephanie. It was a night full of new experiences, new friends, close friends, and warm feelings.
A few days ago, I sat in front of that street waiting for a friend to come down. I looked out on the peaceful street and couldn’t believe that all of that took place almost five months ago. It seems like forever ago and just yesterday all at once. Here it is, minus the fireworks and debris from the pictures above.
*The original challenge calls for a childhood memory, but in attempts to keep this as Chengdu related as I can, I’ve altered the day’s post a bit. :)
Day 5 - Someone I love
Of course there are many people I love, but two of them are pictured here. My niece Alyssa is turning 15 this year and my nephew Emilio will be 5. They are wonderful (albeit sometimes nappy) kids who I’m looking forward to seeing in a few weeks. :)
- Both of them at the beach.*
- This is my nephew and I before a big family party.
- Alyssa and I almost two years ago after I got home from Europe.
- A close up of Emilio.*
Carry on everyone. :)
*Photos stolen from Alyssa.
Thank you! I’m glad you find my ramblings useful and I’m happy to share my adventures. :]
I’m not a big fan of cats, but this tiny critter was hiding between baskets of oranges at a fruit stand. Furry ball of cuteness.
The Tuesday Night Dinner Series - Part 1 of 4
Johnny, Lindsay, Somaya, and I have started a weekly tradition wherein we each pick a new Tuesday night dinner spot to explore.
This week it was Johnny’s turn. He took us to a type of chicken soup style hot pot called “Health Chestnut Chicken”. Chicken soup may not sound all that exciting to you, but it was actually one of the best dinners I’ve had here. You start the meal by creating your own sauce. Their sauce bar includes ingredients like chopped peanuts, garlic, soy sauce, red pepper, numbing pepper, sesame sauce, and about 10 other sauces that I can’t even name. It was fantastic. Appetizers include watermelon, cold chicken with salty peanuts, and this lightly toasted kind of bread that paired quite well with the homemade spicy sauce.
Finally, the hot pot comes out filled with tender pieces of chicken and water chestnuts in a tasty broth.
After dinner, Somaya, Ming, and I walked home from the metro stop. Along the way, I picked up a cup of Vanilla milk tea with tapioca pearls. Also delicious!
Good choice J. Johnson. Next week, I’ll bring you pictures of wherever Somaya takes us!
Wherever you turn in Chengdu, you will see signs of a booming city in terms of economy, industry, and infrastructure. Whether it’s construction on every other street corner as they expand their metro system, or the rise of new skyscrapers and apartments pulling the city farther and father outside of the city center.
Having come from Vegas where multiple projects have stopped mid construction due to a struggling economy, it is interesting to see a city still racing to keep up with its growth.
Also, no stocking or begging in the metro please. :)
Day 4 - Favorite Color
Easy! For whatever reason, I am naturally inclined to things in shades of maroon or teal. I gathered a few scarves, nail polish, and pens from within my reach to show you. I recently bought this teal necklace from the shop of a very nice Tibetan woman in Western Sichuan. I love the Tibetan culture’s use of vibrant and rich colors like these.
Keep in mind I don’t usually dress like a maroon/ teal color explosion… you have to wear them in moderation of course. :)
Also, in regards to yesterday’s post about clouds, the city must have heard me and felt bad about itself. After a very early morning of pouring rain, the skies cleared up and turned blue. I can see sunlight and even some clouds!
