overexcitement burst.

So I've started to realize something about myself while I've been here in China. I'm not sure if I've gained it here, or if it has always been a part of me and China is just now showing it to me, but I have realized that I have this bizarre case of overexcitement. Like, if you thought I got excited about things before, you should see how I am now. I just get so excited about the simplest things and then my whole world gets rocked by its' own excitement. I am so weird. But really, like I'll eat something yummy, or see some cool architecture, or hear music in the street, and all my insides get wacked out because they are so excited. I'll eat a big plate of pulled noodles and jump around for an hour with how happy my world is because my stomach is so happy. I'll jump for joy when I see sweet potatoes being baked by a street vendor, or when I open my 15 foot high curtains to let the morning China sunlight flood my room. I find myself saying that everyday, is the best day ever. I guess that's a good thing though, to have everyday be the best day ever, right? I seriously love it here so much. So so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much. Like I just think about how much, and then I love it even more.

So this past weekend I tagged along with Sadie and Sarah (two sisters that are teaching in my city) on their weekend getaway to Shanghai. So here's where my explanation of overexcitement comes in- the BEST part about this trip, the part that added to my strange case of excitement more than what is probably healthy, was where we stayed…. We stayed in this youth hostel that was seriously, PERFECT. The vibe, the colors, the wood, the lighting, all of the foreign people, the design, the music, the flowers, the book exchange, the breakfast nook in our room, the bike parked so perfectly in the hallway that made you believe that it was just part of the decor… I am in love! The way that I get excited about these things just more fully shows to myself that interior design is what I want to do. I want to move people with their surroundings the way that I was moved by staying in that hostel. I want to develop strange cases of excitement in the world as a whole. It's amazing how powerful our surroundings can be, how much they can make or break you. Usually our hotels are just somewhere to sleep, but this hostel, for 50 yuan (so about 8 US dollars) was the best part of my trip. Take a look, but be aware that my camera doesn't do it justice. I wish everyday that my mind and eyes were a camera, so that I could share my world with the world.

 I forgot my passport...oops! So the clerk upgraded us to the "Luxury Room" for the first night in order to sneak me in. Super nice of him, and super glad that I forgot my passport because this room was amazing! If you know me, then you will know that I have an obsession with wood. This room fed my love quite nicely. 

Um, YES. Look at this little nook on the side of our room! If this isn't perfection then I don't know what is. I spent the morning writing postcards here as I watched Shanghai wake up through my window.

Our location couldn't have been more perfect either. Street food, fruit stands, and street entertainers galore! 

 I love this world. I love what it has to teach me as I realize how much I have to learn. I've decided that traveling is maybe a risky thing to get yourself into because if you try it once, you need to try it twice, then three times, and on and on and on. Traveling is addicting. This world is addicting. I'm obsessed with the music of languages that I can't understand and with foods that I've never seen. I'm amazed at the way that each corner of the world is painted with colors that make it unique to itself. Seriously, out of every place that I've been just in China, each has a feel of its' own. Just thinking about all of the places that I could go next gets my excitement meter shooting through the roof. It's bad, it really is. Maybe someday I will learn to control my excitement, but as of now, I'm choosing to let it be free as I fall more deeply in love with this planet each day.