Today marks the first real day of the China trip, and it could not have been more fun and interesting. To begin the day, we started on a bus led by comedian and tour guide, Joe, who taught us some of the rich history behind the Great Wall and its origins. Although the journey was very long, it was well worth it. Before arriving to the Great Wall, we stopped to get some lunch, which turned out to be served in similar fashion to the authentic Chinese dinner I had the night before. When it comes to some of the customs and traditions of the Chinese, I have already learned that Chinese people like to share their meals. For lunch today and dinner last night, there were multiple dishes brought out, and we would proceed to put some food on our plate and then turn the turntable for the next person to enjoy their meal. After lunch, we arrived at our destination and had to begin the ascent to reach the Great Wall. I had not expected the trip to the Great Wall to be so difficult, as we had to climb many stairs to reach the top. Fortunately, the tremendous view was well worth the difficulty, and I was able to see out into the beautiful mountains below me. It was also interesting to see how far the Great Wall spanned, painting a picture for how truly difficult building the wall must have been for the people during this time period. After finishing all of the sight-seeing and touring parts of the wall, it was time to take the toboggan down to where we had come from. Admittedly, I did not think that this aspect of the day would be nearly as much fun as it was. The ride was quite long and very fast at times, making for an absolutely once in a lifetime opportunity. If the rest of the trip is as eventful as today, this is truly going to be an incredible journey.