21 Hours in Harbin

Currently I’m packing for Harbin.
Having checked the weather report for this weekend (Saturday the temperature will reach a whopping 17 degrees Fahrenheit, and -10 Fahrenheit at night) I am mentally preparing myself for the arctic weather. I am going with 15 other students from my program, so it should be an awesome trip!
One of the returning students to IES went to Harbin last year during this time, they said it will be one of the coolest places you’ll ever see, but you’ll also be the coldest you’ve ever been.

These are the packing tips I have for anyone else trying to conquer extreme winter weather:
1. Wear a hat, you loose a lot of heat from your head, so a hat will help keep you warm
2. Wear many layers
3. Wear sturdy shoes, preferably lined boots, you also lose a lot of heat through your feet
4. Bring a change of socks, in case the socks you’re wearing get wet
5. Wear a scarf to protect your face from the icy winds
6. Bring hand / foot warmers

We will only have 21 hours in Harbin, after that we have to take the early morning train back, otherwise we won’t be back in time for class on Monday morning. It’s not a lot of time, but enough to see the Ice Festival, which is what we came for.
Apart from that, not much news on the Harbin front, I look forward to reporting back next week with some pictures.

In addition to that, we went to the Great Hall of the People, next to Tiananmen Square today, as well as the Police Museum. These were both really cool. It was interesting to see how imposing the sheer size and lavishness of the Great Hall of the People was, and it reminded me of the Capitol building in DC, but with Chinese characteristics. T minus 8.5 hours to Harbin!