We went to the Great Wall of China and I climbed up several ramparts. I did not get as far as the other students but I did make it to the No. 9 stop. An older British couple was also climbing the wall and made fun of me because I had stopped and they believed I should have been able to go farther because of my age. They told me, “At your age you should be hoppin’, jumpin’, and skippin’ up those steps!”

We learned that the wall was built on the top of a steep mountain range where we were, so the idea was that whoever was trying to attack would have to fight their way up a mountain and then fight the soldiers posted on the wall. I noticed the wall was built with the mountain rather than at a set height, so sections were taller or shorter than others, and each step was a different height.