My update from Hangzhou (which covers Xi’an as well)
Hello again everyone!
Sorry I haven’t been able to write lately, it’s been a real FUN and BUSY trip! Since I last wrote, I have been to the Summer Palace, the Beijing Opera Center, and the Temple of Heaven (this was all in Beijing). After that we traveled by train to Xi’an (it was a 12 hour train ride overnight, so we stayed in a “sleeper car”)—I stayed with my friends Tia, Nadrienna and Amber B. Once we arrived in Xi’an, we settled in and went to a late lunch. Then we went to the old city wall, which is the remnants of the old border of ancient Xi’an. It is VERY high and completes a square. We decided to rent bikes and we rode all around the top of it (I was on a tandem with my friend Jim). Overall the ride was about 12-13 miles long. We then went to the grocery store and bought some supplies (including Pineapple beer, which is now my favorite) and chilled in the hotel. I’ve been learning some dances with Tia and Nadrienna in order to perform for the college students in Hangzhou (this includes Single Ladies and the Cleveland Shuffle).
For the last part of the first day in Xi’an, we went to the Bell and Drum towers of the city, as well as the Muslim District (we were able to tour the mosque and see the market [VERY cool!]). The following day in Xi’an, we went to the tomb of the Terra Cotta warriors and the burial site of the first emperor of China, Huang Di. After that we went to a Uighur (pronounced “Weeger”) restaurant. The Uighurs are a minority group in China that are a mix between Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures. They are Muslim and have very spicy food (it was SOOOO good!). The next day we caught a plane at 7 in the morning to travel on a 1 hr 15 min plane ride to Hangzhou. We arrived around 12 noon to our hotel, where we quickly settled in and went to lunch on the West Lake at a Japanese Ramen shop (Ajisen Ramen, SO GOOD!). After that we were turned loose to travel in groups around the West Lake. Since it is their Labor Day holiday weekend here (May Day), there were TONS of people walking the paths around the lake! I traveled with Dan, Jim, Kent and Amber B around the lake, and we had a fun time just taking the sights in and walking around. The weather here is between 65 and 80 degrees, with lots of sun (I’m getting burnt! but not that badly : P).
Later on we met up with a fellow Hiram Student (Charles Kraus, who I believe graduated last year) and went to a restaurant in downtown Hangzhou (about a 10 minute walk from our hotel). While we were there we celebrated Travis’ birthday. YAY TRAVIS! Afterward a few of us went to the park/paths by the lake (which is only 1000 feet from the hotel!) and found a spot to sit and take in the nightlife. It is so beautiful and has a lot going on with all the bars and restaurants in the area. We were sitting in a more quiet park area, so we could observe all the craziness from afar and not get caught up in it. Yesterday morning we got up early to go to the high school where we would meet our host students.
Currently I am with my host family (I’m sitting in their computer room to write this). The name of the student that I am with is Liu Jiayi, but she goes by Candy (too cute!). She is 17 years old and is very interested in going to a University in China to study communications. She says that she chose me because she likes to talk a lot and she saw that my major was communications and assumed I would like talking too—we are SO similar in our interests! We both like action movies, dancing, singing and being outside. She also likes to draw, so sometimes we communicate through drawings : ) We have a similar view on politeness in culture, and it is funny to share our stories. She also speaks english very well, but we have been teaching each other our own languages. I started staying at her apartment yesterday, and I will be sleeping over again for the night and going to school with her in the morning. From there I will join back with the Hiram group and go to the Performing Arts College, where we will buddy up with a college student (though we will be staying in a hotel right next door). We will be in the college student pairs starting tomorrow for 2 days, and then we will go back to our usual staying in the hotel schedule. I believe that we leave This Friday or Saturday to travel to Shanghai.
This China trip is something that I am very grateful to be on, and I believe I will take a lot away from this trip. So far Hangzhou is my favorite city, since it is much more scenic and has a small-town feel (even though there is well over a million people in the city). It is smaller than both Beijing and Xi’an, and is also less of a tourist attraction to foreigners (which means there’s a more authentic/traditional Chinese feel, as well as the fact that there aren’t so many dealers trying to hound you into buying their things). I have done SO much walking on this trip (sometimes upwards of 10+ miles a day!) and I have quickly gotten used to it. I think I will try to walk around or at least do much more physical activity when I get home than I have done in the past.
I have also become somewhat of an expert in using chopsticks! I might have to use those much more as well. Lastly, my Chinese seems to have come back (at least for the most part). My grammar still stinks and I have a hard time having a good conversation, but I remember enough to get around (such as ordering food, finding certain things, and answering simple questions). It is also fascinating to see just how important non-verbal cues are! I have noticed that I have been much more expressive with my face and tone of voice (and am more conscious of it), and I have been relying a lot on using my hands to “shape” or diagram what it is I am saying. Also, I have found that explaining in a more comprehensive way with examples and stories is a great tool to work with others.
Well, off I go to hang with Jiayi and her family. Bye for now!
…one more update left! I’ll get that done as soon as I can!
