Hello! I have just arrived back in Beijing after a long weekend in Xi’an. Xi’an is southwest of Beijing and is one of the oldest cities in China. Our study program arranged the trip for us, so on Thursday (after our big midterm) we hopped on a 13 hour sleeper train Xi’an bound!
Friday morning, after arriving in Xi’an, we checked into our hotel then got down to business. In groups of 4-6 we explored the city on a scavenger hunt to find tid bits of interesting Xi’an culture and history. Our scavenger hunt led us all over. Some of the more interesting stops included:
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, where we learned some of the interesting history of the city and climbed to the top of the 8 floor pagoda for a magnificent view of Xi’an.
The Muslim Quarter, where we gorged ourselves on authentic Xi’an cuisines.
Breakfast noodles with flat bread.
肉蒸馍 (Chinese Hamburger) for lunch.
The most delicious homemade noodles with beef for dinner!
And the city wall, where we actually got to ride bikes! (The only place in China where you can do this.)
Then on Saturday we went to see the famous 兵马俑 (Terra Cotta Warriors).
Xi’an is a very culturally rich place. The architecture was stunning (very distinctly Chinese), and the history felt almost tangible. I wish I could have spent more time there. Maybe I’ll end up living there someday;) Who knows?!
With my program more then halfway over now, I can’t help but look forward to the future. Right now, I see myself working in China for a time after I graduate from Wellesley. This both terrifies and excites me, honestly. Everyday I miss friends and relatives in the states. But everyday I feel more and more at home in a world where I can still just barely communicate. I feel a little bit like a lost first year again, missing home but also enjoying a very new, very free lifestyle.
I’m not the person I was two years ago. That person wasn’t fully ready to leave my home town, now just two years later I think I want to leave my country (temporarily!). I can’t help but think that this change–this new, more mature me–is a byproduct of the incredibly profound, eye opening experiences I’ve had as a Wellesley student.
Last week, Allie (another student from Wellesley at CET) and I met up with some Wellesley alums at a meeting for interested Wellesley applicants in the Beijing area. After talking with a few alums and hearing their stories, I felt like I truly had unique experiences to share with others. I’m so lucky to be part of Wellesley’s vast alumnae network, because these women are some of the brightest, most interesting people I’ve ever met. And now I’m one of them. (Well, I will be in 2016.) That’s just so cool! 🙂