Hey everyone, sorry the blog has not been on time recently we have been so busy I have not been able to write much. This week we took a trip to Beijing to see the capitol of China. Beijing is the second largest city in the world behind Mexico City, Mexico. Beijing has an estimated population between 14 and 20 million people and let me tell you it is sprawling. First, I would like to tell you about how we got to Beijing. Our teacher 陈老师 (Mrs. Mei-Chi Chen Piletz) decided it would be a good idea for us to experience domestic travel in China by way of train. Now, Chinese trains are not like Amtrak in the states. On Amtrak you are given a room and you have a lot of privacy but on Chinese trains just like everywhere in China, privacy is a little different here. Basically you are given a bed inside a small room. Some of the rooms have 4 beds while some of the rooms have 6 beds. The beds are not soft and are not very big, so for someone of my size it is not easy to get comfortable. Now, outside the rooms are hallways that are kind of like a community area where people can sit and talk or eat and drink. The train ride was all in all around 13 hours long and so many people just try to sleep through the night and make the trip that much easier. I on the other hand could not sleep very well so I thought it to be a wonderful time to practice my speaking skills with some of China’s people. I met some very nice people on the train, some business people, some students, and some people just taking a vacation or holiday. I met a very nice gentleman who was on his way home to be with his wife because she was about to have their first child. This was wonderful to talk to him about but it made me miss Kaci that much more. I also met a girl returning to Beijing from visiting her parents and like me she did not sleep very well on trains so, she decided that meeting a native English speaker would be a good chance to practice her English which I didn’t mind since I was trying to practice my Chinese. After arriving in Beijing we stepped off the train to be met by teachers and classmates. After leaving the train station we headed to the hotel that we would be staying at which was a hotel for international students studying abroad. After arriving at our hotel we had a short rest then headed off to see some historical sites in Beijing. First we went to Tiananmen Square which is actually the center of Beijing and the biggest square in the world. We stood at the gates of the Forbidden City and took so many pictures. The main reason we took so many pictures is that random people stop you and ask to take pictures with you simply because you are a foreigner. After walking around the square for awhile some students decided to go back to the hotel while the rest of us decided to go to a park where we could see a historic area of Beijing that many foreigners love to go to play hackie sack and enjoy the local nightlife. After enjoying some local treats and beverages we decided to go back to the hotel to get some sleep because of the things that we had planned for the next couple of days. The next day we awoke and went off on our way to the Great Wall. Now, until then I had only seen pictures of this but let me tell you that nothing compares to actually walking up the stairs of this ancient wall. Now of course the Great Wall is a huge tourist attraction from people all over the world but as you stand on the steps you really can feel what it must have been like to walk these steps in the ancient world. You can still feel the presence of the many men who had fought and died on these mountains defending their territories and homeland. It is absolutely breathtaking and no words could ever describe it. It was beyond belief.
After our day at the Great Wall we went back to the hotel for a rest but I felt that this was a good time for me to get out and explore a little of Beijing without the presence of the group. So I gathered my things and headed off to Olympic Park which was not too far from my hotel. Arriving there I met up with a friend who studies in Beijing and she gave me the basic tour. I got to see the Bird’s Nest which is the stadium that many of the 2008 Olympic Games took place and I also got to see the building where Michael Phelps made his historic medal run.
After touring the park and talking with some of the locals we grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to our rooms. The next day we awoke and went to the Summer Palace which was an actual Palace for the Emperor and his court in earlier days. This palace was remarkable and beautiful. The size and architecture of the buildings within the Palace gates were absolutely amazing. Here we found many local people enjoying the day by singing, dancing, and even practicing calligraphy. Beijing was a very interesting place. It is an extremely modern city with the fast pace lifestyle of a city its size, but there were also some interesting parts of Beijing that seem really relaxing and slow. It has a wonderful mix of people and styles. Next week we will be going to An Kang for the Dragonboat Festival which is a nationally celebrated holiday within China. I hope everyone is well and keep watching for my next post.
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