China Blog # 3
Hey guys,
My time in Xi’an is coming to a close after this evening. I feel like I’ve been here for awhile, but I know that’s just my mind being homesick for whatever reason. Funny thing is, I don’t feel homesick. As much as a culture shock being here is at times, it’s nice to be away from the things you are accustomed to and away from things that bother you, making you completely worry free.
Tuesday, the group went to the City Wall and the Forest of Steles. I was able to get a good view of the city when at the City Wall. Cloudy skies and cool weather make for a great view. That evening, we went with T.J. ( this Asian Studies major from Ou who has been here since September ) and his chinese girlfriends to this hot pot restaurent. I forget the name of it, so I can’t elaberate any further. If anyone remembers the scene from Lost In Translation when Bob and Charlotte go to the restaurant after Bob’s one night stand with the lounge singer, it was kind of like that, though the restaurant we went to was fancier and we had our own little room. It was a lot of fun. The food was really spicy, which I liked. It’s hard to find any good spicy food these days. And my father is the king of spicy.
Wednesday, we went to the Pagoda and the Provincial History Museum. The Pagoda was an interesting sight to see. I came across a few people who would knee down to pray to some of the statues. Coming from someone who believes in a higher power ( specifically God ), it was one of those moments where I didn’t know what to think. My whole moto has been ‘If it makes you happy, great, but that’s not me’ kind of mentality. I’ve never been one to judge or make fun of other religions, regardless of how redicoulous they might be to a certain perspective. That evening, a small group of us decided to go to a karoke bar in the city. The place that we went to was very nice. We had our own little room with a plasma screen tv that had the words up with couches. Definitely a lot different from say a Buffalo Wild Wings karoke night. Of course, I would imagine it being different. The selection wasn’t that great, though. I was expecting to find some songs you wouldn’t normally find at a regular karoke bar ( I was in the mood for some New Order ). That wasn’t the case. Heck, we couldn’t find any Red Hot Chilli Peppers for T.J. The highlight of the evening was Justin’s ( one of the guys in the group ) commentary during the songs and adding of words. Fun times.
Thursday was our free day of sorts. Our whole group decided that we should it at a McDonalds closest to the university. Now I made an oath not to eat anywhere that I can eat at in America, but when you hear things like ‘Oh, it’s different’ and curiousity strikes, you fall prey. While the taste is the same, and prices for the most part were about the same if not cheaper, there are notable differences when comparing to American McDonalds:
* The employees are dressed real nice. Too nice. I almost felt like I was eating at a formal restaurant, but it was McDonalds.
* There are some menu items here that are more exotic and chicken orientated than ones in the states.
* There is no super size ( which didn’t bother me, coming off from losing 50-60 pounds ). However, their medium drink is our small drink, and same goes with the fries. They are big on portion control.
Friday was a pretty busy day. We went to the new Xi’an University, which is out in the middle of nowhere, but it’s very nice. They have the biggest library that I’ve ever seen, and their campus has a futuristic vibe to it. It was nice. We then played a basketball game against some of the students at the university. We won by one point, but man they were good. I definitely felt out of place, as I’ve never been the greatest at basketball ( though I try ). Later in the evening I went out with a few other people to the Shaanxi Grant Opera House for dinner and a ten part musical of sorts. It was an enjoyable experience for me, as big of a music lover that I can be. It was relatively cheap, too: 150 RMB. Not shabby.
Saturday we went to the Tang Paradise, which to me felt like a theme park minus the rides but more history orientated. That was fun.
Sunday we went to the Warriors ( I mean, Worriors ) Museum and Banpo Museum. I feel like I would be repeating myself explaining what all I did ( looked at real dead bodies, fake Terra Cotta bodies, etc ), so I will simply put it was a fun time. After the museums, I got a massage. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. It was great, though. It felt nice. For all the guys wondering: No happy ending :(. But that’s ok, considering the other people in the room were girls, so :) for them not witnessing the horror.
Well, I need to go. Going to Kunming.
Sincerely,
Tim
