Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost...: Xi'an City Wall & Musings.

A little while ago, Tom and I went for a stroll down the famous Xi'an City Wall. In my opinion, besides the food and the people, the wall is the coolest thing about my beloved Chinese city. It makes the city feel protected, ancient, and more managable. What makes the wall even COOLER (shout out to my Medival Times fans) is that it has an all-encompassing moat. That's right, in 2012 I live in a city that is surrounded by a moat AND a wall. No biggie.

Anyway, we couldn't have picked a better spring day and the Chinese Gods of Weather blessed us with clear skies and hot temperatures. We decided against hiring bikes and casually wandered from South Gate to North Gate... passing some tourists, runners, locals out for a walk, and even some split bottom babies. Perfect!

It's an awesome feeling to be a tourist in the city that you live in. I don't know whether it's the location, language barrier, or what - but Xi'an above any other city that I've lived in has a vastness about it that doesn't seem obtainable. In Melbourne I loved giving various people impromptu tours around small alleyways, cafes, hidden bars, and side streets. Here, I get lost easily and am still piecing together where my favorite places are. It's definitely frustrating sometimes, but keeps things interesting to say the least.

Seeing the city from the wall was a view that I definitely hadn't taken in before. To think that for thousands of years this wall has been standing sturdy and strong is incredible. Back in the States we consider old to be a cannon ball stuck in the side of a house from the Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783). We're babies compared to this.

There were a couple of reasons why I decided to sign a contract to live in a country that I admit, I knew practically nothing about. Besides Disney's 'Mulan', the Beijing Olympics, and scatterings of history lessons from High School my knoweldge of China was minimal to say the least. But wasn't that the biggest draw? Isn't that the point to travel? To learn about another country, to experience a different language, to be overwhelmed and out of your comfort zone. Isn't that the most important part... to be able to override the judgements that you may have and open your mind? To keep learning...

It's easy to sit back at home and relish in the differences that supposively make the US - or wherever you are from - 'better' than 'the others'. It's also easy to be arrogant about a country that has been a dominate power for the majority of time since it's creation. But that's not saying too much compared to some civilizations and countries that have been around for ages and ages.

I'm not trying to send any political remarks or deeper meanings or whatnot. I'm just saying that after being here 9 months I can say that my decision to come to China has opened my eyes more than any other choice I've ever made. There are some things that I'm definitely going to take away with me (the closeness and loyalty of friends & family as well as the fact that hot water cures everything) and some I'll probably leave to the Chinese (the spitting. everywhere). I've learned a lot, I'm still pretty bad at the language, but overall I've gained a lot of knowledge that I would have otherwise never had. And I'm super proud of myself for it.

This might be a slight reason I've talked my boss into extending my contract for an additional 3 months and my visa for another year. :) I'll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year though everyone! So get excited! 6 more months to go here in the Land of Holidays (Tomb Cleaning Day) and Confusing Hellos!

xoxo

ps - a BIG shout out to some of my best friends ::: Christa Rossell, Ali Frank, and Paul McDonald who all turn the big 2-5 and 2-6 today! YOU ARE SO OLD!