click here for all posts from a certain month.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Hello from the ancient capital of China: Xi'an!

I've only been in smoggy Xi'an for a day and a half now, but it's been fun. We went to see the terra-cotta soldiers today and boy are they a sight to see. It's amazing that they built ~8,000 lifelike soldiers individually for one emperor. Granted, this guy is considered one of the greatest emperors of Chinese history since he was the first to unite all of China, but still. That's a lot of work. We went to the National Factory where they make real replicas of the warriors with the real terra-cotta clay and fire it the same way and whatnot so now I know how they did it. The head is made separately from the body, so the bodies are usually made from a cast and then the heads individually carved. It's really cool to watch, plus to see how much they invested in the protection of an emperor during the afterlife.

In a couple of days we'll be going to Shanghai, which will be lots of fun!

I'm not going to lie, I feel like the party going member of the amoeba group. I don't mind hanging out with people who drink (people are hilarious when they're drunk) and I accept people who smoke although I don't approve of it myself. I've probably had more alcohol than all of you (this is an assumption, feel free to prove me wrong) and i've been exposed to so much second hand smoke since we got here in China. Darn the people who love to smoke, even in tiny rooms such as bars, cafes and elevators. Who smokes in an elevator?!? I would never smoke, but I've tried a couple of drinks. I had an apple pie shot, and sips of a couple of mixed drinks. It's not my thing, and I like being in control. Plus, I can act drunk if i want to so it's really not much of a problem.

I've been getting along very well with pretty much everybody in the group. It bothers me a little bit when people talk about others behind their backs, criticizing them and whatnot. Because I just don't see what a lot of other people see. Maybe i'm just naive and ignorant, or maybe i'm more accepting, i don't know. It does really annoy me when people don't respect their surroundings and the culture. I'm all for being loud and obnoxious, but there's a time and a place. Usually not in a historical site. We're here to learn about China, not to ogle the little babies and make fun of their relics. Thanks guy, you're really representing America here.

Oh and it's also embarrassing/funny when people really think I'm Chinese (which i guess i am) and think i can speak it and go straight to me when i'm with 3 other white guys; all who speak better Chinese than i do. >< Laaame... but that's why I need to learn. So i can live up to those expectations that people have of me. I've got the pronunciations down, it's just the flow and the vocab that I need to work on. So i'm working!

I agree with Kristen; about not knowing where your home is. I had that problem when I moved to Delaware. My heart was still in California, but my physical being was in Delaware and it was much more difficult to maintain relationships with you guys from that distance. And now that i'm at college and it's even more difficult to keep in touch, you spread yourself even thinner. But I've found that home is where the heart is, and magically that can be in a lot of places. I still consider myself a SoCal girl at heart because that's where my roots are, but I have connections and history in Delaware now and i'm proud to be from there (it doesn't hurt that i go to UD and it makes it easier being from Delaware). I have my family from SoCal (you guys) and my family from Delaware (Steven), and although you guys are all far away so i can't see you physically, I can still talk to you and maintain those bonds. And then there's the college family; friends who know what you're going through in college and who you spend most of your time with, but who don't quite know all of your history and how you were 5 years ago when you wore bandanas as your fashion statement. You can't make the same jokes or references, but at least you have that with someone else.

Having several families is a good thing; you can pick and choose who you want to be with as long as you work to maintain those relationships. Being friends isn't easy, and I'm so lucky to have great friends like you who really invest in a relationships and work hard to keep it up. I wish I could come back and visit more often, but with so many exciting things going on in college, I might not be able to visit till August! Maybe not even then; who knows?

So that's my little lecture for the night. I'm thinking i'm going to go out tonight because one of our really old but loveable professors is going to go out to a bar and that's something I don't want to miss. I'm a little sick right now (which isn't fun) so i'm going to try to come back early, take some medicine and get some good sleep. Ugh, my nose is stuffed up like a clogged drain. Disgusting.

Wish me well!

~Gealina

Labels: China, Gealina

2 comments