Xi'an

I rode the train to Xi’an with Bei, her cousin, and her boyfriend. When the four of us got off the train, it was about 5:30 on Monday morning. We took a taxi to a university-owned hotel that Bei’s cousin knew of. The hotel was reasonably priced and very safe for us to stay in. We dropped off our luggage in our rooms and then we looked for breakfast- hot soy milk and fried bread.

After breakfast, I went back to the hotel room and took a much needed shower and nap. Bei, her cousin, and boyfriend met with some other friends from Xi’an, so I had the room to myself all morning and afternoon.

Because I was in the room most of the day, I didn’t get a good impression of Xi’an until the next day. The four of us spent the whole day on the streets of Xi’an, going to parks, shopping, and eating in restaurants.

Xi’an is so much cleaner and more beautiful than Fugu. The pollution in Xi’an is relatively unnoticeable, and city workers are constantly sweeping the sidewalks and picking up trash. There are so many more trees in Xi’an as well. I mentioned the parks that we visited; they celebrate the Tang Dynasty which ruled from Xi’an beginning at about 700 A.D. The parks are filled with trees, fountains, and sculptures.

As for the shopping, I had so much fun. With the exchange rate, most shirts cost about $7, and skirts and jackets are about $20. After searching for good prices and doing a bit of haggling (with help from Bei, of course), I got some great deals. The clothes here are very Chinese in the sense that they wouldn’t be found in America. I bought four items, all of which are strange, but I think it will be fun to wear them even when I come back to America.

Because we’re staying in hotel rooms without kitchens, we eat out for every meal. Our first day in Xi’an we ate regional specialties. One of which was a noodle dish that we might call soup in America. I enjoy spicy food, but was warned to order mine “not spicy” and it still will be. Mine was so spicy it made my tongue and lips numb, but I actually enjoyed it. To cool off we had another regional favorite- fried bread filled with mutton. To me, it seemed like a cross between a Greek gyro and a shredded beef sandwich. Since then we have been eating more traditional Chinese food.

Because of the delay between our train to Xi’an and to Lanzhou, we have a total of three days here. Bei tells me that Lanzhou will be more like Fugu as far as pollution. I wish we could stay in beautiful Xi’an longer!

Pollution

The pollution here is awful. Fugu and the surrounding region have many coal mines and plants, so the sky is a weird gray color. Also, the soil is dusty, so after even a short walk outside, my shoes are covered in dirt. And to add to all of this, people throw their trash anywhere and everywhere. The ground it completely littered with everything imaginable.

I have a sore throat and a cough, and sometimes it is hard for me to breathe. A logical guess would be that this is due to the pollution, but I may have caught a cold while traveling.

After my third day here, I am used to the smell of burning coal in kitchens, bathrooms, and restaurants. It’s inescapable.

I do want to say, however, that I don’t hate it here. Sure, it’s dirty, but that doesn’t matter to me. It’s kind of fun to wash my hands and watch the sink turn black. Haha, but really, millions of people live this way. I see how fortunate I am to live in America, and the least I can do is live alongside them with a positive attitude.