Miles Curry: China

Beijing

When I first sat down on the flight from LAX to Beijing, I was enthusiastic and anxious. I was a thirteen hour flight from a life changing adventure on the other side of the world. After arriving in the Beijing airport, I was thrilled despite being so tired. Beijing was a great first city to see. We were becoming acclimated to the culture. It was the start of an unforgettable experience.

Luoyang

After visiting our first city, Beijing, we traveled to Luoyang. We had many fun experiences in Luoyang. However, the best experience was when we created our own version “Amazing Race”, where we were given clues and sent around the city. This competition forced us to interact with locals, forcing us to speak Chinese and to find various buildings covered in Chinese! We took a couple buses and walked a few blocks, constantly asking people if we were headed the right way. Our final destination point, was McDonalds, which was very interesting to see.

Day Train to Xi’an

After Louyang, we traveled by a day train to Xi’an, where we saw the Terra Cotta warriors. However, due to the fact that we were on the train for an extended period, we had time to make Chinese friends. I happened to be sitting beside Zhu Jian, a college student that was returning home from college. We communicated in both Chinese and English. We played card games, games on the ipad, and more. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip, for I had spent multiple hours conversing with someone in Chinese. When we the ride was finally over, I gave him my email. A couple weeks later, he sent me an email. I had made a Chinese friend.

Urban Homestay (Guiyang)

Following the stay at Xi’an, informally known as the capital of Western China, we flew down to the Southern city of Guiyang to begin our urban homestay, where we each stayed with Chinese family 5 or 6 days. After performing in front of 2,000 people at a school graduation, each of the members of our group met our host brother or sister. My host brother’s English name was Bill. He was a great guy. I was able to get to know Bill very well as the trip continued since our host siblings traveled with us for the rest of the trip. Bill was a very smart guy, and his English was great. His father owns his own company with his friends and is a very busy man. Being a stay at home mom, Bill’s mother was around a lot more and took great care of me. I thoroughly enjoyed the urban homestay because Bill and his family showed me around Guiyang and I was exposed to the Chinese culture to another level.

Rural Homestay

With our host siblings on board with us, we drove across to begin our rural homestay. This portion of the trip was very different from what we had seen. Similar to the urban homestay, each member of our group, along with their host sibling, stayed with different families in the rural village. The village we stayed in belong to a minority ethnic group in China called the Miao people. However, there are multiple subgroups of the Miao people. The specific Miao village that we lived in for four days was the Long Skirt Miao village. Our stay here was truly eye opening. Living in such a rural setting where the primary occupation is a farmer and electricity and water are scarce is was difficult. But, it will be an experience that I will always value. The view from my family’s house was spectacular. Furthermore, they took me up to their crops on the side of a mountain, where it was very dangerous. While I was struggling to stay on the foot wide path trying not to plummet 200 feet into a rice patty, my family grandfather was strolling along the mountain side as though it was a walk in the park. I had realized how tough their life really was. Despite being unable to communicate with them since they speak a local language, we grew an appreciation for each other. By the end of the four days, my group and I were ready to leave, but it was a four days that we will all look back on with great memories.

Chinese Food

The food was, without a doubt, a big part of our overall experience. When the Chinese plane food was served to us on the flight from LAX to Beijing, I thought to myself, “What have I gotten myself into?!” But, as the trip progressed, I began to really enjoy the genuine Chinese food that was served to us. As you may imagine, we tried many exotic foods. White rice was served with every meal. With the rice, the restaurant or family would continue to bring out plates and bowls of food that we would eat with the rice. Personally, I believe that the homemade Chinese food was better than restaurant food. So, the food I was served in the Miao village and in Giuyang was delicious! Once we discovered what food we liked and disliked, the meals became very enjoyable.

Shanghai

Finally, after visiting city of Guilin and the scenic Yangshuo, Shanghai was our final stop before the second thirteen hour flight back to the states. Shanghai is the most modern city I have ever seen. It was a beautiful, modern city with many different types of buildings. Even the hotel that we stayed in was quite modern. It was a great way to end the trip with a bang.

My Group

Traveling throughout China was a wonderful journey. The bond that my group established was something the added to the truly fantastic trip. Even after the first day, we all had the chance get to know each other pretty well. As the trip went on, we grew closer and closer. The final goodbye in LAX was sad, but we are all staying in contact. I will never forget the great memories that we had together.

Thank You, Wilson Family!

I would like to thank the Wilson family for making this trip possible. This trip has changed my overall perspective on the world. I will cherish the knowledge I have gained and memories I have made. Thank you.