Talor Adams: China

Taylor Adams, China       

 Arriving in Beijing, we went straight to the Bird’s Nest, where the 2008 Olympics were held. The architecture was amazing and modern. Here is where I really began to get to know the people in my group. We also ate Peking duck that night which is very famous to Beijing and reminded me a lot of tacos, but at that point I still hadn’t developed a real taste for Chinese food. One of the first major differences that I noticed in Beijing was how much the people honked. Even in the middle of the night, you could always hear the honking. Later I found out that the right away laws are different from the US. The bigger the vehicle, the more the right away! So all the walkers and bikers had to watch out for the buses coming through. I enjoyed the street vendors a lot. They became annoying at times, but the haggling was just part of their culture. Before I really learned to haggle, I was buying fake watches for around 80 yuan. If my haggling skills had really been perfected by then, I could’ve gotten that watch for around 20 yuan, which is ten dollars less in American money.

             

The Bird's Nest: Site of the Beijing Olympics

Tiananmen Square

On our fourth day, we left for Chengde by train. I was extremely excited about meeting my host family. My mother is a high school history teacher, and my father works in diagnostics at the hospital. I had a 13-year-old brother named Li Zi’ang, who was shy but as our travels went on, we became very close. No one in my family could speak English very well, but I think that turned out to help my speaking and understanding. A cousin of my host family took a train in from another city and she could speak English pretty well. She only stayed for a few days, so those days were nice when I did have a translator. Chengde is a beautiful little city, where the emperor used to go when the weather was too hot in Beijing. While we were in Chengde, we explored the emperor’s palace, hiked up to a famous rock, and played soccer and basketball with the students from a local high school.

My host family in Chengde

By the end of the week, I felt close to nearly all of the host brothers and host sisters. I even felt close to some of the students we met at the local high school, who we got to play sports with and talk with. Before I knew it, it was time to leave my host family, and leave for the second half of my being in China. I came back the last night to my host family’s home and found out that my little host brother, Li Zi’ang was also coming with us to our rural home stay, but leaving before we went to Shanghai. He was the youngest Chinese student traveling with us, so his parents asked me to take care of him. Traveling with him was absolutely incredible. When I first met him, he just seemed like a quiet little kid, but by the time he was heading back home, we had become friends, and I realized he had a great sense of humor, and is just an interesting guy, whom everyone in my group loved. It was sad the last day when I was leaving my family, and they all came to say goodbye including the grandmother. I was excited, though, for the experiences that lay ahead.

           

A famous hiking destination in Chengde

The Great Wall was incredible. I just wished that we could’ve stayed longer instead of only being able to stay for about an hour. The view was magnificent even though it was cloudy that day. Going here kicked off the second half of being in China, so it was somewhat bittersweet. Every time I thought of the time when my whole group would have to split up and go home, I became sad because I couldn’t imagine not being with them every day after having spent so much time together. I tried to not let that thought hold me back for the most part, so I could enjoy China and the people I was with as much as possible. I certainly didn’t let it stop me from having an incredible time at the Great Wall, and now I can say that I ate lunch on the Great Wall of China.

           

The Great Wall of China

Waking up on the sleeper train

I had my first time on a sleeper train on the way to the Gobi Desert. That night was one of the best nights of the trip. Our entire group just sat around, cramming into one of the bunks, telling story after story. We shared laughs and memories. After that night, there was certainly a special bond between if we didn’t have one already. Also the sleeper train was cool as it was, and the beds weren’t even too uncomfortable.

             

The next part of our journey included the Gobi Desert and Inner Mongolia, which were probably the most beautiful places we were able to see in China. The Gobi Desert was the first real desert I ever visited, and while we were there, we got to ride camels and ride sleds down a sandy slope. In Inner Mongolia, we spent a few days there. There were no showers and only public restrooms, and I didn’t even like the food, but being there was easily one of the highlights of the trip. The sky was bright blue with white clouds and rolling green plains stretching out as far as the eye could see. We slept in yurts, rode horses, and witnessed long-standing traditions of the Mongolian people.

Riding Camels in the Gobi Desert

             

At the rural home stay, I stayed with a family with an 8-year-old son. He was shy but was very funny to watch. Every time I tried talking to him, he just quietly walked away without even responding. Maybe he didn't understand what I was saying in Chinese, or maybe he was just shy around me. While we were here, we went to a Chinese kindergarten. A lot of the kids swarmed us, but some of the kids were shy and didn't want to talk to us or play with us at all. They were all so cute, and I had a ton of fun playing with them for a few hours. Also we hiked 3,925 steps to a temple at the top of a mountain. By the end of the hike, I was drenched in sweat. Looking around at all the Americans in my group, who were covered in sweat, it was funny to see that almost all of the Chinese people hiking around us were completely dry. We also had a picnic with our family after a beautiful hike.  Being with my rural family went by the fastest of my entire time in China.

Finally, it was the most exciting part of the trip. We took a high speed train to Shanghai. As soon as we made it to Shanghai, we went to the Shanghai Zoo. I had never seen most of the animals there, and being able to see elephants, giraffes, and pandas was amazing. The city itself was also breathtaking to me. Living in Nashville, downtown is tiny compared to Shanghai! Nearly all of Shanghai is downtown, and the buildings dwarf the buildings in Nashville that I am used to seeing.

Lastly, I would like to thank the Wilson family for giving me this opportunity. Before I left for China, everyone told me that going would change my life and be the trip of a lifetime. At that time, I didn't understand what they meant and was unsure how going would change my life. Now I see. Not only did I have an amazing time, but also I see the world through new eyes. My myopic view of the world has shifted after experiencing life in a completely different culture. I am so grateful for the Wilson family because without them, there is no way I would have ever been able to go on this life changing trip. Thank you.