Noodles & New Experiences: Highlights from Discovering Urban China
by Isabelle BoesDay One
We made it to Beijing! My hair and lungs immediately reacted to the pollution and humidity, and the language barrier hit hard. We struggled through ordering our first dinner at a noodle place, but the cashier was friendly and patient and showed us pictures of the food on her phone. Everyone working there chuckled at as we wandered up to the counter with our receipts in Chinese to try and find our food. We found the Nest and the pool at the Olympic Park which was a surprising encounter with modern and futuristic architecture in a city that is well known for its ancient and traditional sites. We strolled down the central walkway as the sun set, and it seemed that every few minutes a new structure lit up.
The Great Wall
Visiting the Great Wall was one of the peak experiences of my life. The seemingly infinite Wall against the bright green trees and leaves is stunning, especially while riding up the gondola, and each tower along the Wall brings a new breathtaking view and triumphant moment of awe.
Last Day in Beijing
Today, I took the subway to Jingshan Park to get an overhead view of the Forbidden City and catch some early-bird workouts. As soon as I walked into the park, I found a group of adults doing Tai chi. I climbed to the top of the hill to look over the city. The view was amazing, but I was equally enthralled watching the locals stretch and work out, and listening to their shouts and howls from different parts of the park. I enjoyed spending my last morning in the city looking out peacefully at many of the sites we had already visited and reflecting on my time in Beijing. As I made my way back down, a woman stopped to show me some fruit growing in a tree, and I got to use a Chinese vocab word to ask if it was edible.
Shanghai
At the Donghua University visit, we got to know local students by doing a speed-dating style rotation to chat with each other. We talked about our hometowns, our impressions of China and our favorite hobbies. I met Jenny, who is from Xi’an, and I told her how much I had enjoyed the city and that I love wide, Xi’an-style noodles! I learned that Chinese students spend more time in class each day and do more homework to practice things like math and languages, while American students like us spend less time in class and more time working or doing activities on campus.
I did not expect nearly everything we saw in China to captivate me or to miss it so strongly once I returned home. I felt comfortable exploring new places and was constantly stunned, intrigued and impressed by architecture, nature and people. I was most impressed by the friendliness, warmth and patience of nearly every Chinese person that I interacted with. I had countless interactions with locals in every city in which I felt welcomed and respected, despite language barriers. I am so grateful to have had this unique experience.
?Last Updated December 2018