Tag: reflection

Unlike the day before, day 5 was crazy! I planned to leave Chengdu in the morning to head about an hour away by train to Leshan, which is famous as the home of the world’s biggest stone Buddha. Seeing the Leshan Buddha had been a goal of mine for some time now, and with the thought of it finally happening, I had a spring in my step when I left the hostel at 7:45 am to make my way to the Chengdu railway station. As Chengdu is a much smaller city than Beijing or Shanghai, I didn’t think rush hour would be that bad, so I opted to take the subway. 

I was crazy wrong! Riding the Chengdu subway at 8 am was 100% the worst subway experience of my entire life. I grew up in the city and rode the train to school every day, so I’ve seen it all: fights, sexual assault, over intoxication, mental breakdowns…literally everything. But trust me when I say I’ve never seen a rush hour so bad. 

The train was packed to the point that no one could move, with other people’s entire body weight weighing heavily on you. At every single subway stop, passengers were screaming because people on the platform were running and trying to push their way into train cars that were already way over capacity. Finally when it came to my stop…no one budged. I pushed so hard but could not make any progress before the train doors closed. I was frustrated but planned to just get off at the next stop. However, after I had worked so hard to make my way to one side of the train, at the next stop the doors were opening on THE OTHER SIDE. Now I tried to push my way to the other side, but right when I was one arms length away from exiting the train, the doors slammed closed again. I felt trapped. Finally at the next stop, now 2 stations away from where I needed to get off, I was able to get off the train. At this point I called a Didi (China’s version of Uber) to take me for what was supposed to be a 10 minute drive back to where I needed to be. This was the only way I could catch my train in time. But of course, Chengdu’s rush hour traffic was so bad that by the time I was able to get to the railway station, my train had already left 20 minutes before. 

Momentarily, I was extremely frustrated about missing my train. I felt angry that I had planned out more than enough time to get there but because of Chengdu’s subway system, I was inconvenienced. Not to say that it’s worse or better, but China’s subway etiquette is just different. China’s subway etiquette is that there is no etiquette. You can push people out of the way to get where you need to be. You can cut people in line. You don’t have to wait for people to exit the train before you start to board. Basically do whatever you need to do to get where you need to go. It has been one of the most frustrating cultural/societal differences I’ve had to come to terms with while living here, until I realized that the only way to live here is to play by these rules. 

After a couple minutes, I realized it was pointless to be frustrated about something in the past that I didn’t have control over. What I did have control over was going to the ticket counter and praying that I could exchange my ticket and still get to Leshan at a reasonable time. 

Five minutes later, I had a whole new mindset. My ticket was exchanged with ease, and in my hand I had a new ticket for the next train leaving in half an hour. My journey would only be set back by an hour! I was extremely happy with the way things worked out and excited about the next leg of my journey. 

After writing and learning about Chinese artwork in the independent research project I conducted in Beijing, I found that much of Chinese traditional art depicts the beauty of China’s vast and magnificent mountains, as well as bamboo, rivers, etc.  Even on the back of China’s Renminbi currency, one can find sunrises etched over mountain tops and water rushing between karsts.  I feel that it is a traditional image of China that many Westerners hold a preconceived notion of, yet have not experienced, as many expats find themselves living in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, etc.  I feel fortunate to have been able to see some of this natural beauty for myself last weekend when I went hiking and kayaking in Ninghai, which is about a 4 hour drive outside of Shanghai.

We began our hike following a trail surrounded by waterfalls and lush greenery (and of course about 50,000 mosquitoes that all wanted to bite me).

As we continued to ascend, the trail opened up to see more of the surrounding mountains, but we were not nearly at the top.

We passed by an area where locals grow tea.  I was even surprised to see how many wind turbines were built in the surrounding area.

As we continued on our way, the luscious trees became less and less prominent and the trail opened up into a steep and very rocky environment with bad footing.

We persevered to make it to the peak, only to witness one of the most satisfying views I’ve ever experienced!  Mountain came after mountain, seemingly infinitely folding behind each other until reaching the touch of the sun.

Descending the mountain, we passed through a forest of bamboo.  This was one of my favorite parts of the hike, as I’ve never had the experience of hiking through bamboo before.  To me, it felt like a very distinct “China experience”.  The bamboo was so green, and much thicker and stronger than I expected it to be.

The next day we had the opportunity to go kayaking, which was both beautiful and an absolute blast.  The sunburn I received was 100% worth it!

While I will always consider myself a city girl, having opportunities in China like those of the past weekend, or climbing the Great Wall, have really helped me realize an underlying interest I have had in hiking.  I love the exercise aspect of it, but even more so getting to see beautiful parts of China that I feel can be so often overlooked.  I am looking forward to pursuing more opportunities in this regard when I take off for my spring break travels this week!

Hi all – sorry it’s been a while!  Undergoing some internet access issues abroad, but that’s all part of the experience right?

I want to share with you all part of my experience at the Lama Temple in Beijing, or Yong He Gong.  Sadly there were not actually lamas there…but the experience of walking through the temple leaves me with a feeling I will never forget.

My initial impression of the Lama Temple was its vast beauty – the architecture, the way the bright saturated colors pop, the intricate details – it was almost a sensory overload, yet uniquely beautiful.  Throughout the air you can see waves of smoke, and the strong scent of incense envelops you.  I decided to burn incense and take a moment for prayer and reflection.

A little background on the temple was that it was built during the Qing Dynasty in 1694 as a palace, but later became a lamasery for Tibetan monks after emperors started living in Beijing’s arguably most famous historic spot, the Forbidden City.

Each building hosts rooms celebrating various Buddha where visitors can pray.  Entering the largest building, I was shocked at the sight of this Great Buddha.  Standing tall at about 85 feet, this beautiful, glowing golden Buddha was absolutely breathtaking…

Walking through the temple, I felt an almost indescribable wave of peacefulness and tranquility wash over me.  I have never felt anything quite like it in my life, this feeling of being content and more in touch with myself.

As the season quickly begins to change to winter, I am looking forward to hopefully going back to the Lama Temple to see it in winter time.  I feel that this temple is so special, it would require multiple visits to even begin to brush the surface of its history as a Beijing landmark of Chinese culture, as well as Buddhism in China.

If you know me, you know I cannot start my day without a piping hot cup of coffee.

In a country known for its amazing tea selection, finding a decently priced cup of coffee in Beijing is not an easy task.

My friends and I started on our way to find the perfect coffee shop to study at for our upcoming test; we were headed to a local place one of our roommates had recommended.  About 45 minutes of walking later, we still had not found the coffee shop we had set out for.  We were tempted to head back to campus, but decided to take the opportunity to continue checking out the area of 五棵松.  The area seemed relatively empty, with expansive parking lots and a couple fast food chains (KFC is HUGE here).  However, in search of the nearest train station, just slightly below street level we found a hidden area brimming with life.

As we entered it felt like we were suddenly entering an entirely different world from where we came from.  Our senses were completely overwhelmed from the live musicians on every corner, the video games being broadcasted on a huge electric screen high above us, the shiny and inviting luxury stores at every turn and the bars and restaurants that sent aromas of delicious noodles and pastries wafting through the air.  We were surrounded by dancing neon lights, bold contemporary art statues, and even a giant slide to move from one level of the development to the next.

While I was immediately struck by the modern, and even, to an extent, Western feel of this new wonderland, there were elements that felt, to me, so distinctly and traditionally Chinese – whether it be the locals singing karaoke and dancing on the sidewalk, the delicious smell of hot pot, or the market full of Chinese goods, with everything from jade to tea leaves.

I am even writing to you now from my new favorite coffee shop, Holly’s Coffee, which I came across in this mysterious new world.  I could not resist going back because I could not get this place out of my mind.  Despite all the beauty and history to be seen in some of Beijing’s most historical and well known sites, I could not help but feel that this new place gave me a vibe that distinctly represented the Beijing of the past and the future.

Today in class I learned a Chinese idiom “古今并存”, which means to exist as old and new simultaneously.  This idiom undeniably applies to Beijing, and even more so to this wonderful new location I found.  Part of the beauty of Beijing, and why it is so attractive to me, is its constant evolution toward what is new, but also its adaption and celebration of what is old.  It creates a truly original place that evokes a feeling I cannot liken to anything I have ever felt before.  I love this new feeling of being in Beijing!

Looking back, I am so glad that my classmates and I did not just go straight back to campus that day, otherwise we may have never found this special place at五棵松.  I think this experience really emphasizes why it is so important to be willing to explore the unfamiliar, as you never know what you will find or learn!

 

 

It’s 8:00 am and I am standing on top of the Great Wall of China.

I’m looking out over the sunlight just beginning to graze over the tops of the trees, and I’m standing strong in the face of the wind that could literally knock me over.  In this moment, every difficulty I’ve faced since coming to Beijing doesn’t exist to me anymore, and I know it’s moments like these that I may never have again, and moments like these that inspired me to study abroad in the first place.  I feel so incredibly grateful to be standing here and for having the opportunity to study in China.

My classmates and I got up at 6:45 to start our climb.  Especially with the wind, it’s colder than you would expect for a September day, and we learned this pretty quickly as we began to hike up the steep trail that would eventually lead to the Great Wall.  We are hiking an unrestored section of the Great Wall, which means two things: 1) there will be no other people there besides us and 2) it is a more difficult and dangerous trek than that of other sections of the Great Wall.  When we finally reach the Great Wall, we continue to climb as the wind gets stronger and stronger, even climbing some sections of the Wall so steep that they almost feel vertical.

At the highest point, I stop and see water in the distance, and even buildings that look like specks, and I think about how people are probably just beginning to wake up down below, or how my friends on the other side of the world are probably finishing eating dinner or studying.  I think about how many people helped build this wall and wonder how many people before me have walked along these stones.  By now, my phone has died from the cold, and I am not able to take any more pictures to show to my friends and family back home; I try to soak everything in, from the invigorated feeling washing over me to the beautiful blue hue of the sky.  It’s moments like these that I want to remember for a long time.