Xi'an Arrival

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We arrive in Xi’an today! The plane ride was okay. I slept for about 20 minutes then started reading for class. It wasn’t too bad. The readings were actually really informative. They could have been written a little better but they were clear.

Once in Xi’an, we were greeted by our tour guide. She told us some very interesting things about the history of Xi’an. It was the home of Qin Dynasty which is the first dynasty of China. The first emperor of China came from this dynasty and conquered all other seven kingdoms. Xi’an translates to “western peace”, with “Xi-“ meaning “west” and “-an” meaning “peace”. It was snowing when we arrived but there is so much beautiful, historic culture here. We start class tomorrow so it should be interesting to see what we will learn. While in Xi’an I am rooming with Tien Tien. I love this girl! She is so sweet. She goes to Georgetown and has a very sharp wit about her.

We passed by the Bell and Drum Towers. The Bell Tower is used to ring in the New Year nowadays but it used to be chimed to mark the beginning of the day. The Drum Tower was used to signal the end of the day. These two buildings stand erect in the middle of two town squares. It is incredible how these two ancient buildings stand so strong in the middle of such a chaotic and technologically advanced city. It is almost as if the progression of the years has had no effect on these buildings. I almost felt as if entering those towers would take us back in time while dimming the blur of flashing lights and noisy bars right outside their doorsteps.

There are hundreds of shops here! It sort of reminds me of New York in a way only much much smaller. There are pickpockets everywhere so we’ve been keeping a close eye on our things but other than that, it’s perfectly safe to walk around and observe the culture. There is a marketplace filled with merchants selling all sorts of items. Everything from faux designer handbags to dead frogs is sold in this market. It’s pretty cool actually to see it in person.

We ate at Xi’an Restaurant. It was so very good too. However, there was one infamous dish I ate solely for the sake of being in the country. We ate donkey penis - yes, you read that correctly. It clearly said it on the menu and we said, it’s considered cuisine and we didn’t fly 5,000 miles to eat McDonalds - why not? It tasted awful. I will never do it again. But I don’t regret it for a minute! The tea was incredible. I’m acquiring a taste for Chinese tea now. In the states, I was all about the Lipton but I now get disappointed if a restaurant we eat at only serves commercial tea. Jasmine is my favorite. I also tried fish for the first time! It was glazed with sweet and sour sauce and wasn’t too bad. Certainly wasn’t as bad as the donkey penis but I don’t think I’ll have much of it on this trip.

Time for bed now. We have a big day tomorrow and I’m excited to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers. I miss everyone so much! More to come!

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