A Trip to the Market

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I’ve now been home for a week, studying for my exam, and still it feels like I never left. My first major trip inside the city was to the West Market. Here, men from all over the world travel across the Silk Road to trade their goods with the local men. Bringing diverse and exotic goods from around the world to one central place.

When I first walked into the market I encountered the Persian bazaar. This is the place where they sell items and goods that are popular in Iran and the Middle East. I came across a man from Baghdad who was selling gold, silver, copper, and iron ore. All of which he said are “plentiful” in his home city (lucky for him). I purchased some of his iron for a great value, and hopefully can resell it for a profit elsewhere in the city.

As I continued to walk along the market I discovered the local Chang’an section. This section consists of everything Chang’an has to offer: from freshly cooked foods to silk textiles. Here, this form of currency called, “paper money”, is in full circulation, but it has yet to catch on with the foreign merchants. With my paper, I bought some cooked rice cereal for my father, which will hopefully help with his progressing cough.

I love coming to the market to see all sorts of diverse people originating from various different cultures. There are many missionaries here as well; men travel thousands of kilometers just to market their religion of “Islam”, this city is a true melting pot of culture. Personally, the ideology of Islam doesn’t sound too interesting to me. I must focus on my studies and don’t have time for new faiths. If I pass my exam, I could be lucky enough to work right here in the market, my favorite place, since here there are government offices which monitor trade and finances.

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