An Extended Holiday

Looking back on the past few months in Beijing, I have realised something: I really don't want to go back to the US. The main reason might include the fact that being here is like a dream - literally - and the US? That's reality. Or at least that's what it feels like. I have a pretty heavy workload here for school, but for some odd reason, I feel more relaxed and open. When going outside, you always run into the chance of not being understood - and if it's a more elderly person, you run the chance of having him or her tell you off for being Chinese but not being fluent in it.

If you really thought about it, though, being here is a big breath of fresh air (figuratively speaking, because with the amount of pollution that's obviously visible, I might as well smoke a pack of cigarettes a day). You start out with no one knowing you, you can start over. I've long since realised that the me here is rather different than the one I left back at Houston's International Airport. My entire time here is this long period of neverending excitement. I go out everyday, we go to the sites around Beijing pretty much every week, and I've even acquired a love for shopping - something I particularly disliked back in the States (but I suppose the bargaining and the relatively cheap prices helps a bit as well). The coolest thing is that in just a few short months, with only two more weeks left here, I have traveled to Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, and Shanxi provinces - not to mention the frollicking-around-Beijing part. I've lived with the Tibetans and I've traveled around China successfully with a couple of good friends I've made here - even with my lack of fluency in Chinese. :) Taking the bus, subway, and taxi are the norm now, and calling out loudly for the waiter or waitress is no longer labeled as "no manners." Crossing the street even when the light is green is a daily event and pushing and shoving to the front is rather fun.

It's amazing to feel the amount of accomplishment one can acquire in just a short amount of time.

Maybe it's the leftover fever from the Olympics here or it's the fact that I've never left the States before this and another side of me just exploded out as a result - or it could be because of the (much) cooler weather. The fact is that going here to study abroad is an extended vacation.

I'm not sure when I return to the US, I would still be the same or would I go back to my hermit of a self. All I know is this: going here is an unforgettable experience to last a lifetime and I will most definitely come back - no matter the fact that China is not the best place for a vegetarian. I have a feeling I'll be affected till the rest of my days - and the four good friends I made here? That's just the cherry on top. Perhaps a little bit of chocolate syrup as well. :)

In front of Tian Tan (The Temple of Heaven) in Beijing.

In front of a terracotta warrior carved from "jade" in Xi'an, Shanxi Province.