Thursday, June 17, 2010
day10: why do I travel???
My views of why I travel have changed a little. I go to other countries to expierence their food, their cultures, their history. But I go to other countries to do one more thing. I think that it is also important to enjoy every minute of it, not let opportunities pass you by, and mostly be yourself, and do something crazy because before you know it the opportunity is gone, and there will never be a chance like that again. I learned this with Mr. Shagrin when we ran through the fountain at the Wild Goose Pagoda. There was the best view of the Pagoda through the water that was spraying everywhere, of course, and he yelled, “This is why we travel”. Everybody was staring at us, and they started doing what we were doing because it only takes a couple of seconds, minutes, or hours to let an amazing once in a life time opportunity to slip through your fingers. I know that when I travel I don’t want to have to regret anything, and when there is an opportunity to travel you take it, because no matter what you do, you can never quite have the same experience at home. You can look at pictures of the great Wall, but in person it is so much better. I can’t even describe it the way it is in real life because there are no words for it. You can’t just go to go; you have to go to live. Life is short, and it’s opportunities are endless, but some of them go away, and they may never come back, even in our dizziest daydreams. Don’t get me wrong I still travel to experience the food, to learn some new things about history and culture, but only now do I know that I also travel to experience the country. You have to see the country from a lot of aspects to do that, but it is most definitely possible.
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Lexa Koepke
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Well my dear, you certainly had an exciting start to the trip! I don’t know if I ever told you but I am very proud of how you handled yourself after the fainting spell in the Beijing airport. You got right back up and kept on going and even made it out to haggle on your first night at the Wang Fujing Market. I knew then that you would be a great member of the group because I would not have to take care of you—you can take care of yourself! This quality is so important for a traveler.
I enjoyed your Day 2 post about the education system and historical sites. It is clear that you were paying close attention during our tour of the Forbidden City because you certainly remember a lot of information. About Chinese TV, you seemed disappointed. Do you think we maybe emphasize TV too much in American culture? Maybe if our TV wasn’t so good, not everyone would sit and watch it for hours. Great “Great Wall” photos. You and Brandon will cherish those in the future. I loved your comment about the rich history in China. You said “I think this most interesting thing of Beijing is how there can be a brand new building next to something from thousands of years ago”—great insight, Lexa. Your next post also hit on another important aspect of travel: utter exhaustion! Sometimes you just can’t keep your eyes open any longer and that first day in Xi’an was definitely a long one. I am glad to hear that despite being so tired, you still learned things about the city and the legacy of the Tang dynasty.
In your Day 5 post, you were comparing the cultural differences between Beijing and Xi’an. You said “there are some language differences, but there can only be one China, and in turn they are one people, one country, and can be grouped the same.” I would be so interested to hear more about this. Do you really think this is only ONE China? What elements of the culture bind EVERY Chinese person together and where do you see immense variety? I believe there are some elements that connect everyone, but I also saw very distinct qualities in the different regions. The late night trip to the Wild Goose Pagoda sounds like quite the adventure. I am glad you enjoyed that experience!
I am happy that you took advantage of the home visit in Shanghai. You mentioned how it is much more authentic and meaningful to hear from a person rather than learn from a book, teacher or tour guide. You should be proud of yourself for taking this trip because without it, you would never be able to learn from the source. You also mentioned that Shanghai doesn’t have a much history as Beijing or Xi’an—did that bother you? Or did you enjoy touring Shanghai even more because it was more cultural and less historical?
Lexa—you did a really nice job on these blogs. It has been wonderful for me to relive the trip through your journal and your experiences. Please share this blog with people who would care to know about your journey. It was nice to see a progression through your entries. At first, you were skeptical and talked about the things that you hated. But by the end of your entries, you were only looking to report on the positive/funny/interesting/educational moments of each day. Thanks for sharing!
Ms. Greenswag
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