I May Have Conquered the Great Wall, But the Blood Bars and Fungus Conquered Me.

China was one of the most rewarding trips I have ever, and probably will ever experience. Riding on a plane for 13 hours straight only to end up in a foreign communist country with a 12-hour time difference, climbing the Great Wall of China, learning to breath through my shirt or quit breathing just to use the ladies room, practicing my Mandarin, shoe shopping and feeling like I’m Big Foot, dashing and dodging honking buses and armies of bicyclists, and experiencing the varieties of food in each province only added to my unique trip. Not to mention chicken’s heads being cut off on the streets, cats brushing up against my legs in restaurants (now that I think of it, is that what the chicken tasted like that night?), the fungus I pretended were French fries, and of course, something that I will NEVER forget (partially because it was on my arm the rest of the night), the famous BLOOD BARS! Needless to say, forget the gym, forget those zero-carb diets—just go to China.

One motto I brought back with me to the States was “you don’t know how bad it is until you see it for yourself”. I knew the country was known for its manufacturing and mining, but I truly did not realize that because of those things, China never sees the sun. The pollution was so thick in some places that it almost seemed necessary to have an inhaler in the pocket of your jeans. In Beijing the dust from the construction didn’t help with the cloudy skies. People would walk around with masks and cloths in front of their noses and mouths to prevent themselves from coughing. There were many times that I would wipe my hand across my forehead and face only after to find dust and dirt all over my hands. I understand the mining is one of the largest producers economically for China, but at times I felt horrible for the people who have to live in and near the polluted cities. Not to mention it doesn’t help the situation when everyone smokes in that country. For such a prosperous and “smart” country, I wonder why they haven’t found a way to cut down on the pollution problem yet.

I have to admit—there were times I complained or grumbled about the food, the walking, the nauseating smells and whiffs (like when walking past a bathroom or a crate of pigs), or afraid of gaining thunder thighs if I used the bathroom more than once a day, but through it all I learned more immersing myself in the culture than I ever would have immersing myself in a textbook. And as an Asian Studies minor, that’s a good thing, because now I might actually pay attention to what I’m reading when I hear about the different dynasties and how quickly China is going to surpass all other countries economically.

I look back at my pictures and many times, have to remind myself I actually went to the Hanging Temple or the Stone Caves. Even today it feels like such a dream—a dream come true. I came back with the most amazing stories. Can YOU tell YOUR friends that you held a monkey dressed in a circus suit in the middle of a strange alley in the middle of China? Well I can, and my stories and adventures will never get old.