Marking our halfway point for our summer session abroad in China, the Notre Dame summer language program took a trip down to Xi’an, China. It was roughly an 11 hour trip by train from the Beijing station. It was a very interesting experience to say the least, for not only is it not common to travel by train in the States, but it is a foreign concept to travel by train in a sleeping car with strangers. While I will admit I was originally put off by the tight quarters of the “soft-sleeper” car, I ended up enjoying the new experience, and the chance to practice speaking with native speakers.
Arriving in Xi’an, the immediate distinguishing characteristic from Beijing was the air quality. While China as a whole has problems with pollution, it is more serious in Beijing, and it is often days at a time between sunny days with blue skies. Getting off the train in Xi’an, there was not a cloud in the sky, and there was a comfortable breeze. Absolutely beautiful weather.
Xi’an is an ancient city, and we were able to see the famous city wall, a stunning play detailing the exploits of a famous Tang dynasty emperor, and of course the army of Terra-cotta Warriors. The Terra-cotta warriors were breathtaking, and the history was practically tangible walking through the massive excavation. It was incredible to think they had not even found all of them yet. However, the Xi’an wall was my favorite stop. A wall that runs a roughly 14 KM rectangle around the city, it is ancient, and traverses past many famous Xi’an sites. Riding a rented bike around the wall twice, I was able to take in the scenery and have a little fun racing my classmates.
It is remarkable to me that I have already surpassed the halfway point of my experience here. The weeks have flown by, yet somehow I feel I have been here for years. Interactions that were once challenging are now routine and second-hand. I am proud of the progress I have made, and excited that I am fortunate enough to have some weeks left in this country to continue to learn and grow as a student.