Things I've Learned

*I'm tall here.
*Everyone we meet wants to make sure we are comfortable.
*Xian is over 5000 years old.
*Xian residents still are not happy Xian is no longer the capital (and have not been for many years).
*Noodles are very important in the diet of any tourist in China. They come in all shapes and sizes and textures..and are all very delectable.
*We feel safe.
*Being American = eating at a buffet.
*Bicycles in China come in all shapes and sizes and carry a variety of people and things (we wish we could have taken a picture of the man with a giant stack of styrofoam. There's no way he could have seen behind or around him. He had to trust that none of the many, many buses or taxis would run over him). Yes, it is a very trusting society!
*A group of well meaning adults who truly want to learn the language, are not always successful in their attempts to master tones and words. But we tried and our instructor was very, very kind and patient.
*Street sweepers are not big machines, but people with brooms made of trees (they look like branches from an evergreens). They wear bright orange vests so that again, no bus or taxi will run over them!
*Xian is a gray city. There is much concrete. The buildings are gray, the sky is gray. Sometimes the sun burns through in the afternoon, but not often. Is it smog? Pollution? A cloudy day? We are in a valley which doesn't help with the haze.
*At 10 a.m. each day at Jiaotong University, as students leave their classes, loud music can be heard throughout the campus. It is time for exercise. Everyone is expected to start moving. Luckily, we were walking briskly, so we fit right in!
*A Southeast High School graduate is attending Jiaotong University. She is a freshman and luckily she was willing to spend some time with us telling about her first month's experiences.
*We have quickly learned from our Chinese hosts and guides that we have many more similarities than differences.