Xi'An or Not to Xi'An

With only one week of classes left (and then finals) my friend and fellow faculty member Rodney came up with the idea (on Monday) to take the upcoming weekend and head to Xi'An.  Since I've been meaning to get out of Beijing and travel a bit...I decided this opportunity could not be missed.  Within a day the plan was set, plane tickets were bought, a hotel was secured and lesson plans and grading were caught up.  Friday rolled around and I found myself slightly queasy as I overheard Rodney saying something about me being the one who spoke Chinese...'gulp'.  This could be interesting...

Traveling in China is something I certainly want to do and I believe this trip will be great for giving me confidence in doing that.  It is just that there are so many things that come up that are hard to deal with if you do not have good language skills...we will see how we do :-)

Xi'An Bell Tower at Night

What is in Xi'An you may ask (and I asked some students as well).  Well, Xi'An is home to the Terracotta Warriors...one of the greatest sites in China and considered the 8th Wonder of the World.  In fact, most people say if you have not been to Xi'An to see the warriors...then you have not even been to China!  They also have a very vibrant Muslim Quarter, a huge city wall that goes around the entire city, and several other temples, pagodas, sites and food to explore and see.

Big Goose Pagoda

As I sit here in the Beijing airport waiting to catch our delayed flight (it snowed today for the first time in Beijing...and apparently snow stops planes in China) I have a few main thoughts running through my head.  1.  We managed to get from our apartment to the airport without a hitch (thanks to a student who helped me write out in Chinese 'Please take this man to the airport Terminal 3 :-), 2.  I love Burger King!  The airport has all sorts of delicious American food...and by delicious I mean they have real meat!  3.  The internet here is FANTASTIC!  Way better then on campus or in our apartments.  4.  I am thankful for this opportunity to get out and explore a country with such vast history as China.  It should be an epic weekend :-)

Zaijian,
(Learn Chinese:  T-San-Terminal 3)
Gary