I have had a heck of an introduction to China this week. It's been awesome. I have never had so many new smells at once in my entire life. I don't even know how to describe most of them, and some of them I don't even want to remember. I've never been personally acquainted with a squat toilet before, and I've never been to a place where people are more than willing, they want you to barter with them. I have no idea what constitutes about 90% of my food, and I understand about 1/100,000 of what I hear going on around me. It's pretty fantastic. For all the stuff I don't understand, I feel comfortable and welcome here.
I went a saw a few things in the last couple days. I can't post pictures, cause I'm on a computer in a hostel and not my own, but I'll do what I can when I get to my own apartment next week. I saw the temple of heaven today. It was the place the emperor used to go offer a sacrifice every year. It smacks a lot of things that were close to me in symbolism and in architecture. There were layers of three everywhere. Most of them were show by a progression from clouds (things in the heavens) to the pheonix, which is a symbol used for longevity and health, and also for the empress, to the dragon, the symbol for power and for the emperor. Really amazing. I also saw a big group of old people slow-dancing in a park close to there. I don't care what culture I see that in, it always makes me really happy.
I also went to a big pearl market where they sell knockoff everything, and it was pretty crazy. They yell at you as you walk by and some will literally try to grab your elbows and walk you to their stall, where they'll try to sell you whatever they can for usually more than 6 times their lowest price. I bartered with one girl for about 20 minutes and got her down to about a third of her original price and when I settled there she was so happy she hugged me. (She also kept asking if I had a girlfriend, to which I could only tell her I was going to wait till I got back to America.) (Which I am)
We saw the great wall yesterday, and holy cow. That's an amazing place to go if any of you get a chance. It's pretty crazy. Mostly because it's all stairs. Best workout I've had in weeks.
Well, stay tuned folks. I'd really love to hear from you because I'm posting this from my email, and it'd be really nice to know if it was working.
Gadiandi@gmail.com
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5 comments:
Looks like it's working! Sounds like you are enjoying yourself already!! Good luck!
Ha ha--yay! I wish I could see the whole thing!
Sounds awesome Sam! Makes me wish I had gone to China this summer before starting at my job!
The e-mail posting worked! And it sounds like a lot of fun! But can you see our comments in your e-mail, too?
Gosh Sam, that's so awesome. Where are you exactly? One of my brother's roommates has family in Shanghai - in the event that you're there and go to an LDS branch you might see them. Or not. But have a ball.
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