You’re Still a Tourist When You Move Somewhere New
When I lived in Philadelphia for the past year I did very little sight seeing. Off the top of my head I would have to say that the only attraction I went to was the museum of art. You know, the one with the statue of Rocky outside. I also saw the city hall plenty of times, but that’s just because I walked by it on my way somewhere else a lot. I never saw the Liberty Bell. I never saw the Ben Franklin Museum. None of it.
Now that I am here in Xi’an, it’s almost impossible to live with this same attitude. I mean, they got history and culture up the wazoo. Seriously. Even if you have no interest in seeing the sights that point towards China’s long and storied history, trying to avoid it is like trying to avoid free money (hint: it’s not possible).
I came to China with the intention of traveling, of seeing the world, and absorbing the culture. I came with the aim of discarding my previous disposition. I want to get out there and see all the kitschy, touristy stuff. I want to experience what my new home has to offer. From the fantastically grand testaments to China’s ancient culture to the banal, mundane day to day life of modern China. With this in mind over the weekend I decided to talk a short trip to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda:
The statue of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang with the pagoda behind it.
It was a beautiful, warm day when I went so there were many people in the square outside the temple flying kites and relaxing. It seems that kite flying is a very popular recreational activity here. I have no idea why. According to Google Maps this temple is only 1.2 miles from where I live. Can you imagine that? Something so grand and so beautiful and so important to the development of Buddhism in China is barely a short stroll from my residence. It would almost be sacrilege for me not to come see it. And I’m glad I did. The views from the top of the pagoda are just awesome. If Xi’an ever had a clear sunny day (which is unlikely considering the pollution and dust) I’m sure you could easily see across the entire city.
I was by myself on this short trip, so I really took my time to soak in the temple and enjoy it. There were a lot of tourists (it was a Saturday after all) but nevertheless I came away from the experience feeling very good about what I had seen and what I had done. It was barely a half day trip (maybe 3 or 4 hours, tops) but I tried to make the most of it and I think I succeeded.
There have been a couple of other places I have been to around Xi’an which clearly I have chosen not to write about. I’ll get around to it eventually.
Yesterday I went running for the first time in a long while. I went with one of my fellow teachers and Americans, Andrew. We ran to the Pagoda and back. It wasn’t a strenuous run or anything, not a big distance and no serious hills, but man I was sucking wind hard afterwards. I’m really out of shape. I need to get on that.
Running and general exercise is a dicey situation here. Considering the amount of pollution in the air some people seem to think that it is a bad idea to induce an increased breathing level as it will lead to an increased intake of pollution. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. Yesterday I was breathing hard and my throat burned a little bit. I can’t tell yet if it’s the air pollution or my lack of exericise for the past five months, or a combination of both.
Since I’ve been here my mucus has gradually shown more and more dirt particles. Now when I blow my nose it’s usual to have black stuff in it. Gross.
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