Addie's Blog

Like most, when 2017 arrived, I found myself reflecting on the past year and wondering what the new year would bring. I've never been one to set New Year's resolutions (after all, aren't most of them broken by February anyways?), but I still use the time for myself— to think about where I am and where I want to be. As the clock struck midnight in China, 13 hours ahead of most of my friends and family, I couldn't help but think back to everything that led up to that countdown.

If you went to school in New England, you can probably remember a few of your school trips. For me, growing up near Portland and Boston allowed for several memorable school trips, usually of some historical significance— to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland Headlight, and Faneuil Hall, just to name a few. Regardless of where you were going, the anticipation and excitement you felt the night before a school trip was enough to keep you up all night. The extra time you took to pack your favorite snacks, the thought of sitting with your best friends on the bus, the pure joy of knowing you didn’t have to be in a classroom all day— we all lived for trips like these.

Walking around Xi’an, I often have to stop and think, “Am I in New York City?” Monstrously high buildings tower over me, flashy billboards line the horizon, and street vendors line up on nearly every corner, hoping to sell a cellphone case or a roasted sausage on a stick. Busses zoom by with little to no regard for pedestrians, cars weave from lane to lane, taxi drivers never seem to stop pressing on their horns. The smells of a city of 9 million contrast with the aromas of freshly steamed dumplings and spicy grilled meats— your nose is constantly flipping from misery to ecstasy, and back again.

For China’s National Holiday, we packed up our duffle bags and headed down South to Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province. The travel was an experience in itself— it was our first time on a long train ride here (18 hours to be exact.) Hey, it was cheap, and we found out we had an extra day off, so we weren’t in any rush.

On the bus in China, you get to know people on a chemical level. The sweat is pervasive and the odd mixture of cologne (and lack of) makes for a veritable pheromone stew. You can sense who brushes their teeth, who had onions and chili for dinner, who drank too much baijo the night before.