Sore feet and a full belly: The first seventeen days

My apologies for the staggering lack of updates submitted here on my blog, folks. My access to the internet since arriving in this country has been somewhat limited, and even now I can’t access my blog directly. A filter of some kind on the local network here in Xi’An prohibits me from reaching the website on which I originally created my blog, so I’m composing my entries in MS Word and then sending them over the ether to a helpful professor of mine back home who is doing the legwork of the actual posting in my stead (thanks, Dandan!). It’s kind of irritating that I can’t even see my own blog, but, then again, I didn’t create it for only my own enjoyment, did I?

Anyway, the nearly three weeks that I’ve spent here in China have been mind-blowing. I’ve seen some amazing sights, eaten some interesting food, met some of the friendliest, most obliging people I’ll probably ever meet on any continent, and done everything in my power to fully immerse myself in China’s thoroughly unique culture (and I’ve walked…a lot). And then, of course, there’s my experience of living and working at Xi’An Middle School to talk about. I get the feeling that – by the end of this trip – my interactions with the students and staff of this school will ultimately rank as the experiences I’ll value most of all I’ll undergo during my time spent in China. Truly, these are remarkable individuals who have not only made me feel extremely welcome in an unfamiliar setting but have also granted me a very deep understanding of how a formal education is valued and achieved within a culture that is vastly different from my own. I am forever in their debt.

But, all those stories will have to wait for another day. I just wanted to post this quick message in order to assure all interested parties that I haven’t forgotten about my little blog-space here and that I do indeed wish to maintain some degree of vigilance in regularly posting reflections upon what I see and do while sojourning in the Far East. So, check back soon and there will hopefully be something a touch more interesting for you to read. Until then, be well!