Update #2 – Xian (China) Amy Lee

_2MG8544 — The Terracotta Army was discovered in 1974 by peasants digging a well. The awesome ranks of life-size pottery figures, modeled from yellow clay, were made to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, despotic ruler who unified China over 2,200 years ago

_2MG8620 — Excavations yielded three pits and over 7000 soldiers, archers, and horses. Each warrior, originally colored with pigment and holding a weapon, has an individually crafted expression.

Sept. 30/11 – Dear Family and Friends:

First of all, thank you so much to all those that took the time to respond to my emails. I really appreciate it and I am especially happy to be reading your updates as well (makes me feel connected and close to you all)… 🙂

This is my 2nd update and we have been in Xian for 2 weeks now. Time sure flies!! We have decided to stay here for 8 weeks total.

_2MG9521 — Xian – Capital of modern Shaanxi, Xian has served as capital to 11 dynasties over a period of 4000 years, including the Western Zhou, Western Han, Qin, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang.

_2MG9395 — Xian peaked during the Tang dynasty, when its position at the eastern end of the Silk Road transformed it into a bustling metropolis, luring foreign merchants and faiths, including Nestorian Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Manichaeans, and Buddhists. The city declined later but still has some splendid sights and a thriving tourist economy.

I love Xian enough to say that if my Mr. Right were here, then I would consider buying a place here and live here 4 months a year. Hahaha. We love our volunteer teaching job very much. It is very rewarding to see all the smiles coming from those beautiful innocent children everyday. They love what we teach them and they seem very grateful…: )) This city is VERY dusty but very clean. In my experience, the people here are much nicer and simpler than those in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. They are very friendly and helpful too. We have met some wonderful people already. We have become good friends with our Mandarin Tutor, Catherine. She is very kind and sincere. I think we will be spending a lot more of our weekends with her in the future.

_2MG9001 — Xian’s Drum Tower – built in 1380, is situated to the west of the Bell Tower on the edge of the old Muslim Quarter, for centuries the home of Xian’s Hui minority currently numbering around 30,000.

We will fly to Guangzhou on Nov. 9th as I want to spend my birthday there with my friends. Then, we will fly to the Philippines (Manila) to meet up with Mom for my cousin, Peter’s wedding. We will be in HK from Dec 2nd onwards… Then Thailand around Jan 6/12).

_2MG8437 — Terra-cotta Warriors – I have a much deeper appreciation for “history” ever since I visited this museum. I am fascinated by how awesome human beings were even back 2200+ years ago. I almost feel ashamed of myself to be so ignorant and ungrateful about “history” all my life because we would not have evolved to where we are if there was no history that took place before us….

Have you seen all the pictures I have posted on the 6 different albums so far? If not then click on “photo” from the links above. NO, of course I didn’t take those shots. Hehehe. Wouldn’t need to when I have 2 professional photographers with me. Mr. Dang is a journalist for the largest local newspaper. He will be writing an article on us (volunteers) this week because he wants to introduce the “volunteer concept” to the local people and was hoping our story could influence them to consider doing volunteer work as well since so many people in China need help. It started with him wanting to interview and to learn more about the western journalist life style from Mark since Mark has been working for the Washington Post for 13+ years now. Then after Mr. Dang met Deon (a 10 year old volunteer teacher) and me (I communicate in Mandarin with him about why we are here) he thought it would be interesting to do a write up on all of us. The school pictures of us teaching were all taken by Mr. Dang. I hardly took out my camera so most of the other shots were taken by Mark. Too bad, Mark will be leaving us on Oct. 1st which means there won’t be as many nice pictures for your eyes in the future… :((

Deon and I had a great time riding the bicycle here for 45 minutes total. We are both determined to go back and finish riding the whole 14 km before we leave Xian. lol

_2MG9960 — Xian’s City Wall (Mini version of The Great Wall) – Xian’s walls are still intact, forming a 9-mile (14 km) long rectangle around the city center. In 1370, during the reign of Hongwu, the first Ming emperor, these walls were built on the foundations of the Tang imperial palace, using rammed earth, quicklime, and glutinous rice extract. The 39-ft (12 m) high bastions have bases up to 59 ft (18m) thick.

Deon and I really been bonding well ever since we got here. It is amazing what traveling can do to us. Very glad we made the decision to travel. I think it will be a life changing experience for both Deon and me by the time we are done. I couldn’t emphasize more the value that this trip has been doing for us and thus am encouraging parents to consider long traveling trips with their kids. This has been truly a “priceless” experience – something that can only be personally experienced; reading it or hearing about it will not have the same impact as really “living” it. Even though we appreciate what we have at home, we also realize how “little” we actually need to be happy now. Both Deon and I are learning to have compassion for what we witness here too….

_2MG9693 — Big Wild Goose Pagoda – It is 210-ft (64 m) high pagoda. The Dayan Ta can be climbed, and visitors throw money from the windows for good luck.

By being away from home, we now recognize WHO we miss and WHAT we miss. I have so much more appreciation for my kids, my family members and my friends now. But thankfully, the love I feel is no less now compared with when I was physically near them; actually, more now because I think of them more than I would have when I were at home. It’s like the lame saying “I feel close to them by heart” which puts a smile to my face when I think of them…. 🙂

_2MG9499 — Subway – Construction started 4 years ago.

_2MG9337 — Just open on Sept. 18/11 so we are very lucky to be able to use it to get to downtown in less than 15 minutes from where we live.

Our energy is high and our attitude towards our future days is still very positive. We are looking forward to exploring the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Vietnam before going home on April 3, 2012.

_2MG1139 — Shaanxi History Museum – One of Xian’s premier attractions, this roomy, modern museum contains over 370,000 relics chronicling Shaanxi civilization and culture from as far back as prehistoric times. The collection is strong in ceramics, bronzes, jade pieces, gold and silver items, ancient coins, and calligraphy mainly from the pre-Ming periods, reflecting Xian’s later decline.

That’s all for now. Hope everyone is doing well. Until next time, please take good care of yourself and your loved ones…. 🙂

Love & Hugs

Amy & Deon

_2MG8969 — Xian’s Bell Tower – The enormous Bell Tower, with its distinctive green three-tiered roof, is situated in the center of Xian, where the city’s four main streets converge. Standing on a brick platform, this wooden structure was first built in 1384, two blocks west of here, before being relocated to its current site in 1582. It was later restored in 1739.

Originally posted on Amy’s travel blog: TravelwithAmy.ca

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