Back to Xi'an
on Tina's Journal (China), 22/Sep/2009 12:51, 34 days ago
I have just returned from a visit to Xi'an, however, I didn't actually get to see much of the city! I was there attending a three day VSO workshop for the Education volunteers. When I arrived there on Friday morning, after a night stop in Kunming, I wasn't surprised by the smog which umbrellas the city. On my last visit there in March, I remember experiencing seven days of unhealthy polluted air. On Monday morning though, when I left, the skies cleared and the city brightened up. We stayed in an hotel located just outside the ancient city wall just opposite the main railway station. A perfect location for the new arriving volunteers whotook the overnight sleeper train from Beijing. I remember seven months ago doing the same thing, arriving in Xi'an to finish my in-country training, before heading off to my new placement not knowing what to expect. It was good to meet both new vols and some serving vols I hadn't met before. Sharing our experiences is so useful and most people have found China to be a real culture shock, including me! However, my experience has been mostly positive, but I know that some volunteers have had some bad experiences including a sense of loneliness. I think this is partly due to communication problems, as learning Chinese can be difficult, it is easy to give up trying. I realise I have been lucky so far because I have been able to make friends quite easily, although I do have English speakers around me. I think we all have different types of challenges in all of our placements. I visited the Muslim quarter in Xi'an which I didn't get a chance to see last time. It is located down town within the ancient city walls. The walls run around the centre and great to cycle along, which you can do in about 90 mins. We didn't get a chance to do this but I really hope to on one of my next visits. I only had a chance to do an evening visit, so I didn't get to appreciate the area as I would have liked. There was a warm, sociable atmosphere and lots of market stalls. I bought myself a copy of'Quotations from Chairman Mao'translated into English. Here are some examples:"People of the world, unite and defeat the US aggressors and all their running dogs!" "Every communist working in the mass movements should be a friend of the masses and not a boss over them, an indefaticable teacher and not a bureaucratic politician""As for people who are politically backward, communists should not slight them or despise them, but should befriend them, unite with them, convince them and encourage them to go forward"These quotes date back to about 1949. A bureaucratic, hierarchical, politically closed system, which China was and still is in some ways, is contrary to these ideals.I was quite lucky to arrive back yesterday evening. There are two flight connections from Xi'an to Simao and the first flight was running slightly late into Kunming Airport, where we had our connecting flight. I had to collect my case and check in again before I took the next flight. I picked up my case off the baggage carousel 20 mins before the next flight was due to leave (check-in closes 30 mins before departure). Lesley had gone on ahead to check me in. So, I was checked in for the flight but not my case. When I finally got to the check-in desk to check in my bag they wouldn't take it as it was closed. I therefore had to try and get it through security and take it as hand luggage. I found some of the nicest people in the search area who screened my case 3 times, opened it up, screened other things inside it and then let me through. We then got an escort out to the aircraft, where everyone was fully boarded waiting for us. The lovely hostesses found a place for my case and we sat down in our seats and pushed back feeling rather relieved! What amazed me was how friendly, patient and helpful all the staff were that we encountered.Photos: Some of the other vols and me in Xi'an.