Thursday, May 29, 2014

LOVE - TYLER PALMA

I’m going to start off by saying that I simply refuse to believe that there is less than a week left of our stay in China; it can’t be time to go back to the states yet, it just can’t. They say that some experiences are life-changing, and I have no doubts that this exchange fits the description. My time here in China is something that I will cherish and take with me for the rest of my days.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have fallen in love with this country. Sure, it’s not always easy – what with not completely knowing the spoken language, and only being able to make out some basic characters – but being able to see the magnificent cities, the absolutely stunning countryside, and the awe-inspiring heritage sites and landmarks makes any language barrier worth it. More than once during the time here I’ve caught myself saying things like “I’m going to move out here one day,” or imagining staying here for longer, and I’ve also started to look into applying to exchange for a whole semester here at CTBU. Just recently, I and the other Widener students traveled to Xi ‘an, where we visited the mountain tomb of a Tang Dynasty emperor. While there, Kennedy and I took a path off the regular trail and had what I can only describe as a breath-taking panoramic view of miles and miles of the Chinese countryside. I had to take a moment as I breathed a nearly silent “Wow,” and tried to take in the entire scene and burn it into memory (I then took several pictures and a video).

I wish that I could commit this whole trip, every new food, friend and experience, to my mind forever – but I’m unfortunately not gifted with photographic memory, so that’s why I’m glad to have all of the video blogs I’ve been putting together [which will continue to be uploaded after the trip ends (it’s easier to upload them from the US)] so that I can look back on them in the future to refresh my memory, and never lose the love I’ve found for China.

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