Everyone had mixed emotions stepping off the bus in Xian to enter the mob standing before us at the train station. Our chaperones kindly reminded us to be on high alert of our belongings among the rows of onlooking men; but nothing could prepare us for the challenges we were about to face.
Challenge number one: the bathroom. The porcelain hole in the ground might seem sanitary but there are no words to describe the smell one experiences while walking towards the restrooms in China. The normally putrid smell mixed magnificently well in the close quarters with an air of cigarette smoke. The door of the bathroom might say no smoking, but I have found few places in this country where people actually hold back. After making it out alive, Colin D and I decided there was nothing we couldn't handle. Did we speak too soon?
Challenge number two: "Wú", if there is any word you need to know before hiking up the dark, crowded stairwells of a chinese train station, fending off the quick hands of chinese men asking to "help you", it's that one. Wú, pronounced boo, is the chinese word for no. While your hands might be blistering dragging the 50 pound suit case and your back feels like stretched taffy supporting two carry ons and a backpack, handing off your bags to a man you don't know in a crowded stairwell can only end in a 50 yuan charge or stolen bags. Nora with her broken clavicle and Colin D with a hurt ankle and crutch were deemed the group MVPs at the top of the climb. Our survival instincts continued to be tested by the elderly people pushing their way into the train; luckily Gaby was there with her stiff arm to ensure our group all made it on together. In our darkest moments Chex 2014, a group of 13 kids and 2 chaperones, becomes a support system that can withstand the most trying situations.
It rumbles with the sound of the thousands of Terra Cotta warriors; creaks with the screech of crinkled water bottles slapped against Matt by the old beggars; it moves at the speed of our trip that seems to be whizzing past through the calendar faster than any of us can fathom. Each new experience brings with it new perspectives.
-Isa Johnston
Challenge number one: the bathroom. The porcelain hole in the ground might seem sanitary but there are no words to describe the smell one experiences while walking towards the restrooms in China. The normally putrid smell mixed magnificently well in the close quarters with an air of cigarette smoke. The door of the bathroom might say no smoking, but I have found few places in this country where people actually hold back. After making it out alive, Colin D and I decided there was nothing we couldn't handle. Did we speak too soon?
Challenge number two: "Wú", if there is any word you need to know before hiking up the dark, crowded stairwells of a chinese train station, fending off the quick hands of chinese men asking to "help you", it's that one. Wú, pronounced boo, is the chinese word for no. While your hands might be blistering dragging the 50 pound suit case and your back feels like stretched taffy supporting two carry ons and a backpack, handing off your bags to a man you don't know in a crowded stairwell can only end in a 50 yuan charge or stolen bags. Nora with her broken clavicle and Colin D with a hurt ankle and crutch were deemed the group MVPs at the top of the climb. Our survival instincts continued to be tested by the elderly people pushing their way into the train; luckily Gaby was there with her stiff arm to ensure our group all made it on together. In our darkest moments Chex 2014, a group of 13 kids and 2 chaperones, becomes a support system that can withstand the most trying situations.
It rumbles with the sound of the thousands of Terra Cotta warriors; creaks with the screech of crinkled water bottles slapped against Matt by the old beggars; it moves at the speed of our trip that seems to be whizzing past through the calendar faster than any of us can fathom. Each new experience brings with it new perspectives.
-Isa Johnston