The other day at the end of class, we were walking down the stairs and saw blue sky for the first time here. There were a few small clouds that dotted the sky, but there was a large patch of blue. Rob and I joked with each other about seeing blue for the first time in days (this place is far, far worse than even Ithaca), but our reactions were nothing compared to the students. The girls who were with us couldn't stop exclaiming about how beautiful the sky was. You could even sort of see the sun, which was "oohed" and "aahed" over for quite some time. I was asked to take pictures of the little, measely sunset and the blue patch of sky. It was very foreign to them.
I don't know if I stressed this enough, but Anyang is one of the oldest cities in China. There is an underground city from thousands of years BC buried beneath the ground of Anyang and the surrounding villages. The book about China I started reading in May focuses a lot on Anyang, because it is where the first recorded history documents were found. It's a pretty important place with a lot of history, and that makes staying here all the better. I reread parts of the book, and the parts about Anyang have an entirely new meaning now that I'm here. Obviously.
Here are some photos:
The Anyang local government building. Yes, local. I mentioned it in some earlier entries, too. 
Sunday was our only full day off this week, and we started it by getting up crazy early and going to the park. I really wanted to see Tai Chi and try it. There are several parks in Anyang. The one we went to was filled with different groups of people here and there doing Tai Chi. Tons and tons of people. This is a good example of one of the groups, and that's Helen in the center in the pink shirt and tan shorts. She went up to the teacher and asked her to give me lessons, so I learned how to do some simple Tai Chi. We practiced right there, in the middle of the park. I'm sure I was a sight to see, complete with my boot, but that's okay. I loved it. I want to take lessons. Mom, you would love it, too. It's like yoga, only better. Getting up crazy early was definitely worth it.
Me infront of Wenfeng Tower, one of the main landmarks in Anyang. It was built in the 900s and is registered in the National landmark registery thingie. Rob, Helen, and Helen's boyfriend Mark all climbed to the top, but the steps were awful for my boot, so I just walked around instead. The tower stands in the center of the city, behind the city walls, and it is defintely a sight to see.
A quick picture I snapped in Anyang's Old City. We haven't gotten to see it adequately yet--it has been too hot to aimlessly wander around--but I'm sure one of these days we'll hop in a cab and spend some time poking around. I love it there. Poorer, yes, older, yes, but we don't have anything like this in America. I really enjoy just walking around and having a look.
Before, remember how I was complaining that people here never do anything? I think I understand that a bit better now. On our day off, we were going to try to do all sorts of things, but it was just way, way, way too hot. WAY too hot. Descriptive, I know. At about noon, we booked it back to the hostel place for some air conditioning and a nap. So I now understand the need for sitting around and taking breaks. It is just too hot to be out and about always doing something.
My time in the internet cafe is almost up. The price is one yuan an hour... so that's like 20 cents. Not bad, not bad.
1 comment:
I think you mean one yuan an hour, no?
And we want to click and get a big version of that last picture! We do, we do!
Post a Comment