A Chinese Christmas

      "Ever Ancient, Ever New." This is a motto that was engrained in me during my days at St. Norbert and rang through my head as I explored a small fraction of China. The streets of China from the metropolitan of Shanghai to bustling, "rural" Maanshan encompass the simplicity of the past in conjunction with fast past, modern 21 century.
      My holiday started bright and early on Christmas Day when I traveled with my friend, Sarah, to the airport. It was great to begin the day with a friend and then depart for our individual adventures. After six hours of traveling I arrived in Shanghai to meet my friend Greg. He was a bit out of sorts due to his travels to the airport, but after we settled into a ride on the subway Christmas was underway.
      The first few days were spent in Shanghai. We ate at swanky restaurants, experienced some much longed for Mexican food, viewed the Bundt, the highest observation deck in the world, meandered through an old canal market district, and were engulfed by the throngs of the people in Old Town. These activities were all a world wind. It seems like I had only landed and ran around the city with the help of Greg.
      Immediately in Shanghai I new I loved China. There was a feeling in the air. China is teeming with people who are all moving with a purpose but it is a different pace. It is a hustle and bustle that does not feel rushed, pushy, or too important. The feeling of humanity that I received as I explored the city and moved into the country was refreshing. It was not something I was expecting and also did not realize how different China would feel from Korea.
      We left the comforts of Shanghai on Monday to spend the rest of the week in Maanshan. Maanshan is a city about 3 hours away from Shanghai or an hour from Nanjing. It is a "small city" of 700,000 people and is where Greg is currently teaching at a University. My time spent in Maanshan was my favorite part of China. Although Shanghai was nice, it felt like any other international city I had been to. It did not challenge me the same way the rawness of Maanshan and subsequently Nanjing did. While in Maanshan I spent the majority of my time relaxing. I promised myself that I would not over extend myself this vacation. Thus, I knitted a scarf, wrote some letters, responded to e~mails, went for long walks and enjoyed Greg and his friends company in the evening when they were off work.
      Living with Greg for a week enabled me to experience the root of Chinese people in this particular city. I was able to see the hustle on the streets, the vendors selling drinks, the elderly men and women selling street food, the bikes and the motorbikes. It was during this time that I also had the privilege of going to an orphanage with two of Greg's friends. The offer was extended at KTV (Chinese Karaoke) the previous evening and as the time approached I realized how hesitant I was. I had only heard stories about Chinese orphanages and was not sure I was ready to face the reality. I may not have been ready but I am so glad I went. I spent the afternoon extending my love and gentle physical contact to infants who spend their days in cribs. Seeing these children, and loving them made me sad. But it was not a sadness for "Chinese" children. It was a sadness for the thousands of children around the world who just need to be loved. For those who have no home, or if they do not have love and security in that home. I ended that day thankful for the love I have been shown during my life and ready to love all those I encounter while aiming to continue a life path to help children everywhere.
      My last day in Maanshan I finally mustered up enough courage to journey to Nanjing by myself. Being in China taught me that I am brave, but not quite comfortable traveling by myself. I enjoy seeing new places, experience new cultures but enjoy a companion. With a companion I feel invincible (well almost) but solo I feel a lot more vulnerable. The worlds of Korea and China are completely different. Nanjing was a good challenge. I took the bus into the city, grabbed a taxi for the "mountain" and spent the afternoon at mausoleums, shrines, and pagodas. At the end of the day I found the bus stations and grabbed a taxi home. I arrived at seven on the dot... Greg was beginning to get a bit worried.
      My last evening in Maanshan we celebrated New Years Eve. The night began with a dinner and ended at a local bar. Dinner was good (I like Korean better) and the "club" was a riot. This is my second club in Asia and find them to be a ball. Very different than a club I would think of back home, but a good place to experience New Years Eve. Prior to traveling to China I did not think I had any "aha" moments while abroad. China was my first big "aha" moment. It left me at a great place to be entering 2011. I woke up on New Years Day ready to start fresh, that is 12am Central Standard Time. This is the first year I have made resolutions. Here I come 2011!
      As I traveled back to Nanjing (taxi), Shanghai (bullet train, subway, feet), Seoul (airplane), and finally Cheongju (bus). I kept replaying all of the sights I had seen. It will be a while until I can speak eloquently about my experience in China but I do know that it brought the reality of modernization, the environmental effects, the lifestyle of the West, the mass consumption, and distribution of resources into question. Never before had I traveled through a country where I had experienced continual growth, major factories, railways, and smog. These are not environmental degradations that are the fault of the Chinese, rather in many ways, if not all ways directly linked to American culture. I am currently thinking a lot prior to any purchases...