The Whimsy of Haerbin and Upcoming Wanderings

Once more I am failing at consistent blog posting...I guess it's a good sign cause it means I'm too busy living life to document it...or it means that I'm a bit lazy. Either way I'm back with another update on my wanderings in the East. Alex and I survived our Beijing layover and managed to make a few friends on our way. Of course, standing in line to scan our ticket, we had a few "omg it's a real foreigner!"stares. Usually these stares from people result in, A. more staring, or B. a conversation. Therefore, when a middle-aged Chinese man struck up a conversation with us, we weren't surprised. Something tells me he really wanted to practice his English though, and did so a bit creepily due to the fact that he relentlessly followed us chattering away until we made it to the safety of our seats. Sitting down quickly, I figured I should use the plane ride to sleep...no such luck. Immediately after my sigh of relief from being able to plug into my iPod and relax, the gentleman next to me struck up a conversation. He was incredibly friendly, and very excited to speak with a "老外lao wai (foreigner)" who could speak Chinese.  

火锅！

We managed to fly in at 10pm, go out to SanLiTun (one of the larger nightlife areas in Beijing), and after dancing until 4am on a rooftop patio, we pulled ourselves together and headed back to the airport to catch our flight to Haerbin (哈尔滨）! If that isn't a whirlwind trip, then I don't know what is.

China's Little Europe

After arriving to Haerbin, we soon realized we were in for an amazing weekend. Haerbin is known for being a mix of Chinese-Russian culture due to its proximity to the Russian boarder. Visiting this far north city made the group of us feel as though we were in our own little Chinese version of Europe. Haerbin is probably one of the only cities in China where the influence of religion seeps into the surrounding culture. From St. Sofia's Church, to our hostel, which was an old synagogue transformed into one of the coolest international youth hostels I've seen. The Haerbin people were also amazing! They were incredibly friendly, curious, and often would strike up conversations about our travels, Chinese studies, and America. While visiting Haerbin, we had the chance to visit many of Haerbin's well-known attractions. Even though Haerbin is known for their Ice Festival, which occurs in late-January, we got to visit some of Haerbin's churches, walk around the old Russian quarter, and visit a Tiger preserve (老虎公园，Tiger Park)!



Finally, the Haerbin food was some of the best in China. Our first lunch we had 火锅（hot pot, sort of like a Chinese version of Fondue where boiling broth is placed in a giant bowl in the middle of a table and a variety of meats and veggies are placed around it for individuals to cook in the hot, hot soup!). Then that evening we walked around our hotel's neighborhood, which happened to be in one of the best locations possible for a group of traveling college students. With cobblestone roads, ice cream shops, and pop-up dinner areas, we had a lot of options for exploration. Our favorite was probably an outdoor dining area that boasted street food stands with anything from sausages on sticks, to squid, to egg pancakes, to purple rice, etc so forth. Obviously foodie's paradise. We we also had some great Russian food that kept us super warm in Haerbin's chilly night air.


Overall, my break was a great experience. I feel as if my Chinese ability quickly improved because I had to use it so much in both Shenzhen and Haerbin. Traveling from the southern most point of China up to the northern, really put how vast and diverse China is into perspective. From the people, to the food, to the terrain, there's always something new to see and experience. And to think, I'll be shoving off for my program trip this Friday!

Each program here has their own trip that they participate in as a part of our cultural practicum. The Advance Chinese Studies group (my group!), is traveling to XinJiang!! If you know nothing about XinJiang, the basics are: it's the start of the Silk Road, it's in the middle of the desert (very far west!), it's home to one of China's minority groups, the Uyghurs (notorious for their conflicts with the Han majority ethnic group, but according to the Chinese government those types of problems don't "exist"), and XinJiang is apparently home to some of the best honeydew melon (who knew!). There are 11 of us going on this trip, which makes it especially fun because we'll be able to cover more ground. Our itinerary has me practically dancing in circles with excitement. We'll be starting in Urumqi and head along the Silk Road toward Gansu Province. Along the way we'll have the opportunity to ride camels, see the Thousand Buddha Caves (UNESCO World Heritage Site), visit 天山(Heaven Mountain), have dinner with a Uyghur family, and shop in a Bazaar. I believe this trip will be another collide of cultures, much like Haerbin! Can't wait :)

I'll try to get better at this blogging thing. *sigh*