Olympics at your door

I was sitting outside of the coffee shop, writing, and these girls in white skirts and colored t-shirts kept walking by. I thought maybe a sports event was going on or something. Then I kept hearing loud music, so I wandered that direction.

Turns out, hundreds of students were practicing for the opening ceremonies for the Olympics on the track! It was so cool! I mean, how many times does a person get to see something like that? (Well, except maybe next week because I talked to one of the 'blue ring' girls and she said they will be practicing again :) How did I know it was for the Olympics? All the t-shirts read Beijing 2008. The girls were divided into the five different colors of the Olympic rings and for one dance carried matching colored panels that they danced with. For another song, guys in traditional white outfits did a tai chi-type dance, with slow music and beautiful movements. Although it will be on TV, I can't wait to watch it for real!


Friday night we explored the town with the locals. One of our students befriended some local students and they brought their friends who took us to the Muslim quarters of Xi'an. Laura, another UNL student, and I went with two university students and we took the bus to get downtown. The shopping was expensive but the food was cheap and fantastic! Pictured is Laura and I eating vegetable noodles in a little side shop, delicious…

When we were buying a snack, the seller started asking our friends all kind of questions about us. She looked to be in her upper twenties and very curious. She wanted to know if Americans judge people by their looks or by their personalities. We tried to explain that looks mean a lot, but it did come down to personality, but that may have been lost in translation. Then she wanted to know if we thought Laura Bush was pretty. We answered, so-so. It was a very interesting experience and it would have been longer but she was a bit pushy to our friends so we left quickly.

The cultural experiences through a study abroad program are so eye-opening. Beginning to learn the language and meeting local students has been terrific in being immersed in the Chinese culture. Every day is a new perspective!