Where is Xi'an?

I leave Minnesota a week from today.   It’s actually really hard to believe.  I’m not ready.  I spent the better part of last week shopping for everything I might need: clothes for school, 3 pairs of shoes, summer reading list, luggage and gifts for my host family.  I’m not even done looking for host family gifts yet.  I’m supposed to bring things that represent Minnesota, but I’m more than a little confused.  Minnesota doesn’t have a lot of material goods that define it.  We’re known for our endless winters, mountains of snow, ten thousand lakes and their corresponding cabins, and the Mall of America.  I can’t very well put any of these things in a box and ship them to China with me. 

It’s been weird trying to explain to people where I’m going as well.  Xi’an is a huge city of eight million people. (And considering I’ve lived in a suburb my entire life this is going to be a rather abrupt change.) To put that in perspective, the Twin Cities has a population of 3.28 million. 

And yet, when I say I’m spending my summer in Xi’an, most of the time the next question is “So where’s the closest big city?” 

Um, that would be Xi’an. 

As a huge history buff (and an AP World History Student), I typically follow that statement with an explanation of Xi’an’s historical significance.  The city is most well known for the Terracotta Warriors unearthed there.  Over 8,000 life size clay soldiers have been discovered in 3 pits.  The soldiers were built to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.  The Emperor had been so concerned with being immortal that he had drunk mercury to prolong his life.  (Interestingly enough mercury poisoning is probably what killed him.)  He also decided that his tomb would be incredible.  Although the tomb itself has never been unearthed, legend depicts it greatly.  Here's a website if you want to learn more about the legends surrounding the tomb itself: http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/229549.htm

The terracotta warriors are in battle formation complete with weapons, uniforms and large clay horses and chariots.  The three pits show the different levels of the army. The first has the most soldiers, while the last is an officer's meeting room.  It's thought that the soldiers may have even been modeled from the real armies of China as every one is distinctly different. 

Xi'an however is so much more than just the burial ground of the Emperor who united China, ordered the construction of the Great Wall and burned many books on history and philosophy that disagreed with him.  Xi'an has over 3,100 years of history.  It was the capital of China during the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties and is known as one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals.  The city was also the starting point of the Silk Road making it one of the biggest international cities during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).  The cultural interaction is still very prevalent today as there is a large Muslim  Quarter (about 50,000 Hui Muslims) and many universities with students coming from all over the world.  

After the mini history lesson, whoever I'm talking to realizes that I've somehow managed to avoid the point of explaining where Xi'an actually is. Well, Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi Province and is located in Eastern Central China.  It's on the Guanzhong Plain with the Qin mountains in the south and the Wei River in the north.  Xi'an is also not that far from Hua Shan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains.  

Hua Shan: Isn't it pretty?

This explanation is often met with blank stares, but honestly I could ramble about my host city for ages.  I'm just that excited. It often helps when I mention First Lady Michelle Obama visited there recently on her trip to China.  I always find it really coincidental that I learned my host city while the First Lady was visiting it. Article about the Visit

I'm actually so excited although my two currently empty suitcases are certainly making me nervous.  

Zai Jian for now,

Laura

One Month Until China

In a month, I will be leaving for the adventure of a lifetime.   I’ll be spending seven weeks in Xi’an, China with American Councils.  I’m living with a host family and attending school there. 

I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship through the State Department in a program called NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth).  The program is designed to offer high school students opportunities to study “critical languages” abroad.  Critical languages are languages not typically taught in high schools.  This includes Chinese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hindi.   If you want any more information about NSLI-Y visit http://www.nsliforyouth.org/

It seems almost crazy to think how close I am to leaving.  I’ve spent most of the year preparing and applying for the scholarship.  There were long hours of essay writing, and frustrating moments as my computer rebelled against the application website.  I participated in an interview, where almost everyone else in my time slot was also applying for the China summer scholarship. I submitted so many medical forms.  And then there was a period of anxious waiting. 

It was such a relief at the end of March to get the email telling me I was a finalist.  I saw the email as I was walking out the door after a long day complete with play rehearsal.  The email took forever to load because of the slow school Wi-Fi and I had just about made it to the South Entrance when I read the news.  I may have spontaneously danced a crazy victory dance in the empty hall.  I definitely couldn’t stop smiling for days. 

Since then, I’ve updated medical forms, applied for my visa and taken several Chinese placement tests.  I don’t even know information about my host family yet. I do know, however, that I will have a sibling who is roughly my age and will attend my school.

I’m incredibly excited to meet my host family.  There’s something incredible about being thrown into the daily lives of a family.  I’ll be able to see their favorite places and try their favorite foods.  I'll be able to feel more at home even if I'm 6,600 miles away from Minnesota.  I should be getting more information soon,  likely within the next week and a half. 

I’ll be sure to share some more information about Xi’an next post.  Until then, zài jiàn!