Day 55

Even after some time in China, you still come across slightly random and/or interesting things. I was taking a stroll alongside the city wall's today when I saw about 300 Americans playing orchestral high school music, all wearing red shirts and being gawped at by Chinese (and me). They looked just like the people out of American Pie 2, even had a big black dude on the symbols at the back.

Yesterday's reading text was also rather strange, yet disturbing. If I may (badly) translate the text for a moment. "The teacher called me to the front of the class, took my head in both her hands and gently placed a kiss upon my forehead. She said 'You are loveliest person in the class'. I cried joyfully". I've been assured by my teacher that this is not standard practice in Chinese schools.

Also yesterday came the realisation that the city is surrounded by mountains. The pollution is normally so thick you can never notice, but yesterday it lifted and the mountains south of my apartment can't be more than 20km away, yet I had never noticed them before.

Another thing I need someone to explain to me is how Chinese double decker buses don't topple over. The one that goes from the University to the centre of Xi'an is usually a double-decker and usually absolutely jam packed, people literally being pressed against the windows. Today I braved it for the first time. Top and bottom afford no head room to the standing passenger, let alone the standing foreigner passenger, so I spent most of the 20 minute journey in a C shape. And with all the swerving and avoiding every man and his rickshaw criss-crossing the roads, I think it's actually skillful driving to stay on 6 wheels.

Whatever else China is, there's always something new everyday to interest the senses.