seekingmygreaterperhaps

Xian is a really old city, and you may have heard about this little discovery called the Terre-Cotta Army. My program took a night train to Xian to explore the city and the warriors. It was really hot, and really dusty. But it was amazing because my 9th grade history class came to life. Mr. Edwards would have been even more excited than I was, and I was pretty excited. It was an incredible thing to check off the bucket list.

The first stop was at the Old City Wall in Xian. It’s the oldest still-standing, intact city wall in China. At 9 in the morning, it was already muggy. We took some time to hang out on the wall before we got back on the bus to go see the warriors. The wall has a tower every 120 feet, because when it was built the arrows would only shoot 60 feet, this way the wall was always protected.

No climbing? Psh- not for the American rebel.

Then we hopped in the van and headed towards the Army. We stopped for lunch, and then ventured into the heat to embrace the UNESCO World Heritage site. There were a lot of people there, and I have a feeling that it is always busy.

The Terre-Cotta Army was pretty amazing. I’m not even sure how to describe it, except for how massive it is. There are 3 pits, pit #1 is the biggest, and probably the one you think of when you see pics of the TCA. The warriors are awesome. So fun facts that I remember, those that have been excavated are not the complete army. They do not have the technology to excavate the rest, as they are trying to preserve the colors that are still intact on the soliders. As soon as they are exposed to air, the colors disappear. It has taken archaeologists quite a long time to put them together, think of the worst puzzle you have ever tried to complete- then multiply it by a million.

This may have been the most crowded exhibit in the site, and I got body checked by an Asian man right after this picture was taken. This was one of the bronze chariots with silver and gold hinges that was a big deal. I had never heard of this as a part of the TCA, but my professor is super into this chariot. It was at this point where the room temperature rose to about 1,000 degrees and I was over it. But it was overall an amazing experience.

Then we headed into the inner city of Xian, and got something to eat in the “Muslim” area. I got to see someone hand pull my ginger candy that I later bought and have since consumed (it is delicious). I had serious stomach pains all day, so Melissa suggested I get anything with ginger, and plain bread. Such a glorious meal. On the bright side, an excuse to get candy.

On a health note, China’s water is a serious situation. I drank boiled water and thought I was fine, but faced severe stomach pain for 4 days, until I realized I should not drink boiled water. In normal contexts, it’s fine. However,  bottled water is the minimum you should ever drink, for me I suppose. Thankfully, God has pulled me through and Melissa is my guardian angel with immodium, and my stomach pains are mostly over.

The Wi-Fi is not the greatest where I’m at now, but I will keep you updated as I can!