Experience of a Lifetime!!

Being in China has been an experience of a lifetime. Everything I expected was different. I was expecting everything from the movies, especially a strong religious part to everyday life. I also expected a strong resentment for us, as Americans, to even be here. I wasn't too sure what the experience for me would be like for me as an African-American. So far, most everybody has welcomed us warmly though. Beggars and vendors are at every bus stop. As soon as we get off we get swarmed. Elderly ladies will motion their palms to their mouths and then hold their hand out, showing that they need money for food. There are many beggars with wounded or amputated feet, making it really difficult to ignore them. One sat on the curbed holding her daughter outside the Forbidden City. She had a third deformed arm, but how could I know where my money was really going? It didn't matter. I was pratically in tears just from the site of it. Vendors hound you with the same products at shops only meters away. I have never been to any place in the world where you can buy a Rolex or a Gucci bag (authentic, of course) for less than 5 US dollars.

At the department stores, things can get fun. In a Beijing shopping center I walk through a sea of people grabbing at my arm telling me I need a silk scarf for my mother, or a tie for my dad. One girl grabbed me firm and told me I had promised to come to her shop and buy some things when I met her earlier. This was obviously a lie and I wondered how many people actually go with it as I tried to break free. Natasha and I usually go to the market together, and it's entertaining watching her bargain. It's also a lot of fun. I have seen her drop the price by at least 80% on most occasions. I now know the tactics like starting ridiculously low, and that if you walk away and they call for you to come back you can almost guarantee any price you choose will be the final one.

I always thought China was one of the more religiously rich countries of the world. After that I learned that they were officially an atheist country. And then, after that, I learned that only the government was considered atheist and less than 5% of the population was a member of the Communist Party. We have visited the Jade Buddha Temple. It was beautiful and so peaceful! Outside the Buddhist temple there was Hindu music playing in the streets where people following Islam were gathered. The stones and concrete on the ground was old and the buildings were older. Because over time streets and cities were built around it, but the temple had been undisturbed, the foundation was a few feet lower than the street where we entered in. Buddhists were buying incense and offering prayer. Others were giving fortunes to locals for a small fee. Incense burned making some of the most soothing smells I have experienced so far in this somewhat polluted (but beautiful) country. We saw statues and guardians and other significant contributors to the religion. It’s good to see these religions and buildings in tact after so many years. The taking of money is not pleasant to see all the time, especially in religious establishments, but if that’s what it takes to continue the traditions then it is fine by me. I walked with Montira for a while and she helped explain some of the customs and what they meant. It was so enlightening and peaceful. I bowed my head in reverence and prayer for a moment in the temple.