by Melguisedec Nuno
This was the first day of true exploration of China. We ate at a Duck Roast restaurant where I tried new foods and I realized that I need to learn the art of using chopsticks. Because of my inability to use chopsticks I ate very little, but I still enjoyed the food.
After our lunch we went to the Beijing Urban Planning Museum where I saw that although Beijing is one of the largest cities in the world, it has plans to keep growing and modernize itself in the process. It was amazing to see such a large city still hunger for growth. I know that within the next 20 years Beijing will change dramatically.
Tiananmen Square kept up with the theme at the airport, I was a little person who was a part of a grand piece of art. The area was wide open and had thousands of people walking past, each with their own concerns, their own life. The world we live in is bigger than we think it is, and each person makes up a part of it.
I had great respect for the dedication it took to build the square, the forbidden temple and the rest of Beijing as well. All created by people, thousands of years ago, just like me.
Later that week I went to one of the Hutongs, Nanluoguxiang and I felt as though I was in feudal china. A land ruled by the mandate of heaven, a place mysterious to the common westerner. I ate on top of a roof top and witnessed the sun set on a temple placed on a hill. Beauty, pure beauty. I felt a tickling comfort and I loved it.
It was only the first week and I had the best time of my life.
