Why I Love Traveling
One thing I have always wanted to write about is my travels. I wouldn't consider myself a world traveler by any means. I have friends who have visited almost every continent and I am nowhere near as well traveled. In fact, my first time traveling to Europe was August of last year when I went to France to attend my cousin Jennie's wedding. But I have a love of travel - and not the kind that consists of lounging around on a beach all day. There is nothing wrong with that, just not my thing. When I'm traveling I want to see what the local culture has to offer, see sites that go beyond the usual touristy spots and kind of just immerse myself as best I can. I prefer hostel life over resort life, because of all the interesting people you get to meet.
I'm pretty sure my "wander-lusting" began when I was 14. I never fully appreciated my family vacations until I was forced out of my comfort zone by my parents the summer after completing 8th grade. I was still in my awkward phase -- chubby, only wore sportswear (I didn't even really play sports even) and I was quite angsty. My middle school self is why I hate middle schoolers now. A little background on myself: I come from a pretty well-to-do suburban neighborhood and my parents have always been overprotective. No sleepovers, no going into the city (Manhattan), basically no leaving my safeguards of my neighborhood. A lot of my childhood consisted of playing video games with my siblings. So when my parents suddenly decided that my older brother and I would be shipped off to China for a study abroad program, I didn't know how to process it. I was excited to finally experience personal freedom for the first time, but also terrified of the world that lied beyond the four walls of my suburban home.
China Quest ended up being one of the first major turning points in my life. Everyone in the program was older than me, which kind of forced me to grow up. The program started in Beijing where we attended Chinese lessons while learning about local culture and taking trips. While in Beijing we took a weekend trip to Inner Mongolia which was insane. No bathing, no beds, and lots of homemade Mongolian bai jiu (白酒) -- which is the Chinese equivalent to vodka except much, much stronger.
We took an overnight train from Beijing to Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia. Watching the train depart from Beijing was crazy. That train ride alone told the story of China's economic progress. Granted, I attended this program back in 2006 so it was during the climax of China's boom. When the train pulled out of the city you immediately saw the landscape transition from urban to rural. When we reached Hohhot we boarded a bus which brought us on a nervewrecking ride on a narrow road along the side of a mountain. 2 hours later we arrived in the middle of nowhere. All that laid in front of us were some yurts.
Our bus was greeted by a caravan of locals who offered us bowls of what appeared to be water. That was when I was first introduced to bai jiu. To this day, I still distinctly remember the burning sensation in my stomach. Mongolia was amazing though. I rode horses through open fields, I fell off an ATV and scratched up my face, and I tried real archery for the first time. I wrote my common application essay about my trip to Mongolia, because it really was a life changing experience. That essay actually determined my future college major.
The rest of China Quest was equally amazing. I traveled to Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xi'an, Hangzhou and Shanghai. This was my first time in Shanghai. It wasn't the metropolis it is now, but it was impressive. At that moment I didn't have the slightest clue that I would be returning to live in Shanghai for a year within another 6 years time.
*Photos courtesy of http://www.chinaquest.org
This is approximate route we followed during China Quest.