City Folk
I realize now that I am not city folk. I don't want to live in a village, but I think I would prefer it to living in a big city.
Living in Beijiing makes me realize that I could have achieved the same thing had I simply moved to New York City or some other megalopolis. I don't find the culture shock to be anything unreasonable; it is much like living in Korea, except in a huge city like Seoul. As much as I loved and still love Korea, I don't think I would have been happy living in Seoul, either.
The one thing that is nice and a bit surprising about Beijing is the amount of green space. I remember really missing grass after living in Korea for a while, because you just didn't see much of it. Here, they do dedicate some space for it. It's by no means Minnesota, but it is something.
To my original idea, however, I miss the rice, the fir trees, and the very rural hillsides that made Korea so beautiful. Driving through Dongbok myeon or Sapyeong myeon on a day where the rice waved at me was a memorable deal. The lush valley floor between Sapyeong and Dongbok, with its winding river and extremely rural communities tucked against those big foothills, illuminates a picture in my mind that I hope I will never forget.
It's hard to get that same feeling here in a city that seems to span a hundred miles. The first taxi ride I took from my location to Haidian in the northwest took over an hour and a half. And while there were plenty of trees and aforementioned green spaces along the way, it is still all city, and it just isn't the same.
I don't really know what will happen when my contract here is fullfilled. If it finished today I guess I would go home - and that too makes me sad. Part of me did this specifically to travel, see, and live somewhere else while I could still move around and do it. I guess I feel I cheated myself out of seeing the real China by coming to such a big city. I feel like I could have done this stateside.
I just don't know anymore.
Living in Beijiing makes me realize that I could have achieved the same thing had I simply moved to New York City or some other megalopolis. I don't find the culture shock to be anything unreasonable; it is much like living in Korea, except in a huge city like Seoul. As much as I loved and still love Korea, I don't think I would have been happy living in Seoul, either.
The one thing that is nice and a bit surprising about Beijing is the amount of green space. I remember really missing grass after living in Korea for a while, because you just didn't see much of it. Here, they do dedicate some space for it. It's by no means Minnesota, but it is something.
To my original idea, however, I miss the rice, the fir trees, and the very rural hillsides that made Korea so beautiful. Driving through Dongbok myeon or Sapyeong myeon on a day where the rice waved at me was a memorable deal. The lush valley floor between Sapyeong and Dongbok, with its winding river and extremely rural communities tucked against those big foothills, illuminates a picture in my mind that I hope I will never forget.
It's hard to get that same feeling here in a city that seems to span a hundred miles. The first taxi ride I took from my location to Haidian in the northwest took over an hour and a half. And while there were plenty of trees and aforementioned green spaces along the way, it is still all city, and it just isn't the same.
I don't really know what will happen when my contract here is fullfilled. If it finished today I guess I would go home - and that too makes me sad. Part of me did this specifically to travel, see, and live somewhere else while I could still move around and do it. I guess I feel I cheated myself out of seeing the real China by coming to such a big city. I feel like I could have done this stateside.
I just don't know anymore.
"Fur tree" made me giggle because of the imagery that conjured up. I hope you end up enjoying Beijing in time! Kxx
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