We were finally in China! As we exited the airport, it set in that everything this class had been about, we were talking about was happening. To go from the crazy midterm grind to a country on the other side of the world was as jarring as it was excited. Sitting on the bus, with our welcoming, sweet tour guides Michael and Terry, we peered out of the windows, taking in just the reality of our situation, that felt almost dreamlike. We feasted on some delicious Wuhan cuisine for lunch, some of us proving our inability to use chopsticks pretty soon into the meal. The variety of things we ate and drank was awesome, especially because all of us may not have been a 100% sure what everything was. One thing we did know- it was yummy, and we were hungry. Demi’s parents also paid a surprise visit at lunch to the group, which was really sweet!
At 4:30, after laying our weary traveller heads to rest for a bit, we convened to head out for some evening exploring. In the lobby. We met with 2 delightful CCNU students- Angel and Jeanius, who were to help show us around. They dazzled us with their smiles, charm Ann’s quick wit. Truly, it was humbling to have someone so excited to meet us.
Our first stop was the Yangtze Riverbank- on the way, we crossed over the beautiful ‘long river’ on a bring from the Wuchang to the Hankou district. How magical it was to finally meet the reason we were all here- the majestic Yangtze. At once, some of us (I’m not going to say who) were overcome to interact with it in the most intimate way- swim across it like Chairman Mao did more than a half century ago.!But alas, it was cold, and some say dangerous. Maybe further upriver…. Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for a quest to swim in the Yangtze, or one of its tributaries…
The traffic was too heavy for us to reach our walk at the busy district of Jianghan road, so instead we walked some more, got to make some friends, and took in the beautiful sunset by the Yangtze. Everyone and their family was out on the lovely Saturday evening. After eating a DELECTABLE dinner in what used to be a warlords temporary house with our friendly host students, we slumped back to our rooms in a jet-lagged haze, exhausted from day on and excited for more future exploration.
Here’s a fun bit of photoediting from the first day- who knew of Jeanius’ secret talent! (can you spot the difference?
