Strangely Fulfilled Expectations

Through exploring the area around the school for the past few days, I’m come to realize that Beijing is what I thought New York was going to be like; polluted, very heavy traffic, continuously blaring car horns, densely packed with people, dirty, and full of tall building that are either ultra-modern, or with barred windows and breaking down. In my mind, this is what I thought a big city should be. Perhaps my idea was stuck in some industrial revolution stereotype, but even still, I didn’t feel completely satisfied with New York’s status of “huge city” as a result.

Here, it is truly an adrenaline rush to cross a street. When you have three turn lanes coming at you with no walk signal to guide your crossing, it can really feel like life or death just to get to the internet café from the school. I love it here! This city is making the mundane things I never noticed become exciting. I’m paying attention to everything around me partially because of how new it all is, and partially because I have to. The city is forcing me to take notice, and I’m so grateful.