• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • e-Catalog
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Support
    • Donation Opportunities
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club – Monthly
      • Gift Catalog
      • More Ways to Give
    • Foundation Opportunities
      • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • Volunteer
      • Individuals
      • Families
    • Groups
      • Employer/Employee
      • University
      • High School
      • Faith Based
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguadilla – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Española – New Mexico
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Free Time Options, Volunteer Voices China

A Fantastic Day of Exploring Xi’an

Team Journal for March 21, 2015

Message of the day:

“We live now in a global village and we are in one single family. It’s our responsibility to bring friendship and love from all different places around the world and to live together in peace.”  Jackie Chan 

Xi'an has the best preserved ancient wall in China

Xi’an has the best preserved ancient wall in China

The weekend was rather low-key for the members of our team… mostly local things. As expected, early-bird Don was out and about before Montana and LuRue had even stirred. Don was getting a haircut, complete with a relaxing shampoo. The rest of the morning was spent visiting the City Wall; the afternoon doing some preparations for class. The other two spent Saturday taking photos and people-watching within walking distance of the hotel.

Montana and LuRue ate lunch at the Come Here Barbecue restaurant next to Starbucks near the big ship at the shopping mall area. A light lunch of “sweet potato balls” and BBQ chicken raised eyebrows as others had several dishes on their tables, but it was enough food. The chicken, however, turned out to be spicy chicken wings. Our mouths were numb and on fire!

At 6:00pm, two students, Bella and Stephen, were waiting for Montana and LuRue in the hotel lobby as promised. Off we went to the movie theater in the Mall down the street to see “Lost and Love”, a current film made in Hong Kong, starring a well-loved Chinese actor.

the ancient City Wall at night

the ancient City Wall at night

The students refused to let us buy the snacks, but came back with two containers of caramel corn for us (refusing even a few kernels for themselves), plus two sodas, a milk tea, and a cup of hot orangeade. Turns out that we had, thanks to the school, reserved seats in the VIP theater. Neither of us had ever heard or seen anything quite like it…a small theater with very comfortable seats. The students were curious why we would want to see a movie all in Mandarin, so we explained that we like movies…the acting, the lighting, the shooting angles, etc. Bella gave us a synopsis of the plot, and then we all got a surprise–the movie had excellent English subtitles! So we were all able to follow the story with even the nuances–a man searching for his abducted son and his growing friendship with a young abducted man searching for his family. In Bella’s words, it was a very “moving” story and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. If we understood correctly, it was the first time Bella had watched a movie in a theater.

After the movie ended, we expected to go back to the hotel, but Bella and Stephen had other suggestions. They offered eating somewhere, but we convinced them that we weren’t hungry, so they suggested somewhere “very near”. Not quite sure what they meant, but ready for anything, we said “Sure.” Then they mentioned a short bus or taxi ride, and we convinced them that the bus would be fine. Turned out to be a visit to the Drum and Bell Towers along with a stroll through the Muslim Quarters.

The over-700-year-old Bell Towe lies in the center of the mordern city

The over-700-year-old Bell Towe lies in the center of the mordern city

The place was buzzing with activity…people everywhere! They had us stop at one vendor where they insisted that Montana choose a figurine. She finally picked a prancing reindeer & began to walk off. She was called back & then we realized that it was only the display model…the man then pulled out a small handful of gooey sugar and “glass-blew” another reindeer, deftly pulling out a neck, head and antlers, four legs, and a tail. It was amazing to watch!

The Bell and Drum Towers were all lit up in spectacular colors. Neither of us had our cameras, but Bella took photos and said that she’d send them to Montana.

We took another stroll until we reached some quiet parks and one of the gates to the wall. Bella tried to call a taxi as we were too far from the bus, but a bus came along first, so we hopped on that. Then we had a 15 or 20-minute walk back to the hotel. Bella and Stephen must have been worn out from having to speak so much English. They left us at 11:00pm and still had to get back to the college. What a fantastic evening!

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
March 22, 2015/by Global Volunteers
0 0 Global Volunteers https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Global Volunteers2015-03-22 01:15:482021-11-25 22:47:11A Fantastic Day of Exploring Xi’an
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (44)
  • Cuba (114)
  • Ecuador (89)
  • Greece (70)
  • Italy (53)
  • Montana (49)
  • Nepal (20)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • Peru (111)
  • Poland (97)
  • Portugal (44)
  • Puerto Rico (3)
  • South Dakota (8)
  • St Lucia (56)
  • Tanzania (230)
  • Texas (6)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (8)
  • Conversational English (95)
  • Cultures and Traditions (136)
  • Development Impact (123)
  • Family Volunteering (61)
  • Free Time Options (79)
  • Group Volunteering (19)
  • News and Updates (149)
  • Partners' Stories (16)
  • Projects for Professionals (23)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (240)
  • Ripple Effect (6)
  • Service-Learning (50)
  • Staff Worldwide (26)
  • Volunteer Voices (685)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people development impact Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects retiree volunteers Spring break student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer time off work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Covid-19 Policy
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Pronunciation, Homonyms, Hocky Pocky and More!Learning the History of Xi’an
Scroll to top