tinawarren, 15 Jun 2008 11:09 hours
Xifeng, Qingyang, Gansu, China Pollution and pouring rain.. This morning ( sunday) I got back from a trip to Xian and Beijing. I spent the first weekend in Xian with Nicole (thanks to her I bought lots of souvenirs which I probably would not have bought otherwise - she is a brilliant haggler) and then headed to Beijing for the rest of the week. I met a new volunteer and spent a few days working in the office. The heat was oppressive and I could not see the tops of the buildings for the haze. My throat and eyes were sore from the pollution, I had dificulty sleeping and my final two days saw thunderstorms and torrential rain. It is hard to imagine how the athletes will cope in 2 months time but the government is confident that all will be well.
On Friday I was caught in a thunderstorm - without an umbrella but it was still quicker to walk back than to catch the bus or get a taxi. I was drenched from head to toe so I had to stop at McDonalds to dry off a little !!!!
I flew back to Xian on Saturday and to Qingyang early this morning. It is raining here as well but sun is forecast for tomorrow. The weather is such a contrast to last year which was so sunny and dry.
Beijing has changed a lot since I arrived almost two years ago. The streets are cleaner and people are learning to queue - sometimes. However, the buses are still packed and it is so hard to get off as you have to leave through the front door which means working your way through a tin of sardines first. The buses are the double length "bendy buses" so it can be a long way to the front. There are a lot of new buildings but the back streets remain the same. TV is dominated by the Olympics and the Earthquake.
It was a relief to return to "the sticks!!" The taxi driver at the airport in Qingyang recognised me so I did not even have to tell him where I wanted to go !
I heard today that two VSO volunteers
( Beth and Andrew, friends of Danni) have been asked to take part in the Olympic Torch ceremony as it passes through their town at the end of June. A real honour for them both and they get new track suits !!
I feel quite envious.
Its a pity that the weather was so awful during my last visit to Xian and Beijing but thankfullly i have other happier memories.
I met an Israeli girl in Xian who said that she had not seen a blue sky since arriving in China. I felt very sad as my experience has been of more blue than grey skies. She asked me if it is always like this and I had to tell her no but this has been a strange year. Now on top of everything else there are floods in south China and more people killed and displaced.
I really hope that things improve before I leave. There has been so much effort invested in the Olympics and everyone is very excited so I hope the games are successful. I will be watching on TV.
Bye for now
Tina
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