A Month in China

Back in 2017 my wife and I traveled back to her home in China, it had been almost four years since she had last visited.

She and I had just gotten married a year before and we had a tumultuous year and a half dealing with US Immigration (We live in Canada now, I moved her here with me.) and the Parents-in-Law wanted to meet me.

They knew how hard of a year we had and wanted us to come to visit so they could give us a proper wedding and a vacation. I was excited, to say the least.

As an Archaeology Student, I did not want to miss the chance to visit such an old civilization and take in all the sights they had to offer. Even though I would stick out like a sore thumb, wouldn't know the language, eat crazy food, and have to navigate China's packed streets and transit systems.

Not only was I blessed and lucky enough to have a wife who is a Mandarin/English translator, but she also grew up in these areas and was able to help me navigate my way through the crazy journey that was China.

I got to see things that we wouldn't ever get to see in Canada or the US. Buildings and relics thousands and thousands of years old. Sharing space with the modernized landscape, that is China nowadays.

The best part of this whole journey was getting to walk through and witness these things my wife's ancestors built for themselves, with my wife. The food was awesomely bizarre as well.

Though I felt like some sort of sideshow, walking through the streets of these cities not often visited by foreigners. A lot of the time people would stare at me because I was white, or they would use my picture to sell their business on WeChat. I got used to it and didn't really mind after a while. I got paid in a lot of free food.

I was fortunate though, I was able to see the Terracotta Warriors, walk the Great wall and drink some great beer.

Through my travels across many cities in China, I made it a point to try new food daily. Stuff that I would never eat in Canada. I ate things like Lambs Penis, Bull Penis, Pidgeon, Fish Head Soup, Pig's Ear, and Barbequed Chicken Cartledge.

All these things were delicious and I would have never tried them had I not surrendered myself completely to China's culture and all it had to offer. Not only did I see the big cities, I walked the rural streets of farm towns and towns built around factories. I saw the massive cities of Beijing and Tianjin, with it's house made of vases.

I saw Mao Zedong's tomb, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and so much more.

After all the sights, sounds, and enjoyment of Chinese Culture. After being gawked at and used as a poster child for how good the food was in a place. Though I sometimes felt like the only white person on the planet as I traveled the busy streets and walked the same paths Emperors and people of yesteryear did.

I started to feel home away from home, the hospitality I received from the people I came into contact with was some of the best I have ever had. By the end, I didn't feel like a fish out of water and I enjoyed every second of my month in China.