It’s
strange and funny, in a way, how people change when they are outside of their
comfort zone, outside of their home country. Studying abroad in Beijing, China
did not only teach me about Chinese culture and language, it taught me about
people, other Americans and foreigners from all over the world, and how open,
accepting and kind they can be. When we meet someone with whom we feel a
special connection, we normally make an effort to stay in touch with them, to
keep them in our lives, for they offer something that we enjoy and, sometimes,
need. However, if you are the sort of person that often travels, you know that
many wonderful and memorable encounters with other travelers often results in
never seeing each other again. Sad from one standpoint, however, we must still
enjoy and remember those moments that we share with them that enrich our lives
and teach us about the world, humanity, and ourselves.
While
studying abroad in Beijing, China, a few friends of mine and I did a 4-hour
hike from the Simatai portion to the JingShanLing section (well, it was supposed to take 4 hours according to various web sites and people, but I don't know ANYONE who could do that hike in 4 hours!). The Simatai section
was constructed in the 1500s under the supervision of Qi Jiguang, a
famous general in the Ming Dynasty, and is the only part of the Great Wall that
still had the original appearance of the Ming Dynasty. However, a major
restoration project began on the Simatai portion of the wall in 2010 and is
expected to take 2 years.
Somehow,
someone in our group managed to find information on the transportation from
Beijing to Miyun by bus. So we took the bus. After about an hour, the bus
dropped us off in a tiny parking lot where, upon getting off, we were rushed by
three or for older Chinese men who all offered to take us to the Great Wall for
the cheapest price. Our group had five or six people, so naturally the minivan
seemed the most logical – but way too expensive. After playing two drivers off
of each other for the lowest price, all six of us crammed into a tiny, two-door
Honda and off we went, for another hour ride to the Great Wall.
Carrying
large camping packs on our back, we climbed portions of the wall that were
almost vertical in their scale. I've never used all four limbs to walk up
stairs before, but this is one place where the faint-of-heart or
slightly-out-of-shape better just take the cable car. Two of the members of our
group were over six feet tall. Me being barely 5’4”, I had an incredibly
difficult time keeping up with these men who had camped all over the United
States and Europe and who routinely made incredible acts of insane physical
exertion part of their daily life. Needless to say, I had to stop and break
several times to catch my breath and was usually at the back of the group –
which didn’t bother me because I was busy taking pictures.
This is all that was left of one of the guard towers we passed through.. ---->
We
hiked for several hours and finally set up camp that evening. A heavy mist set
in, covering the mountains and the wall, which we watched as we ate fruit and
dried goods and pitched our tents. The sun began to set, and what little light
from the setting sun and the rising moon that might have been was drowned in
the damp, Chinese mist of the warm evening. The realization hit me that I
should probably head to the “washroom” before bedtime, or else risk waking up
in the middle of the night with no flash light, which I stupidly neglected to
bring. As it was already getting dark, I set out immediately to find an
appropriate place off of the wall (there are no Port-A-Potties). At the next
guard tower, about a five-minute walk away, I heard lots of commotion, so I
headed on over to check out the scene. A group of about fifteen people, in the
process of unrolling their sleeping bags, was sitting around with flashlights
and munching on some food. Upon seeing me, they introduced themselves – they
were a group of young people, about my age, that were on a mission trip in
China and had decided to camp on the Great Wall for a night, just like us. They
were a wonderful group, welcoming and hospitable, and I enjoyed the half hour
to forty minutes I spent in their presence. Finally, when it was so dark that I
could barely see, I said my goodbyes and stood up to cautiously trek back to my
guard tower where we had set up camp.
“Hey,
don’t you have a flashlight or something?”
“No,”
I replied, “but I’ve walked this stretch of the wall several times today
looking for a good camping spot, so I think I’ll be okay. I know where all the
bad spots are.”
“If
you’re going back to your guard tower, you really should have a flashlight.
It’s too dangerous to wander around in the dark here.” And this young man to
whom I was speaking pulled a tiny, silver LED flashlight from his bag and
handed it to me.
“Are
you sure? Don’t you need it?”
“No,
I brought extra!”
I
thanked him and headed off on my way. When I awoke the next morning, promptly
at 4:30, they had already packed their things and were heading off in the
opposite direction. I would never forget our meeting of crazy, random
happenstance that took place that evening, nor how kind they were. Two ships
passing in the darkness…their positive attitude, outlook on life, their
generosity and their willingness to allow me to share in their experiences has
forever left a great impression on me. Even in the simplest of ways, human
beings leave lasting impressions, to part on their separate ways and
never be seen again. I find this, all at once, confounding and strangely
wonderful.
By
5:30 my friends and I were packed, the sun was high in the sky, and we ate
breakfast. We set out around 6:30, finished the rest of our hike around
9:00 a.m. when I snapped what was to become my favorite picture of the wall,
just as we climbed off – a silhouette of the Great Wall extending for miles,
shrouded in mist.
After six months in China, I could not wait to return home. Now,
after reflecting on my time abroad, I cannot wait to return to China and all of
the things I left behind there.
The
tiny, silver flashlight still sits on my bookshelf to this day.
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