Sharon High Students in Xi'an, China Visit Terracotta Warriors

大 家好！Entering our fourth week of our visit here in Xi'an, we have all become very accustomed to this new lifestyle we have know to call home.

Each day feels like a brand new experience with new interesting food, culture, and adventures.

On our most recent excursion, we visited the Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑), which is something you can read about in textbooks and online but you will never really understand the magnitude or history available until you witness it yourself. It felt like the statues never actually ended, and seeing how many have yet to be even excavated was astounding.

After adventuring around the area, we found ourselves in a marketplace just outside of the warriors. We all gave our first shot at bargaining for replica Terracotta Warriors and buying other small gifts for friends and family back home. 

Later in the day, we went to a the largest water fountain in Asia. For an entire hour, we watched the water dance along to both Chinese and American classical music. The sight was unbelievable and breathtaking.

Each day for us here starts at 7:30 and usually consists of sitting in on two Chinese classes in the morning trying to make friends and learn more Chinese. We then participate in morning exercises, a daily activity for the Chinese students in which they basically perform choreographed exercises or run for about five to ten minutes.

We then have many hours of Chinese class with two amazing teachers. We have an hour and half long lunch break and recreational time in the middle of the day. Following our break we have a cultural class which changes depending on the day from traditional Chinese cooking to paper cutting to calligraphy.

The rest of the day is devoted to letting us catch up on our Sharon work. The day finally comes to an end at 6:30, where we return to our host family's home with our host siblings.

The students and staff of the Gaoxin-Tangnan School have been completely welcoming of all of us. Kathy, the exchange program coordinator and way more, Guli, the teacher who came to America in the fall, and countless other staff members have all been extremely kind to us and have helped us all out more then I can even describe in words. The students here are just as great and have been hanging out with us whenever we are available ever since we arrived.

Class is about to start now, but I'll make sure to write more about all of our experiences soon.

If anyone who reads this has anything to say to us feel free to write anything in the comments, I'll be sure to share them with everyone. We all miss everyone in Sharon very much! 拜拜！