Re-post: China: A New Perspective

Where am I today? Cruising in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Alaska. But check this out while I’m gone:

A lot of us travel in order to discover. To better understand. To learn. To grow. I know I always go into any travel venture with the hope that I will return thinking a little bit differently.

This was certainly the case when I traveled to China as part of my college marching band. Not only did I discover that many of my assumptions about the country were completely wrong, but I also learned a lot about what it feels like to become a tourist attraction yourself when you travel. It’s strange.

In case you missed this post the first time around, here it is again. Enjoy!

China: A New Perspective

Let’s imagine a scene together: 100 college students are lined up in six slightly-curved lines, focused in on one black man with a prominent jerry curl. All 100 are dressed alike — in heavy woolen uniforms of orange, white and black, with black sparkly plumes jutting out of their identical hats. They are all holding instruments, ranging from relatively small to monstrous, and the bouncing jerry curl is leading them in a rousing rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

Okay, now that you’ve imagined a marching band playing a pop song in concert formation, let’s add in location: Picture all of this happening on the Great Wall of China.

Didn’t see that one coming, did you?

Keep reading.

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