04 October 2010

Day 37

September 26, 2010 - Xi'an, Shaanxi Provence, China

Sunday class, huzzah. This sort of thing would never happen in America. You know, outside of, say, church. This week is, essentially, a long march toward Friday, when the National Holiday starts.

I don't expect much excitement out of this week. School, homework, etc. It's raining, of course. The rain come and goes, but it always stays at least a few days when it arrives. The rain isn't like the rain in Florida. When it rains in Florida, the sky opens up and unleashes fury. Here, the smog shifts a shade of gray and the air becomes heavy and wet. Rain never even seems to fall: It's as if the air condensates right onto your skin.

On the walk back from class today, I notice something interesting. I don't often take notice of the plants because, honestly, I don't know a thing about them. But the path to and from the classroom buildings is lined with ginkgo trees. And while the rain thwarted my attempts to snap a picture UP...

Xi'an,China
Ginkgo Leaf. From the path on the way to school.

Apparently, they're living fossils, which is pretty neat. I hadn't noticed this before, but my neighborhood is full of ginkgo trees...

Gingo Biloba by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
This leaf from a tree in the East,
Has been given to my garden.
It reveals a certain secret,
Which pleases me and thoughtful people.
Is it a living being,
Which has separated in itself?
Or are these two, who chose
To be recognized as one?
Answering this kind of question,
Haven't I found the proper meaning,
Don't you feel in my songs,
That I'm one and double?

Hayden

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