I had started to question the reason I left England as it came up to February. I have had the year from hell so far, with former employers trying as hard as possible to make me uncomfortable (I need a full post for that though) and as a consequence the start to this year has been nothing but tedious, hard work and painful confrontations.
Valentines day isn’t the sort of day I usually look forward to, I’m not the romantic type of guy (yeah my girlfriend loves me for that) but this year was a real celebration and a day I had been counting down until… The day I leave my job and Zhenjiang behind! When it came there was such a strong feeling of relief that I almost skipped to the train station. Two days later I was on a flight to one of the places that first sparked my intrigue in China, Xi’an (西安).
I had a great 9 days there, and spent New Years eve with some truly great people. I arrived at the hostel and was the only guest in the entire building. Although I like my alone time I didn’t like the thought of 9 days walking around doing nothing with nobody to keep me company, but the girls behind the bar became friends almost instantly. I was invited to join in the New Year meal (the christmas meal of China) with the rest of the staff, I know it was a pity thing but still I liked the offer and accepted without a second thought. Following dinner me, one of the girls from the bar and a Chinese guest who had arrived just before dinner went to The big wild goose pagoda (大雁塔）for the dancing fountain show.
Stood there in the middle of the fountains while the music is blaring and the lights blinding, I realised why i had moved away from the comforts of home, so that I could have new experiences with new people just like that!
A Chinese Diary 