A Beijing sunrise

An unforgettable sunrise 

If I am honest, my memories of my trip to China are somewhat scattered and filed in a part of my brain that can be hard to reach sometimes. It's been about six and a half years since I was in China, so you can understand the frustration in trying to remember as much detail as possible when it was so long ago. However, the sunrise I witnessed in Beijing is an image and experience that has never been too hard to relive.On a side note, does anyone else struggle to read or say the word China without hearing Trump's voice in their head? Surely, I can't be the only one. 

It was 2013; I was 15, and after studying Chinese at high school for three years, I was finally on my way to China to put my Chinese skills to good use. It was my first overseas trip without my parents, and all of my best friends were on the 'Study Tour', so it was a complete win-win situation for any teenager. We spent about a week and a half travelling through Shanghai and Xi'an. Polar opposite cities by Chinese standards, Shanghai was a fast-paced mix of new and traditional with a population of 22 million and Xi'an was quaint, slow and rich in Chinese history with a population of 10 million (more about the rest of my China trip another time). We then spent about three or so days in Beijing, going around doing all the touristy things one does, whether it was The Great Wall of China, visiting a 300-year-old HuTong village or bartering in a market, we did it all. It was on one of those mornings that I saw that magical and utterly breathtaking sunrise. 

I am not a morning person and will look for any excuse to have as much sleep as I possibly can, so thinking about that, I have to be honest with you and say that to watch the sunrise was not my idea. I have to give full credit to my best friend, Jenni. The night before, Jenni comes into the room, my best friend AJ and I were staying in and said to us that we should all get up early in the morning to watch the sunrise. I reluctantly agreed and thought why the hell not, it was a yolo kind of moment.

The next morning we get up at 5:45 am. The hotel is quiet; the streets are surprisingly empty, and the blinds on our big window are pushed to either side. A dull orange, yellow and red tinge slowly began to creep above the city skyline, turning all the buildings into a shadowy outline. The smoke from a distant factory was billowing in the foreground. The sun began to rise above the skyline, inch by inch, only revealing a bit of itself to our impatient eyes. Then the sun, in her full glory, rose above the black horizon and blessed our eyes and minds with an unforgettable view. It was pure magic, and I had never been in awe of something so simple as a sunrise before.The moment was so peaceful, I was sitting there with my two best friends, taking in this incredible view and I remember saying to myself to remember this moment forever. 

I haven't forgotten that moment, and I don't think I ever will. I believe it's essential to take a second or two and just think about the moment you are experiencing. Immerse yourself in the moment, and it will become etched inside your heart and memory forever. 

-JK