Wind in the Branches

So I'm a bit of an introvert. 

That doesn't mean that I hate people and like to spend all my time alone, it just means I get energy from being in quiet solitude rather than being around people. 

I don't know if Taiyuan's the place for an introvert. 

In case you haven't heard, something China is not short on is people. Up until this point, I always recharged by doing quiet things--going for a drive, sitting in a coffee shop, taking a walk, or just staring at things with leaves. And I never did these with a lot of people around.

(Speaking of leaves, here in Taiyuan the closest thing to my window with leaves is the baby potted plant that sits on my sill. Of course, there are some trees with leaves outside: the meticulously planted, straight-growing, thinly-leaved kind of trees, nestled between the dusty gray buildings of Taiyuan. But they aren't the sit-under-my-shade and climb-my-branches kind of trees. They also aren't the first thing you see when you look out the window.)

I'm not the kind of girl who loves shopping. After three or four hours I hit sensory overload and need a to take a hasty retreat back to a place of familiarity and quiet. 

I used to wonder why I never liked going anywhere in Taiyuan; why I always felt so drained when I got back from going out, even if I only went to one place. Then I realized it's because Taiyuan's simply an enormous heap of sensory overload for an introvert like me. It's like going shopping back in the states, concentrated by five.

 Now it's not just clothes--it's people, noise, colors, traffic, unidentifiable words in a language I don't understand printed and spoken everywhere.

Even when I get back to my apartment I can still hear construction trucks, horns, and people down below.

The last time I heard wind whistling through the trees was exactly ten days ago, and I know that because the sound was such a memorable thing that my mouth actually dropped opened in surprise. For a moment, everything was still enough for me to hear that wonderful, beautiful sound. 

My job is not exhausting, but I still find myself inexplicably tired many days. 

Even here, in my favorite coffee shop in all of China, I'm unable to recharge in the way that I used to be able to. Everywhere I look there is motion and noise (and the occasional Chinese person sneakily taking pictures of me with their iphone).

I love my school. I love my job. I love my students. I love my friends here. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about going on hikes when I get home this summer, or sitting outside while the wind blows just so I can listen to it, or watching thunderstorms from a porch while clean raindrops fall on my bare toes. 

Or even just going on a long walk outside without my lungs hurting from exercising out in pollution. 

 Or just sitting somewhere quiet for a little while.

{Now, on an unrelated note, here are some pictures from the unexpected snow/rain/sleet storm we had all day last Friday. Yeah. No precipitation for months and then ALL THE PRECIPITATION at once.}

 The snow makes the trees more visible than ever.