I recently went on a solo trip around China. It was pretty cool overall. Although I did struggle with loneliness, I did appreciate the fact that I was able to see some really interesting things. I realized that things in different parts of China are not necessarily the same as they are up here in the north. I remember that when I was young, I believed that all Chinese people wore cone-shaped hats (for clarification, please read comments below). After arriving in China, I didn't see anyone wearing these hats. I concluded that I was wrong. When I went south, I saw some people wearing the cone-shaped hats and realized that some of the things I believed about China were based in some truth, but the ideas were not necessarily reflecting all of China.

Well, I am back in Baoding, and since seeing other parts of the country, it has helped me see Baoding differently as well. When I visit other Chinese cities, I analyze these places from the perspective of someone who does not intend to stay long. This is not the case with Baoding. I arrived here analyzing this city as a place I intended to stay for a while. I arrived for the first time to most of the other cities at the bus or train station. As soon as I step out of the train station, I get my first (and sometimes lasting) impression of that city. This is not so with Baoding. I was driven right to my door of my apartment.

None of these observations are very important, I just want to make the point that the traveling and sightseeing I have done has caused me to change the way that I see my home city of Baoding. I would imagine that when I return to the United States, I will also see that different as well.

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The cone-shaped hats I was talking about are called Conical Asian hats. They have other names as well, but I want to be somewhat specific as to what I was talking about. If you want to know more about these, there are many references available online.