today is the third day since I arrived in Richmond，and eventually I got to see what this city really look like through a brief bus tour. The tour guide said that Richmond is a city with a relatively long history of 400 years. It witnessed the development of America since its colonial time began. The drive along Church Hill was really impressive. Firstly we went through the business district where modern tall buildings are situated, then we came to Church Hill，and it was like going through different phases of times within just a few minutes. I like Church Hill though, because I always prefer something that stands the test of time. The tour guide told us a lot about the historic event and figures involving Richmond and the development of America, and some people took note very carefully. But I chose to stayed focused on watching the old red-bricked houses that kept passing our bus windows. You can search for the history information from books or from the internet very easily, but you don’t always get chances to FEEL the history through solid historical remains. Most people choose to know history by mainly memorizing exact names and figures, but I am not able to make myself do that. Anyway, if anyone mentions church hill, it will be the beautiful red-bricked houses that first jump into my mind. It’s amazing to think that this world known powerful nation actually grew from these homey little houses. The government has made a really smart decision to enforce adaptive reuse in terms of this.
Before the cookout, my roommates and I actually had a chance to sit back in the sofa and had a really nice chat with three interns. One was born in Africa, the other one was from Vietnam and the third one was Chinese who came to VCU just last year. I think this is one of the unique appeal of America. You can get to know people of different races and nationalities. We can be very different in terms of our appearance, but really, when we talk about music and movies, we are pretty much the same. Does this also count to be a indication of globalization? Anyway, it’s interesting to exchange cultural differences and at the same time, share something in common.
I have some problem getting used to the eating habits here. Most of the restaurants here sell burgers, salad, noodles or pizzas. The drinks are mostly icy as well. I am getting desperate to eat something with less stark and with higher temperature. Honestly, I don’t miss my family that much, but I do miss the food back home!