I woke up Monday morning to snow. I was late to class, sore from climbing a mountain, and slipping all over the place in ice and snow. I wasn't even wearing a scarf because I was so late...
My hair was wet with snowflakes by the time I made it to class just before the bell. I pealed off my far too insufficent layers to begin class. Afterward, I had to make my journey home while it was STILL SNOWING!
The snow sat on the trees and bushes for about six hours before the heat island of Beijing melted it into tens of thousands of little puddles. For those six hours, it really was a winter wonderland. One could easily forget that the gray skies have little to do with the weather here.
But the most amazing part was what happened after the snow.
On Tuesday, when I woke up (not late for class), the snow was gone. But so was the smog. I have never seen a clearer day in Beijing. It was so amazing that I couldn't help but stare out the window in a complete daze as I realized for the first time what the skyline actually looks like.
It was almost like that day when I got home from my eye surgery when I was six years old. I looked out the window to the backyard, and realized for the first time what the leaves on trees look like.
I realized for the first time that there are sharp edges to the buildings in Beijing. I realized that everything isn't painted gray. I remembered, oh so fleetingly, what a blue sky looks like.
As I watched that dreadful smokestack pump more pollution into the city.
Oh, China.
