I, like most people who live in Seattle, love to just sit in a Starbucks (or similar establishment), sip a coffee and read a newspaper. There is something so relaxing, and now familiar about the comfy chairs and oversized mugs.
China is a chaotic place. I am not sure that even needed to be said but it’s true. There is a chaos in this country that I doubt can be matched in many other places. I have been enjoying it for almost a week now but I awoke this morning, weary with the thought of having to tackle another day of pushing and shoving while dodging little puddles of saliva. 
Mustering up the courage, Corey Ann and I bravely stepped out into a brisk November day, ready to take on a new world of oddities in the city of Xian. We didn’t have to go far…
Directly across the street from the hotel was a dentist. I know this was dentist, not by the sign…but by the fact that I could watch the root canal being performed in the front picture window. We then headed by the famous Bell Tower to visit the Muslim Quarter to search for any sign of normalcy. After touring a mosque (my first time) and wandering through a market of unusual fruit it became apparent we weren’t going to find it in this area.
Then…like a beacon…we were drawn to a plaza area back towards the Bell Tower. And for the first time in my visit…the crowds parted and there it was, just like an oasis in the Sahara…a Starbucks. Although I felt my heartbeat increase in excitement, I tried to not get my hopes up – nothing in China was familiar and this seemed too good to be true.
I slowly opened the door and the heavenly scent of coffee wafted over me like a comforting duvet. To my great surprise…it was if I stepped through a transport portal rather than just a door. Gone was the chaos of China – I had found my moment of normal.
We weren’t there long…just a few minutes…enough to enjoy a delicious beverage and gather our wits before stepping out to take on the world.
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