I wish it hadn't taken me so long to post here...I am just now completing my fourth full day here and there is so much I could write about. So because my time is short and because internet here is extremely slow I will write about my first two and a half days. Tomorrow I will complete the rest. Also, because the internet is so slow right now, I am unable to download hardly any pictures and no videos. So you'll just have to wait for those until tomorrow when I can get on some faster internet speed.
Alright. China. Such an overwhelming experience to take in so quickly. Nothing could have prepared for what I have experienced these past few days...and I have loved it!
On Tuesday evening I met up with my mom in the Seattle airport. Her gate was right next to our departure gate, which was pretty sweet. We left the states at 7 PM Eastern Time and braced ourselves for an 11 hour flight...of which we were served one meal and the video player was broken so we saw the same episode of Big Bang Theory 6 times and no movies. However, I was able to do some good journaling, a bit of reading, and a little napping here and there. We arrived in Beijing around 10 PM local time on Wednesday and it really didn't seem too out of the ordinary for me time-wise. Honestly, I think jet lag wore off by Friday, which was a lot better than I was expecting.
Mom and I arrived in the Beijing airport and went through customs fairly quickly and harmlessly (you always think something is going to go wrong and you'll be stuck in this weird limbo of not being allowed in the country but unable to get back home or something...or maybe that's just me) and I got my China passport stamp! We picked up our luggage and made our way out to the main lobby to find our shuttle bus to our hotel, which after a bit of asking around we were able to find. On that same shuttle was a very nice local girl who was coming back from college in the States and she allowed us to use her cell phone to call my sister.
All this time I am trying to allow everything to soak in. I am in China. There are people everywhere...the place is bustling. Everyone is staring at me, I certainly stick out being tall and white. There are so many people and we are the only white people to be seen. No one speaks English. We walk outside and you can smell and feel the pollution. The sky is red in the light of the city with a heavy haze which is unlike anything I have ever seen. There are a couple of huge video screens on the side of the road playing commercials. We walk to the bus and I almost get hit by two taxis, having to carry my mom's luggage I'm not as agile as normal, but honestly, these dudes are just driving like maniacs. It was evident that I was in a completely different world.
The shuttle ride to the airport was CRAZY. Our driver was ridiculous! Cutting people off, coming within inches of bikers and honking at everything moving. I was loving it. We got to the hotel and I was really pleased at the room. The shower was awesome! and it was very modern and comfortable. One thing I didn't realize was that I could not drink the water from the tap here, which I should have known, but somehow I guess I didn't view China the way I see it now. I also thought I would be able to use a credit card in some stores, but China is still very much a cash society, which really surprised me.
I got a few hours of sleep and we woke up around 5:30 the next morning to get to the airport and catch our next plane to go see my sister. On this flight I am certain that we were the only foreigners...kind of hilarious. Getting on the plane was a stampede like I have never experienced before and getting off the plane just as crazy. I have a video I am hoping to upload soon of the madness.
Well, this is taking me much longer than I expected so I will write much more in the next two days...
Until then, I will just tell you that I am loving China. It is hard for me to explain, but it has been such an awesome experience...every bit of it. I have met some amazing people, seen some really cool things, gone to temples and museums, rode a bike through crazy traffic, played games with locals, picked peaches at a farm, eaten some amazing food, hiked through some mountains, learned some Chinese phrases, been stared at a lot (many pictures taken of me, people pointing, etc.) and overall I have been blown away at my sister's world and so impressed by her love of the country, the people and her skill in the language (we'd be lost without her, seriously).
Much love. I will keep updating in the next few days.
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