I apologize for the wait - I have only just now managed to access my blog!
I’ve been in China for six days, and I feel like I have so
many more stories to tell than I have time spent here.
I remember reaching 36,000 feet and -75 degrees Fahrenheit
over Russia. I remember thinking that here, I was more space than sky.
Here are my thoughts from my first full day in Beijing:
Arriving in
Beijing yesterday, I noticed two things: Terminal 3 was large and uncrowded and
the sky was a peculiar shade of grey.
It had been
nearly a fourteen hour flight. I set my watch to Chinese time before takeoff,
which helped. I didn’t sleep much, but I saw several movies.
We flew
over ice in the Arctic and snow-capped mountains in Russia. Circling south of
Beijing, we saw smooth and mist-shrouded green ranges.
After
exhaustion in the airport, we took a bus along one of the ring roads to BCLU.
The traffic was terrifying. Lots of close calls and lane drifting but no
accidents. The defensive driving skills make me hesitate to call Beijingers bad
drivers.
I saw the
Bird’s Nest (Beijing’s Olympic stadium) and thought of my friend Luna, who
danced there in the opening ceremony five years ago.
Due to a
change in BCLU policy, we Xi’an students ended up in a nice hotel. I’m rooming
with Shelby, which is a glorious match. Although… we had a bit of an accident
on our first night. By “bit of an accident,” I mean we broke the hotel. By
“broke the hotel,” I mean we blew the power in our room. Fortunately, Joe was
really nice about helping us fix it.
That day, there were blue skies over Beijing. It turns out
that, on a clear day, you can see mountains in the distance. It was a lovely
day to see the Forbidden City.
.
Also, I actually saw people wearing these:
.
Our view.
Forbidden City
Forbidden City from Above
Actual Mountains
Also, I actually saw people wearing these:
Also pictured: The wonderful Shelby in the first of many photobombs.
My second post (which will probably also go up tonight) will feature some of my Xi'an stories and pictures, along with some early reflections on my language classes. Until then, 再见!
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