Borderline Ethnocentric

Please enjoy an excerpt from the journal I kept when I was blessed to study abroad in China/Mongolia. In very few other settings will I ever be able to learn so much about culture and myself. I plan to add more selections as the semester progresses.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

...We were directed to put our seat-belts on.  As the plane started to descend, the flight crew released a mist into the plane's cabin. Naturally I was concerned but learned it was to treat any air-born viruses. Other passengers seemed to pay it no mind. I immediately became aware of the country's sheer population.  Lines at immigration and customs made me feel as though I was in a cattle-herd. Space between others is more intimate here than back in the states. I felt uncomfortable as we entered the terminal's arrival hall.  Somehow Doctor Lee found our tour guide, Chu-yi, amongst a sea of livery drivers and tour guides waiving signs and flags.  Our Toyota tour bus was spacious and luxurious compared to the overcrowded vehicles on our way to Beijing city. As our driver maneuverd through traffic dodging on-coming cyclists and cars, Chu-yi explained that of 12 million people in Beijing, 8 million of those people commute with bicycles. Alex noted that the bikes only had one gear and we jokingly considered opening a multi-geared bicycle shop.

As we checked in to the Avic Hotel, I was eager to enjoy its four-star amenities - mainly the bed after that 18 hour flight. But when I opened my suitcase, I discovered that I had taken someone else's luggage at baggage claim!...

Tiananmen Square - Beijing, China