Beijing so far...

Beijing so far…
Where do I begin? I must warn the reader that I am not an expert in Chinese culture or language. So… In fact, that is why I am here in Beijing. My goal is to study and learn about Chinese culture. This is my first long-term foray traveling abroad. I am a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama, and my research is focused on globalization and the impact it has not only on our own culture but also other cultures.
The Plane Flight Over:
My wife and I woke up at 2:00 A.M. That’s right 2:00 A.M.! I have the bags under my eyes to prove it. The first thought that ran through my mind was that I would not see her again for four months. However, all great journeys start with trepidation and uncertainty. When we arrived at the Birmingham (Alabama) Airport around 4:00 A.M., I had butterflies swarming in the pit of my stomach: a pinch of hesitancy and excitement all at once. My wife and I had talked about this moment for several months.
I was the first student traveler to arrive and was soon followed by Evan. Little did I know that he would be nicknamed “International Incident Man”! That is a story for another day. As others started to arrive, we developed a quick bond. I am the oldest person in this group of 21 Alabama students from multiple majors. This is an incredibly dynamic group. We have everything from music majors to engineers.
Once on the plane, Jarred mentioned that he had heard stories about customs and that we should be prepared for a long process. Katie echoed his sentiment. After a 13 hour flight, we finally arrived in China with very little sleep. I may have slept for a half hour, if that. As we exited the plane, we dared not speak. We were as quiet as church mice. From out of nowhere, Leah started taking pictures, and Jarred ran over to stop her. All of a sudden, silence. We looked over at what we thought was a police officer. He smiled and said hello in Chinese. We went from being church mice to being loud Americans! We started taking pictures and laughing out loud. We were further amused by the long two minutes to get through customs. It was a really easy process especially after all of the build up and initial concern. The one negative when we landed was the smog. Many Beijing residents had told us how they viewed the smog as a crisis. We equated it to being in a snow globe.
From the airport, we went to our apartment and had a half hour to get settled! Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with our surroundings. Everything looked so dirty. I noticed a cute little girl in a blue dress. She pointed at us as we got off the bus and clapped. Later I found out she was calling us foreigners in Chinese. All of a sudden, she got this strange look on her face. She licked her lips and squatted down by the curb and started using the curb as a toilet! A few of us were in shock. I paused and tried not to judge. Secretly I was going “Eeww!” The whole time I’m thinking, “Welcome to China!”
Our next venture was to a posh Beijing restaurant. Dr. Clark and Pat welcomed us to China by buying our dinner. It was my first time using chop sticks. It was a rather unpleasant experience. My clothing was covered in food, and I really didn’t eat anything. Dr. Clark assured me that I would be using chopsticks without a problem in the coming weeks. He also stated that I may never want to switch back to using utensils.
The next day we walked and we walked. We went to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I saw Chairman Mao’s picture, and as we walked through this amazing structure, Chinese people were taking pictures of our group. As we walked, they stared at us. It was more of a curious stare. All of a sudden, I caught a young girl snapping a picture of me, so I threw up the peace sign. Her friend laughed and ran over and asked me for a picture. I felt like a rock star.
The last day of the Olympics:
This day started off normal enough. I got up around 6:00 A.M on Sunday still suffering from jetlag. I started to unpack my belongings. I had a moment where I missed my wife and thought about the prospect of not being with her for four months. I stared out at the city and I thought about how dirty it looked. But Pat, the director of the program, told us that we would have good China days and bad. We were going to experience ups and downs. We were definitely missing many of the things that we were accustomed to having. I’ll never get used to having the whole bathroom as a shower. It just doesn’t make sense to me. Anyway, it was our first chance to unwind and relax. My roommate came into the room and announced that a group of us were going to the Olympic closing ceremonies. I got dressed in five minutes and out the door I went. Ryan took the lead. He was here for a year, and his Chinese is awesome. Ten Americans crammed into a subway with thousands of Chinese people. Ryan was going to sweet talk the guards to get us into the closing ceremony. While he was sweet talking the guards, a group of Chinese people came up to us and started handing us their babies. We were shocked and confused at the same time. China is a series of contradictions. One moment you’re disgusted while at the same time, you’re impressed. Next thing you know they’re throwing up peace signs and smiling. Before we knew it, a mob of people had come over to us. We must have stood there for two hours taking pictures. Before we knew it, Ryan had failed. It took a good while to move away from the crowd. We decided to move elsewhere to get a better view of the closing ceremony. We walked around, and then we found a park. We walked in and starting looking around. We could not believe the contrast. On one side, these industrial complexes stood, and on the other side was a quiet park. Kids were playing with frogs, and we were trying to get a better view. We stood on top of a wall where we could see the Birds Nest. We didn’t make it inside, but we couldn’t beat the view. Our first weekend in Beijing ended on a high note. We stood there for a moment in awe as we watched the grand finale of the closing ceremony for Olympics 2008. This was just the beginning of our journey.