Finally here!

Thursday, July 3 - 5:35AM

So after a long 13 hour flight, I am finally here. I met with everyone in the group at the airport yesterday and we boarded our flight all in shock that we would be in China in just a few hours. It is so surreal to actually be here!! 

We landed around 3PM and outside it was gray (supposedly from a combination of clouds and pollution but I am thinking it was mostly pollution, this morning there is no sun at all). The airport was amazing! It is only a month old and it is the cleanest/most modern airport I have ever seen. (In the top right picture is Lauren, Meggie, Amy and me right off the plane.) There was also a Starbucks right outside of the baggage claim! 

The 50 of us boarded two buses and took an hour-long ride into central Beijing where our dorm/hotel is located. Renmin University welcomed us with huge smiles and helped us unload our massive amounts of luggage inside. 

On the way in we passed the "Bird's Nest" (see the top right picture). It was amazing to see it in real life after seeing it so many times in pictures and on television. Just on the way from the airport to the hotel I took 50 pictures! A lot of them I will delete but I was just so excited by everything I saw. It seemed like everyone was on a bike and everyone had someone sitting on a little seat on the back of their bike! 

For dinner we walked around campus and went to a local dining hall. On the way we probably passed 100 students running on the outside track, another 50 playing basketball and several more just walking around - it seems like a very lively campus. We were being led by a big blue and green sign that said "University of Missouri" so I am sure we blended right in ... :) 

We have a busy day today but I need to go buy towels and other necessities that weren't provided for us here. I am also definitely finding the Starbucks this morning since last night I could only manage to eat a little rice after hardly sleeping on the pain and feeling very out of sorts for the remainder of the evening! 

Talk to you soon!

XOXOX,

P

One day until departure

I can't believe it is finally here. It seems like yesterday that I went to the Beijing informational meeting which was really back in the fall. I don't think it will truly hit me that I am going to China until I am already there. Right now I am in Chicago and have been walking everywhere in search of last minute items. I bought Lonely Planet's Beijing City Guide and read it cover-to-cover yesterday at this tea cafe called Argo Tea. {The tea is really really good (white tea acai squeeze = yummy) and I wish we had one in Columbia!} I have so many places dogeared in the city guide that I want to go... the only problem will be finding my way there. The street names on the map sound and look very confusing: Jianguomennei Dajie... really??! 

I plan to go to the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace but am most excited about the Temple of Heaven which was built during the Ming Dynasty and is the biggest of the three at 2,700,000 square meters! I know my parents won't be happy about this (sorry M and B) but Beijing has really taken to fashion over the past ten years and since the dollar is strong in China, I am definitely going to do some shopping! 

I also read in the city guide that the Chinese do not normally eat a lot of dessert. Luckily Chicago has the Hershy's Chocolate factory right on Michigan Avenue so I am going to get my last filling of ice cream for two months! I am a little nervous about the food in China. Since I am a vegetarian I am hoping that I will pronounce the phrase "Wo chi su" (I am vegetarian) correctly.

Next time I write I will be off the 14 hour flight I will take to Beijing tomorrow! See you in China!! 

XOXO,

P