Nick Beaton
They certainly do things a bit differently in China. From the moment we departed the airplane and entered Beijing International Airport there have been a standard set of phrases uttered by the crew. Phrases like, “What is that?”, “Did you just see that”, and “Dude, you check out the toilet!” Which, we discovered very quickly that toilets here are not necessarily toilets, but rather porcelain holes in the ground.
As far as the flight, before we left Widener University, Professor Shoemaker summed up her previous experience by saying, “The coming day will be a miserable fuzzy blur.” She was exactly correct. The flight was hot, crammed, long, and un-memorable. Eventually, 26 hours after the departure from Widener, we finally stepped off a bus at the North Garden Hotel in Beijing, China. We had finally arrived.
The sleep that first evening was short and the 6:30 am wakeup call arrived all too early. However, when the wake-up call arrived I answered the phone with an exhausted hand and the Chinese voice on the other side reminded me that we’re in China. I immediately knew the attitude to initiate the trip with was not one of drowsiness. I hopped out of bed and blasted open the curtains. With a shout I yelped, “We’re going to the Great Wall of China!” and got the rest of the crew ready for their first day in China.
There is only one way to summarize the Great Wall, basically the impressiveness of Great Wall was only matched by the grandeur of the scenery. I did not realize the Wall was built at the apex of a mountain range. Thus, simply getting to the wall meant climbing to the top of a mountain. Everyone was so excited with the prospect of seeing this wonder of the world that the idea of a hike did not faze anyone. The journey up the mountain was an adventure in itself. The trees are nothing like those in Pennsylvania and the foliage is strange and visually stimulating. There were striking images available everywhere you could look. Finally, after a lengthy hike, the journey was complete and the Wall was within reach. After a quick ascent of a staircase we were greeted by this view.
We have now arrived in Chongqing Technology and Business University. This will be written about in upcoming blogs.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
LOVE YOU MOM!
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