After many years of international, economy-class flights, I believe I can safely conclude that such means of travel are specifically designed for children. Apparently, one can only enjoy these flights before reaching the age when he or she realizes that “international” is tantamount to saying “immobilize oneself for a duration of 12 hours in a confined space” and before he or she has outgrown the “confined space” to be able to endure the 12 hours without physical, and consequently, mental discomfort. But alas, a student is subject to a student’s budget constraint. All in all, the flight to Beijing was above satisfactory. I got a window seat, and there was a very nice middle-aged couple sitting next to me, who made good acquaintances. Although I didn’t get to sit next to a person of my age who was loaded with videogames (as I had naively hoped for), I can’t complain about sitting next to some people who would willingly talk to me. Well, they talked to me for the first hour or so before falling into deep sleep. It was somewhat annoying because I couldn’t. Lesson learned: probability is a cruel friend that follows you everywhere. Orson Welles was right about the boredom part. I didn’t feel any noticeable terror while on the plane, though I fully understand that any claustrophobic or aviophobic individual may have been on the verge of panic attacks. For me, the terror set in after I arrived at the destination. Allow me to revise the quotation to say, “There are only two emotions in a country where you are an 18-year old college student whose literacy level is equivalent to that of a native third-grader’s: boredom and TERROR.” This leaves people like me with two options: become a hermit who has shut off contact with the rest of society, thus preventing most dangers aside from hunger and atrophy of the mind; or face the city of Beijing like a man and accept the fact that my Chinese abilities may cause some judgmental people to label me as “slow.” I have always liked eating and thinking. Then by a self-proposed hierarchy that ranks hunger prevention, brain exercise, and risk of humiliation in order of their importance, I confidently choose the second option.
My memory of happenings during the past three weeks of my stay in Beijing are a bit vague due to prolonged jetlag, repeated procrastination in my blogging efforts, general inactivity caused by the process of transitioning from one living environment to another, etc. Nonetheless, I do have some observations to comment on, and I will commit myself to a futile attempt to preserve the chronology in which these observations were made. Hence, I congratulate you if you can discern order in my ramblings, and I apologize if the following remarks are just a bunch of random statements.
Anyone who sets foot in Beijing will probably notice the absence of a blue sky. The city is notorious for a perpetual “grayness” caused by pollution. Pollution can be detected in other ways too, like when you suddenly realize that the air you were breathing has transformed into a combination of foul fumes, dust, and smoke. This is especially true as one venture outwards from the center of the city into areas where there is less open space. Also, there are a lot more people smoking on the streets and in restaurants. This becomes frustrating when you discover that second-hand smoke is inescapable. Remark: Second-hand smoke is prevalent in internet cafes, at least the ones I’ve been to. That’s why I asked the phone company to hook up a broadband cable to my home in Beijing. Aside from the fresh air, there’s also the sheer convenience of not having to walk for 10-30 minutes to use the internet. Plus, the fee is not bad. The service I’m using costs 0.05 RMB per minute. You can also switch to the monthly plan, which goes for something like 1.xx RMB per month. As you can see, affordability is not an issue, as the current monetary exchange rate is approximately 7 RMB: 1 Dollar. There’s still a large gap in sanitation level between Beijing and urban cities in the United States. However, all in all, there has been unbelievable improvement over the past ten years, not just in sanitation, but in construction, the economy, transportation, etc. A majority of this change is probably due to the 2008 Olympics, which undoubtedly has helped this country more than anything else. This cannot be said about the television programming. Aside from uninteresting shows, it is obvious that the television media is still being used as subtle government propaganda. For example, during the week after the Wenchuan earthquake, literally all 62 of my channels broadcasted news coverage 24 hours a day. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since many of the short segments did produce their intended effects of calming people’s fears by showing them the government’s quick rescue and relief efforts. In fact, as an impartial observer, I believe that the government conducted a quick and efficient response to the earthquake. Moreover, the whole country united in the time of need. In addition to numerous fundraising events and generous private donations, the government held national moments of remembrance （默哀）where observers would stand in silent tribute to the earthquake victims.
Several days ago, I made a visit to see one of my old friends from Beijing. He’s still in school at the Beijing University for Aeronautics and Astronautics, so I had to trek over to his dormitory. The trip took over an hour by bus and subway, probably because I got lost every time I blinked my eye. The majority of my journey was spent on a route 7 double-decker bus（特7）, and I was able to take some pictures to document my journey. I apologize in advance for my horrible photography.
Deciphering bus signs proved to be a challenge
Buses arrive. However, not the bus that I need to get on. More waiting.
I sat in the first row on the top deck. Looks like a traffic jam （交通堵塞）
People waiting at the next stop. It feels a lot nicer looking to the outside of the window than vice-versa.
Lots of cars going towards central Beijing
Big Pizza. I wonder what pizza in China tastes like.
Sky bridge （天桥）
Construction in the background. That’s fog by the way. Well, maybe a bit of smog. But mostly fog.
An exit （出口）
The police （公安）talking to a man.
Scene from Beijing
The highway.
This slow-moving vehicle blocked the bus for about 5 minutes.
My friend’s dorm room. Four people to a room. This makes me appreciate doubles a lot more.
Although crowded, this room has a great window view from the 11th floor.
Centralized air conditioning systems are uncommon in China. Most units look like this.
Walmart invades China.
I hope that the pictures gave you an idea of China. Next, I just want to mention that there has been a change to the ACC Field Studies Program. The director contacted me a few days ago and notified me that the primary location has been changed from Chengdu to Beijing (to the Capital University of Economics and Business) due to the aftermath of the Wenchuan earthquake. The director indicated her concern for the safety and wellbeing of the students. I must admit that I was a bit worried after keeping up with the news and learning about the standard of living, epidemic prevention, sanitation issues, transportation, threats of aftershocks and other natural catastrophes, overcrowding, and other problems that will have a negative influence if the program was to be held in Chengdu. Although I am disappointed that I won’t be able to experience Chengdu as I had originally planned, I am in full support of ACC's actions.
Thanks for reading. There's more to say, but I will save that for the next entry. Frankly, I'm a bit tired. Maybe it's just my internet speed, but the pictures took about 40 minutes to load.
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