China!!
> Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to travel to China. When my friend, Nancy, received the Fulbright and told me she and husband, Harry, were traveling to Beijing to spend five months, I knew I had to visit. They are well seasoned travelers and I knew they would know all the ropes by the time I arrived. I had no preconceived notions about anything as I planned my travel. Getting my visa was a daunting task, but once that was done, I was ready to figure out what to pack. Harry and Nancy said not to bring any money. We would settle up at the end of the trip. They made everything very easy for me. Of course they met me at the airport on my arrival and Harry made sure I got the the airport for my trip back to San Francisco from Beijing nine days later. It was a direct flight taking 12 and 1/2 hours to reach Beijing and 10 and 1/2 traveling back to San Francisco. I had no fears. I knew I was in good hands with the Everharts. The flights were uneventful and relaxing. I refused to have jet lag and we began our adventures as soon as I arrived.
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> As the trip unfolded, I was struck by how similar we all are. A smile in one language always translates well into another language. The people were friendly. I never felt unsafe in any way. I had to keep pinching myself to remember I was in CHINA! I wondered what my parents would have thought about me making a trip to a communist country. In their time, that would have been unimaginable. I arrived as the people were celebrating the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. On my first full day, we walked into Tiananmen Square shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people waving the Chinese flag. They are very proud of their country. We only saw a handful of caucasian peoples. The scope of everything seems immense. The buildings, the statues, the landscape, the shopping malls…everything is HUGE. But nothing felt intimidating to me. The one drawback for me was the language barrier. Very few people speak any English, and those who do, don't do it well. I think it was nice for Harry and Nancy to have someone to talk to! They are the ultimate hosts. We saw so many things and Nancy's ability to arrange events and to navigate the transportation system was incredible. I would have definitely been lost without her guidance.
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> We did so many special things, from a hot pot dinner with a changing mask showman the first night, to our last day at the Great Wall and a natural hot springs. Every day we enjoyed sightseeing and traveling. We visited the elegant Summer Palace, watched a Kung Fu show at the Red Theater, ate Peking duck, visited the Lama Buddhist Temple with its thick atmosphere of incense, walked around the Forbidden City in massive crowds, traveled by high speed train to Shanghai to see Shanghai Disneyland, visited the Pearl Market to shop….and in between, we tried local food and enjoyed the beautiful fall in China. We walked many miles and enjoyed each others company.
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> A few things I noted were how clean and efficient everything was. There are little carts with handmade brooms that carry people who are constantly cleaning the streets and sidewalks and places we visited. The subways are sparkling clean. What a contrast to the ones I have used in NYC and San Francisco. The people seem happy and docile. The children are adorable and delightful. The young ones are the ones who want to say hello to us. The method of pay seems so easy. Your money is in the bank and to pay for anything, you just show your phone and read the Q reader code that transfers the money, with no cash changing hands. The traffic flow in the streets is incredible. The people, carts, cars, scooters and buses are all vying for position. The pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Traffic during Golden Week, their national holiday, was extremely congested. Most streets have barriers to prevent jaywalking. The ones in Shanghai also had beautiful flowers in the medians. Everything was interesting to me. At the Summer Palace we had a meal that was cooked at our table by activating a liquid in the container the meal comes in. Quite a system! At our hot pot dinner we ordered chicken that showed no resemblance to what we expected. Shopping is also quite an event. Bargaining is the rule of thumb and though I am terrible at it, Nancy is a master. It was fun to watch her deal. The history here is mind boggling - so ancient, so colorful, so violent at times. So much to see and do. I only scratched the surface.
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> I kept a journal while I was in China. I wrote everything down so I could relive my incredible 10 days. The last night we talked about the highlights of my trip. It was hard to decide. I enjoyed every minute. I think the best part was being with old and dear friends, making special memories.
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> When I arrived back on US soil, I reflected on things I am thankful for here. I am thankful for my freedoms, English speaking people, people who respect personal boundaries, the internet, telephones, televisions, stand up potties, and of course, my family and friends that make this journey through life, so meaningful.
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> This was a trip of a lifetime. I would definitely go back if the opportunity arose.
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> Thank you, thank you, thank you Harry and Nancy. You have given me the opportunity of a lifetime.
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> Jan
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