Arrival

After the longest flight of our lives, we are finally safe and sound in China.
Despite flying halfway around the world and losing a day (we left at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and landed in Beijing at 3 p.m. on Friday) it actually went about as smooth as it could. I read two books, watched two movies, ate three meals (including a carry-on cheeseburger from Chicago’s famous Billy Goat Tavern), all while Missy slept, and before I knew it, we were there.
The first dose of culture shock came, however, as soon as we stepped on the flight to Beijing in Chicago. About 80 percent of the 300 or so people on board were Chinese, which I guess we should have expected, but somehow I thought there would be more Americans going that way. I guess there’s a lot more Chinese visiting America these days than vice-versa.
It was pretty cool being on a plane, flying across the big lake and listening to the majority of the people around you speaking a totally foreign language. They were very pleasant and unusually quiet – a lot quieter than if it had been a planefull of rowdy Americans.
My first brilliant observation came the minute we walked into the airport - there were Chinese people everywhere. It looked like Chinatown in New York City on a Saturday afternoon. And as soon as you walk outside, every street and building sign is in Chinese. If you’re an American, you better have a tour guide and an interpreter. It was one of those Duh moments, but it still drives home the fact that we’re thousands of miles from home. I could almost hear people speaking in Chinese saying, ‘You ain’t from around here, are you?”
Beijing is much more Western than you think, though. The first restaurant we saw in the airport? KFC. We were going to stop for a bucket, but they didn’t have Kung Pao or Schezuan.
We also passed McDonalds, Pizza Hut, a Haigan Das ice cream shop and a three-story Super Wal-Mart. It was then that we started to feel comfortable. (Nothing makes you feel at home like a Wal-Mart). And, of course, everyone in our group wanted to stop.
Beijing is a huge city. The airport is probably the biggest one I’ve ever been to. It’s a lot like the airport in San Francisco – you land in San Jose and take a train to baggage claim.
The traffic is also intense and bumper to bumper. It’s about like I-77 North from Charlotte to Lake Norman on a Friday afternoon.
Beijing may also be the only city in the world that currently has more condos going up than Charlotte.
That’s enough for now. We’re off to find some real Chinese food, or as they call it here, food.