So this morning I woke up in Shanghai and now I am in Beijing! These cities really aren’t that far away, so it’s not really that impressive of a feat, but navigating the airport (a different one than I originally flew into) and getting my ticket from a very last minute reservation and getting on the right plane at the right time and finding my choir-mate Nancy in the Beijing airport were all quite formidable tasks. The phrase “What on earth am I doing here?” may or may not have crossed my mind many times as I tried to communicate with the ticket desk ladies and flight attendants, but now that it’s all behind me, I feel pretty satisfied with how everything went.
Beijing has quite the different flavor than Shanghai: it has the same white sky (blue skies do not exist in China because of the pollution, if you’ve never experienced this you probably won’t believe me but it’s so true) but it’s a lot less modern and has far fewer sky scrapers and fancy places, as far as I can tell. I’ve been told this is the place to go if you want to really feel the Chinese character. So, here I am. Although tomorrow will be mostly devoted to choir practice for Saturday night’s performance and then again on Wednesday we’ll sing our hearts out and then I’ll fly back to Shanghai, I think I’m going to squeeze in some exploring tomorrow night with Nancy, my partner in crime. We had never met before today when we finally found each other at the 2nd terminal of the Beijing Capitol Airport, but being in China and both not speaking very much Chinese at all is a great environment for quickly making friends. She’s been a great travelling partner because she’s adventurous and spunky and won’t stop telling a Chinese person what she wants in English even when she knows they only speak Chinese so we’ve had a great time together so far. Tonight we went to dinner with one of the HCF office workers here, Anna, to a place sort of outside our hotel. It was actually pretty nasty- the food is something that I really haven’t taken to here. We tried a chicken dish which was pretty good and then some fruit salad with a hollandaise type sauce that was pretty sick. Some of it was a little nauseating, to be honest; I really haven’t adjusted to the food yet although the bread I’ve had so far is really good and fresh (did I just sound like Candace there? I think I definitely did). Oh and I’ve had a ton of rice. And subway sandwiches. Go ahead and call me a spoiled American child haha.
Maggie - I am with Kristy and her family now, and we are loving reading about your adventures. You really are courageous and wonderful - but I already knew that! You sound like you are learning a ton, and experiencing the culture. I enjoyed your comments about the food, because as I told you in Provo, Grandpa and I really got sick of the Chinese food in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It was so nice getting back to our kind of food.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with all your success in navigating the transportation systems. You are amazing. I am grateful you are with a group now and aren't trying to do this alone. I guess that once you have done it, you won't have quite as hard a time next time around.
Grandpa is in Tonga this morning. I hope and pray that he is safe and enjoying his morning. He went (or is going) straight to a mission conference with the missionaries when he gets off the plane. He will probably have a hard time staying awake in the meetings.
Kris and I are having fun shopping, eating, playing with kids... It is hot but good here in Fort Worth.
Hope you continue being safe and happy. We will continue reading your adventures each day. I hope your performances go well. The group is so lucky to have you on the piano. They have no idea what a great musician they have been given! (Spoken like a true grandma!
Lots of love, Grandma W.
You are a spoiled American Child.
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