My long day started at 5:15 A.M. in Boston on Monday morning (May 7th). It is now 8:30 P.M. in Beijing on Tuesday evening (May 8th), and I still have not gone to sleep. I shouldn't complain too much, however, because I know there are some fellow students and leaders alike who are even more sleep deprived than I (I'm talking about you, Benny).
There's also the fact that I'm finally in China, which is something I've been looking forward to ever since I submitted the application for this dialogue program. It was a surreal feeling to be walking through the airport and getting a real glimpse of the language and society I've been studying during my first two semesters as a student at Northeastern. It was also a little nerve-wracking; the process of scanning your fingerprints, passing through immigration, and making your way through customs all in the span of about an hour is enough to make any foreigner nervous.
It's my first visit to this beautiful country, and, nerves aside, the unusually clear skies above Beijing that greeted me this afternoon when I stepped out of the airport were enough to energize me after the fourteen-hour flight from Newark. It was nice and warm, which offered everyone a wonderful reprieve from the frigid cold of Boston (although it seems the unusually long cold season is finally letting up).
Outside the airport, we helped the driver of the coach bus we were riding load our luggage in the bottom of the bus. It was a bit of a struggle as the last few suitcases were shoved in, but the twenty of us who met at the airport managed to pack light enough so we could fit all of it. It was enough of a spectacle to make me think twice about the souvenirs I plan to buy once I exchange my money, and trust me when I tell you I plan to buy many; I want to preserve as many memories of this trip as possible.
The sites (and therefore the memories) started as soon as we embarked on the hour and a half journey from the airport to our hotel in the heart of Beijing. We passed all kinds of buildings, from tall apartment buildings that reached for the skies above to the wide, flat buildings that encase all kinds of shops, residences, and alleyways. Personally, I felt lucky that we were stuck in Beijing's rush-hour traffic for quite some time because it meant more time to take everything in, more time to personalize all the people I saw walking, driving and cycling down the crowded streets.
Once we arrived at the hotel, we had about an hour to relax, which we all welcomed wholeheartedly. I watched some Chinese programming on the TV (most of which I didn't understand) and figured out how the room worked. We have to insert a room key into a dock by the door in order to turn the power in the room on, which took me a second to figure out; no wonder it was so hot when I first stepped into the room.
We met in the lobby after we relaxed for awhile and headed to dinner at a nearby restaurant. We tasted all kinds of food: dumplings, rice noodles, chicken, and so much more. A meal with all my peers was a perfect way to end my first day in China.
Now, it is finally time to sleep. I lie down already dreaming of the experiences and opportunities that wait for me in the future even though I haven't fallen asleep yet. One such (optional) experience starts as early as 4:45 A.M. tomorrow; if I so choose, I can sacrifice a couple extra hours of sleep to jog around the forbidden city and watch the flag raising ceremony alongside native Chinese citizens in Tiananmen Square. The decision to go was an easy one to make.
- Michael Johns
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