First impressions of a first-time China visitor

By James Clouthier

July 19,

2008

Hello! Welcome to my blog, my first ever blog, for the record. I'm not really sure how this stuff works, so give me a few posts to figure things out.

So, it's been over a week since we arrived here in China and needless to say, there is SO much to talk about.  Trying to find one specific topic to write about is extremely challenging, simply because even though we've only been here for a short amount of time, we've been thrown into the fire just about every day and I feel like I could fill up these pages (am I writing on a page?) taking about any of them.  Each day brings a new experience, whether it be visiting a historic site (Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Summer/Winter Palace just to name a few), or simply trying a new dish for dinner. I'll do my best to give you a little slice of my time here, a little taste of all the things I experience and feel.

SIDE NOTE #1: The Great Wall was amazing. Breathtaking.  Seriously, if I had to go home right now, my experience at the Wall would have made the trip worth it.  What's so incredible about this 3,000-mile wall? I thought the most interesting part is how people of all ages seemed to enjoy the Wall. When you see little children getting excited about something, most of the time you can attribute it to just being hyper and anxious, but at the Wall, I saw elderly people laughing and enjoying their experience just as often.  I thought it was really interesting, that no matter who you were- old, young, Chinese, American, whatever- you could enjoy your experience there. Plus, it was a picture perfect day, despite a massive crowd and a visit from the Mexican President.

Anyway, special thanks to the BOCOG for arranging the three-day tour of Beijing.  While a little unorthodox at times, the trip was amazing. Extra special thanks to Rock, our tour guide, who did a phenomenal job. His insight to Chinese history and culture was extremely valuable and made each place we visiting much more enjoyable.  There is no way I'd have been able to visit some of the landmarks that we did if not for this tour. My only complaint, the food!

Now, I know what you're saying: "Jamie, you're in China, you need to embrace the culture and try new things and see things for what they are."  Well I'll tell you this.  When it comes to Chinese food, I can find only subtle differences between American versions of it and what we are served whenever we go out. Orange chicken, beef and a veggie, you name it... they've served it to us.   The good news: we know what we're eating and can use it as a fallback in case we try something else that is, well, not so good.  The bad news: it gets old REALLY quickly.  On our tour, we were served practically the same dishes for five meals in a row. I'm not kidding when I say I don't think I'll be eating any Chinese food for awhile when I get home.

I swore to myself that I'd try my best to try new things here and there, but I have my limits. We did have one minor ordering mistake. On our first full day, we ordered a spicy chicken dish. It looked delicious, but upon further review, all the chicken bits had chunks of bone in it. Didn't stop us, we attacked the feast and it was only AFTER I placed a chicken foot in my mouth we discovered what we were actually eating.  Yummy, chicken fingers!

SIDE NOTE #2:  If not for this, I would not have returned to the Mecca that is McDonalds!  I don't think I've had McDonalds in over a year, but after eating Chinese food so many times, I needed a break.  And believe me, I'm Lovin' It. A Big Mac is a Big Mac and a Chicken McNugget is a Chicken McNugget. I don't think I've craved McDonalds, EVER, yet I find myself wondering if I should go there for a meal at least once a day. Also on the map: KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Subway.  I think I'll be Eating Fresh a little more often than I thought I would. Also, we found a great little American style restaurant just outside of campus. Cheap and delicious!

Where was I? Tour, food, time to get down to business and talk about work. Haven't started yet! Sort of.  We went to training the other day and we met our supervisor, Emily from Australia.  She seemed really nice and I'm very comfortable working under her. We tried on the uniforms, which are awesome by the way, met the group of people we'd be working with for the next six weeks, and went through two days of training. I don't think it was really necessary, as our professors at Emerson did a much better job of preparing us for our job.  When we actually start work on the 29th, I'll be sure to discuss what it's like actually working in the venue.

I'll conclude with one small complaint.  It's nothing too bad, typically I'm a pretty care-free kind of guy and I don't let a whole lot get to me.  Being honest, I'm already homesick.  Maybe it's just the culture shock, or maybe it's just me, but I feel like we've been here forever. The time seems to go by so much slower than I had thought it would. I miss my family, my friends, and everything back home that I don't have here. I'm a little surprised I'm feeling like this because I came into this trip thinking it would be just like another semester at college.  After four years of it, I thought I had it down. You know, say goodbye to your parents at the door and wave as they drive away. Except this time that door lead to a 13 hour flight and a new country 7,100 miles away. I'm getting by and I know once work begins things will get better, but I feel like we were brought here 2 weeks too early.

I'm glad I've gotten a chance to see the sights and experience Beijing, but working a day, having a week off, working a day, and then having ANOTHER week off doesn't really make sense to me. As much as I'd like to just go wonder the city, I'd much rather finish up busineess back home, including finding a job for when I return. I still have 9 days off before I begin work for good, and I really don't think there are 9 days of stuff for me to do to keep me busy.

Overall, I'm having a great time.  I love the people I came with and while little things here and there are reminding me of all the things we take for granted back home, I've still had a great time. I can't wait for work to start, after seeing the venue for the first time, I am really anxious to get inside and check it out for myself.  More to come soon.