Beijing

Words cannot express what I am feeling as I begin this post. Do you realize how many things have happened to me since four days ago when I boarded the plane back home? I feels like weeks have gone by, with so much stuff happening that it would be virtually impossible to type it all. With this in mind, I will do my best to give only the highlights.

After a great flight to Newark, my patience was tested when my four hour layover was extended by a couple hours for major aircraft malfunctions. Time did pass quicker, however, because I met a few new friends (who would be on the same flight as me) who made the wait a little more enjoyable. After the long, arduous journey of 14 hours, I arrived safely in beautiful Beijing.

The next few days were spent with my brother Josh and two of his/my friends and some other people. The Great Wall (including the extremely fun ride down from it on the "toboggan" or something like that), the Olympic Village, a park overlooking the Forbidden City, and the amazing Chinese Acrobats offered a fantastic start to my 2 month trip. The pearl market the next day was loads of fun. Listening to Josh bargain is a show in itself. The tactics, demeanor, and not to mention the foreign language that he uses are simply incredible to watch as he goes to work to make sure we don't get ripped off. It was a fantastic weekend.

As our time in Beijing expired, the time came to move on to Josh and Danielle's city. We flew on an airline that I believe has been affectionately nicknamed "China Death" or something to that effect. Anyway, disproving the nickname, we arrived safely into much warmer weather (almost hot) and set out to get settled into my new temporary home. I was so excited to see the inside as we walked up the three flights of stairs to the door of their apartment. I couldn't wait to get inside.........