Well, here we are once again waiting for a plane. I'm beginning to see a pattern. I'm several chapters into The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and Nathan and Noah are playing travel checkers so I thought I would take this opportunity to blog. Our plane to Guiyang is delayed due to heavy fog. Luckily, the Beijing airport is very nice and modern. In fact, we are in Terminal 3 which is a magnificent structure built to accommodate the heavy plane traffic from the 2008 Olympics. Of course, that would indicate that there is not normally heavy plane traffic. Let me assure you, there is heavy plane traffic at all hours of the day. This airport is not the 3rd largest airport in the world and is built to represent a turtle when viewed from the outside. It is all glass and steel and has every modern convenience imaginable, including all Western potties!
I want to find a way to convey to you some of my thoughts thus far of China. First of all, there are many minorities in China. Very many cultures and peoples melted together into one, much like the US. Of course, in China, there are similarities in appearance, unlike the US where we have many different complexions, hair color and eye color. As a Westerner, I have walked through life having largely two ideas of what China is like. The first is a bit romanticized and looks like a movie set in ancient China. The next is a much less positive view of China set in post Mao times where the colors of grey and green dominate everything. The reality???? Amazingly, somewhere in between.
The people of China seem both very solemn and very joyful all at the same time. We have seen so many smiles and so much laughter from the people, but there is an air of harshness that hangs over life here. I am not sure why. It has not been so long that China has been largely industrialized and in the larger cities there are many people that have migrated here from rural areas in recent times. Life is definitely harder here than many Americans are used to. To be clear, many Americans do not live in cushy suburban or urban areas and I realize that. But it is obvious here by the cramped living quarters, laundry hanging in the windows of even the tallest apartment buildings, the still many people who not only travel to work on a bicycle but use thier bicycles to conduct work....that life here is harder than in the US.
Many of the younger people - most really - have embraced the modern times. Cell phones, lap tops, very hip clothing - these things dominate the younger culture. Many of the older folk that lived through uncertain times still wear the Mao jackets in the color of Army green and have a very tired look in their eyes.
Among all of that is the dominate color of red. Of course, Westerners immediately associate that with Communism, but it isn't so. Red and yellow were the imperial colors and are still used today. It is so fascinating to see a country who is working so hard to modernize and throw off all ideas of superstition and religion to embrace these ancient symbols and colors in such a profound way. I don't even know how to fully put into words my thoughts on this. I am thrilled to see the continued use of the principles such as are seen in the art of feng shui and am saddened at the same time to know that many of China's youth are throwing out the traditions and superstitions that have long since guided this ancient country.
We are so fortunate that our adoption agency employs such incredible coordinators/guides. Our guide Cindy is a history and culture buff and was such a fount of information. She answered so many questions candidly. She is a native of Beijing and has an obvious love of her culture. In addition to working for CHI, she is a local guide and worked during the Olympics as a guide for the athletes and their families.
Speaking of the Olympics. We drove by the stadium and it was very interesting. Immediately upon entering the Beijing airport I was struck by the fact that everything was not only in Chinese but also in English. I had been under the impression that very little English was in the airport - anywhere really. I wondered how much impact the Olympics had on Beijing. Apparent it had a huge impact. We saw few store fronts, malls, restaurants, etc. that did not have English signs while on our whirlwind tour of the city. The airport was easy to navigate thanks to the signs as well. In preparation of the Olympics and the unveiling of the new China to the world, much transformation took place. Much of the city was razed to make way for new hotels and skyscrapers. The city streets were cleaned up (okay, I cannot imagine how they looked before if this is the cleaned up version), pollution cut (see previous statement about the "before"), roads where created, Western style toilets added (I'll post separately on the squatty potties). Ultimately I am sure these changes were for the better. From what I understand, the last 6 years have brought great change to the citizens of this capital city.
Well, that is all I have for now. Noah wanted to send a shout out and you can read that below. I am uploading some photos of our 2nd full day in China that include the Forbidden City, Tiannamen Square and the Great Wall. Oh, Noah fell asleep yesterday around 5:00 again and slept for several hours. I am hoping that today will bring more of a settling in as we will spend the next 6 days with Arwyn in Guiyang, Guizhou. We miss you all and will see you soon. Hugs.
Noah's commentary:
We are going to see on Saturday my friends that I saw the last few days. Their names are Avery, Julia, Emma and Jade. They are all 6 years old and were all adopted from China. They are the children of 4 other sets of parents in our travel group. My favorite thing I saw was everything. We went underground so we could get to the Tiennamen Square. And, I went on the Great Wall of China. I climbed many steps. It was freezing cold. And there was snow everywhere (but it was melting) except for the airport. And, our plane was delayed in Newark.
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