Me likey Beijing!

I was asked to call a manager in Chicago about a project last Tuesday, and when I did, he told me I needed to be in China by Monday morning...like I'd argue with that! So I quickly read up on the background of the project, put a rush service on my visa application, threw some clothes in a suitcase, and flew to Beijing on Saturday. I'd always wanted to travel to China for work where I can apply my language skills, and after five long years, the opportunity finally came. In a way, I guess it's like a dream come true!

I remembered Beijing as this big, crowded, stinky and polluted city with rude people. Boy, have things changed since 2004, and I have the upcoming Olympic Games to thank! Skyscrapers dominate the city and there are countless new ones under construction. Everything you see and touch is high tech, I feel like a dummy taking ages to figure things out. The city is clean and you can tell that the sky is still blue. Everyone is fashionably dressed, well mostly the women, the men still have a ways to go. Everything is written in English, and properly spelled, and most people at least speak basic English. I worked in the Beijing office today and the Chinese people even speak to each other in English! The most noticeable difference is the quality of customer service. Who'd thunked, Beijingers, nice? Everything here is just so fancy and I'm treated like a VIP everywhere I go. I do remind myself that I am in the expat district, so things might be different elsewhere. For now, i'm soaking it up!

The food is to die for! No, not bugs and worms! Maggie - I had A&J for lunch on my first day, but of course they don't call it A&J here. Beijing is only the tip of the iceberg, wait till I go to my hometown for some real deliciousness! I'm just thankful that there is a state of the art fitness center in the hotel! I swam in the big fancy schmancy 35 meter pool, even had to buy a swim cap because everyone is required to wear one...so fancy!

The best part about this trip, so far, is finding that my business Chinese is more than adequate! I was concerned over nothing. This is such a high!

I'm done with work and will be on vacation beginning Friday. Aside from visiting family in Shandong, I haven't planned my route for the upcoming week. Really, who needs an agenda, I'm in friggin' China! I'm so proud of the progress this country has made, and it's great to be home. I might just stay here, marry a well-dressed Chinese dude, have ONE Chinese baby, and live happily Chinese after.

I will try to blog during my trip but wouldn't die if I didn't look at a computer for a week. At least you now know why I suddenly disappeared.

As they now say in Beijing, bye-bye!

Btw - I think "Everybody loves Raymond" is one of the funniest shows...dubbed in Chinese...not so much!