What do banners, shirts, traffic laws, water-cooler conversations, TV shows, and even the day's specials on some of the restaurant menus have in common? The 2008 BEIJING SUMMER OLYMPICS! The logo is everywhere and you would have to be a real dummy to not realize what is about to happen. In the final hours leading up to the Games, whether it is tickets, transportation, signs, shirts, hotel rooms, or just a peace of mind, everyone is scrambling for something. Beijing has gone from the traditional capital of China focused on preserving their cultural relics and his [View Full Entry]

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Well we are here now! Thanks to Rose and Nick Buckley for the ride to the station in HK. It calmed me down and was a nice way to go. The train journey was better than any of us thought. We were a bit worried when we saw the 6 bunks but we then got redirected to the 4 berth cabins and made ourselves at home. The time passes really slowly and quickly at the same time! We've read, played cards and the fave so far Yahtzee! Good old Ailsa getting us that one by winning bingo in HK!! The food [View Full Entry]

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Today we visited the 'art district' of beijing. First we went to this new area that is a little bit outside the city and is known to be the art district that is 'not government supervised'. I actually thought this area was kind of boring. it had a great deal of sichuan immigrants and restaurants. afterwards we took a bus to the 'government supervised' art district, called 798, which was really cool. it probably covered a whole square mile and had a bunch of different art galleries, cafes, music houses, etc. all over these small promenades and alleys. I highly recommend [View Full Entry]

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friday i tried to celebrate the fourth as best i could, which meant eating american food and getting drunk with americans. the restaurant we went to was called 'grandmas kitchen'. i had a cheeseburger and fries that cost about the same as about ten dinners altogether i usually have here (80 kuai). Me and two others got seperated from the group on the way to this restaurant so we ended up going to a german bar and had some real beer beforehand. after dinner we went to one of local bar districts and tried to celebrate as best we could. nonetheless, [View Full Entry]

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June 18th, 2008 If she lets me put this on her blog site, this is my turn to talk about our trip to see Lauren and a world that is like no other that one can imagine. This trip gives a whole new definition to “Lauren in Charge.” Where does one begin on a trip like this? It actually started three years ago at Indiana University’s orientation for new students. Lauren called Bonnie and I at breakfast and said she had to register for classes. “Mom & Dad, instead of Spanish, I’m thinking of taking Chinese. Wouldn’t that be better for [View Full Entry]

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Its been a while since my last entry. I am finally in Beijing, and things couldnt be much better. It has been quite the eventful past days already. First, before we left James and I packed everything on the last day and forgot the time. By 12 AM we noticed that we were hungry and so we made our way to McDonalds, while Jiro (James Girlfriend) was asleep at my house. When we came back, I was quite surprised to find Steve and Luis in my house. They were there to party, just like that. This meant that I did not [View Full Entry]

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Wow, so a lot has been going on here lately. And not a lot, too. Beijing has changed. Like we say, the only constant in Beijing is change! Always people coming and going, moving here moving away, buildings being torn down so new ones can be built, roads being widened, and new subway lines opening. Restaurants and bars that were here last year have moved locations, sometimes twice already! It is rare to find a bar in this area that has been stable for five years. And China seems more open. In the past week since I arrived, I've had conversations [View Full Entry]

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Ni Hao! So far so good... Everything seems to be travelling along nicely so far. Arrived in Beijing last Friday night and managed to get to my hotel without any dramas. (Highly recommend travelling business class to anyone who has the chance - you get real Salmon and single malt whiskey, and so many movies to watch that I wanted the flight to keep going.) The new Beijing airport is out of control. It looks like the huge Stadium in France used for the World Cup (whichever one it was), though I've had some Beijing people say it isn't that great [View Full Entry]

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Well…what the hell am I doing back here again? For some masochistic reason I decided to send myself back to China this summer but rather than traveling I’ll be working for China AgriCorp - a company that principally distributes semen (from bulls FYI) for ALTA genetics in the US, as well as other dairy farm services. I didn’t realize it until today, but they are quite a major player in the dairy industry here in China, so the breadth of experience should be quite good. This is the first time they have had a student work for them since I approached [View Full Entry]

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Today we visited Chaoyang Park, right across the street from our hotel. Once you get inside the park, it is pretty unbelievable how much there is! We decided it would be nice to rent a motorized boat and investigate all the lakes and narrow canals inside the park. Captain Jenna was a fantastic helmswoman. She even drove us right beside the Olympic tennis complex! We followed the boat ride with a spin on a 4-seat, peddle-powered "car". Jenna steered the car while John and Jamie supplied the horsepower. Wow, was that hard work! We got lots of smiles as our 5 [View Full Entry]

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