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Country Side
One of the reasons I loved this place Ni Hao China!
Yesterday was the second day of instruction at the Ningxia Institute of Technology. The past few days have certainly been filled with adventures of their own. During these last few days my thoughts of China and its people have definitely changed. In these next months you, my reader, will learn about my world here in this fascinating country and interactions with its people. This time I will tell you about my trip from Minnesota to Dawukou.
On the 22 of August 2006 my cousin Chris took me to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Air Port. I would first visit Japan on my way to China, which was a journey in itself. While I was sitting on the airliner a number of seats were empty. At first I thought, ‘Great, perhaps I will be able to stretch out’, I was wrong. Moments before takeoff, a large number of Japanese children who were participating in an exchange program, came on board. My guess is that most of them were no older than 11 or 12 years of age. I sat in between a boy and girl for the 12 hour flight. They were both very courteous young people and the language barrier did not prove too large. For example, when I needed to use the restroom, I would simply tap the young lady on my left and then motion with my hands that I needed to get out.
In the grand scheme of things, sitting next to these two children finally opened my eyes to what I would be doing in China. They were required to write a simple ‘thank you’ letter to their host family. A simple nod and thumbs up were the signs of approval I gave to their efforts. I was grateful for the time spent on this flight and in Japan. Once we landed in Japan, I had lost a day of time. I guess time will only tell what I have lost, apart from sleep. While in Japan I had to go through security, the people were very courteous. I was a little ill while in Japan and so I am grateful for the pink stuff in solid form. While I was excited about going to Beijing, I was dreading the flight because I was not feeling well. I initially sat next to two fellow teachers from training and one Chinese lady. There was plenty of room on this flight to move around, and I was grateful for the conversation with the Chinese lady.
By the time I had arrived in Beijing, I lost track of time and only wanted to sleep. After stowing my one bag at the airport, I went with my group to the hotel where we were to sleep. It was not exactly the Hilton but I was grateful for having the opportunity to stretch out and take a three hour nap. Note to all travelers: bring a watch! To date, I have been in Beijing long enough to see the airport and sleep in a hotel. The next morning would require more of me physically than any traveling had ever done.
I was still less than 100%!t(MISSING)he next morning and still had to fly to Yinchuan, which is the capital of the Ningxia Province in the Midwestern area of China. I am grateful to my traveling companions for being there for me as jet lag was beginning to take its toll on me. On this flight, I had my first taste of Chinese food- airline style. I was very grateful once I landed in Yinchuan. Only one leg of the journey was left: the drive to Dawukou.
I was overwhelmed by the sight of Dawukou, it is certainly a city beyond my wildest imagination. We were taken to our apartments to drop off our luggage and then it was off to lunch. I was grateful to our host for helping me to master chopsticks and for the delicious food. For the most part it consisted of vegetables which ranged from tasty to spicy. The last dish was soup which mine was very sweet.
Once lunch was over, it was back to my very huge apartment. I began to unpack and then I took a shower. After that it was nap time from 2 in the afternoon until 6 A.M the next morning. This is the summary of my journey to China. In the next journal I will tell you, my reader, about my apartment and the first few days of settling in.
Zaijian!
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