making it there and many etc's

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Just now got my internet up and running...no wireless in rooms so I had to buy an ethernet cable from market in middle of campus (this campus is literally the size of a small enclosed city--you could live here exclusively and comfortably for years. But I've been keeping track of my thoughts via good old-fashioned pen and notebook past couple days, so here goes entry #1, transcribed and in-bulk...

5/30/08 app. 5:30 a.m. Arizona time, during HongKong redeye

Interesting day of travel so far. Met up w/group immediately @ Sky Harbor, quickest most painless flight of my life over to LAX. Except that I got pulled aside & bag-checked beforehand b/c my 16-pack of AA batteries looked like bullets or something thru the X-ray machine...I wasn't joking about you picking a bad time to call me, dad, haha
Started a new book/author on plane, Dylan Thomas' Adventures in the Skin Trade. Coincidentally enough (considering i picked up the aged little paperback for like $2 at Bookman's on a lark) story's about a teen who leaves safe home life out of boredom, irrevokably destroying past life & future opportunities first, forcing himself into the great unknowns of big-city London w/nowhere to head to or return. Some oddly approporiate/meaningful statements to my own life in there...
Home and help are over. Many people have begun worse, he said to himself. I am ignorant, lazy, dishonest, and sentimental, I have the pull over anybody.
Now every table was occupied. Cold, stiff people with time to kill sat staring at heir tea and the clock, inventing replies to questions that would not be asked, drawing every peresnt moment as soon as it began to breathe, lying and wishing, missing all the trains in the terror of their minds, each one alone. Time was dying all over the room.

One pleasure is, he said to himself, that I do not know what I expect to happen to me.

Layover in LAX not as bad/boring as expected, although check-in was a holy terror. No restaurants in food court open except McDonald's...but I pre-packed snacks, my foresight is impeccable you see. Turkey jerky & pumpkin granola an odd dinner combo, yet effective (and free--M&G purchased both haha). But also dehydrating, found water fountain & waited around for 2a.m. boarding.
Met some interesting people so far--art majors heading to China are bound to be quirky, among them a head-shaven painter even more frugal than I & computer design major who reads dystopian novels. More personality sketches as they develop.
This is by far the largest plane I've ever been on. 2 stories, 3 rows per (three-seats on each side w/-seat row down middle), monitors on back of every seat w/movies, TV shows, games etc to busy ourselves. No time for reflection/introspection if we gotz our individual screens.
Free headphones/pillow/blanket/mini-toothbrush&tube socks included, though. Sweet deal, socks real cotton, sesame seed yellow hahaha
Watched an episode of Flight of the Conchords for 1st time, I'm hooked, gonna pick up the whole season either stateside or bootleg in Beijing. Sucker for subtle britwit I guess
Trying to stay up, goal is to get all the way to Beijing awake w/senses intact. Still not too tired but it will be tough.
Glad I ate b/f flight b/c chicken&rice they served us was more like fat&instant rice, Panda Express-style. One bite of chicken for curiousity's sake and stomach started rebelling, so moved on to shrimp salad/side dishes & felt much better. Coffee sufficiently crappy.
Anyways back to introspection. Back to this trip. Back to China. I'll be in Hong Kong in 10 1/2 hours!! It's unbelievable. I'm over the Pacific Ocean right now. Literally can't turn back, like Dylan Thomas' protagonist.

I'm going to change so much on this trip, I feel it already, and that's exactly what I want.
Not full-out transformation, but this trip will be a bit of a reincarnation. I can pick out all my best traits and let them take over. Be more independant. Confident. Artistic. Experimental. Creative. Curious. Confident. World-conscious. Compassionate. Open-minded. Intuitive.
I can hear the guy next to me snoring thru my headphones haha
Most of all I just plan to let myself live more freely.

I have a lot of good convictions which I want to keep but sometimes I can't tell if I really care about something or if I'm just challenging myself for the sake of. Enough of that horse shit this summer. Starting over.
Even if the world disappoints me I should try to fix it instead of punishing myself.

Oh my god I'll be in China by morning. Well afternoon PHX time. Going to Summer Palace in 4 days!! I'm going to see so many sights so gorgeous that my breath will literally be taken away and I'll want to melt melt
It'll be crazy culture-shock though, every street sign/convo in Mandarin etcetc. But really how exiting is something if it's not a little scary too?
I'll end this first writing sesh w/a a semi-spontaneous semi-contrived list of goals for myself in Beijing...

• Find out what it means to live out a life in ways I'd never before imagined
  
• Become a tea coneisseur
  
• Make friends, lots of friends, enemies if necessary
  
• Learn Chinese of course
  
• Let a foreign, ancient culture wash over me lucid oceanic cognizant submission
  
• Make foreign, ancient culture tell me its hidne whispery secrets when no one else is listening
  
• Buy crazy shit @ crazy markets
  
• Have fun&relax
  
• Work hard&study
  
• <>
  
• Learn to drop everything else for a transcendant thought/moment, but also stay grounded enough to appreciate the subtleties of human/societal idiosyncracy--both marco- and micro- observations are beautiful & needed
  
• Gain 15 lbs haha

But let's be honest--I'm mostly in Beijing for the cuties.

Now off to watch cheesy Chinese action flick Bullet & Brain on the back of an airplane seat, improving listening comp while fighting the good fight against redeye travel.

5/30 Phx 1:17 p.m. -or- 5/31 Hong Kong/Beijing 4:17 a.m.

Bullet & Brain sucked, fell asleep halfway through haha
Woke up 2 hours later when my teacher bumped my aisle armrest. That's okay I've been up ever since, reading/doing crosswords on the screen in front of me/etc etc
They have like full service here, even picked up a Wall Stret Journal to occupy myself
Just flew over Tokyo although I have no window seat so it really wasn't spectacular for Your Humble Narrator
Talked a little to guy in window seat though . He's going back home to Pakistan from LAX--first this flight, then 10-hr layover in Hong Kong, then 9 hr flight to Pakistan airport...& I thought my trip was ugly haha ouch
Seems like a nice guy, but very reserved/a little aloof or something, just not super talkative. That's cool though. Funny the things we learn about strangers--dunno guy's name but know he's vegatarian
Quirkly lil "single-serving friend" I've made in this guy. Pardon the reference but guy across aisle watching Fight Club earlier
I'm in the middle of Silence of the Lambs right now myself, never seen it before, pretty good so far but too gross
Looked like hell in the bathroom mirror, but guess that's excusable after literally 18hrs (16 waking) or airports/planes

Will touch down in Hong Kong in 2hrs 41min--I'm pretty stoked, slightly drained, but really holding up better overall than I expected.
Some more eerily applicable Dylan Thomas quotes:
"I felt there was something I must find. I can't explain it. Something just round the corner. I searched and searched. I was so innocent. I felt like a sort of knight."

"I told you! People are all mad in the world. They don't know where they're going, they don't know why they're where they are, all they want is love and beer and sleep."

"They filthy rich," he said. My place is among the beggars and the outlaws.

1/2way around world in less than a day and I never saw any of it. That makes me a little sad but otherwise my mood remains curious/optimistic
Being assertive is a form of arrogance
Confidence is arrogance
Self-abuse is passive-agressive arrogance, maybe so is charity...because suffering for the sake of is arrogance.
I'm cocky and so are you, it's human nature and I'm young, so let's you and I be arrogant together

a haiku

Love is beautiful
Self-righteous like a campfire
I hope Beijing is, too

PHX 5/30 4:58 p.m. Hong Kong 5/31 7:59 a.m.

We fly down into China through fog & thick haze, damp arrival on foreign tarmac.
The red-eye novelty replaced by tired eyes, fatigue kinda but more from the sheer tediousness of the travel.
I'm in China but it's still just an airport still more of the same
Same stores same empty conspicuous consumption same bland check-in airport employees and procedure except just a little different, like I'm at JC Penney's instead of Sears
But already still despite
I feel my stride a little more brisk/confident
My mannerisms just a bit more casual or laizze-faire
My mindset a little more natural
Standing slightly taller, how odd that swampy Hong Kong mornings improve posture
Despite the jetlag and craptastic delayed on-flight breakfast
I'm weary but not of the world I'm just impatient for the journey to actually start
Enough of these foggy tarmacs I demand exictement & change

Despite the crap rice porridge that's still giving me a stomacheache hitting me inside like little seashells jagged & briny
I don't care anymore, fog just means sun's bound to break through {plus, as gastral retribution, I've retained the in-flight blanket}

Attention, passengers
We ascend through the seafoam clouds in ten minutes
Attention, passengers
Please prepare for final destinations and maritime dreams realizations

"Oceanic" becomes my favorite word more and more as this journey progresses
Attention, Tye, you get the keys to your temporary home your foreign student dormitory in less than six hours

Stand up straight walk strong and look sharp, nobody's watching after all

5/31 10:36 a.m. local Hong Kong time

Well, we got airborne for about 20-30 minutes before our lovable Captain got on the intercom. He informed us that some dial the plane needed to reach max altitude was unresponsive, so the flight to Beijing must be delayed. That's why we've turned around and are back parked on the runway for maintanence inspection. We just did a 90-minute loop. We're all stuck on the parked plane for now, because we didn't know whether or not we'll need to change aircraft or not.

What a mess.
What. A mess.
Hahaha it's starting to rain outside how appropriate

Jetlag really raging up now, got a baby headache that gets angry and rages up whenever I try to nap

So I don't know if I should ake a nap or not
But hey no worries I can't complain too much--I'm still en route to Beijing for the summer fo the experience of my life

It's all about perspective and I'm full of those huh?

Plus I just ahd one of those moments where ya look at yr reflection in the window and can't recognize yrself any more.
Forget it I'm sleeping all the way to Renmin Univ. I clearly need it haha

12:10 p.m. local

Just got on the new plane and feel completely rejuvenated now, didn't even need a nap. the entire group just sat together in the terminal for awhile and had one of those moments where the situation is so stupid, everyone just has to laugh, ya know? So I've laughed w/Wes and Hao all the way to 2nd plane. We're getting prepped for takeof and will arrive @ Renmin Daxue a good 3hrs late, but I have a feeling that the dorms will still be there.

Oh yeah, speaking of dorms. Turns out that b/c of all China's current extenuating circumstances , some students have been sticking with their dorm rooms for longer than anticipated. Meaning, there's not enough of he mid-level rooms to go around. So for the first week, all the boys in a display of chivalry will be staying in the public bath-style dorms while Renmin moves those overdue kids out. Yay! Shared showers!

Also our buzzkill Captain just announced T-storms in Beijing forecast today. haha. So stupid I have to laugh.

On the plus side...
-all the stewardesses are super cute
-one of them just announced that the plane will be providing lunch now to make up for inconvenience. I know, 12:15 seems earl to be super-stoked for lunch be keep in mind our breakfast was 5AM craptastic rice gruel
--Nobody occupying seat next to me, so I just self-upgraded to window seat

See, that's all I really need to be happy. Friends to laugh at life's crap with, a crazy journey to share w/them, and a window seat as we land in Beijing.

The trip is still gonna be inconcievably fun, despite ridiculous start. This first journal entry has become a bit of a marathon, apologies, I haven't even gotten there yet!

Sometime after 10:30 p.m. local

We landed in Beijing and when we did I fell in love.
I feel more comfortable here already in some ways than I do @ home.
Where else would the landscapers look at 5 acres of unpaved airport property and decide, "better put a Technicolor flower garden here"?
Hao & I got seperated from group@Int'l checkout but luckily caught up w/them via next train (and yes, airport's so big it needs its own subway system) in time for customs.
Shuttle to Renmin Daxue was one of the most surreal experiences or my life. I saw:
-A gov't ranger diligantly guarding birds' nests
-Group of construction workers in no shirts and b-ball shorts on jobsite fixing lamppost
-Strip mall w/logo, "Home of the World"
-Two boys playing volleyball with a basketball next to a sewer canal
-A man drive the perimeter of an entire square block in reverse
-etcetcetc all in that order

I'd heard Beijing was the "bicycle capital of the world," but could never have imagined the extant. Bikes literally almost outnumber cars. On the freeway. In fact about 5%!o(MISSING)f freeway traffic appears to be pedestrian.

This town seems more fresh, there's an actual breeze @ night Phx has no personality--some parts are lively but it doesn't live, like breathe and cry and fight back and sleep, like here like a living organism that thrives and suffers w/you

Everyone here is who they actually are is the feeling you get, good or bad.

That's the biggest difference--so much less pretension than stateside
the feeling is everyone's self-assured and unassuming and actual and...natural. Everyone acts the way they do b/c they are that way. Everything just self-exists here. I love it so far.

Renmin Univ. is huge, unimaginably huge campus, its own city. My dorm has two matching desk/dresser/bunk bed sets, 4th floor, right by shared bath. Everything's seperated into stalls (including showers) so it shouldn't be too bad.
"Sinking in" moment was turning key to enter my room in Beijing

Whole group went to late dinner on (trip lang. director) Pang Laoshi's treat--it was a feast. Chicken, duck, rice, dumplings, eggplant, tea, steamed mushroom breed i'd never tried (black, juicy, twisty Farfalle-shaped), celery salad, and that's only what I had room to try. Eating style is to order many dishes and everyone share on Lazy Suzans, and she ordered enough for whole group to take home leftovers.

Well my room mate and I are bone-tired w/8AM wakeup tomorrow, so zaijian until another day.


and now to add a little bit about today Sunday June 1

Spent morning being shown around campus w/Pang Laoshi, highlights include numerous cute markets, little hidden gardens on every corner (Beijing has a high cultural emphasis on gardens and flowers which I don't dislike), a student sports/rec center bigger by far than any I've ever seen, literally almost the size of, say, Fiesta Mall. On-campus outdoor booksale included analysis of Western philosophy written in Chinese characters, translated Hillary Clinton autobiography, as well as Book of Mormon. More curious cultural findings/local foibles...
--all hostesses bow excessively to all customers at all doors
--Saw a brightly-colored and adorably decorated animal hospital in town, since I guess pet illness is super-fun #1
--Saw a guy get his car stuck in an alley blocked off by concrete cones, get angry, and honk at the cones for a full minute
--you leave your shoes outside dorm rooms in little doorside cabinets, even the owner. Dorm provides you w/bath sandals for public baths. Use these every time, even just to go wash hands. I learned this the hard way.
--2.50yuan ($.36) toothpaste tubes, 4.80yuan ($.70) shampoo bottles, 21yuan ($3.04) electrical outlet power docks. I learned this the frugal way. And I'm glad I had foresight to exchang some American cash for RenMinBi @ airport.
--"Strazzies"...a little maroon-colored fruit w/the shape & texture of a strawberry, but tart-sweet taste of razzberry. Thus I call them Strazzies and they are glorious feats of nature
--many, many other customs/sights/experiences that i don't have time or room or gumption to list out here. Feel free to just ask for more stories in private though.

Later on went into town via shuttle so art students could buy supplies, everyone else got to explore streets of Beijing. Weather was absolutely perfect--apparantly summer is often a little too warm & humid, but today was perfect lovely temperate and breezy. Wes & spent time touristing around, lost in own thoughts, and got involved in one of the wackiest situations of my life and almost missed shuttle back. But this tale would much better be told in person, anyone curious is highly encouraged to remind me of it when I get back.

Lunch was Pang's treat, once again--where does she find these obscure places, and establish these deep-seeded culinary connections? Hot-pot joint in downtown Beijing, took us to 4 seperate individual back rooms and split us up in groups of 8. Style is like asian fondue, almost, shared boiling-hot stewing broth pots (spicy and tame) in middle of table, surrounded by various courses that you throw in as pleases and pull out w/chopsticks. Another enjoyable communal overindulgance. Food is much more of an event in this country, when you're a tourist anyways. Not wild about mutton, but tofu was delicious (esp. when spicy w/chili sauce), but unfortunately i had a bad chopstick reach-over once, dropping piece in my cup, subsequently sending hot tea into my eye. Table got a good laugh, and honestly i laughed too.
Also delicious were the semi-sweet bean dumplings w/sesame. Beijing more than makes up for airport's culinary inadequacies.

Later on in late afternoon/evening weather was still nice, so went on 2hr campus exploration w/some tripmates...the previously mentioned quirky art students, a philosophy major who brought her guitar as carry-on luggage, a middle-aged woman taking the same classes as me, and a Taiwanese kid named Tai (yes same pronounciation) who while on a student visa in America, is taking a study abroad trip to Beijing. He also ends every conversation with several friendly/reassuring pats on the shoulder and back. Bike-renting and a large group of racquetball enthusiats are now in the works.

Much more to tell but I plan to be up at 6 tomorrow for first day of class. Will probably most another (much smaller) entry afterwards tomorrow, viddy the pics 'til then, all

-Tye

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Photos

shuttle1
picture of entrance to Forbidden City from bus window (Hao busted his camera out too you may notice haha)

Hong Kong terminal 11
same old same new

BeijingAirport1
International terminal has undergone this beautiful architectual rennovation to stun and welcome Olympic visitors, check out the metal tapestry of a ceiling and sheer scope of human consctruction

BeijingAirport3
view from top of escalator

BeijingAirport4
Wacky floor-level cafe

Airport5
just cool

Airport6
lower level

Airport7
Technicolor airport flower garden

Dorm1
My room from doorway (i occupy left)

Dorm2
my cozy bunk

Dorm3
view of dorm hall rom outside (not of my room though--we're on 4th floor)

Renmin
one of many campus courtyards

Renmin2
campus library

Renmin3
group at outdoor book sale

hahaha
Single greatest street sign in human history. Look at it, consider it, and try to resist loving Beijing

shuttle1
Olympic "egg", amazing Beijing main stadium constructed just for '08 Games

shuttle3
bubbly Olympic swimming complex

shuttle4
Bubble & Egg in same shot

Comments

[Saili]

I'm so proud of you
Wow, yellow tube socks! You're flying in style now. It was so hard to drop you off at the airport, even though I couldn't wait to see you off on your adventure. You were so thrilled and energized. Toonces misses you already. So far I'm very impressed with Renmin. They contacted me before you did to let me know you arrived safely, give me your agenda and exact address/phone #. Not that I was worried. OK, I was concerned, I'm your Mom. As to your jetlag ramble; it's OK to be arrogant as long as you can back it up. Have fun, learn a lot, and watch your language in front of the cuties.

[dad]

very nice Tye
Tye thank you so much for taking all of the time you obviously did in letting us in on your journey and adventures. Thanks also for the pictures.It really helps to put things in perspective what you are experiencing. I dont think I am exaggerating when i say that you seem to have experienced more in 24 hours than we will prob. see and do all year. Amazing. keep the posts coming, as often as you can. i'm going to send you an envelope with some stuff. Sunday crossword, local sports page...stuff like that.anything nyou can think of you need? i'm so very proud of you Tye. Have fun. Dad.

[dad]

sent package
Sent you a package today Tye. Let me know what day it gets there so I know how long it takes. A few sections of the local Sunday newspaper including sports and crosswords, a CD for your listening pleasure from the vaults of Wonderland Records, a Peanut Butter Clif Bar and a few other oddities...enjoy!!!!!

[jacob]

tye!
dude, all of it looks so amazing, good luck with the cuties!