Day 1

I left for the Newark Airport at around 9:30am and got there in half an hour, give or take. I checked in my baggage and said good-bye to my dad at the gate. I almost cried when I waved good-bye to my dad because the reality of traveling by myself for the first time hit me. Even though I travelled without any family last summer to Tanzania and Zanzibar, I had the comfort of knowing that Professor Bender and Tamra were with me. However, I walked into the check point without knowing anyone from the program and hoped for the best. I quickly found gate 108 as the signs were quite clear at the airport. I stopped by for some earl grey tea at a coffee shop because I was feeling particularly nostalgic in regards to my coffee dates with Tricia and Jo. I sat down at the waiting area of gate 108, where there were families going back to see their relatives, foreign students like me, who are visiting and studying abroad among other people. I did not really meet anyone until I was on line to board the plane. On the plane, I also got to meet two guys in the program who happened to sit near me. I also bonded with a father and daughter who sat next to me in a three seater in the middle of the plane. The 14 hour plane ride was not too bad. I probably got approximately an hour of sleep (which totally sucked) and watched a few movies including:

1) Three Kingdoms with Andy Lau and Sammo Hung
2) Taken with Liam Neeson
3) Chocolat with Johnny Depp (loved this movie!)
4) Champion with Dicky Cheung

The last hour of the ride was quite bumpy and turbulent. I got a bit anxious, but alas, Continental did not disappoint me with its wonderful landing. However, my biggest complaint was a fat lady stewardess who was extremely bitchy and the awful food.  As I already have a weak stomach, eating bad plane food did not help. I think they spent all the money on the gourmet Hagen Daaz vanilla ice cream that they served. Personally, I would have preferred better food, but that’s just me! Anyway, Beijing is not a pretty site right now. It is overcast, foggy and smoggy. It’s not too hot or humid right now, but the air is definitely thick and dense. I’ve been having difficulty breathing and adjusting to the air. I really hope that goes away soon. After we landed, 4 other guys and I found each other, but no one else from the program. We assumed we were being picked up at 5:15pm (it was 2ish at the time) and we did not want to wait. So we decided to take a minivan taxi to the university instead of wait for a few hours. It was quite a long ride and it was difficult to see, but it was fun, nonetheless. I have an awesome floor, but it’s only temporary because we’re staying at the East Gate Dormitory for a week and then moving to the West Gate Dorm (which I heard is much nicer) and is suite style (so more fun too). My roommate, Patina is really nice. She’s from Columbia University, as most students in this program are. Like myself, she is also Cantonese. The rest of the day consisted of attempting to get my GSM phone to work (which it didn’t), getting internet (only available in the hallway, where I am now), showering, eating dinner and most of all socializing. There are 80 people in the program so we’ve been trying to remember each other names. The dinner was pretty terrible. Since we are being quarantined for a week, we have been asked to eat within the dorm. We got “take out food” which pretty much looks like airplane food/lean cuisine-like. I wanted to study for my placement exam tomorrow morning, but I’m simply exhausted. They tell you in the handbook that you will get hot water for your shower. What they didn’t tell you is that you only get it during specific times of the day. For example, I wanted to take a shower last night at like 9pm because I was gross from the flight. I had to shower in freezing cold water. I shivered my way through it. It was miserable. I thought I was done with cold showers in Tanzania, but apparently not! I hope this changes when we move to the West Gate Dorm because I will not be a happy camper if I have to go through cold showers everyday especially because the rooms are air-conditioned. It makes the experience quite miserable. Anyway, I’m off to sleep so I will blog again later! 再见！