Ni Hao

Hello from Beijing!

Yesterday (Friday) I landed safely around 2:30 in the afternoon, which is very early in the morning back at home. I got to our hotel around 6pm, grabbed dinner in our lobby (for 16 yuan which equals only a little more than $2), and then headed to a local park where there were huge TV screens set up that were showing the Opening Ceremonies. It was incredible to watch such a wonderful event with the locals and see how proud they were of their country! They should be extremely proud of their city and country; everything looks gorgeous. No matter where you go colorful banners and flags line every street, sidewalk, and indoor facility.

The Chinese people are very different from Americans. A lot more aggressive! Just waiting in line to get to the park last night I was almost stampeded over and really had to hold my own. I thought New Yorkers were tough...they have nothing on the Chinese! The spitting in public thing has decreased a lot, from what I've heard, but it still surprises me to see it when it happens. Just this morning at breakfast a man was sitting waiting for his food and spit on the floor. I guess this is normal behavior, but I definitely need to be extra careful where I step.

Because the air is so thick and heavy, it's hard to stay outside for too long. It's like Boston on it's worst day, but instead it lasts for the entire day, even all through the evening, and breezes are rare. A lot of the places I've been to inside are AC, but even that is not something that can be taken for granted. The lobby of the airport as well as the hotel lobby aren't air conditioned. As far as pollution goes, I really haven't seen any of the brown skies that I have read about. Right now it's just hazy, but so are a lot of places in August.

Despite being 1 of 600 athletes from the US, Gerek still made his way onto the China TV broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies! As the cameras were quickly panning the American athletes, we all saw Gerek's profile for maybe 10 seconds, but it was enough for us all to get very excited!

This weekend will be mainly used to visit all the touristy destinations. I'm not sure of our exact itinerary, but I will keep you posted.