Friday, July 20, 2007

Photos from China

Here is part one of my photographs from my time in China. :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/jgtravels/China

Also, I'll be uploading the rest of my journal in the very near future.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Friday Jun 15 5:30pm China Time

Due to technical difficulties I'm retyping this from my palm pilot...

On the plane, just ate the last meal before landing, it was some chicken and rice, and it was the most amazing fruit I've possibly ever had. It was delicious. Back to the flight, it was rough at first, I was feeling nauseau and had a migraine which came about as I panickly searched for an airsickness bag. The plane is packed and to my surprise it is a double decker. I didn't eve know double decker planes existed. I only knew of double deckers in London and NYC and those are buses.

While at the airport we searched for a restaurant to have a "good meal" - no such thing existed. We ate at the Brooklyn Beer Garden, which I kept referring to as the Boston Beer Garden. My lunch consisted of an english muffin style pizza - 2 to be exact, a budlight and a water - totalling $16. They didn't even have burgers, which is what I was craving. However, it was nice none the less, as we sat talking, getting to know one another better.

A little more fun stuff about the plane, they've changed the fabric of the blankets since the last time I flew, now it consists of a rough wool like material, I'm convinced they don't want people stealing them, hence the material is sandpaper thick. I'm too lazy at the current time to reach into my bag and get my soft polar fleece like blanket.

On the headrests, i'm already noticing big marketing differences. For example, there is an advertisement that consists of English letters and Chinese Characters. A good majority of the plane is of chinese decent. We have already become the minorities (and I'm perfectly okay with that!) The stewardness are all bilingual and look like they are also of chinese descent.

Reality is kicking in, I'll be in China walking around in just a few hours.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

chinese characters

well, if the previous post is posted in chinese characters - my apologies.

Day 4 in china and all is well - done so much, seen so much, ate so much.

I just wanted you all to know all is well - I will write more when i have more time. :)

-Jeannie

Made It!

I made it, and I'm currently in Suzhou, I've seen amazing - wonderful things.

I'm getting ready for class, and I will write more soon. I just wanted all to know, all is well with me here in China!

-Jeannie

Friday, June 8, 2007

Personal Preconceptions ~ China

So, it's official, in less than one week I'll be on a plane headed to the otherside of the world, headed to Asia, more specificially, China.

For the past two months I find myself constantly daydreaming about my next trip, a trip that means so much to me, a trip to China.

I wonder what the population will be like, how will people respond to me - will it be like when i was in Sri Lanka - where children had never seen a white person before? - where they stared at me - as if i was an unknown species. I don't expect the same strong reaction; however, I expect a sense of unfamiliarity.

What will the food be like - will the "american version" absolutely be terrible when i get home? Will it be impossible to find mac & cheese? Will the street food be the best? As much as I'm told the street food is so great, there's a bit of hesitation in me, as in my travels, street vendors are sometimes frowned upon, for lack of sanity, and so I wonder what the conditions will be like in PRC. On a lighter note, I'm planning on improving my chop-stick skills.

What will the streets be like, will there be clutter and disoray at all hours, will there be peak times like "our" 9&5? Will i ride a bicycle on the streets, with 2000 other people at the same time? I envision NYC's Time Square at rush hour, yet only with bicycles and ten times more the smog.

When i begin to giggle, will I pick up customs like coverin my mouth to be polite?

I wonder what the bathrooms will consist of - trust me, i've seen some weird ones - from Kosovo, Kuwait and Bulgaria.

I'm looking forward to the Great Wall of China, just like I dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower - I wonder if the pictures in the chinese food restaurants will have done it justice? I cried when I saw the Eiffel Tower because I never dreamed of making it there - and well, for the fact that it was such a beautiful monument, what effect will the great wall have on me?

As we travel throughout China, I'm truly hoping to gain the most from all my experiences, be it casual conversation, to people watching locals, to seeing the reaction to my classmates as some enter into foreign territory for the first time.

As a business major, with great interest in International Studies, this is the ultimate trip. I see China as the Manufacturing Headquarters of the World - there isn't much that I own that wasn't made in China, and to have the opportunity to visit, and see what the business environment is like, is just amazing.

Oh, I'm hoping for such a beautiful experience.