Flight of the Bumblebee

I arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon around 2:00 P.M. (Beijing time), 2:00 A.M. (Boston time). The flight felt quicker than I'd expected, though it was definitely thirteen and a half hours long. The first word that came to mind was "elation," when nobody took the seat next to me. I spread myself out and enjoyed a cramp-free ride! Cocktails are free on international flights, and I discovered that they had tiny, adorable bottles of amaretto, so a flight attendant and I cooked up a delicious new cocktail: amaretto, orange juice, and sprite. It was a tasty accompaniment to the mysterious chicken-beef that they served us. I slept through most of the flight, waking only to eat the three strange meals (one of which was called "Noodle Service,") and to read a bit more of The Beautiful and Damned. I fell asleep for the final time and woke up when we landed in Beijing. It's a strange feeling, waking up in an entirely new place than the one in which you started.

We arrived at the dorm around 4:30, and settled into our rooms quickly. My room is apparently one of the larger ones, with a pretty atrium-type thing on the back, that overlooks the gardens and tennis courts. The shower is amazing. It's a spigot on the ceiling, and it's next to the toilet, with nothing separating the two. There's no ledge or anything, so the entire bathroom floor gets soaked when someone's showering. The water pressure is FANTASTIC (it feels like a massage), and Crysty and I discovered that the toilet is actually pretty handy when shaving. We took a tour of the campus around 5:15, and I had my first meal in China at 6:00. I'm still not entirely sure what it is that I ate, as nobody spoke English and the signs were in Chinese characters (which I know nothing about!). I had a strange grape milk bubble tea, which was tasty and not what I thought I ordered.

I'm not sure if it is so gray here due to the pollution or the fog. It's unbelievably humid, and I've come to terms with the fact that my hair will be curly the majority of time that I'm here.

We are having our first lecture on the history and customs of Beijing today, so I will update later on what I've learned! After that, we'll be having a tour of the surroundings of the college, and then I'll receive a SIM card for the cell phone I don't have yet. :)

Tomorrow is a free day, so I'm planning on going to Watsons drug store to pick up a few essentials. After that, we're going to probably disband into groups to go sightseeing at a few local interests. I'll update as soon as I have more to say!

I am thrilled to be here, and hardly slept a wink last night. I was up at 6:00 this morning, partially due to the time change, and partially due to sheer excitement. I can't wait for what happens next.