I haven’t packed anything yet, I have just found out I have a hole in my sandals and I can’t find my tweezer but everything is under control. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. But my packing, that is.
Beijing, here I come. Or rather, Toronto, Helsinki and then Beijing here I come. You didn’t think it was gonna be that easy, did you? We are first taking the Greyhound to Toronto (no jokes please!). From Toronto, we will be flying to Helsinki, Finland and staying there for a day. We will then fly from Helsinki to Beijing. A mere two days trip (remind me to pack deo).
This week was of course extremely busy at work and I had to teach till the last minute. I had to run a lot of small errands but couldn’t find the time… so I ended up giving a test to my students yesterday morning to pop into the bank (conveniently located on Bank Street). Traveler Cheques, checked. Notice my bank I’m going to China (hint: don’t flag my credit card because you see someone using in in Beijing), checked. Deposit my latest paycheck, checked. I had never been that efficient.
I had ordered three books from Amazon.ca earlier this week and I was amazed to see they were delivered within 48 hours. Wow! I got Fractured (Karin Slaughter), Secret of a Shoe Addict (Beth Harbison) and The Third Victim (Lisa Gardner). One day I’ll tell you about my book addiction. I’m this weirdo who read a book a day…
I have been to China four times in total: twice as a summer student in 1999 and 2000, once to work in Hong Kong (2001) and once for a week-long stopover on my way to New Zealand. Last time I was in Beijing, I was 16. Long time ago…
I can still remember how dazed and confused I was when I arrived at the airport. I was all by myself, my first “big” trip. I was attending summer classes at university even though I hadn’t completed high school then. As my then-boyfriend has grumpily noticed, I was “doing everything backwards”. I guess I still do in a way. Yet, I had loved the country, the culture, the experience. I was alone so I had to try to understand what was going on around me, I had to communicate with people, I had to understand how it worked. Eventually, my life was greatly influenced by the trip. I discovered I didn’t want to live in France and that I didn’t have to if I didn’t want it. That I could find true freedom when traveling. I discovered the world wasn’t as threatening and as dangerous as I had been told. This trip also of course led to a lot of late night Pink Floyd’s lyrics study (“we’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl...”) and an almost lethal dose of U2 (“and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…“). But I traveled a lot the following years and I have never regretted making the decision of going to China.
I’m a grown up now (I like to think so anyway) and I can’t wait to see Beijing through new eyes. Now matter what people say about China, the country is still fascinating to me. It underwent so many changes I bet I can barely recognize it. There are many myths about China and I hope I can show you another side of the country, a side where people do talk about politics, try to make their lives better by educating themselves about the world, where people joke and make fun of their country as well as themselves.
I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be able to do but I’ll try to post pictures like I did when I was in France. Don’t expect me to comment to much on your blogs in the next few weeks but I will definitely check my feeds. And I will be back in September.
On my way to bed and then to middle earth! See you soon guys!
Have a good and safe trip and lots of fun
Have a safe trip and have fun.
Sounds ace! Have a great time. And pack a toothbrush and spare underwear for your flights out ;))
Looking forward to your photos.
Lis of the Norths last great read…Fat bottomed girls you make the rockin world go round
Have a fun trip in Beijing! Hopefully you’ll be able to catch the Closing Ceremony!
Hey, have fun! Not sure if you will be able to blog while in China; I wasn’t able to access Blogger from Beijing when I visited earlier this year.
Shantanus last great read…Alexander’s Steak House
Enjoy! Hoping you have a beautiful time with pics to prove it! 🙂
Scarlets last great read…trash talk
@Shantanu
Blogger is unblocked now,But can not access feedburn at the moment.
Heyy have fun! Have a lovely trip…………Keep us posted 🙂
Take care,
Holy crap! Have fun Zhu! I can’t wait for the pictures!
Ghostys last great read…A Life Is Still A Life
Yay! I find it a little odd for you to fly via the Atlantic and the Eurasian continent to Beijing, rather than going via the Pacific. But then, I suppose since it is exactly on the opposite side of the planet, it doesn’t matter.
I thought before that you were heading to Beijing to see the whole duration of the games, but apparently not. What events are you attending?
Linguist-in-Waitings last great read…Losing my R and Inhaling Molecules
Hey Girl!
Have a safe trip!!! Have fun! Behave lol!
We will talk in September then! 😀
Bisous
Max Coutinhos last great read…By fair means or foul
Yo bet you are gonna have a good time…have fun and can’t wait to see your pics and encounters.
Be safe and enjoy Zhu 😀
Sounds like that could be a bit of a long tiring journey!
Anyway, have a good time Zhu and hope you enjoy yourself!
Look forward to seeing the photos too 🙂 .
Aidans last great read…Re-Design Part 2.
Have a nice trip! Stumbled to share with the world.
I’m semi back and now you are gone xD Enjoy the trip Zhu!!!
Aiglees last great read…Scene card
Sounds fantastic. Hope you are enjoying it a lot!
Don’t worry about the trip back, at least the planes will be air-conditioned 🙂 I just did 24 hours on a ferry deck, now that was a different story..!
Lizs last great read…Gourmet eating in Spain