How have you been?

I realize that in almost every post I end up apologizing for the long lapse between entries. I'll do the same now, since it has been going on 2 months now. My apologies!!!

Well, I recently returned from my Wacky Chinese Adventure; one week in Beijing and one week in Shanghai. I had wanted to get a little further south, but the tickets were unavailable due to the Chinese New Year. I was travelling alone, also not my original plan, but things worked out.

China. I've wanted to go for many years now. Growing up going to school in the Midwest (I'm biased, but truly the best educational foundation you can ask for) I know a bit about history and geography. We learn about American history starting early in grade school. European history follows shortly thereafter. We learn about Sumeria, Egypt, Carthage, Rome, Alexandria, London, Paris, Moscow, and Berlin. We read about the pyramids, the Battle of the Bulge, the Crusades, the Inquisition, various monarchies, and countless other famed historical events. World history in junior high branches out a bit; a little Africa, a little Asia, but very little. Come high school, electives come into play. If you don't want to take any history or geography beyond the basics, you don't. In college, sociology is about the closest anyone ever gets to history unless your major calls for it. So............one of the most prolific, most documented, and longest lasting cultures in the world remains a mystery.

What do you know about China? Maybe a lot, but I'm guessing not much. No offense. I don't either. We know that Beijing is a big city. There are a zillion Chinese people. Their script looks like.....Chinese! They hosted the Olympics last year. They are communist. They have a big wall. Kung Pao Chicken is yummy. If you are older than 26, you may know that they just got Hong Kong back from the British. If you read the news, you may know that they have some serious milk and lead paint issues. They had some horrific earthquakes last year. Does that about cover it? Probably.

Don't get me wrong. I'll travel anywhere. I want to go to Paris and Adelaide and Rome and Oslo and anywhere else you'd like to send me. I am not well-travelled, and I'd love to remedy that. But if I had to prioritize.....I guess I'd first want to see things that I've never seen. Not in textbooks. Not on TV. Not in movies starring Ralph Fiennes or Emma Thompson. I want to see those unknown things that I've never seen. I want to learn things that I never would have known. A beach is beautiful and warm and wonderful, but spending a week on one won't make me grow as a person. It won't show me a world I've never seen. It won't open my eyes to a completely new point of view.

I loved China. I didn't know what to expect, so each day was like a little adventure. What food will I find? Where will I go? What kind of people will I meet? Oddly enough, I found China to have quite a few similarities to the US. People seemed very down to earth, unlike Korea. There are all sorts of people there; little skater punks, clubbing 24-year-old girls, overbearing parents, dads shopping with a papoose on their backs, 33-year-old moms with pink hair.

Maybe it seems silly to say that people there are people, but that's not what most people in the US think of when they imagine life in China. Communist China is not like the stories we've all heard of Communist Russia. There is virtually no "communism" evident at all in everyday life. They have jobs, stores, groceries, buses, and everything else we have. They don't have as much money as we do, but things don't cost nearly as much either. Most of my dinners included a big plate of delicious, spicy chicken and peanuts and a big beer for about 2-3 US dollars. And keep in mind, that's eating out.

Now I do know that saying that all of China equals Beijing/Shanghai is like saying that all of America equals New York/Los Angeles. They do have their own melting pot going on; over 40 different "races" make up the country. Many different dialects. Different economies. Different everything.

The specifics? I talked on my cellphone while walking on the Great Wall. I wandered around the Forbidden City. I was accosted by peddlers of all sorts while shopping on Wangfujing and East Nanjing Streets. I ate some delicious food on a stick while taking in the amazing view at the Bund. I stood in the center of Tienamen Square, nary a tank in sight. I played in a Texas Hold-Em cash game with an international cast at a bar in Shanghai. No, I didn't win. I used my Google research skills to head off about half a dozen scam artists. (after thinking about it, it really didn't upset me so much. if they end up scamming $40 from me, I would be a little perturbed while they would be able to buy groceries for 2-3 months. can you blame them?) I met a great, new Chinese friend, Evy, who became and remains a wonderful source of information and advice.

I could write for days about each singular day that I spent there, but that's all I have for now. My battery is low and the time is late. Sometimes I forget that I actually have a "job" to wake up for.

Take care! Love you all and I'll drop a line soon.

~tony

ps. I'm going back to China asap! :)