Next Stop: 北京
Pre-Departure Nerves
In the weeks leading up to my flight to Beijing I was a nervous wreck. I would go from being really excited to terrified at the idea of not knowing what to expect. I was traveling to the other side of the world for half the year with my whole life packed into two suitcases. I’ll be completely honest, the closer the day of my flight drew near the more I didn’t want to leave. The only comfort I had was the 12-hour flight ahead to mentally prepare myself for what the next five months were going to bring by watching one too many movies.
As my departure drew closer I had always pictured myself being much happier about leaving the U.S. for five months. The Instagram pictures of students before me traveling around Europe and Asia during their time abroad did not prepare me for the hundreds of emotions I was feeling as I stepped off the plane in Beijing.
Arriving in Beijing
Leaving the airport was a bit of a shock to me. I was not prepared for the smog and humidity that greeted me. I followed some of my new classmates and staff from the Beijing Center to the bus (whom might I add were all complete strangers only an hour ago.) Aside from the weather it still had not hit me that I would be living in China for the next five months. It seemed as if I would go back home after a week or two and I would start classes at Loyola for the fall semester. It wasn’t until the bus drove us to the University of International Business and Economics and I walked into my dorm room that things began to sink in.
As soon as I put my things down into the small dorm room and met my roommate we were invited to a welcome dinner. Students and staff were sitting at round tables each with a Lazy Susan in the middle. Waiters began filling the turntables with huge dishes of different meats, vegetables, noodles and rice. The food looked delicious, but I was so jet-lagged and I will admit I was craving Giordano’s pizza after the airplane food I had. However, I attempted to pick up my chopsticks and try as much of the food as I could.
The next few days after the welcome dinner I was thrust into orientation activities to prepare us for the upcoming semester and classes. I was completely overwhelmed by all the new information on simple tasks like ordering food to-go and using WeChat to pay for just about everything. On top of that I was meeting new people from schools around not only the U.S., but the world. It was a little bit like being a freshman again, it was nice to get a fresh start.
To finish off orientation week, The Beijing Center arranged a field trip to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It was my first time off campus and exploring the city. Although it was raining that day, the popular tourist destination was buzzing with crowds of people from all over the world.
Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square was huge, yet our group stood out the most. Many locals came up to us and asked to take photos with us because a lot of them had never seen Americans before. It was fun feeling like a celebrity for a minute.
The Forbidden City was breathtaking. The detailed architecture and intricate, colorful designs were overwhelming. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. Each building housed something like clocks or religious symbols. The view from the grounds was just as stunning with mountains covered in lush, green foliage and pagodas dotted the perimeter.
As I began getting used to life in Beijing we were off again on another journey, this time along the Silk Road for two weeks. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into.
Stay tuned for two-weeks full of eating, shopping, camel riding and lots of hiking.
再见！