Beijing : Day 1

My host parents

At around 4 am our parents and siblings stand with us until the bus comes to take us to the airport. It's a sort of emotional morning because we are sad to leave our host families, but happy to be seeing another part of China. My sister looks like she's going to cry so I give her a hug before I go. In all honesty, I want to cry too. The bus pulls off and my family watches me wave to them from the window. It's a hard feeling, but I know there's so much more to come; no need to be sad about the transition.

The flight lands in Beijing at around 11 am. This is definitely the most diversity that I have seen in 6 weeks. This flight is full of people from different walks of life-Europe, Portugal/Brazil, India, China, etc. I know the lack of diversity has made me become more diversity sensitive. The joyous sensation I feel when seeing other foreigners is really something beyond compare. The minute I step outside the airplane, I  immediately notice the heavy smog. It's thick so I can't really see through it, but I can definitely feel it burning my chest every time I try to inhale. I miss Xiamen already. We go to eat lunch and the food was sooo good. I start to like Beijing a little more.

Inside the Bird's Nest

 We go to the Olympic Park and go inside the "Bird's Nest". It was humongous and so surreal to be standing, sitting, and running in the same facility of that of legendary athletes. We also go to the "Water Cube" and get to see where Michael Phelps officially became the fastest swimmer in the world. It is the greatest feeling when all the history books and former current event assignments suddenly come to life.

The people of Beijing don't stare at me as intensely as the people of Xiamen, but that's because Beijing is used to foreigners. It's no longer shocking or attention worthy, however, I did snap a few pictures with some diversity fans.

Beijing is different. It's faster pace and more business-y than Xiamen. It's a new place with great food...I think I'm going to like it here ^_^

P.S. My friend's sister told my friend that she enjoyed watching me dance because I showed her that people don't have to be skinny to dance. She said that she liked my piece because it was unique and special<3