Following the Flag in China

I decided that 5 days was simply not long enough to negotiate the frustrations of independent travel in China, and signed on for the 5 day Semester at Sea Beijing and Xi'an Field Excursion. It was a lot of "on the bus, off the bus" flag following touring, which does not particularly meet my needs as a traveler most of the time, but was tolerable for the benefits it provided in not having too think too much simply to move from one place to another.

The great reward of traveling in a tour group is that I was able to become part of a mini-community within the bus load of people being herded from place to place. As a staff member I am discouraged from traveling independently with students -- liability issues, which I understand and support completely. Being on an SAS tour provided me an opportunity to share my travels with students, faculty, staff and life long learners (adult passengers who are not earning college credit) in a way I will never be able to do in all my independent travels in other ports. Now, whenever, any of us who became part of this mini-community see each other on the ship, there is a comfort and sense of belonging that can be difficult to find among a large group of people who have limited shared history. The additional funds I spent to participate in the tour were well-worth the relationships that were built over those five days.

It is difficult to try to make sense out of a country in only five days, so I hesitate to make any grand remarks about my experience in China. It is also challenging to try to shift from being in Japan to being in China in two days. What I can say, is that China appeared to be far less structured than Japanese society (not surprising). I did not feel overly welcomed in China, nor did I feel any overt displeasure regarding my presence. Considering the population of China, I anticipated it would feel even more crowded than it did. Our tour guide, Nancy, in Beijing told us that rush hour begins at 8:00 am and ends at 10:00 pm every day. Traffic was daunting, but I did not feel crowded in the streets walking from place to place.

As many of you know, I do not enjoy Chinese food in the USA all that much, and found this to be true in China, too. Without a doubt the best meal we enjoyed was our Peking Duck dinner upon arrival in Beijing. Air is blown under the skin of the duck, which helps make the skin extra crispy when it is cooked. The duck was sliced thin and then we were instructed to roll it with scallions and sauce -- delicious! What struck me as most interesting at meals in China, however, was learning that water cost more than soda or beer. Soda and beer were often included in our meals, but water had to be purchased.

More on China to come...