Summer of Service

Chiiiiinnnaaaa! Just got in yesterday and it feels good to be back. Jean, Daniel, Ashley, Leslie and I spent yesterday walking around Beijing and doing some all important errands: cell phones, money exchange, embassy registration, and buying sweet fake NBA jerseys. We also had a bit of time to wander around the hutong, Beijing's dilapidated network of alleyways that is home to many of the city's residents. We met a talking bird, a bunch of stray dogs that looked scared out of their minds, and an old Chinese man that followed us around saying "meiguo hao, meiguo hao" (America is good, America is good).

We had quite a few taxi rides yesterday and we were able to get a sense of the city's development. Beijing is rapidly preparing for the Olympics, and completely new districts seem to sprout up overnight. Every other block is a major construction project. The city itself is separated into rings surrounding Tiananmen square and the Forbidden city (like planetary orbits in the solar system, if you can picture it), and an entire ring has been added over the past year and a half, expanding the city miles outward in all directions. Beijing is a city of opposites; multimillion dollar office buildings shadow the rundown hutongs, rich CEOs work only minutes away from people struggling to get by, and traditional Chinese architecture is blended together with modern skyscrapers. In a many ways, Beijing's development is microcosm of China's development as a nation. As it develops, the city and the country struggle to preserve traditional culture and raise the standard of living for all its residents, not just the fortunate few.

Ok enough of that. The rest of the group comes in tonight. Looking forward to seeing everyone and perhaps catching the US soccer game at a local bar.

Quote of the Day: (translated) "US soccer is terrible. The only thing worse than US soccer is Chinese soccer" - Beijing cab driver

- Rory