EXCERPT: Beijing may be all about business and sightseeing during the day, but the city changes into a creature of bright lights and cool bars once the sun sets. The bars and clubs are endless, but one area our group has found to be the ultimate chill spot, if not also the most touristy, is Hou Hai, a small lake situated in Beijing’s northwest region of Haidan. It’s a 10-minute cab ride from our hotel...
EXCERPT: While Matt, my roommate in Beijing, and I emerged from the metro station outside Tiananmen Square, a young Asian girl followed closely behind. She startled me by speaking in English. “Hello. Are you American?” EXCERPT: As we passed through another ancient Chinese archway, smoke filling the air, my roommate Matt turned to me, saying “You know, I never thought I’d say this while in Beijing, but I love this smell..." EXCERPT: On the way to the subway station two blocks from our hotel, we’ve passed a restaurant where amazing smells escape onto the sidewalk as we pass. After an afternoon of sightseeing, my roommate, Matt, and I decided to stop and try the local cuisine. We looked at a menu before committing to the restaurant... EXCERPT: The first definitive Chinese structure I saw was the Temple of Heaven. Now I felt like I was in China... We had been told by our China Daily hosts that the best time to go to the Olympic Sports Center was at night. The area, especially the Water Cube where American Michael Phelps won gold medal after gold medal, would be nicely lit. EXCERPT- I was showering when the phone rang. It had just passed 9 a.m. Since arriving in Beijing, I was asked to take my temperature before 9 and before 3 in the afternoon, followed by a call to one of the China Daily workers to report the thermometer reading. Today, I had taken my temperature but not made the call – the China Daily person was in Shanghai and told me to just keep track myself. EXCERPT: It’s not the best time to be an American in China, and when you’re me, it’s even worse. While the people are more than friendly, the swine flu (AH1N1) has made some Beijing locals less than willing to interact with foreigners...
EXCERPT: SOMEWHERE OVER CANADA – I was halfway through my Beijing travel book when the stewardess tapped me on the shoulder.
"Ni hao” she said with a typical stewardess smile, and asked what beverage I preferred. Coke, no ice – my Bondian equivalent of a martini shaken-not-stirred. I’m very particular. Then, without warning, the unthinkable happened. I sneezed. It was the kind of sneeze where a few particles slip through your fingers and land on whatever’s in front of you – in my case, the travel book... ABSTRACT--- After the initial euphoria that I would be spending the summer in China had run its course, the realities of the situation set in.
As I mentioned before, the internship is unpaid... |
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