Before leaving for China I was not very well informed about living conditions and customs of the Chinese people. The type of government and level of technology the people of China use was a real shocker for me. As soon as we touched down in Beijing I was overwhelmed by the massive and technological wonder that is Beijing International Airport. The kiosks where newer and more advanced than those in Chicago or Kansas city, the systems  used to check luggage and flight arrivals where automated, and the whole airport was designed for efficiency.  Unexpectedly, the customs officers where strict but kind and moved us through the process quickly.  I expected strict but kind was sort of a surprise.  After leaving the airport we were meeting by a man who would act as our guide for the trip. His name was Lee he had perfect English, both in pronunciation and in grammar. Lee took us to our hotel and got us checked in. The hotel rooms where amazing and very western, with a couple exceptions like the windows from the main room to the bathroom. Early the next morning we were meet by Lee for some sightseeing. On the way to the temple of the heavens we drove through Beijing. The true duality of the city of Beijing was immediately apparent. There where ancient temples butted up to the most modern skyscrapers I have ever seen. We saw people riding bikes that where grossly overloaded with goods for local markets sharing the roads with brand new German luxury cars. The division between rich and d poor was extremely clear by this example.  The visit to the temple was very neat but not very surprising, things where old and beautiful, but I expected that.

The following day we left for Xi’an to meet with students from Northwest Polytechnic University. The students we meet where very excited to talk with us. We were the first native English speakers that they ever had a chance to converse with so we spent several hours helping them practice there English. We checked into the hotel on campus, it was a stark contrast to the modern and clean Beijing hotel.  The rooms where very, very small and had only a couple hours a day that you were allowed to use hot water.

               Xi’an was a true cultural experience; we took in some of the local sights like the terracotta warriors and the wild goose pagoda. The meals where the average Chinese students fair, although it was tasty it was very small portions and had a ring of weird to it. Everything was spicy and full of vegetables.  The toilets were nothing like I had ever seen before; they were merely holes in the ground with a drain attached.

We spent the next couple days at the new campus for NPU meeting with students and learning about the Chinese way of life. I was surprised by the amount of freedom the average Chinese person had as well as the belief in capitalism. The English skills of the NPU students are on par with those of the average US student. This was an eye opening revelation for me and the other on the trip with me.   Over this entire trip opened my eyes to the world and to my own ignorance of other parts of the globe. I am enrolling in the Chinese language course for next semester and will possibly be looking at doing an exchange program with NPU.