March 1, 2008

We made it to China! Yesterday was definitely a long day of traveling. We woke up at 5:30 a.m. Sydney time (2:30 a.m. Beijing time) and were up until 12:30 a.m. Beijing time. I took a few naps on the plane, but felt like a zombie for most of the day. On the flight from Sydney to Shang'hai, I read through the Analects of Confucius for my Area Study class. I enjoyed reading it and got some further insights into Chinese culture. There is still much to think about and digest.

When we got to the Shang'hai airport, I was determined not to make the same mistake I made last time I was in Shang'hai - spending $7 on coffee and buying bottled water (neglecting to see the free filtered water stand). This time, I bought an orange juice for 6 qui ($1 USD) and filled up by water bottle for free. I was happy with the improved airport experience.

This morning for breakfast, Katie and I didn't have anything else in our room besides a package of oreos. Since our group wasn't planning to meet until noon, we demolished an entire sleeve of them... right before Brent called us to see if we wanted to go get some fresh fruit from one of the street vendors. The oreos weren't very satisfying, so we were quite excited to get some fresh fruit. Already I love China - the food and the cheapness! We bought several mandarin oranges, five bananas, and a freshly cut pineapple all for less than $3 USD! It was a lovely breakfast.

We also went to a market today. I needed a new journal and found one for 12 qui - less than $2! It's a very pretty Chinese looking one, which I was excited about. I also bought a little notebook to write down Chinese phrases that I will need to remember.

Before going to bed, I was brushing my teeth and forgot that I wasn't supposed to drink the water. I was a little nervous before going to bed, but I realized my Father is bigger than water (especially since He created it). So, I think I'll be okay...