Getting Ready for CHINA!

Wow, I feel so hip, young and trendy – I am blogging for the first time in my life. Being a recovering journalist I’ve always been interested in blogs and thought about starting one. What stopped me? I didn’t know what to write about. But now, finally, I have a really good topic. CHINA! In case I haven’t told you yet (which I can’t imagine that I haven’t since I’ve practically written it on my forehead), I am going to China. Again, for those of you who don’t know, I actually won a trip to China for nine days all expenses paid. Since my good fortune in acquiring this trip I’ve been researching and learning about the country. One of my first stops was Half Priced Books to purchase every travel book on China. I also purchased a CD that was supposed to help me “brush up” on my Mandarin Chinese. Unfortunately I think I’m only good at saying “hello” and even that is somewhat questionable. Thank God we have a translator who will be accompanying the group I going with.

So, that’s where this whole blog idea came about. I thought about uploading videos to Youtube while in China so my friends and family could see what I’m doing. But, of course, I have no idea how to even get the videos from my video camera to the computer (obviously I’m not technically inclined) and then I have no clue how to upload the video to youtube. I am on the hunt for an 8 year old to give me a tutorial. I was telling my new friend, Brindley, about this idea and she, being the hip, young and trendy person she is suggested I create a blog. So, here I am with a blog and I feel oh so cool.

OK, I will stop this stream of consciousness and give you the facts about my upcoming trip!

I leave for China November 6^th, well, sort of … I leave for Los Angeles November 6^th and from LAX I will catch a plane at 1:40 a.m. November 7^th for a direct flight to Beijing. The plane trip is probably the only part of my Chinese adventure that I’m not looking forward to. From what I understand, the trip is approximately 13 hours and includes movies with English subtitles, two dinners and a few snacks. I’m packing a several good books, comfortable clothing and sleeping pills!

I am traveling with the Santa Anna Chamber of Commerce. I am looking forward to meeting new friends and sharing Chinese experiences with them. From what I understand when we land in Beijing it will be noon. We will check in at the hotel and begin our adventure~

I will try to write … err…blog … everyday while in China. This, I think will be the easiest (and less expensive) way to communicate. I will get up every morning at 6 a.m. and go nonstop until about 8 p.m. So, I’ll try to keep this blog updated every night. Of course, it won’t be night in the United States. The time difference is so crazy. According to the worldtimeserver.com it is currently 8:34 a.m. Monday, November 3^rd and right now in Dallas Texas (Central Time Zone) it is 6:30 p.m. Sunday, November 2. Wild.

The time difference is not the only oddity I’ve found about China. What also blows my mind is the fact that I am going to a country whose history is thousands of years old. In Texas I thought the Alamo is old and historic and it’s less than 200 years old. I am about to see a culture and heritage that dates back to ancient times. Thinking about that almost makes my head hurt!

Some other interesting facts about China:

- The population of China according to a July 2006 estimate is 1,313,973,713. It is officially the most populated country in the world. The Chinese Government has adopted a "one child" policy in an effort to curb the high numbers. Unfortunately this also makes China one of the fastest aging countries.

- China has an obligatory Military service of 2 years for all men between 18 and 22. Women of the same age group are also recruited for specific military jobs.

- Ice cream was invented in China.

- Child Emperor Pu-Yi was the last imperial ruler of China in the period 1908 -1912. Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty was the only female Emperor of China.

Something else I thought was interesting – when exchanging dollars for the Chinese Yuan Renminbi that can only be done in China. And you are not allowed to take Chinese currency outside of the country and supposedly it is somewhat difficult to exchange Chinese money for American dollars. From what I’ve learned, most vendors take dollars, so I probably will just take cash and not worry about exchanging money.

Oh, and the food. I can’t wait to try something interesting. Although I’m preparing to eat some crazy food, it’s safe to say that I won’t pull an Andrew Zimmern and eat something totally gross. However, you know the saying – when in Rome … Well, modified – when in China …

So, OK, if you’re still reading this you obviously don’t have anything else to do! But I promise to post pictures and videos (if I can figure it out) and keep you updated on what I’m doing. It is an understatement to say that I’m completely excited about this trip and look forward to sharing my experiences with you!