It has been quite a while since I last wrote. I have been many places, and like always I am not quite sure where to start in trying to explain it all. Meaning, I will probably ending up writing about it all in the most non-sequential, rambling, and confusing way possible. I will also probably embarrass myself by showing how I have lost the ability to speak English correctly, or even to realize when I am not speaking correctly. So, sorry. I am going to start actually saying something now.
My parents are here! They are actually here, in Beijing, in our hotel room, in their beds, sleeping right now. It is really bizarre, but also really fun to have them here. They got here on the 20th, which was a crazy day. Sarah and I made good use of our morning, eating two solid meals, going to a temple and a park, and doing some last minute bargain-shopping before I sadly had to bring Sarah to the airport. A quick run-down of some of Sarah and my last week's highlights include visiting the Terracotta Warriors, hiking to the biggest Buddha in the world that is carved into a mountain, being treated to a dinner of beef and yak butter tea by a Tibetan Monk, and of course...feeling our hearts melt at the sight of snuggly baby pandas. I was really sad to see Sarah go. I wanted to force her to stay by confusing her by making her agree to things in Chinese, but I didn't.
Within an hour of Sarah's departure from my life, my exhausted, overwhelmed, but also smiling parents emerged from the magical arrival gate at the Beijing International Airport. I allowed them no down time before I swiftly shoved them onto Chinese public transportation, then forced them to drag their suitcases up many flights of stairs, and finally shoved them into a taxi where they were exposed to their first taste of Beijing opera music...a genre that to the western ear is somewhat less than melodious. But they did great. They have proved themselves adaptable and hearty, especially since Beijing has decided that it is a good idea to be so cold that being outside is kind of like hiking through the arctic tundra. We have eaten a lot of good food and I think my parents have already learned the difference between Jiaozi (dumplings) and Baozi (steamed buns). I am very impressed.
We have seen the sights in Beijing and tomorrow we make a quick trip to the Great Wall before getting on a plane to Kunming, where I will be living for the next six months. From Kunming I take my parents trekking through the beautiful wilderness for a week. I think it will be great, as long as my dad can deal with no ESPN and my mom can deal with no western style toilets. Even faced with such huge adversities, I think it is amazing that they are here and that I can show them around in this country that I have come to feel pretty comfortable in over the past five months.
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