I’ve been in Beijing a couple of days now, and it already seems like I’ve been here a lot longer.   But first, let me start at the beginning…

Thursday February 19th                  8:35 am Charlotte            The Departure

The hardest part is leaving…I hope.  It was such a bittersweet moment boarding the plane.  Knowing that I had a new country—a new culture!—ahead of me, yet feeling a pang within my heart for the people that I’d left behind.  It’s just me now sitting alone in an airport waiting for my future to unwind.

Thursday February 19th                  11:35 am Chicago

With all the hustle and bustle in this airport, I had to take a moment for myself.  Viewing Chicago from the plan was magnificent.  It was like descending from the clouds into a city blanketed with snow.  I was as if I was fading in and out of a dream…well I did keep falling asleep during the landing.  Ducking beneath the clouds—playing peek-a-boo with the sky.  It was great!  Now I have a very long flight ahead of me.  I expected to be surrounded by adults on the flight, but it looks like a slew of high/middle schoolers will be rampaging through the plane.  I still don’t know where Adam is.  I don’t even know if he’ll be on my plane.  Also the pay phone took my money and wouldn’t let me call out.  Time to go back to the dungeon (the gate is dark and crowded) and it’s a bad time to get hungry…

I have no idea what the real time is or the location exactly.  Chicago time is 7:40 flight left at 12:33.  I feel like I’m chasing daylight which is disorienting me.  We crossed over the International Date Line a few minutes ago.  Estimated arrival is now around 3:30 scheduled arrival was 4:25.  According to the map, we’re crossing over the Arctic Ocean, and a body of land I cannot place in my mind’s map (sorry Mrs. Powell).  Did I mention that I did not sleep at all last night?  I took a ever so short cat nap driving to the airport, well riding with Chad, a nap going to Chicago, and I have no idea how long I slept on this plane…not enough is all I can say.  Oh, I think it’s Russia.  I received a lesson in using chopsticks from my neighbor.  I think I’ll try to read now.  Hopefully that will take up six hours.