We began our trip in Seattle after Katie drove up to Pullman from Utah. We stayed with my cousins (Nathan and Emily Fitch) and Katie visited her brother the submariner. The Fitches were fantastic and I wish I could give them more than the 20 yuen fan bartered from a Chinese storekeep. On Monday we then flew to Chicago where my mother's extensive network of former voice students provided us with another wonderful place to stay. Thanks again Cameron and good luck with school!
On Tuesday/Wednesday we then flew to Shanghai from Chicago. The fourteen hour flight was made more than bearable with the help of empty nearby seats, on demand Tetris, and a fantastic selection of movies. American Airlines is a marvelous way to travel to China and I would recommend it to all those who wish to make the haul. They kept us well watered, fed, and comfortable.
It took a while for it to sink in that I was really halfway around the world. It was hard to tell at first. Everything wasn't upside-down as one would expect on the opposite side of the globe. Through the window of the airplane the same sun shone, the same lines stitched the runway, and the captain welcomed us to our new destination. The customs people greeted me in English and looked over my paperwork. It wasn't until I went to exchange money that I realized that I was in a completely different place.
I smiled at the man in the glass booth and slid my money through a little cage in the bottom of the counter. He wanted something else. What else did he need? I gave him the money, what more could he want? I give you the Benjamin's, and you give me the Maos. Dollars for Yuans. Apparently there was more to the equation and that's when I realized that I was in a different place. This was the first of many times that Katie became my voice. I needed to give him my passport first. Money was then exchanged and it finally sunk in that I it was going to be an interesting few weeks.
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