A quick word

Saturday,

My sleeping is all messed up. I wish I could be strong, like the others, and battle through till a decent hour like 8 or 9 pm. I wish that I had held to my plans tonight, meet in the lobby at 6, go to China Mobile, get a phone, go get a fabulous Chinese dinner, instead of: falling into bed at 5 for a “nap” then wordlessly frantically shooing away my friends when they came to wake me and snuggling deeper into my pillows only to wake up at 9, having missed it all. And that would also explain why I’m wide awake at 3 am. I have GOT to get better at this.
So, about China. First of all I can’t believe I’m here. And secondly I really should stop saying that aloud, because apparently I’m the only one in this group who hasn’t been before so then they look at me with shocked expressions: you’ve never been to China?! And then will follow, “Have you ever been on an international flight?! Do you ever leave the country? Have you left South Carolina before?!!! As if not being to China and not leaving the farm are distinctly connected. So, I try not to mention this too much, and if I do I might say, Wow China sure is different from Thailand! You know, my OTHER world travel trip, just to go ahead and cut the crap quick.
China to me, is a little like a slightly more cartoonish world. Well, obviously it’s more than that, it’s a major world power, with some very intimidating buildings, and very important people, but all that aside it really is very much like a cartoon. Firstly, it might be because “Haibao” the little Expo mascot is plastered up on walls everywhere, his bright blue toothpaste self smiling down at me from every spare inch of China. Or the fact that over here it is perfectly normal to have signs in round, pink lettering, on a little squat convenience store, lining a little squat street that all also have round or square lettering in similar cartoon colors. Bikes are everywhere, piled with people, children and huge piles of wood. And also, another MAJOR fact about what I always dreamed a cartoon world would be like, everyone here likes me! At least I’m pretty sure, I mean, they all smile at me, albeit sometimes that smiling is laughing behind their hands while I struggle to hold a chopstick, but it all seems very friendly, and nice, and like they think I’m cute, maybe a little too tall, but cute. And then, I haven’t even mentioned the Exposition itself! It’s like one magnificent cartoon (granted I haven’t seen it for myself yet) but all the pictures and models and explanations I’ve heard in training describes the Expo as nothing but these magnificent colored buildings that offer incredible surround sound media and mind-blowing visual stimuli and MORE friendly people and A LOT MORE colorful signs in round lettering, the perfect cartoon world. Ok, too much on this analogy, moving on.
I’ve heard now, from a few people, what their first trip to China was like. To sum it up, when they got off the airplane it was to get into a train that took them to their small hostel or dorm where they didn’t know anyone, and their room was too small and they were struggling with a map, and to understand Chinese to survive, and to make friends and…well. This wasn’t’ how it has been for this student ambassador group at all. On the contrary, it has rather been like Heaven. We got picked up by a large bus, by the very warm, welcoming management team from the U.S Pavilion, our luggage was taken care of for us, and then we were taken to the RIDICULOUSLY nice Expo village, handed our keys, and presented to our beautiful apartments. Where everything we could want was already on the gleaming, just installed counter, from the bright, white towels in our closet, to the sparkling new pots and pans in the kitchen, the flashlights and soap and shampoo and water bottles all waiting for us like little practical welcoming gifts, that in my excited, frenzied state gave me a feeling not unlike Christmas morning. .
Ok, will write more later. Here are some pics of my apartment, enjoy! Zai jian!