Leaving China

(written Friday, June 22)

It's Friday morning in Beijing and I am about to check out of the hotel and go to the airport. It has been a great final week in Beijing. Highlights include a performance of Peking Opera - a traditional opera form very much unlike anything in the west, but very fascinating in terms of make-up, costumes and a unique singing style, not to mention the inclusion of acrobatics. We also went shopping at the well-known Pearl Market - it was a experience that I'm glad I had and I bought a few things. However, one thing I will not miss upon leaving China, is the endless calling out, "lady, come look see," or "lady...." followed by a plea to buy whatever they are selling.. It will also be nice to go in a store, look at the price and know that is what I need to pay. The constant negotiation/bargaining gets tiring even though you can get the price lower, though it is clear that prices are purposefully set high, so you never know if you got a good deal...I will not miss this! :) My flight is almost 13 hours..I will leave on Friday and arrive in Chicago at the same time also on Friday. I will probably write a few more blogs within the next week with a couple overall reflections of my time in China, so stay tuned...and I look forward to finally being able to access my blog!