beijing, day one.

Last night, as I said goodbye to the students and friends who I have met this past year in Guangzhou, I was reminded of how lucky I feel to be doing what I am doing and meeting the people I am meeting. As I sit here in a warm scarf I got as a gift, in my hotel room in Beijing, I'm so excited to be on a new adventure in the capital city of China!

I was welcomed to Beijing by a fresh zero degrees, and met a rep from my company to take me to my hotel. The city looks different from when I saw it back in November, with no leaves on the trees. An almost bleakness in the air. Beijing is known to take on this quality in winter. Still, there are characterisitics of this city that I think can surpass even the bleakest of winters. The old streets, the bicycles, the people walking the streets.

 As I hopped in the van with all my luggage, I looked out the window to see a low, red sun in the distance, and locals riding bicycles. The hotel even invites a kind of image of what Beijing is for me. From the outside, its almost temple-like. Inside, is a courtyard, with a restraunt with glass walls, and my room has a giant king size bed with Chinese style architecture.

I'm on my own again. This time more confident, even more excited for the adventures that lay around the corner. Speaking of which, I venture out to grab a bite to eat tonight and to explore Hutong (famous alley ways in Beijing.), and a local Beijinger elderly man grabs my attention and asks me where I'm from. With my broken Chinese, I tell him I'm a teacher, and am from Canada. I ask him where I could get something to eat, and this guy not only takes me to a fantastic local restraunt, but he pays for my dumplings. 

Now, having been in the south of China for the past year, I felt myself growing skeptical of help a stranger would give me on the street (in Japan, I never felt that way, but China has somehow increased my suspiciousness. Don't know if I like that). It was so refreshing and welcoming to have a local show me a restraunt.

As I walked back to my hotel, along the hutong streets, I had this feeling. A quiet expectation that this will be a year like no other. The next few days will be filled with apartment hunting, meeting my new coworkers and staying bundled up.