The Dragon Boat Festival

This will be the first of many blog posts dedicated to my stay in Qingdao, China this summer. I had hoped to write letters to many of my friends but somehow I don't trust my self to be consistent with such a task.

Leaving was hard but exciting at the same time I don't think I could have asked for a better farewell in Memphis with my close knit group of friends. I just hope I didn't leave a bitter taste in anyone's mouth before I left, I hate ending things on bad notes. There is a colloquial saying in China that translates into something like "eating vinegar" It refers to a person who is always sour, or makes people sour. Sometimes I feel like I'm eating too much vinegar.

As it turns out, 2 years of studying Chinese hardly prepares you for the country. Beijing Capital International Airport has one of the largest terminals in the entire world; its like being inside a crystal ball, all glass and people. The airport itself is a testament to how bad China wants this years Olympics to go well; built to transport and contain the world's population.

The Chinese speak Chinese fast but to my surprise we are all remarkably self sufficient. When we arrived, we were shown the bus stop and told to go find dinner and by God I found dinner. I found some beer. Then, I found my bed.

The entire city of Qingdao is better than all the best parts of Mississippi. The public transit system is impeccable, clean, and efficient. Buses have their own lane and traffic is minimal even at the worst times. The sidewalks are lined with a small section of indentions so that even the blind can feel their way around the city.

Qingdao has no sun. A grayish mist surrounds the city, its not pollution and the air here feels clean to breath and refreshing to boot. This same gray mist shrouds the top of the buildings as if it refuses to pay homage to the city's German father's who inspired unseen red roofs above. This is why I believe Qingdao has no sun and is no son. Its the best Cosmopolitan I have ever drank, 2 parts Chinese 1 part Western, though the people don't usually speak much English the infrastructure is impressive.

Everyone is fashionable and the many bars and clubs are packed with Chinese 20 somethings while those who have already found love spend their time along the beaches or on the lawns of Qingdao University's beautiful campus gazing longingly away from each other either from shyness or sexual repression.