First Thoughts on Beijing

We were really nervous headed into China - and not just because our flight was going to land at 1am and we weren't sure that our apartment would be open for us by the time we got there. We were concerned about the bustling nature of the city, that the kids would be overwhelmed, that we might get spit on (I'm not kidding - people spit all the time!), that it would be too cold, that the pollution would be overwhelming, that the kids would stop being adventurous with the food, that nobody would speak English, that our apartment would be dark and dingy, etc. While we certainly weren't wrong about all of the above, we have found ourselves very happy and content in Beijing, and considering staying a few extra days!

The pollution has become an obsession - our first few days were filled with blue skies, but we woke up on Day 3 to find that we could barely see out our window - the winds had moved the bad air to Beijing and it was considered hazardous to go outside. We have now downloaded an app that tells us the air quality in any part of China (0 = perfect, 500 = beyond bad; nice days are under 100, Day 3 was over 400). We are obsessed with checking it. Also amazing is that it changes day to day - and we have no idea what it will be like when we wake up each day! Makes planning a bit challenging, though.  Of course, the official Beijing Air Quality Index (AQI) reading and the US Embassy reading are never quite the same, but that is a whole different post!

Overall, we have found Beijingers (?) to be more friendly than we expected, although certainly not friendly like we have witnessed in Thailand or Bali.  However, the "rude factor" has been less than we prepared for, especially in regards to street vendors. When we visited the Great Wall last year during a brief Beijing layover, the vendors were very physical - we expected the same in Beijing, but haven't seen it at all, luckily.

Another amusing development has been the "celebrity" treatment of the kids at times.  We have had many (mostly in the tourist sites) people ask to take pictures with the kids - especially with Maggie.  While it is often parents who want to take pictures of their kids with our little blue-eyed blonde, we have even had adults who ask as well. Luckily, our girl has been a good sport and has obliged.  This has led to many interesting conversations with the kids who want to know the Chinese don't find it rude - after all, we would never just ask to take a picture with a random kid at home! We are chalking it up to a good cultural understanding....

The overall censorship has also made for some good conversations with the kids, who are struggling to understand why the Chinese don't demand their freedoms.  We talked a bit about Tiananmen Square while there today (luckily missed yesterday because of the smog, when what appears to be a suicide terrorist from another province killed and injured tourists where we were) and about the 1989 massacre, but our American-raised kids definitely have a ways to go to really understanding how to put themselves in someone else's shoes in such a dramatic way.  Luke especially keeps insisting how upset he would be if he were Chinese and "being lied to", but doesn't quite understand that it just a different perspective.  We are, however, enjoying the conversations that these topics lead to.