Safely and snugly at home again in Mobile/Grand Bay -- Sweet Home Alabama! I got the best welcome home at the Mobile airport from my husband, Dave, who brought my sweet girl, Ruth, to greet me. Nothing like being in the arms of those who love you. Then we drove to my son's (Paul's) school and got him out on an early dismissal. I was so happy to see him that I gave him a hug in the school parking lot, probably to the mortification of his 6th-grade soul.
I return from China utterly exhausted, body clock completely out of whack, sinus infection raging (nothing unusual for me), but so full of happiness at the MOST excellent adventure we had there.
These things about China made the biggest impression on me:
1. The Chinese people are very friendly. I was made to feel welcome everywhere I went. In hotels, restaurants, attractions, and especially in casual encounters on the street, people were so nice. I was never made to feel ignorant because I didn't know the language or customs, and I never felt that people were looking at me with suspicion, only honest curiosity. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was really impressed with the hospitality and genuine care shown me by the Chinese. I also felt very safe throughout the trip. In fact, I felt safer during my two weeks in China than I ever did during my two years of living in Russia.
2. Chinese people love their children. No, I mean they really, really love their children. They cherish their children, in the truest sense of the word. You have seen in Paige's pictures how beautiful the Chinese babies are (and I never saw one that wasn't beautiful) and how lovingly the parents and grandparents regard them. I do know that the one child policy has had an impact on how the Chinese value their offspring, but I don't know what the sentiment toward children was before the policy was enacted. What I can say is that Chinese children are highly valued, raised with great affection, and are the pride of their families. That feeling was evident everywhere we went in China and it was beautiful to witness.
3. China is booming with tourism. Again, not sure what I was expecting, but I was blown away by the number of international tourists in China. One morning I had breakfast with some lovely Aussies on a tour of China. The next morning I sat with some Brits. Another time I shared an elevator with a lady from New Zealand. Over breakfast again I made friends with two widows from Wisconsin who were touring China. We passed a tour group from Brazil in the Forbidden City. As I shared in an earlier post, I met a man from Birmingham, AL, on the Great Wall!
Mary Jo, our Troy group leader, said that she'd witnessed an amazing increase in the number of tourists in China over the last five years. She attributed some of this to the 2008 Olympics, which were held in Beijing. This makes sense. Beijing (and China in general) made a lot of changes and improvements to infrastructure, facilities, etc., in preparation for the Olympics, and people were impressed. Also the television coverage of the Olympics, including that great Opening Ceremony, made folks want to visit China...and they are!
- Peggy
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