Once upon a time in China: part one

A long time ago, in the years before podcasts, metrosexuals and 9/11, I was studying Chinese at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. I was in my second year at university, and still a bit of a geek -- an unstyled shock of ginger hair, thick glasses and a regrettable penchant for wearing too much black. A little while into the first semester there came the chance for a break from the then-mundanity of university life -- a chance to travel to China, and see the country that I had up until then only read and dreamt about. Needless to say, I relished the opportunity. A chance to see the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City and meet the natives. I could learn so much... I got accepted for the English teaching program along with three other students from my university -- two of them classmates from the Chinese Department, and one of them a classmate's boyfriend. We flew out of New Zealand in about July 2001, and arrived in Beijing about ten hours later. It was nothing like I had imagined it to be. I forget now how I had originally envisioned it -- perhaps less modern, more laid back and traditional and, well, more Chinese. It was a bustling metropolis, full of tricycle taxis and construction work. I still vividly remember two buses zooming past either side of me as I stood at the airport. I was close enough to touch either one of them had I wanted to lose some fingers. The airport was a sterile and sombre affair, with a greyness about it that was only exceeded by that of its staff. Though policed by tough and overly-earnest looking officials, the customs and immigration checks passed without incident. This was it. I was in China! The first few days were hectic. We were shown around the sites of Beijing -- climbing the Great Wall at Badaling was an experience I'll never forget, as was exploring (and then getting bored of) the Forbidden City. The Temple of Heaven was a bit dull -- but then, after the initial spectacle of the Forbidden City, what could I expect? Throughout this time we were chaperoned by our host, Mr Deng, or, as I like to remember him, The Eyebrowless Wonder. We also visited a jade ornament factory and a traditional Chinese clinic. I had my pulse taken by a doctor, told I'd have liver trouble in the future and then passed along to the very friendly assistants with their very expensive medicines. Needless to say, I very emphatically declined their kind offer. The day after all that, we all sat in the lobby of the hotel and received our assignments and contracts. I'd originally believed I'd be in a medium-sized city called Beiping, a little to the south of the capital, Beijing. Little did I know that there had been a change of plans... To be continued...