This is part one in an ongoing travelogue. The author is a recent college grad, journeying through China for the first time. Experience the sights, smells, people and places of China through her writings.

From the Road: The Journey Begins
March 25, 2004

I've read a lot about China in travel books, but books can only take me so far. Eventually I have to close the book and face the reality that I have traveled no farther than my comfortable (although crowded) apartment. China has such a strange mystery to it. The eastern culture is so incredibly different from my own, it scares me sometimes. In a way, reading about it in books or watching the latest Travel Channel special is nice because I can always close the book or turn off the tv.

But, unfortunately God granted me with an appetite for exploration that cannot be confined to the world of books for long. I want to experience it myself. I want to walk the streets, meet the people, eat the strange foods, witness the centuries old-traditions and hike through the mountains for hours until I have found an "undiscovered" village or people group.

As a child, I imagined myself as an adventuresome explorer who lead the way into new territory. And now, here I am, expecting to wake up from the book at any moment. I am about to take my first steps in China, and I can't wait to see what lies around the next corner.

Before my plane even landed at my destination city, I knew I was in for a change. I've traveled to many different countries, but this is the first time I have ever been served noodles on an airplane. I knew I was in trouble when the flight attendant handed me chopsticks with my noodles. As the only white face on the 747, I caused quite a spectacle as I tried to quietly slurp my noodles, despite my poor chopstick skills. I certainly tried my hardest to be graceful, but I slid pretty far to the other end of the scale. My seat mate made no attempt to hide her laughter, and I certainly took no offense. When faced with potentially embarrassing cultural situations, I figure I have one of two options: a) Laugh and keep my sanity, or b) crawl into a hole and never come out. I haven't crawled into a hole yet, and I don't plan to anytime soon.

The long plane ride offered me plenty of time to think. Just who are these 1.3 billion people I will be living among in the coming months? It's overwhelming actually. I can't even begin to imagine how many people that really is. My perception of the Chinese people is so horribly narrow. How can you capture the personalities, interests and profiles of 1.3 billion people in a book or movie? Impossible, yet that is all I know. We tend to summarize a smorgasbord of individuals into one cultural profile. "All chinese are..." or "All Europeans like to do..." I mean, come on. How ridiculous is that? Perhaps we all hold common traits, but a person's true wonder lies in what makes them different. I am curious to meet some of the 1.3 billion people that make up the now vague concept I hold of "China."

For now, I am going to get some sleep before this plane lands in my new home. All this thinking has me tired, and I want to be wide awake for this! More to come soon. Until next time...keep on keeping on.

your friend in Asia