Beijing Impressions - arriving

"Give me that one yuan". The lady selling bottle water in Beijing Railway Station was pointing at my wallet when I wanted some ice water.
"I am sorry. This is US dollar 100 note, not Chinese currency".. I answered.
She felt sorry for not even knowing US dollar.

The US dollar looks very similar to Chinese 1 yuan (which is about 15 US cents). Her conversation pretty much represents the Beijing's preparation for the coming Olympics - they all want to show the new richness and hospitality of a communist country's capital . The idea of "showing the best face of beijing" seeps into every corner and silently makes its way into the mind of every Beijing citizen. Yet in many ways people are less than well prepared.

Twenty mins into my long journey of security check in Beijing airport, I was almost desperate - after 22 hours flight and with 4 hours train and 1 hour drvie ahead, I was so much irritated by the fact that I had to go through security check again before leaving the airport. What was more, there was nobody helping passengers picking their luggage. Some college-kid looking volunteers at midnight were waring Olympic suits and idlinga round not far than 10 feets from us.However, none of them offered a hand to the desperate travellers. I would rather not having "volunteers" around.

Taxi drivers refused to serve me because the destination is too close, according to his standard. He shouted at me loudly :"JUST WALK!"
"What? didn't you see my two luggages each weighing more than 50 lbs?" I shouted back, but useless. I would love to compensate him by tips yet it is unwritten rule in this city that service providers shouldn't accpet tips. I always liked it, until it plays against me, now.

Not all the things went bad though. My friend Dan welcomed me in Beijing who goes to San Francisco for a master degree next month. Dan was very eager to know everything new about Phoenix as she was an exchange student there for one year in high school. Also, she quickly debriefed all the dirts happening to our mutual friends when I was absent. There are so many of them I have to catch up, some are sketchy! I am thrilled by that I will see most of my friends very soon in Shanghai.

With ugly weather in summer and heavy foreign invasion history hanging over, Beijing is a difficult lover. But you never forget the first big city you live in your life when you are out of your hometown, like your first love. Nor do you ever forget the road not taken. I often look back at the fork in the road at which I stood, and the choice I made, and what might have been. We were sitting in the restraunt at which we held a farewell dinner last summer for quite a long while.

This afternoon, however, I just wanna run out of the polluted air of Beijing as soon as possible.