Only a little bit more to catch up on...now I'm on the train to Beijing. After flying to Hangzhou, saying goodbye to Jonathan and taking the train to Shanghai, we spent the night at the Griffiths' house. Sister Griffiths is friends with my mom, so I properly introduced myself this time. We left at 7:30 this morning, Seth for work and Josef and I for the Hongqiao train station, where he got a train to Qingdao and I boarded mine to Beijing.
I love high speed trains! They are so convenient and cheap compared to air travel, and I can bring all of my stuff with me without paying baggage fees. I finally got all my stuff into my two suitcases and backpack, so I'm more mobile than when I left Nanjing, thankfully. The train left at 9 am, and we just stopped in Nanjing ten minutes ago; the next stop is Beijing South. The scenery is quite beautiful, actually, and I'm really enjoying the ride. Beijing will be cold, and I'm only wearing a light jacket, but I don't want to open my suitcase to dig for a coat. Hmm.
So the five of us who went to KL for the break turned into four, then three yesterday, two this morning, and finally I'm by myself. I had a small bout of nostalgia as we passed through Nanjing - I loved the city and my time there. I'm a little sad to have left everyone behind, but I'm also excited for Beijing and work. Seth was nervous for his first day of work - I probably would be too if I were working in a lab. On the other hand, though, at least his days will probably be fairly structured. Lexfield hasn't ever had an intern before that I know of, so I will feel useless some of the time, I'm sure. I'm slightly worried about my language competency, but hopefully flagship has prepared me well enough. Whatever happens, it's too late to go back; I'm hurtling towards Beijing at 307 km/hr!
I'm having mixed feelings about the land I'm passing through. On the one hand, it looks wide and inviting, with well-groomed fields and roads and lines of trees to break the wind. It reminds me of Ontario in that way. However, it's almost too organized. Every field looks the same, and every few fields there's a row of concrete or brick houses lined up on the same street. The vestiges of a centrally planned economy are still strong here, despite the transformation China's large cities have been through in the past 30 years. This farmland has been tamed for so long that nearly all the charm and rugged beauty has gone out of it, and looking at it I don't feel the pride of ownership and productivity that seem to emanate from similar sights in America. Of course, that's just a feeling, and maybe it's inaccurate and stereotypical. But I do believe our cultures have different attitudes about farming. In China, farmers provide sustenance. They are the backbone of the country, but they were not glorified as the laborers were during the revolution, and nearly everyone whose grandparents were farmers are glad that their parents left and gave them a good education and a better life. In America, farmers were the brave, intrepid souls who tamed the wilderness and claimed it in the name of Manifest Destiny. They were pioneers and entrepreneurs. Education, for the most part, is no worse in rural America, or at least the social stigma and systematic differences aren't nearly as large as in China. Yes, we still have the archetypal stories of the young man from the farm going to the big city to find a better life, but for the most part there is no shame in being from a rural community. Looking at the farms out the train window, however, I feel transported back to feudal society - these people have been here for generations, and they don't have the resources or education to change that, for the most part. Modern technology has improved their lives, but they are still largely in thrall to their old way of life and the emperor who is now the central government. The government has done much good, especially in the last 20 years, but some things are uniquely Chinese, and they will remain with China for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever, among them the differences between rural and urban life.
Now we've gone from the green fields of the south to the brown fields and frozen rivers of the north. The train just passed Tianjin on the right, and we should be coming to Beijing soon. I'm not looking forward to the freezing weather! :( It looks more like Russia now, still wide and open and flat, but with brown fallow earth and icy tributaries snaking everywhere.
I love high speed trains! They are so convenient and cheap compared to air travel, and I can bring all of my stuff with me without paying baggage fees. I finally got all my stuff into my two suitcases and backpack, so I'm more mobile than when I left Nanjing, thankfully. The train left at 9 am, and we just stopped in Nanjing ten minutes ago; the next stop is Beijing South. The scenery is quite beautiful, actually, and I'm really enjoying the ride. Beijing will be cold, and I'm only wearing a light jacket, but I don't want to open my suitcase to dig for a coat. Hmm.
So the five of us who went to KL for the break turned into four, then three yesterday, two this morning, and finally I'm by myself. I had a small bout of nostalgia as we passed through Nanjing - I loved the city and my time there. I'm a little sad to have left everyone behind, but I'm also excited for Beijing and work. Seth was nervous for his first day of work - I probably would be too if I were working in a lab. On the other hand, though, at least his days will probably be fairly structured. Lexfield hasn't ever had an intern before that I know of, so I will feel useless some of the time, I'm sure. I'm slightly worried about my language competency, but hopefully flagship has prepared me well enough. Whatever happens, it's too late to go back; I'm hurtling towards Beijing at 307 km/hr!
I'm having mixed feelings about the land I'm passing through. On the one hand, it looks wide and inviting, with well-groomed fields and roads and lines of trees to break the wind. It reminds me of Ontario in that way. However, it's almost too organized. Every field looks the same, and every few fields there's a row of concrete or brick houses lined up on the same street. The vestiges of a centrally planned economy are still strong here, despite the transformation China's large cities have been through in the past 30 years. This farmland has been tamed for so long that nearly all the charm and rugged beauty has gone out of it, and looking at it I don't feel the pride of ownership and productivity that seem to emanate from similar sights in America. Of course, that's just a feeling, and maybe it's inaccurate and stereotypical. But I do believe our cultures have different attitudes about farming. In China, farmers provide sustenance. They are the backbone of the country, but they were not glorified as the laborers were during the revolution, and nearly everyone whose grandparents were farmers are glad that their parents left and gave them a good education and a better life. In America, farmers were the brave, intrepid souls who tamed the wilderness and claimed it in the name of Manifest Destiny. They were pioneers and entrepreneurs. Education, for the most part, is no worse in rural America, or at least the social stigma and systematic differences aren't nearly as large as in China. Yes, we still have the archetypal stories of the young man from the farm going to the big city to find a better life, but for the most part there is no shame in being from a rural community. Looking at the farms out the train window, however, I feel transported back to feudal society - these people have been here for generations, and they don't have the resources or education to change that, for the most part. Modern technology has improved their lives, but they are still largely in thrall to their old way of life and the emperor who is now the central government. The government has done much good, especially in the last 20 years, but some things are uniquely Chinese, and they will remain with China for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever, among them the differences between rural and urban life.
Now we've gone from the green fields of the south to the brown fields and frozen rivers of the north. The train just passed Tianjin on the right, and we should be coming to Beijing soon. I'm not looking forward to the freezing weather! :( It looks more like Russia now, still wide and open and flat, but with brown fallow earth and icy tributaries snaking everywhere.
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