Travels with Dustin

By-Dustin Leatherman
I have spent 6 days out of 10 here and so far, have had a plethora of experiences ranging from eye opening to downright weird. China’s differences from the United States are few and many( more few though). For example, going through downtown Beijing is like walking through downtown Chicago, with ads and people walking about everywhere. The only difference, is they are mainly in Chinese. Although many things in China have the English translation right above or below which is different than it is in America. The modern Chinese culture is very much influenced by our own American culture. For example, In China, there are two main fast food joints, which are KFC and McDonalds. These two are always in competition and our trusty and faithful guide Derek has proudly stated, “if you find a KFC somewhere, you will most likely find a McDonalds not far from it. What I have also noticed is that Chinese Restaurants are actually pretty .close to what real Chinese food is like. Unlike other such Americanized foods as taco bell is as of now though I’m tired of eating things I cant pronounce or can’t distinguish whats inside of it or not. Coming to China has given me the opportunity to taste different kinds of foods that I wouldn’t normally have eaten. Theres this jello stuff that ive seen a few times which is made from fish eggs and boiling the life part out of them and that becomes the jello part. Its kinda gross. Another thing about China is that the style of driving is much different than the United States. If Mr. Smerz saw this driving, he might have a heart attack. People always cut each other off and people are allowed to cross the street at any time they want to. There are lane lines on the ground but in some areas, the people create new lanes. Also, you can drive on sidewalks to park your car. Its a lot different here. Also there aren’t any rickshaws because they have been banned but there are quite a bit of pedicabs, which are like tricycles with the thing on the back to carry people. One of the most memorable things about this trip have been seeing a fight in the middle of the highway. These cars parked on the high way and started a fist fight. Thje people were throwing each other around too. It was awesome! Alotbettger than the school fights ive seen. Also next to that is making it to the top of the great wall. The view is absolutely stunning but it doesn’t come without a price. The stairs are really difficult because there are so many of them and they are very uneven. Some are even a foot high. Our band has been hailed as internationally famous which I find humorous because ive never thought of us as a famous band. The Chinese people love our concerts and come by the thousands. After we are finished performing, they try and shake your hand and many of them come and take lots of different pictures with you. Its quite funny. One thing that is frustrating though, is not being able to communicate with the Chinese people that well. Many of them know English but some can hardly speak and it makes it frustrating, especially when you’re confused about something and would like clarification. Onemore thing before log off, if you happen to travel to China and something says a full body massage, yeah, it’s a FULL body massage. Just to let you know. Even though ive gotten this chance to come here, it makes me only yearn for home more and to go where my heart is. I miss home terribly and I am excited to return. I am especially looking forward to spending time with my girlfriend because I can be no happier when im in her presence. Shes amazing and I love her more than anything in the whole entire world (831). Alright well that’s it I guess. Adios