Day 1

Today was my first day in China. I arrived at the Beijing airport (PEK) at around 1 in the afternoon and then had to make a two and a half hour trek to Tianjin through bus. It is a trip that usually takes 30 minutes if one were to take the speed train, but since I had my luggage with me, it would have been difficult with the crowds.

The first thing I did when I went through customs and had everything I needed was go to one of the easily accessible convenience stores. I wanted to experience how all the products looked and how easy/hard it would be for me to get what I wanted. I was surprised to find many American products, although they did not look how things do back at home. Things like Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, and Red Bull seem to be vastly popular here, but then there are also many products that cater to this culture, such as all the teas and flavored potato chips.

Just by walking into this convenience store, I sort of got a vague idea of how my trip is going to be. I didn’t have to be able to communicate with anyone yet to be able to realize that there are many similarities and differences between the Chinese culture and my own. Although I may have only been looking at different foods, this personified how my experiences here are going to be. China is quickly becoming a more Westernized nation and it can be seen through its American products, but it is also doing all it can to maintain its identity and keep on eating/drinking what is partial to them. This is a reoccurring theme that I know I will see again, and one I am looking very forward to exploring.