China's newest Comrade

After traveling for almost 24 hours, I can't even express how amazing it feels to finally meet my host family and settle into their lovely three bedroom apartment in the Haidian District of Beijing.

 My Host Family!

First impression of Beijing is- wow, what a huge huge city! I will admit, right now it all feels a little overwhelming. So many cars, people, apartments, and high-rise buildings. So much of...well everything! Like lightening bugs dancing around on a hot summer night, images of me getting lost in this huge city lost keep zooming in and out of my consciousness. However, I am forcing myself to pause, breath, smile and supress these nasty little thoughts of anxiety. Happiness is a state of mind and luckily my mind is one thing I have control over so I am willing myself to take on a new relaxed and go with the flow perspective. If you think about it, a person can never really be too lost because they will always be somewhere. Just have to make sure I can identify where that somewhere is and where the somewhere that I want to be is. All I need is a little bit of time to familiarize myself with the subway and bus lines. On the positive side, I am happy to report that my host mother works very close to where I am working, so everyday her husband will drop us off on his way to work and then I will take the bus back home. Now this is all nice in theory, but there is one thing that is going to take some time getting used to...traffic.  Even though my office is only about 6 miles away from my apartment, the traffic here is a nightmare and it took nearly 50 minutes to get to work today! No joke, Beijing makes the Los Angeles's freeway look like high speed race track. In other words, traveling around Beijing really gives you a tangible picture of what 22 million people (Beijing's reported population) looks like. So my green advice of the day is :Car-pooling! Car-pooling! Car-pooling! It certainly is the way to travel in Beijing.

Even though today was officially my first day of work at China Renmin University Press, tomorrow is when I actually get down to business. But today was nice because I got the chance to get a feel for the office and meet my future coworkers and the vice-president. At first, I was a little nervous meeting the vice-president but  I instantly warmed to his amicable yet reserved demeanor. And get this, upon his departure he gave me a great big smile, shook my hand and taught me the word "tongzhi," informing me that I was his new "comrade"! Oh my dear comrades, I don't believe I am in Kansas anymore. Anyhow, the company employs over 500 workers and due to its recent bout of success, has expanded into two buildings that are just one block apart. I will be working in the older building and am responsible for surveying which types of books and publishing houses are most successful in foreign arenas, as well as identifying the types of books that Renmin University Press could sell in markets outside of China. In addition to this, I have also opted to help teach English for 1-2 hours a week. Although this is not mandatory, I am more than willing to volunteer because teaching has always been an interest of mine and I think it is a great opportunity to increase communication between Chinese and English speakers.

 First day at China Renmin University Press with Liu Laoshi (my boss)

Anyway, after a long day at work it certainly feels nice to return to the comfort of my new air-conditioned room and relax for a bit. Since there are no other students working through the intrax program in Beijing this summer, I will have to try extra hard to throw myself out into the vast sea of Beijingers' and make some new friends. I finally feel that I am getting over the grogginess of the jetlag and ready to see what this great metropolis has to offer!

My Kitchen :)

My room...cute huh?!