Embarking on interstate travel is one thing, but embarking on international travel for the first time can be nerve-wrecking. Thus, traveling to Beijing on the Chinese National Holiday at the beginning of October was indeed nerve-wrecking and I didn’t know what to expect, nevertheless confidence took me farther than complaining could ever take me. I arrived in Beijing around midnight and I quickly learned that English was a luxury, and when you travel abroad you pay for luxury commodities. Nevertheless, I arrived at my hotel, unpacked, enjoyed being alone, and prepped for an early morning.
Culture Capsules are an opportunity to share and reflect on my top moments culturally from a selected city, country, or continent each week–curating a glimpse into the culture, the people, the places, and the wisdom.
1. Group Correspondence & Not Locating Group: Neither Cook Negativity nor Feed Into Negativity
My initial plan the next morning was to wake and meet my group of friends, nevertheless limited communication and inability to locate them left me alone with absolutely no plans. At 9:45AM, I journaled “In this moment, I’m learning that I should wake up for my alarm. Looking at my alarm as a commitment. In this moment, I’m learning to neither cook negativity or feed into negativity. In this moment, I’m learning to enjoy this moment. I’m sitting here alone because I can’t locate the people I was supposed to meet at the Beijing North Railway Station. With no friends out here, sometimes it’s about the beauty in the difficulty. Trying to find something to do and how to do it, when I have absolutely no clue how to do it.”
2. National Theatre & Tiananmen Square: Stop spazzing out about having to reconstruct plans, explore the unknown.
After exploring the nearby mall, while sitting at Yoshinoya for lunch, I decided to visit Tiananmen Square. After a mix up on the subway, I arrived to surprisingly find the National Theatre.
As a huge fan of stadium-like architecture, the theatre amused me. Yet, little to my surprise, swarms of people descended upon the historical destination, Tiananmen Square.
3. Jack & The Infamous Beijing Tea Tasting Experience: Exploring the Unknown is a Risk that is Expensive
Exploring the unknown is a risk, you risk being disappointed, ashamed, enthralled, and empowered. In each instance, you learn more about yourself. As I was on my way to Olympic Green in a taxi, I naively journaled, “After long process of walking to the Square or walking into the Forbidden City, I find out you need tickets and there’s absolutely none left. So I left, this isn’t without meeting Uncle Jack from Hong Kong. He’s a doctor in Hong Kong who was also at the Square alone and that’s how we initially bonded. He functioned as my tour guide from there. From the Square we caught a cab to Tea City/Tea Culture where we went to a Tea Shop to have try teas.
“We tried eight different teas: jasmine, ginseng, green, another green, fruit/vitamin, black lychee, another jasmine, and one from Hong Kong. We conversed about what my parents did a lot, which in itself speaks about Chinese culture and what their occupations. The end was bittersweet. He purchased a teapot for me as a token of his appreciation for our time together. Definitely a divine moment. The bitter is the surprise price of the tea I purchased.” $340, to be exact for some tea, I don’t even like tea, I rarely, if ever, spend that much on a pair of shoes I like, let alone. After conversation with advisors and friends, they all suggested I was scammed. They tea reaffirmed that exploring the unknown is a risk, and when you’re not managing your risk well, it may be expensive. You live, learn, taste, and finally learn.
4. Olympic Park: Let positivity rule and let God lead.
Arriving at Olympic Green at 2:45 and finally sitting down to journal at 3:51, I noted, “Sitting here still thinking about the price of that tea. Ha. But now I’m sitting here in between the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube. I’m finally here. I’m in the same place where greatness happened, happens, and will continue to happen.”
“The notion of the world’s best competing amongst the worlds best is alway intriguing to me. The adrenaline, the hype, the moments before a race. Watching the Olympics on TV somewhat disassociates you from the humanity of these athletes, but being here connects you back to their humanness. All of the emotions we have or are feeling of the unknown when we put a lot on the table are the same emotions they feel.”
“And being here makes you feel a hint of what they endure. Granted these are open stadiums, you can imagine the roar when each athlete wins his race. And how tired they must be after they win their race and then they must seek comfort in another country where they most likely don’t know language. I’m tired.”
“Before dark, I walked to the end of Olympic Park to the Olympic a Forest Park, which was another sight to see. The notion that at the end of your journey, you may find serenity. After all the hype and all of the adrenaline, after you put your heart in it all, you can continue your journey to find serenity and peace.”
“My day started out rough, I was further stripped of all of my plans and forced to literally explore, with nothing but a metro map. That metro map aided me to each destination,each location. Earlier in the day, I got on the metro in the wrong direction. After thinking about it. That was divine, if that mistake hadn’t occurred. I would have not met Jack and would have not explored the places I explored. I’m glad I let positivity rule and let God lead.”
Beijing Turning Point: You live and learn. Under God’s favor, you are not invincible to mishaps or situational defeat. The difference is that it doesn’t set you back, it sets you up in the grand scheme of things.
Share my story about my time in Beijing and the unfortunate Tea Approach with your family, friends, and associates!
