Backed UP

Okay, so it has been a little while since I have posted. So I must explain what has happened and what will happen on the blog.

I have been spending the past few weeks taking trips outside of Beijing. First, I went to work in the town of Ping Quan in Hebei Province, about 4 hours outside of Beijinig (depending on you driver's willingness to drive into head oncoming traffic for 10 seconds at a time in order to pass slower vehicles). Then, I came back to Beijing long enough to receive a care package from my mom and my girlfriend, the lovely Christina, and inhale the majority of the content, including a t-shirt which went down easier than you would expect of a poly-cotton blend. Then, I rocketed off to Tianjin on a what looked like a bullet train. Unfortunately, I am not willing to look up "bullet train" on google. Fortunately, my ignorance gives me license to call any train I like a "bullet train".

An appropriate summary of the events can be simply juxtaposed against the famous quote by Julius Caesar: I ate, I ate, I ate. I would also like to expound that I, in fact, did a lot of eating.

If you ever come to China, do not pass up a chance to be some one's guest. They will do everything in their capacity to immobilize you in a state of total comfort. As far as I can tell, the most appreciative guest in China is a person who has attained a comatose state. I came close, but fell just short of being respectful.

I hope all my readers (read as close, person friends, given that only seven people have commented) are doing wonderfully and are willing to update me at the end of their sometimes witty, sometimes snide, and always appreciated remarks.

My next posts will be beautiful depictions of the life of a guest outside of Beijing, and possibly a description of my favorite jacket.

Much love,
Sven