Flint for Dreams

A photo journey of traveling from Raleigh Durham to Beijing China.

The Raleigh Airport. Feels strangely familiar.

Back in the big apple.

On the Cathay Pacific flight from New York City to Hong Kong. They have a power outlet for every seat, it can accept both American and Asian type plugs. I charge my Hong Kong cell phone and then work on my laptop...oh, and did I mention this was an economy seat?

Back in Hong Kong. It still feels like home and it is tempting to stay.

Kids play area of the solar system in the HK Airport

Arriving in Beijing, the airport is huge and clean to the point of looking like it was opened yesterday. Most all buildings in Beijing are huge and clean. The trip down from Hong Kong was full of teenagers going to attend some music competition. After all the warnings I got about Beijing being a tough city, here was a school group of about 100 kids and no more than 10 chaperones going to the city without a second thought. It was a very comforting revelation.

First view of a very foggy, smoggy, and cloudy Beijing. I asked around, and apparently this kind of weather is unusual, even for Beijing.

"The Birds Nest" One of the Olympic venues.

Random street.

A view of a cook in the cafeteria here at Tsinghua University. I was trying to get a photo of the man in the back who was making fresh noodles! (The noodles were good by the way, and cost 50 cents!)

Why is it so smoggy? Why does it smell like something is burning? Wait, is that a smoke stack outside my window? Why yes it is!

The bus stop to Wodaokou right outside my dorm. A single ride costs 10 cents or so.

A frozen river near the library at Tsinghua. Most (~90%) of the journals in the library were in English.

Around Tsinghua in winter...

The main building. Notice the layout of the plaza and the city. It feels very Soviet, though I don't know why I get that impression.

Another view of the same square.

I tried to get a photo here of a bulldozer trucking coal into a furnace, but couldn't. Basically though, that is what is happening. A friend told me they use coal to heat the school, and they burn the coal right on the campus! This is part of the reason why the smog is much worse in winter than the warmer months, and it is good that warmer months are coming...

Black sooty snow, though I guess it could get that way in any city...

I don't know why, but they have trimmed the branches around the trees, and built these plastic shelters around them. Also, there is no grass around, but just dirt. I think with the coming of spring, things will be much greener.

Staying on Tsinghua campus it has been difficult to get a good feel for Beijing as a city. What is certain is that it is a spread out, urban sprawl kind of city. The architecture of all the buildings is stately, impressive, and oppressive. Everybody I have met or dealt with has been extremely friendly, kind, and cheerful. I set course reacquainting myself with student life. Meeting people in the dorm, finding the library and gym, anticipating the difficulty of classes and the coming semester, and trying to make good use of free time. It feels like a departure from travel, and a departure from professional life. While, it does feel like a return to school, I remind myself of my current situation in life, my entrepreneurial aspirations, and take a proactive stance to make this experience more than travel and school put together. We will see what happens.