Shaking jet lag

Well, after a good night's sleep it was time to explore...

First off, the sun rises at about 5 AM here. I wasn't really expecting that, but it certainly allowed me to get an early start on my day.

All of those that know me know that running is an important part of my life. Since I was unsure as to how safe it is to run outside, I decided to use the hotel's fitness center treadmills. first, I am stuck how different it is here, they have an attendant that hands you a towel on the way in, and gets water for you upon request. Secondly, the treadmills are all in kilometers, so I have to do some mental calculations to figure out how far I went. Still, I am glad to have access to the place, it makes it feel more like home.

After meeting up with the rest of the guys, we decided to take a walk and see what we could see. We need to get prepared for our formal interactions with the Chinese Universities to come and shake off the jet lag that is still pervading our bodies. We visited a park where we watched the roof of a local high rise catch on fire, which drew the same curious and concerned looks from us as it did from the Chinese citizens that were standing in the pagoda with us. I wish I could have understood what they were saying. Then, we went to the Beijing zoo, which was a different experience from what I have seen at zoos in the past. The zoo had some different animals than I had seen, including two pandas, but the upkeep was also not as good as the Denver zoo for example. It is a good reminder that we are in a foreign country here, and while the people are very friendly, there are substantial differences between here and the states.

I had lunch at a KFC, which was interesting because all of the menu was in Chinese, which I cannot read. As familiar as KFC is from home, this may as well been a completely different restaurant because I had no idea what to expect from the combo meal I ordered. The fries and Pepsi were the same, but the sauce on the chicken sandwich was different that anything I've ever had. That being said, KFC is doing well here, the place was packed at 2:30 PM when I went in.

The trip so far has been educational and we haven't even started the "meat" of our program yet. Anyone who has an interest in business could benefit from taking a trip here because the economy is booming, and becoming more "westernized" by the year. Interacting with foreigners can't be done out of a book. I can foresee that any person looking to succeed in business will need to have an understanding of the Chinese and their place in the world as a huge market is just beginning to open up, and will continue to do so in the future. I look forward to our conference as it will give me an even greater understanding of where the culture is headed in terms of international business.

-Brian