Welcome to the first edition of my online travel journal. As you know, I have spent the past several months in Beijing, China. Since January 11 of this year, I have been studying abroad at Peking University, located a few miles northwest of China's capital city. I've been having a wonderful time, and I have finally written a few travel journal entries and short essays about my time in China. Please follow the links below to the site, all accessible through this new journal.

I'm quite excited to share my experiences thus far with you all, and hope to have a second edition written shortly after I return to the U.S. near the end of May.



Welcome to China - Day One in the Middle Kingdom
After a roughly twenty-three hour plane flight (with a layover in Tokyo), Michael Wagner stumbled off the Northwest flight into the dark of China. Slightly dazed from the lack of sleep, he was still excited as he left the plane, went through customs, and found his luggage. Will he survive the next four months away from America? (Spoiler: the answer is yes).

Playing Tourist - Jingshan Park, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square
The first weekend consisted of a grand tour of Beijing's most scenic locations. Jingshan Park, perhaps most infamous for the site of the suicide of an emperor several hundred years ago; the Forbidden City, the awe-inspiring hub of power in China for millenia; and Tiananmen Square, site of both a testament to Modern China's influence, and the site of a less-inspiring "incident" in 1989. All in all, not a bad way to start a trip.

Peking University
Peking University is the oldest and the most famous public institution in China. Popularly known as the "Harvard of China," this entry details the basic layout of Peking University (PKU), where I live, and a bit of history of the University since its founding in 1898.

Spring 2007 Roster
A short entry on my classes. The challenges of learning Chinese, and how learning about political reforms differs when your professor is a member of the Communist Party.

Chinese New Year
I remember back in middle school, when driving back to Michigan from Indiana, that we always would want to stop at the fireworks store to circumvent the law. No such restrictions existed here, in what is possibly the biggest celebration on the planet . . . at least in February. I also had the pleasure of eating with a local family, and the adventures in trying bread that looks like a fish.

Pingyao - China's Greenfield Village
Pingyao, roughly one and a half thousand years old, is both a United Nations World Heritage Site, a preserved museum of ancient China, and a fully functioning tourist destination, complete with bad food, cheap hotels, and street vendors galore.




Where's the McDonalds?
As many of you know, I have an infamous opposition to Chinese food and a (some would say unhealthy) infautation with western fast food. This essay details my attempts to eat Chinese food, along with the much-anticipated photos of me eating. Also included is a paragraph on my hunt to find the local McDonalds. (Hint: It's very close).

The Language Barrier - Or, why a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl has to explain that I was born in South Korea.
Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I figured that Koreans look somewhat different from ethnic Chinese. Not the case--as I continually repeat the phrase "wo shi meiguo ren" (I am an American) to the locals asking me questions, presuming I automatically understand Chinese. All fine, unless the dorm room in which you live stops you because they think you're a local student. Funny the first time, not so much after the first month.

Chinese Traffic
This could have been titled "Why I will never complain about a D.C. traffic jam again." This essay covers my near-death experience traveling the wrong way in a two way street, drunken cabbies, and the realization that traffic laws mean absolutely nothing to me anymore.

Chinese Weather
A friend of mine is in Ireland, and all the photos from there are green. I came to the depressing realization that the basic color of China--at least during the winter--is grey. The pollution may have something to do with that. In fact, it took me two months to realize that I should be able to see a mountain range from my window.

---

Michael Wagner