Wind Ensemble in China

To quote the Matchbox 20 song "Baby, Its 3AM and I must be lonely" would be very appropriate right now. Simply insert Jet Lagged for the world lonely and that is exactly what is going on. It is currently 3:43 (12 hours ahead of NY) in the morning and I am completely wide awake. After laying in bed for what seemed like an eternity, I figured it might be a good time to "Blog it up" and let the folks back in Fredonia (and my mother, if she can learn how to get the internet to work) how the trip over was and how things are progressing here in China.

My trip to China started with my trip from Fredonia. I drove down to my parents house in the Hudson Valley region of the state (Kingston) on Saturday afternoon after playing Graduation and eating a delicious final meal at Erie dinning hall. I stayed the night, visiting with my parents for a whole hour and a half. I awoke to my alarm blasting a heavy metal song (The Wicker Man by Iron Maiden, the only way to get yourself pumped for going to China!) and an anxious mother telling me, already, we were going to be late. After a quick shower and a last bit of packing, we were off to Newark airport and China (we even stopped for a real bagel at the BEST place around New Paltz bagels, so good, sorry Tim Horton's...).

My mom dropped me at the gate and the real adventure was about to begin. Getting my ticket and security were very smooth and then all I had to do was wait. I exchanged some American money for Chinese Yuan, which quickly adapted the nick name "Wang" because no one, not a single person in the whole ensemble knew how to correctly pronounce that word (think about it for a moment, the jokes a endless and never get old...). We boarded the plane, took off and were promptly told that our flight would be arriving in Beijing 45 minutes early, cutting our trip down to a speedy 13 hours and 5 minutes, YAY!

The plane was an experience. They constantly fed us and like good Americans that made us happy, at least for a little while. The food was good, the seats were tight, and we each had our own TV, complete with music selections (then played Mozart Horn Concertos but there was NOT ONE trombone concerto to be found, the nerve!), movies, and a bunch of video games. Some neat details about the flight are: we flew on a Boeing 777 which is dubbed the most reliable plane in the fleet, we flew at 37,000 feet at 580-600mph for 13 hours, your knees can actually lock in one position if you keep them in the same place for to long, flight attendants don't get nervous to fly, and our pilot was the man because he landed that enormous plane smoother than I can pull my car away from the curve.

We arrived at the gate and proceeded to the Immigration Quarantine and Customs, which was very simple and easy to get through. I even went through the gate labeled "Chinese Nationals" which should make meeting Chinese girls very easy....I hope....maybe... We then met Fang Fang and Samson, who are members (conductor and trumpet respectively) of the People's Republic Army Band (the Marine Band of China) and were quickly informed that while we were in the air, the government had decided to have 3 days of silence (no entertainment, movies, music, theater) in remembrance of the victims of the people who just died the in awful earthquake. They also decided that at the exact time the earthquake happened all trucks, cars, and ships would blow there horns for 3 minutes, which we heard while waiting to load the bus. All this means that the concerts that were planned for us have been pushed back until after the days of silence have been lifted and we get to sight see more the first three days we are in China.

We then boarded the bus and were told all about Beijing and its history by Emma, our tour guide (she was NOT impressed with my "Chinese National" status...) We went to ride in the rickshaws and see the Drum and Bell Towers. These used to be used to call the warriors to battle. We then saw a Chinese house and were hosted by Mr. Wong, who answered all of our questions about his house. We then went back to the hotel, ate dinner and then went back to the hotel yet again, this time to sleep and wake up promptly at 3am, with plenty of time to write blogs. Tomorrow we are visiting the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, and the Temple of Heaven, with some free time to explore the city in the evening. Then on to the Great Wall on Wednesday.

In the days leading up to our departure, it almost seemed like this trip wasn't actually happening. I just couldn't seem to wrap my head around the fact that we were going to China. And I have to admit that that feeling hasn't changed. I am constantly overwhelmed simply by the fact that we are in China, not the mention the incredible things that we are seeing. I've taken a bunch of pictures, some of which I'll post in this blog, and vow to take even more tomorrow.