China Journal - Day 1

Our trip started with a text at 3 AM saying that our flight had been delayed - not an hour or so but 8 hours.  Instead of leaving at 9 AM we wouldn't leave until 5 PM and would miss our flight from Newark, NJ to Beijing.  A relatively quick call to United and we were leaving from Providence instead of Boston. It was actually an easier airport. Soon we were sitting at the gate!

The flight to Newark was easy and then onto the very large airplane for the trip to China. We left New Kersey at about 1:30 in the afternoon and flew northwest up across the Great Lakes and Canada.  Soon we were flying in the dark.  About 11:30  PM I woke up and Ms. Taber told me that we had come across the line dividing night from day and even though it was night for us - almost midnight - it was light outside!  I've included some of the pictures from the 3D map we watched on the flight.  

As I am writing this it is almost 2AM Friday morning in Wareham and almost 3PM in the afternoon in Beijing.  Almost 1 1/2 hours left of the 13 hour flight.

Through Immigration, Customs, pick up the baggage and we are ready to meet Ms. Stahmer and Jordan, our escort. It's now about 5 PM here and about 4 AM in Wareham. Jordan drove us to where we were staying about an hour away in traffic in downtown Beijing. Traffic is CRAZY.  

We got to the residence hall just in time for dinner. Believe it or not, we had Pizza Hut!