When I left Kunming last year, I wasn't really sure that I would ever return. The primary purpose for the visit last summer, to study the mating system of the lovely invasive vine kudzu in its native range, didn't quite pan out, as a combination of bad timing (it didn't flower until mid-July, two weeks before my departure) and rain ruined my chances for a successful study. So, around this time last year, I said my heartfelt goodbyes to those who took such good care of me during my stay, hopped on a plane, and headed back to my beloved family and friends in America, quite unsure that I would ever see this land again.
But, here I am once more, back in Kunming, known as the "City of Eternal Spring," the capital of Yunnan in southwestern China. Thanks to funding from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, awarded to my collaborating professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Prof. Wang Hong, I was able to return to perform my pollination experiments over again. This time, my flight to Beijing and then to Kunming were booked on a Chinese carrier, Hainan Airlines. Doing a little research before I left, I became wary about flying using this carrier (though I had no choice, this trip was being paid for with Chinese government money, which had to be spent on a Chinese airline), as I read that there seemed to be less space (worrisome for a 6'4" American), worse food, and less friendly service than American carriers. I have to say that, aside from the typical discomforts associated with 13-hr flights, there was just enough space for my legs to stretch out, several movies to keep me entertained (I chose Saving Mr. Banks and The Wizard of Oz), and kind enough service to make the flight tolerable. Yes, the food wasn't my favorite, but I came prepared with some snacks of my own to satiate my bear-like hunger.
Last year, having never traveled to Asia before, I found there were a few things I wish I would have known to bring to make my stay a little more comfortable. This time around, having learned my lesson, I can say I am much more at ease, initially at least, than I was upon my first Chinese experience. At the top of my list, a pound of dark roast Starbucks coffee and an Aeropress coffee brewer, instant oatmeal and peanut butter, and bed sheets have significantly improved my comfort level. Also, as an unexpected surprise, my phone from America works here without me needing to do anything except turn it on. While there are a few things I dislike about T-Mobile, I must admit that the free international service they have has taken some of the stress out of worrying how to contact people if I need help (particularly as soon as my first foot stepped on Chinese soil). In case you were wondering, the T-Mobile plan came, at no extra charge, with free data and texting and a call rate of $0.20 per minute. As most Chinese like to text, or use QQ (similar, but better than, AIM instant messenger), to keep in touch, this made things very simple for me. It does cost them 1 RMB (about $0.16 USD) to text me (which may not sound like a lot, but normal cost for them is 0.1 RMB per text), but using QQ, which most young people do, is free for all.
But, here I am once more, back in Kunming, known as the "City of Eternal Spring," the capital of Yunnan in southwestern China. Thanks to funding from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, awarded to my collaborating professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Prof. Wang Hong, I was able to return to perform my pollination experiments over again. This time, my flight to Beijing and then to Kunming were booked on a Chinese carrier, Hainan Airlines. Doing a little research before I left, I became wary about flying using this carrier (though I had no choice, this trip was being paid for with Chinese government money, which had to be spent on a Chinese airline), as I read that there seemed to be less space (worrisome for a 6'4" American), worse food, and less friendly service than American carriers. I have to say that, aside from the typical discomforts associated with 13-hr flights, there was just enough space for my legs to stretch out, several movies to keep me entertained (I chose Saving Mr. Banks and The Wizard of Oz), and kind enough service to make the flight tolerable. Yes, the food wasn't my favorite, but I came prepared with some snacks of my own to satiate my bear-like hunger.
Last year, having never traveled to Asia before, I found there were a few things I wish I would have known to bring to make my stay a little more comfortable. This time around, having learned my lesson, I can say I am much more at ease, initially at least, than I was upon my first Chinese experience. At the top of my list, a pound of dark roast Starbucks coffee and an Aeropress coffee brewer, instant oatmeal and peanut butter, and bed sheets have significantly improved my comfort level. Also, as an unexpected surprise, my phone from America works here without me needing to do anything except turn it on. While there are a few things I dislike about T-Mobile, I must admit that the free international service they have has taken some of the stress out of worrying how to contact people if I need help (particularly as soon as my first foot stepped on Chinese soil). In case you were wondering, the T-Mobile plan came, at no extra charge, with free data and texting and a call rate of $0.20 per minute. As most Chinese like to text, or use QQ (similar, but better than, AIM instant messenger), to keep in touch, this made things very simple for me. It does cost them 1 RMB (about $0.16 USD) to text me (which may not sound like a lot, but normal cost for them is 0.1 RMB per text), but using QQ, which most young people do, is free for all.
My friend Zong-Xin Ren, who greeted me at the airport at 2am (I was supposed to get in at midnight, but, after loading onto the plane in Beijing, we sat at our gate for two hours, probably, but who knows, due to bad weather somewhere), further made my reintroduction into China a more pleasant one by performing a few simple acts of kindness towards me. He provided me with a gift bag of two Budweiser cans of beer and two loaves of bread and took me, the day after my arrival, to one of my favorite restaurants in Kunming for lunch, a little place where you choose your live fish for eating, watch as they prepare it for you, and then throw it, along with some vegetables, into a boiling pot built into your table. Very delicious. On the downside, however, I arrived in China on the verge of a cold, and the nearly 27 hours of traveling did not do my health any favors. The majority of my first few days here were thus spent in bed, recovering from both jet lag and a head cold. But as the clouds in my head have begun to drift away and as I sip upon this freshly brewed cup of Joe while the breeze dances across my skin, I find it's quite nice being back in the City of Eternal Spring.