Yin and Yang

Jia Na Da is Chinese for Canada, and the characters chosen fortunately have an appropriate meaning: add, catch, big — thus, you could sort of read it as a big country that welcomes new people. America is Mei Guo, the beautiful kingdom, but be very careful in picking the right tone and character for "Mei" as it could also mean blind or imperceptive. It seems like every sound in Chinese has a good and bad meaning. Someone told me that Chinese is a terrible language for writing laws because it is vague and open to loose interpretation. Things are rarely black and white, just shades of grey. China certainly has been an eye opener for me, and whatever preconceptions and stereotypes I had of it and its culture have been broken, yet really understanding it remains even more nebulous to grasp than before.

I had almost the entire day to prepare for my departure since my flight was in the late afternoon. I carefully packed, had breakfast and took a leisurely stroll before checking out.

It was a challenge returning to the motel last night because I did not know they truncated the metro line at night. A rather strange thing for them to stop running the subway to the airport after 9pm, and I pitied several clueless travellers at the end of the line desperate to get to their flight. The attendants at metro station were not that helpful either, and gave me very vague instructions how and where I could take a bus. The private taxis were out to feed on the situation at the exit, asking more than $20 to get people to the airport when it could have cost next to nothing on the train. I fended off one insistent driver who offered a "discount" to take me to my motel for $10, determined I was going to find the bus come hell or high water. This being a new part of town, some roads were unlit so I just started walking in the dark to where it was brighter. I walked almost a kilometre, asking a few people where I could take the right bus. I had a metro map with me to point at the station I wanted to get to, which was still about 10 kilometres away. After passing 3 different bus stops, a helpful man finally took me to the right stop, but he himself was not sure how close to the motel the bus would drop me off. I was lucky I got to within two blocks and it only cost me about 40 cents.

Getting to the airport today was really easy by comparison and I got there four hours in advance, enough time to grab a nice lunch and look at the numerous duty-free but profit-full shops. There really wasn't that much I was interested in getting save for tea, which I bought a bit of. Quite a few weary looking people waiting for the flight to Toronto. I sat down beside a man with a exasperated look in his face and said to him, "You look like you are just about ready to go home". He immediately bubbled up and chatted with me until it was time to board.

And so ends my Chinese jaunt. "May you live in interesting times" they say. As it continues to increase its economic muscle, some people might be mistaken in believing that China is out to dominate and control the world.
I leave this perplexing country with an impression that China struggles merely to control itself.

Hey, I brought back enough vacuum-packed pickled duck feet for everyone.
 Let me know when you want yours.