So the gweilo got on an Air China flight.
It seems I was the only non-Chinese person on the plane.
The culture shock began there. Flying Air China is not like flying Air Canada. We take our western comforts for granted and don’t really appreciate what we have until it’s taken away. This was a good, gradual first phase introduction for me. Take all we are used to here and knock it down three notches. Space, service, quality whether washrooms, seating, or food. I did not suffer, but realized that I was like a city guy going to visit country cousins on the farm. I was going from a developed society to a developing society. They were trying to catch up with us, and doing a great job, but…

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By Ernie Tadla

So the gweilo got on an Air China flight. It seems I was the only non-Chinese person on the plane. The culture shock began there. Flying Air China is not like flying Air Canada. We take our western comforts for granted and don’t really appreciate what we have until it’s taken away. This was a good, gradual first phase introduction for me. Take all we are used to here and knock it down three notches. Space, service, quality whether washrooms, seating, or food. I did not suffer, but realized that I was like a city guy going to visit country cousins on the farm. I was going from a developed society to a developing society. They were trying to catch up with us, and doing a great job, but were not there yet.
 
Alone with my thoughts, I wondered and worried. What was I getting myself into? The pangs of being alone were deep. It would be four months before Lovy would join me. Without her at my side, I was at the mercy of others and my own mental meanderings. Would Dan and his partners, Wu Bing and Peter, accept me? Would the Chinese staff accept me? How would I order things since I didn’t know the language? Would I succeed? How would I begin? What would I do?

Then the “what ifs” started. What if they don’t accept me? What if I don’t succeed? What if? What if?

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Now that we are counting down to the 2008 Olympic games, first-time and not so recent visitors to China are no doubt wondering what they will see when they land in Beijing next August. In the run-up to the games, we will take every opportunity to describe the changes that are taking place in China and paint the picture of how the country will look in another year.

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