Sasha and I wildly snapped photos on our drive to Beida. I got my first look at the Bird’s Nest from our taxi on the highway. I couldn’t see it clearly, but it looked just like it did in the NY Times photos- oval, majestic, and sort of strange. At that point, I was still unsure if I was really in Beijing, China. If I ignored the Chinese on the road signs, the boring green scenery around me looked just like it did in America.

It sort of made me sad, because I feel that China is becoming more and more westernized, but that the change may not be completely positive. The percentage of Chinese with obesity and/or diabetes is increasing; KFC or “Ken De Ji” and McDonalds or “Mai Dang Lao” are everywhere; more people drive cars, leading to more pollution and sedentary lifestyles. It’s also funny that ‘modernize’ and ‘westernize’ are somewhat synonymous. What if China could modernize technologically and provide better health care but somehow avoid the problems of development? Is that possible for any country?

That morning, my host mother took me out for traditional Chinese fare called “dou jiang you tiao” or soymilk and fried dough. For the next few days, she made me “zhou” or rice porridge, and took me to Yonhei Wang, a sort of Chinese pancake house that served variations of the traditional Chinese breakfast.

I really got acquainted with painful shoes and public transportation on that first day. IMUSE met up fairly early in the morning and had a formal meeting at a Beida café. I got to meet Kelley and our buddies, Chinese students that accompanied us to various events.

I had been so excited about going to China that I forgot an important detail though— the public bathrooms. But, there are several reasons for the squat toilets, including hygiene and ease of cleaning. That unpleasant surprise did not mar my day though; IMUSE had a great time traveling through the subways (地铁) and the metro that crossed the city（城铁）to reach TianAnMen (天安门 ) where Mao’s portrait stood. I was really amazed that the twelve person group of fellows, administrators and buddies did not get lost or separated; kudos to the Beida and Tsinghua administrators. =)

After taking tourist photos in front of Mao’s portrait, we traveled through the Forbidden Palace or Gu Gong (故宫). A year ago, I had gone to Hendian, the Hollywood of China, and walked through a replica of the Forbidden Palace used as movie sets. The real thing was slightly grimier, but I couldn’t tell the difference.

After a visit to the 9 dragon wall, it was time to explore Wanfujing, a shopping section geared towards foreigners. We didn’t have lunch that day, so at 4 pm, we stormed the underground food section. I got acquainted with the card system; you buy a card and use it to pay for the various snack foods around and return the card at the end. I don’t know why it’s used, but maybe all the stalls are owned by one company, so the profits are easier to measure.

On the subway ride back, I really had THE moment. Alex was asking me about certain phrases in Chinese based on her Beijing guide book. I was reading the Chinese, pronouncing all the normal things like “Ni xiang chi shen me” or “What do you want to eat” until I got to “Ni you mei you guo…” I had been reading character by character so I didn’t notice what the rest of the sentence said. Apparently, the elderly Chinese guy next to me had. He cracked up, and then I read the English translation: “Have you had unprotected sex before?” I turned purple, but started laughing, partly out of embarrassment. Alex still didn’t know what was wrong until she looked back at the book, and then started laughing as well. Thankfully, I don’t think other people noticed. After this, I stopped reading guide books aloud in public places.

After eating snack food, we had real food. The formal opening dinner at a hotel inside Tsinghua University featured several round tables in a private room, decked with different types of exotic juice (hawthorn, kiwi and peach) and plates upon plates of delicious Chinese cooking. Almost everyone directly involved in the IMUSE program was there. It was great to meet so many people, many of whom were very interested to meet the fellows and ask about American life and society.

Around 9 pm, the fellows and buddies were dead tired, but we managed to pull through a training session for the discussion panel led by our administrators. I’m really glad that we did practice so much before the actual panel, and I’m sure that our administrators were more exhausted than us.

I made my first trip alone going back home on the subway and metro. I was definitely intimidated at the thought of leaving by myself at night, but I realized once I got inside the station that it wasn’t hard at all. Needless to say, I arrived home safely and fell asleep quickly.

I shopped crazily in the flagship Olympic store, the only store in all of China with a 20% discount. Then, we took photos. I felt bad for the lady working at the front desk. Everyone wanted to take photos there, and every time, she had to duck her head under the desk. For our group, nearly everyone had a camera. At one point, Evan was besieged with six cameras and just clicked-flashed his way through them.

That afternoon, we held our biggest event- the panel discussion. I was amazed that around forty Chinese students came to hear us talk. I really felt that my opinion was valued. I even became somewhat wary of voicing my opinions too strongly. I didn’t want these students to get the wrong impression of Americans from a few students. The discussion went well though, and it raised some disturbing questions for me. As an American-born Chinese, I go through a double identity or “between two worlds” sort of conflict. I have always felt more Chinese than American. Yet, Eric Chiang really provoked my thought process when he asked me “What has China done for you? Why do you love it so much?” It made me think, “Do I need China to do something for me in order for me to feel Chinese?”

Besides that, we also discussed the hottest topic at that time, the Olympics. It really was a time when the entire world was looking at China, and China really wanted everyone to have a good impression. Now that the Games have ended, I am glad that China has basically succeeded in showing off to the world. But, as with every success, there are more steps to be taken to ensure it, and more steps to be taken to attain even more success.

After the panel discussion, our heads were woozy, and we spiced it up at a Szechwan restaurant in Zhong Guan Cun. We ended the night with karaoke at 17 Ying Li. Things got interesting then. I was in the middle of singing Aurora by Zhang Shao Han (Angela Zhang) when “Morpheus” walked in. The administrators all walked out, and after a while, came back with a strange look on their faces. Kelley said something like: “We have something really serious to tell you guys.” My first thought is that we didn’t have enough money to spend at this fancy karaoke bar. Then, she said: “We’re not going to Tiananmen to see the Opening Ceremony tomorrow…” Okay, I thought. “…because we are GOING to the Opening Ceremony.” WHAT!

Everyone jumped around, screamed, and/or danced like a maniac. I think this was one of the best moments of my life. Just that morning, I had asked Alvin if we were going to the Opening Ceremony and he had said no, like I expected. I think I was so shocked that I didn’t really move, and then went back to singing (after taking photos of the tickets, of course).

Despite the fortuitous turn of events though, I had three strokes of bad luck right after that. Eric and I left the karaoke bar and tried to get a taxi back to Wudaokou station. We managed to get a black car or “hei che” which is not an authorized taxi. I’m sure I got ripped off by the taxi and there was a point that I was actually really scared of being kidnapped. Then, I went on the subway, only to find that the metro was closed. Around that time, I lost my Beijing Olympic flag that I had bought earlier that day. I also didn’t have any more money on me. It seemed that the world was testing me before I could go to the Opening Ceremony.

My host mother helped me so much this time. I called her in a panic and she told me to take a taxi back home. I gave my cell phone to the driver, and she gave him directions. Finally, she came out and paid my fare for me once I reached home. That was the worst experience I had during the whole trip, and I really appreciate the genuine warmth and helpfulness of my host family.

I cannot describe in words how awesome it was, but I will try. Actually, the first part was somewhat painful. We arrived at the security checkpoint at 3 pm, and waited under the hot sun for half an hour before the checkpoint actually opened. After getting through the machines, we went on the special number 8 subway. The only destination on there was the Olympic Park. It actually felt quite surreal but the number of people trying to get onto the subway jolted me back to reality.

The Olympic Park is populated by pretty buildings of the Olympic sponsors like Omega, China Bank and Samsung. There are colorful flags and logos everywhere. Every so often, we ask an Olympic volunteer to help us take a photo. They were so eager to help.

The actual Bird’s Nest looks amazing up close. I am not well versed in architecture, but obviously, China spent a lot of money building these new Olympic buildings. Inside, the stadium seats are white and red, so that at night, the stadium appears to glow red.

As we went to our special section 501, on the third tier right next to the reporters, minority groups performed various traditional dances before the ceremony began. Meanwhile, I checked out the facilities. The bathrooms were spacious and clean. The food was a bit limited and reminded me of a baseball game. There were only crackers, popcorn, chips and ice cream to snack on. Overall, I was happy to see that so many Chinese people were able to attend the Opening Ceremony.

As the clock counted down, four announcers came out to tell us how to use the goodies in our special ‘Olympic Opening Ceremony bags’. The bags had a lot of random stuff, including an official program, a flashlight, a colored torch, a noisemaker (Chinese-style), a scarf, a flag, five ‘rings’ (bracelets), and a raincoat. I felt well-equipped, although it didn’t rain.

Finally, the real countdown started. Drums were rolled out, and the stadium darkened. The drums lighted up in the form of numbers. There were Chinese characters along with the Arabic numbers. The audience chanted along in Chinese…until “Yi” or “One” was reached. Fireworks exploded and the stadium roared as the Opening Ceremony officially started.

There were so many cultural performances and I didn’t understand all of them. I still took many photos and enjoyed the resounding music. My hair stood on end at points, and all of my senses felt alive. It was such a great hour of my life.

The next two hours or so were not as good. After the performances, the athletes entered. At first, I enthusiastically clapped for one team after another. I watched as they walked through streams of multicolored paint, leaving their footprints on a giant canvas. After an hour or so, I started fanning myself. I felt really bad for the cheerleaders that danced for several hours straight. It was probably so hard to keep on smiling and cheering in the heat. Too bad I wasn’t a dignitary. I now know that they gave out fans at the closing ceremony instead of the scarves. Hah.

After the athletes had entered and we had shouted ‘Zhong Guo Jia You’ or ‘Go China’ for the last team (China), the official speeches began. I was quite moved, and found it funny that I could understand all three languages being used- French, Chinese and English.

Then, the final leg of the torch relay began. This occurred dramatically with the lights dimmed and all attention focused on the single flame as it traveled around the Bird’s Nest. The torch was passed several times until it was finally given to Li Ning the gymnastics champion. He ran the final leg suspended in the air by a wire. Somehow, the torch was lit. I couldn’t actually tell what happened, but everyone went crazy and shouted as the torch burned bright. The Opening Ceremony officially ended, but since the athletes had to leave first, there were post-ceremony performances. Several music stars performed theme songs for the Beijing Olympics, including my favorite. Zhan Qi Lai (Stand Up) is the theme song for the movie “One-man Olympics”. To have the actual performance of the song in front of me was the best conclusion ever.

Getting out of the stadium however, was hell. But, I made it home, and attended several other Olympic events during my remaining days in Beijing. This day was obviously the most memorable experience, not only for me, but for most of China.

During the whole trip, I tried so hard to assimilate fully into Chinese culture, but most people were able to tell that I am “ABC” or American-born Chinese. I still have not figured out why I am so different—it’s not just my size, my artistic earrings, or my spoken Chinese. I am fluent in Mandarin and I wore items bought in China. Somehow, my “qi zhi” or aura is just different. In my essay ‘A Manicure’, I touched on this phenomenon, but I still haven’t been able to solve it.

I am so glad I was able to represent Yale in the group of fellows. Initially, I wanted to volunteer, but I don’t have relatives in Beijing, so I could not afford it. Ironically, I was able to have an even better time with IMUSE. The Beijing 2008 Olympics mattered so much to so many people, and I am honored that I was able to witness people at their best, if only for two weeks. Thank you so much! Xie Xie!