it's morning in china.

I don't know what it is about today, but I'm way off.

Last night Spain called =) and after a lot of catching up, I was all smiles as I crashed into bed at almost 1am. Maybe the off day is due to waking up two and a half hours later at 3:30am to see the sunrise raising of the Chinese flag at Tienanmen Square. I rolled out of bed, threw on my best tourist gear and met some of the others for an early morning cab ride.

As it turns out, the compound of CUC locks and chains its gates until about 5am. With no option except up and over, we scaled a seven-foot iron gate with six inch spikes on the top. Talk about a way to wake up. Lucky for us, there was a cab parked right outside the gates... with a sleeping driver in it! I wasted no time in rapping on the window. Nothing says goodmorning like an American tourist waking you before dawn.

After a treacherous cab ride, our small group squeezed into the hundreds of people standing outside the Forbidden City to watch the ceremony. I could barely see, and many of the people in attendance were pretty aggressive in jockeying for a better spot. The sun rose... I couldn't see anything... the army marched out... I couldn't see anything... China's anthem played... I couldn't see (or hear) anything... the flag went up... I couldn't see anything. Overall, it was quite the anti-climactic ceremony... especially before 5am. And as you can see, the best picture I got (by practically leaping into the air above the crowd) is also a little lackluster.

In search of breakfast and coffee (something I miss dearly after my near-rehab addiction while working in Maryland... I have yet to find some), we walked forever. A few of us went our separate ways and I did what I have been needing to do since we arrived... break away and get lost on my own. I found breakfast and mapped out what was left of my morning.

I wanted to get back to Silk Street to pick up some additional gifts, but it didn't open until ten. I decided to walk the forever and a day to Wal-Mart to see if I could find an alarm clock, sewing kit and vitamins, three of the things I can't believe I forgot. I found the clock... but walked away with no vitamins and no needle and thread. And when I put some apples in a bag and went to check out with them, the cashier said something to me that I didn't understand and took them away. Apparently I did something wrong in trying to purchase them... maybe I didn't weigh them or something. No apples. No happy.

I walked back to Silk Street, arriving just as it opened and did some bargaining. I'm pretty sure I got ripped off today. Not thrilled about that. Actually, I am pretty frustrated at this whole souvenir situation anyway. I hate souvenirs. Most of this stuff here can be bought back in the States... and a lot more of it is junk. Either way, I have to push through it since I know people are expecting things. Grrr. I'd much rather make a sweet photo slide show to share than hand you a silly jade Buddha. Whatever. I'm over it.

Finally, I head home to nap at 10:30am. I wake up disoriented, confused, hungry for things I can't find here and just generally grumpy. Why is this? I don't know. After some lounging and wishful e-mail checking (nothing is more saddening that no open your inbox and find zero new messages), I decided to do some laundry. Laundry is done by hand... with a tub... and a washboard... in the shower. It is a messy process, you usually end up sopping wet and your room is a drip dry factory with soaked clothes draped over every surface. It makes me appreciate everyone who ever washed clothes by hand, everyone who took part in the invention of the washing machine and Mom and Baba for washing so many loads of my laundry through the years. As someone who loves doing laundry under normal circumstances, this hand-wash situation is disheartening, not to mention time consuming.

I am also slightly homesick, Purduesick, BGRsick, Toddsick, friendsick... and all those other things and people that I miss.

I choose to remedy this day by going to the Karaoke all-you-can-eat buffet (why have one when you can have both). Over and out. I will survive.