A trip to China and back

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A trip to China and back Sunday September 9

Last weekend, about 25 people from my company participated in IWNC's program at Jin Shan Ling on the Great Wall of China. I was lucky enough to be selected, both through my personal endeavors and exceeding sales goals, as well as a little help from my friends. I knew from the moment the challenge was announced at work that I would go; money, while important, is never quite as good of a carrot as a non-monetary goal.

"If you reach x, we will let you go on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Great Wall, complete with your successful colleagues, where you will participate in team-building activities, share knowledge, and learn more about yourself." And that was about it for me; I knew I had to go.

China reminded me a lot of Thailand: actively developing. Some decent infrastructure exists (the Courtyard sported wireless Internet, approximately a 1km hike from the Great Wall), but there are key points that would strike a chord with the unacquainted: throwing away toliet paper rather than flushing it, as the pipes cannot support it. Beijing was busy and over-polluted; I left the airport terminal to find myself holding my breath. As the Olympics are slated for July 2008, the Chinese officials have a lot to do in a short time.

This trip made me think a lot about what it means to live in a "developed" country.

This evening, I left work (yes, I was at work on a Sunday, please forgive me) and returned home on the subway to do some errands. First, I stopped by the coffee shop (no, not a cafe, really, a coffee shop) and ordered 200 grams of Ethopian Mocha; they told me it would take 15 minutes to roast and grind, so I went over to the ATM, transferred money to the US (good exchange rates right now!), transferred money to the travel agent to pay the deposit for Yuiko and I's trip to Hong Kong in November, and then I went to the store to buy yogurt, cereal and jam.

I boiled a kettle while scooping 3 spoons' worth of freshly-ground coffee into my French coffee press, which is oddly made in Japan, not China, and I bought down the road at Tokyu Hands two weeks ago.

When I think about all of these things, the amount of production, coordination, and distribution that went into all of these little consumables, I realize just how easy I really have it. I truly lead a luxurious lifestyle, just by being here every day. It's a shame that most people don't pause to take a breath to realize how truly lucky we are.

But then again, needing all of these systems to sustain our normal lifestyle, are we really the lucky ones? Food for thought.