Reflection

Now that everyone made it back to Minnesota safe and sound, something comes up to mind. As it was my first trip to Asia, I am absolutely delighted to see China and its wonderful, smiling and welcoming people. Throughout my visit, I could feel that the Chinese citizens that I encountered made a lot of effort to be helpful and pleasant. It is challenging to be in a country where, I felt illiterate most of the time. I don't have to remind anyone how many people are everywhere at all time, but I always felt safe, even when I was the last one that entered the metro and a "metro attendant", physically pushed me in to make sure I would not stay on the platform. Few things still amaze me, even when one reads it in the newspaper or see it in a documentary of some sort, I could not get over 2 facts : 1. It is very crowded! and 2. People need a job... I saw numerous times people "working", however their job was already filled with 2,3, 4, or more. Here are a couple of examples, to cross a street by foot ( a "life threatening situation!") there was always 3 to 5 policemen; and half of them were smoking and having conversation with each other, not paying attention to the pedestrians! The second is, when we went to No.1 Department Store in the Nanking shopping district in Shanghai, I was stunned to see at least 10 women shop assistants, well dressed and smiling in the jewelry department, standing behind the glass counters filled with mostly jade ....as if they will have 10 potential clients at one time...amazing! However the system, it seems to work for now. It will probably change in the future as the economic system is transforming itself slowly. A beautiful and charming country.