Jenny: Flying, Fountains, and Finally here!

We landed in Beijing today! Usually, I feel very tired after long plane rides, but this time, I feel quite awake. Our flight went smoothly, and I even made some friends with the people sitting next to me. The first was a nurse at Duke while the second was a music professor whose daughter went to Juliard! As I am writing, we are headed to the University we will be living at – everyone else is asleep on the bus!! Unsurprisingly, the traffic in Beijing is quite horrible (we have moved less than a mile in 20 minutes) but I have gotten the chance to talk to the two college students who will be our translators. It is strange how they go to school half way across the world from me, yet we can relate to things like studying past midnight, loud neighbors, and being stressed our for exams. While we were in the Detroit airport for a layover, Emily and I ran into this really beautiful fountain that we decided to take pictures near! I really enjoy flying into different cities, as the aerial view from each city is so unique. I took pictures of both Detroit and Beijing from the airplane. About halfway into the plane ride, I opened the window to the most peaceful and view of arctic skyline! Though I have flown over the arctic before, I had never seen such as view; I think it is because we flew by at just the right time. I am getting a little tired now but am looking forward to the science fair tomorrow and getting to explore Beijing.