Feb 1st, 2008 - Getting my bearings

I woke up this morning kind of groggy from a lethal cocktail of 20 hours of travel and major sleep deprivation. I couldn't sleep on the plane. I swear they make the seats smaller on Air China planes. Needless to say, I wasn't so fresh this morning. But, to keep up appearances, I got up with everybody else at 7AM. I don't want to have "Lazy" attached to "Son-in-law" just yet. I've barely left an impression on my pillow after only 5 hours of sleep, so at least I can make a good impression on my in-laws.

The first thing I do is look out the window. Already I am noticing a major problem with air pollution. You can see the taller buildings off in the distance, but that's all. It's a clear, sunny day (I think). The number of cars out there is staggering, and the number of driving rules is little to none. You do the math. It seems like those lines painted on the road are meaningless here. More of a rough guideline than a lane. Later on today I am going to venture out in the smog, and maybe try not to get hit by a car or two.

I asked if I could "Jump in the shower" but apparently there is no such thing. In the bathroom, there is a shower head on the wall with a drain on the floor beneath. No shower door, no curtain, basically an open invitation for me to flood the bathroom like the Nile River Valley. Oh, and I learned another thing today about using the toilet, but as I've previously stated, bodily functions are strictly prohibited from this blog. M-I-L (mother in law) is home for lunch now, so I have to ask her about exchanging some Canadian currency for me. I have a feeling she won't let me spend any of my own money on anything.