Home, sort of...

Well, I've officially returned to Canada. I made my flight from Beijing to Vancouver okay, watching a few movies, reading a book and making some notes on the development of expertise. I've fired up my cell phone (not the one that the Canadian Olympic Committee gave me, and then asked me to return), called my parents and announced my presence. Now, I'm writing while drinking a coffee at Tim Hortons. Life is getting back to normal.

I guess that I have tomorrow off, since it is a holiday. I'm not getting paid for it, since I'm still away without pay. Not the company's fault: I told them that I was gone until then. I'll use it in lieu in a month or two. I still have Ontario's Civic Holiday to use as well. And ouch: going to the Olympics has hurt. I didn't get paid for a week or two, so the bank account is kinda low. Funny that the money still keeps leaving the account, even when my boss isn't putting anything in.

I'm still kinda wiped out and, to be quite honest, somewhat disenchanted with my Olympic experience. Yes, I achieved one of my life's goals. I even managed to do it with someone I love dearly. That's pretty cool. Yet, there's a certain sense of emptiness that I can't seem to explain.

I'm somewhat disappointed about the International Olympic Committee's failure to ensure that internet sites wouldn't be blocked. As we found out early on, China was blocking Amnesty International's website from readers in China. There was a Tibetian friendly "album" released via Apple's iTunes, so China cut all access to the site for a few days. (Avie had given her cousin an iTouch and couldn't update it because of the blockage.)

Also, while there were 'protest pens', it was reported that nobody actually applied to use them. Hmmmmmmm... It was also reported that anybody who did apply was promptly arrested and detained.

While there, I was constantly confronted by decay and poverty. Buildings everywhere are somewhat run down. I was often confused about whether buildings were being demolished or being rebuilt. You'd see pretty good looking new buildings, surrounded by tents or shacks that we legally couldn't house livestock in, that were the living quarters of the poorest people in China. In the countryside, on our way to Taiyuan, I saw caves dug into the hillsides, which were inhabited by people who couldn't afford a shack. Also, the country is filled with either children or old people, as the youth flock to the cities for work. You see them getting off trains carrying their belongings in burlap bags.

While the standard of living and conditions were depressing, the people are wonderful. Sure, in a crowd or driving, everybody reverts back to the most basic, instinctive levels, resorting to pushing and shoving, holding on to whatever they can. It isn't a system for the meek. While boarding a bus in Taiyuan, I was aggressively pushing back on a surging crowd, so a woman with a baby could board without getting crushed. Later, I gave my seat to an elderly woman (60s+ ?) and she was pleasantly surprised. One to be given a seat, and again because it was from a foreigner. Within an half hour, other younger people clued in, and started giving their seats up. They all mean well, but in the never-ending struggle to get something, they lose sight of what's important. I don't think that this is a Chinese-thing. I think that it is the inevitable outcome of an impoverished nation trying to make ends meet. People are good, but the system changes their immediate goals.

Back to the people of China: genuinely friendly and giving. I was always made to feel welcome. Whatever they had, they would willingly give me. Whether it was food, lodging, hospitality or knowledge, if you were there, you could have it all, without reservation.

Regardless, I'm not in any rush to return. China is a hard place to live. In Canada, I speak the language, I understand the rules, and I am able to do as I please. I don't need translators, nor do I need to involve others. I can wander off and be alone. The further I go, the nearer that I want to be. Even here in Vancouver, on Terra Firma Canadianna, I'm not home. I just want to get home, switch off the world and shut down for a few days.

Damn: I gotta fill up my bank account. No rest for the wicked, I guess.

Ciao for now.
Patrick