China Study Tour: 1 confiscated water bottle, 2 packs of M&Ms, 21 fellow study tour participants, getting through security with a box-cutter: priceless

I hate airport security. When I arrived for my flight on Hainan Airways, the check-in staff seemed apologetic that I had to wait even the five minutes that I did, and there was a literal red carpet for the business class travelers. They were polite, efficient, and fast. Security was also fast, but polite and efficient is definitely stretching the definitions of the terms. I got an admittedly cheap water bottle on my recent trip to Sitka, Alaska. However, it was my water bottle, and it was my souvenir, and it posed no terrorist threat whatsoever. I find that airport security makes me feel angry, harassed, and not at all safer, especially once I discovered that while my cheap water bottle had been confiscated, the box cutter in my purse apparently wasn’t an issue at all.

After submitting my pre-departure paper from the gate waiting area (Madhu only said before we fly out…), I grabbed some snacks at Hudson News along with a neck pillow. I found on the plane, however, that while the peanut butter M&Ms were as yummy as they always are, the neck pillow was not a brilliant investment. Hainan Airways has quite possibly the tiniest seat dimensions of any airline I’ve ever flown on. When I, a 5’5” female feel scrunched and uncomfortable, I can’t imagine how the taller guys in our group are feeling.

Customs and Immigration in China provided a marked counterpart to American security. In fact, the customs folks even had satisfaction buttons at their stations. I could express my pleasure or displeasure at the quality of customs arrival! I want one of those for security at home.
The first place everyone in the group noticed upon arrival was the KFC and Starbucks. While no one went for the KFC, Starbucks provided an allure that was nigh irresistible – cool, delicious coffee drinks. Somehow, even though I ordered a caramel frappuccino, I got a caramel cream frappuccino, which is more like an iced blended milkshake than a coffee drink… so there were some communication issues, but a cream frappuccino is still refreshing after a non-stop Seattle to Beijing flight. Everyone else got the coffee they wanted, and apparently the only difference is the taste in soymilk.

Somehow, our second professor Rubina’ was stopped in Customs, we are assuming because her passport is in Urdu. So, while we waited, we observed all the people around us. My favorite was a young  Chinese guy dressed like the Situation from Jersey Shore. There was also a sign for “Familie Kuh” – Family Cow in German – which made me giggle. When Rubina’ finally arrived, there was much cheering and imaginary champagne toasts. We had all arrived safely in China.

My name is Rachel Greer, and I’m writing the student blog on behalf of the China Study Tour 2010 for the Albers School of Business at Seattle University. This blog will include the group activities and experiences on our trip, as well as my personal reflections and impressions. I hope you enjoy learning about China through our first-hand experiences.