Finally Here

So here I am on day 1.  Let me preface this by saying that those that prayed over me before I left and those that prayed during my travels, are very much appreciated.  This round of travel was light years better than the Athens, Greece experience of 4 years ago.  I had a driver waiting for me, he took me to the correct Hotel, accreditation at the airport was actually in place and functioning as advertised.  Its amazing the difference already.  I'm staying in a high-rise apartment for the first month.  It is very much like an extended stay suite in the States, except it has a washer dryer combo, flat screen TV, and free internet.  Its sort of like staying in an IKEA display, except everything is real.  The airport and my accommodations have already tipped me off to a difference in how Beijing functions differently from the US or other developed countries. Here because the government is making it all happen, they can have as many people doing a job as they want.  So in US where two or three would be gathered, here 5-6 will be doing the job.  Its like one of those light bulb jokes without a good punch line.  Multiple chinese workers giving input and trying to help solve the problem.  Everything is very well ordered and neat.  Like OCD neat.  That and police presence everywhere helps.  So far I've seen some cool building shapes, but more than anything it is just taking in the sheer metro growth happening here.  New skyscrapers going up everywhere.  I think when I head into work for the first time I will get to see even more staggering sights including the newly opened Olympic Green.  I haven't really noticed any air quality issues by the way, but we'll see as the days go by.  So far it appears that Beijing is ready to host the Olympics in Grand Style.  More to come.