This travel blog is an attempt to keep a record of my seven weeks in China and share the experience with family and friends. I hope that you enjoy it.

I am on my way to China! I am currently in the 6th hour of my trip from Los Angeles to Beijing. I am staring at that little console on the back of seat in front of me and it shows a map of the world and info such as:

Current Altitude: 31,000 feet
Ground Speed: 540 mph
Time to Destination: 6 hours 20 minutes
Outside Air Temperature: -58 degrees Fahrenheit (eek!)

Another interesting fact… We are over Alaska and briefly crossed into the Arctic Circle. Kind of wacky to think that going from LA to Beijing means that you basically fly north along the west coast of the US (Hi Oregon! Hi Washington!) and cross over Alaska. It’s the shortest route given that the Earth is a sphere. We just crossed the international date line so it’s basically tomorrow already.

The journey itself so far has been relatively calm with only a few hitches. The basics: I woke up at 2:30 am to get to the Syracuse airport by 4:45 for a 6:30 am departure. (Shout out here to Andy for the middle of the night drive to Syracuse). I arrived at the airport 1 hour 45 minutes ahead of departure and yet AND YET…. it wasn’t early enough to catch the scheduled flight! They were short-staffed and couldn’t ticket all the passengers in time. They rebooked me via Denver instead of Chicago and it all worked out. Note to self: Get up even earlier next time. IF there is ever a next time.

An interesting thing about this journey is that it is the longest day of my life, not just figuratively, but literally. It is the longest time I’ve ever been in the sunlight. This is because we are flying west, following along with the sun. That means that even though I have been awake almost 24 hours, the sky is not dark and won’t be dark for another 8 hours. The sun came up just as we arrived in Syracuse at 5 am this morning, and even though it’s 1 am Ithaca time at the moment, I am still in the sunlight and will be for another 8 hours. So you could say, I’m pulling an all-nighter. (But with continuous sunlight, maybe it should be called an “all-dayer”?!)

In the weeks leading up to my departure, many friends asked me: “What will the weather be like in Beijing in May and June?” So I looked it up and found that it can be hot, on par with Ithaca in July and August. (An aside for my readers in Arizona and North Carolina — ok, I admit that Ithaca in summer isn’t truly hot, in the overall scheme of things….)

Did you note above that the current air temperature is -58 degrees F? It’s going to swing to 150 degrees warmer by the time we land. Yup, predicted temperature in Beijing when I arrive is 97 degrees F! And tomorrow it’s supposed to be 98. I’ll have an on-the-ground weather report coming some time in the next few days.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why are you going to be in China for 7 weeks?
I am going to be teaching an Introductory Statistics course at China Agricultural University in Beijing.

How did you get this gig?
Cornell’s Food Science department partners with China Agricultural University to offer a dual-degree program in Food Science. The students complete the four-year program in Food Science and will receive diplomas from both Cornell and CAU. I was approached by the Director of the program last December inquiring about my interest in teaching Intro Stats to Chinese Food Science majors in China. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

How long will you be teaching? And will you do some travelling?
I will be teaching for 6 weeks and then travelling for a week before returning home.

Have other Cornell faculty taught in this program?
Yes, but they have taught via Zoom only. I will be the first Cornell faculty member to teach in-person for this program. It’s a relatively new program with the current cohort of students being sophomores. Due to the pandemic, they haven’t been able to hold in-person classes with Cornell faculty until now. I am sort of the guinea pig.

Will you teach in Chinese?
Uh, no.

How is your Chinese?
We’ll find out soon.

What can you say in Chinese?
Hello. Goodbye. Thank you. Still working on figuring out Please.
I am an American. (As if that weren’t completely obvious.)
I am not Chinese. (Even more obvious.)
I like apples.
I like spicy food. (Let’s hope I don’t come to regret that one.)

Where will you be staying?
I will be living on-campus with dorm-like accommodations in their housing for visiting faculty and foreign visitors. It has a private bath and AC.

Do you want to hear from people?
Yes! I am travelling here on my own, and don’t have any family or friends planning to come visit me. I may get a bit lonely, so I welcome texts, emails or WhatsApp messages and even the occasional phone call.

What is the best way to reach you?
Email: Either of my two usual email addresses will work: ms429@cornell.edu or melissa.smith444@gmail.com
My Chinese Cell Phone: 607-280-3985 This is for texting and phone calls. Yes, it’s a US phone number and it is is a loaner from Cornell. You don’t have to do anything special to use this phone number.

How long will you be in China? I will be here until June 30th. That’s 7 weeks of adventuring!

How are you feeling about this trip? It depends on when you ask me. I have cycled through several emotions, especially in the last 3 days. I mostly feel excited about this adventure. During the week or so before I left, I was feeling very overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the details, especially the tech part which involved getting a new computer and a new phone and using a whole suite of new applications. Then this morning as we were driving to the airport, I mostly felt sick to my stomach with uncertainty, thinking “Melissa, what have you gotten yourself into ?!” And now, flying across the Pacific, I am back to excitement.

I am pleased to share my adventures with my friends and family! Check in for my occasional updates.

— Melissa