And so it begins, Chapter 1 - by Chris Schave, CE Adviser in China

For the third day in a row, Madison woke me up by jumping on me. Since I only see her a few times a year now, I don’t mind. Today I am on my way to China. This morning my mom and I did a little pre trip shopping and my dad went and picked up a new Blackberry for me. Best parent’s ever!
Last night I went to eat dinner with my best buddy Torry’s parents. I had a great talk with his mom and dad, and even took some traveling tips from his dad. He felt I was packing too much, and he was right. After taking some items out of my luggage, I was still six pounds over weight. I purchased some hiking shoes this morning and removed my boots and running shoes. The only thing I ended up leaving in Portland was my soap. Looks like I will have to pick up some Chinese body wash.
The flight from Portland was a breeze. I ate at Gustav’s, a German place at the airport that I really enjoy, then made it back to my gate with a few minutes to spare.
The flight was fairly uneventful until I reached LA. The smog hanging over the city was pretty unbelievable. As we made final approach I looked down and saw something that made me laugh, The Crenshaw Prayer Dome. The name was written in the parking lot and I wish I had been ready with a camera.
Whenever I travel, whether it be domestic or international, I’m always amazed with how many people I meet. I had a 6-hour layover in LA, so I got some dinner. I was sitting at a table and another traveler approached me and asked if he could sit with me since all the other tables were occupied. We didn’t talk for a little while then I asked him where he was going. Turns out he was on the same flight as me to China. His name is Tang and he is going to meet his fiancé to get married. He is working on getting US citizenship and then I think she will join him in the US.
After dinner we parted ways for a while and I went to the bar to grab a pint and make some phone calls. While sitting there I met a guy from Australia that is in the wealth management business. We talked until the check in opened up.
When I was getting my boarding pass I couldn’t help but notice the three security guards. I looked around at the other airline counters and noticed there was no security. I asked the gentleman there and he said that people sometimes get out of hand. I wasn’t lucky enough to see such craziness ensue.
After getting my sweet exit row window seat, I headed through security. Once on the other side, I hit up the Marina Bar for another pint. I sat next a couple of guys about my age that were headed to Australia. One was a garbage man in LA and the other was a construction worker. We chatted for a bit then they were replaced by a couple of ladies. They were travel agents also going to Australia. We talked about all sorts of stuff then I was off to catch my flight. I feel slightly bad, but I cut in line. I saw Tang and I was pretty far up there. Not sure why, but when it comes to lines, I feel that I have entitlement. Always have. So Tang and I hopped on a bus that took us to the plane.
As I’m writing this I am going into hour 12 on this flight. It was incredibly hot for a while. The guy behind me keeps shoving his legs into my back. From the feel of it, he must be about 6’8”. I opted for the non-western style meal and got mystery meat, bok choy, cheesecake, and some other stuff I didn’t eat. The saving grace is the lovely couple that I am sitting next to. He is a Malaysian born Chinese man, and she is Korean. They are going to China to adopt an 11-year old boy. He just pointed out to me that this is the most worthless crew he has seen on a flight. I’d have to agree. The flight attendant fell asleep across from us on take off. They brought us meals, and then I haven’t really seen them. I did go back to get water and it was quite warm. I just hope the pilots are better! Back to the couple next to me. That’s what gets me about the world. Everyone has a story. This is a huge step in their lives. He speaks Mandarin and she doesn’t. The boy they are adopting only speaks Mandarin. Why is everyone on this plane walking around without shoes on? Screw it, when in Rome!

Just got to China. Trying to get the internet figured out. I can't access facebook of wordpress, so my dad is posting this for me. My gmail account and school email work, so to contact me email me at cschave@gmail.com. More to come!

Chris- Adviser Abroad China