China update

I have a few minutes, and was actually able to get a connection to the blog site (having a LOT of difficulty from China) so I'll take the opportunity to send a little update... First – a little education on China. (Still homeschooling from the other side of the world.) A quote from 3M security… “Government surveillance is a fact of life in China. 3M travelers should assume (and conduct accordingly) their conversations could be monitored on the telephone, in hotel rooms and in restaurants.” This is definitely a different world. I was told that China does not allow any satellite communication. None. They still want all the information for the Chinese people to come from the Chinese government. The internet has opened a big door, but they still have some country level controls over that as well. I also learned at lunch today (all my cultural learning is over food) that when each person is born in China they are given a registration certificate for the city they were born in. They now belong to that city – forever. You cannot move to another city unless you have already secured employment there and your new company is willing to get you a temporary relocation certificate to live there. So a person born in Shanghai cannot just decide to move to Beijing. If they do, they can get arrested. You cannot choose to move from the city to the country. You do not have that choice. The registration is also tied to medical, school, and other social systems. A Shanghai child will not be allowed in a Beijing school unless their parents have gotten all the proper temporary registration paperwork. Interesting! Government control is heavy here. Another thing I am continuing to learn… the traffic here is TERRIBLE! It’s crazy! I’m glad I’m a pretty laid back person or my fingernails would be embedded in the car right now. It’s NUTS! I have never seen anything like it before. (Got this picture off the internet. Haven't taken my own yet.)

So, today was a bit more challenging at work. People not attending, miscommunications, etc. Also, a big software deal that was nearly complete (back in St. Paul) just fell through. I’ve been telling people it’s almost done - it’s in every presentation I give. It was supposed to be a big success story. (Sigh.) Here is the 3M building I'm in today and tomorrow. It's a brand new research and development center that opened about a year ago. Yesterday I spent time at headquarters.

Personally – I’m just tired. My mouth is tired of trying to pronounce the words. My brain is tired of all the presentations. My stomach is tired of the food. I’m tired of brushing my teeth with bottled water. I’m tired of working long hours and not getting much personal time before I go to bed. I’m tired of not sleeping in my own bed – with my own pillow! My brain is done with this trip but I still have a few days left. Trying not to “check out” early. That’s about all the time I have for now. Today, as well as the next two days, are filled from 7:30 AM until after dinner. Tonight is a bit more relaxing though. An American friend is going to take me out to a good burger joint. I’ll let you know how it rates. (I’m so used to Andy’s burgers – nothing can compare!) I’ll send more later if I can. Love you all.