May Day! May Day!

Today is May Day, or International Labor Day, and most Beijingers have a long weekend to celebrate.  Many people take the chance to travel to the outlying suburban areas for some R&R. You can imagine, when even one fourth of the nearly 21,000,000 (TWENTY-ONE MILLION!!!) people living in Beijing are trying to get out of the city on the same day, it creates some traffic issues.

And so, what is Rodney doing today? Traveling by bus to a destination outside of Beijing where he will attend and speak at a retreat. That is, if they ever get there! As I write it is 8 hours into their trip and they have made it to an area that usually takes an hour and a half to reach by car. They are about halfway to their destination and still sitting in traffic!  He is having some great language listening and speaking practice on the way, but I really hope the traffic will dissipate for them soon!

Another downside of the holidays here is the Internet slowdown that inevitably occurs.  It’s not lightning fast to begin with, mind you, but during the work holidays, it’s almost as slow as the traffic. 

May 1^st is also significant in that it signals the beginning of the summer fashion season in Beijing. Yesterday people wore long pants, sweaters, jackets, tights, nylons and socks. Today they are wearing capris and shorts, T-shirts, tank tops and sandals. And it’s not because they weather is any warmer than yesterday. It’s because it is May 1^st!

But the most important fact about May Day is that it is my wonderful nephew’s birthday! Happy 18^th Birthday, Jacob! I hope we can bury you in the sand again soon.