Beijing: a new home.
Sometimes, when you are in a new bed, it is hard to fall asleep — especially when that bed is in a different country halfway around the world from your home. I woke up Sunday morning in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at around 8:00 not exactly realizing that the next time I would be in a bed would be at 11:00 Monday night in Beijing, China! It has been approximately two weeks now since my surreal arrival to Beijing, and everyday since then this place has become more and more like a home to me.
First off, I am extremely honored to be a Borlaug-Ruan International Intern and would like to sincerely thank the World Food Prize for giving me this amazing opportunity to travel to Beijing, China, to live, learn, and work amongst renowned doctors and esteemed PhD students at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). Their efforts have allowed me to be a part of the global effort to eradicate hunger.
Anyways, after 2 flights, 3 movies (Minions, Kicking and Screaming, and La La Land), 6 ginger ales, 15 hours of flying, and nearly 10, 20 minutes naps I arrived in China’s historic capital city: Beijing. Both flights were actually quite enjoyable — even the 14 hour flight. When I got in line for the flight to Beijing it was clear that I was one of the only people not from China. It was actually quite funny, the flight crew behind the desk were collecting tickets quickly and repeatedly saying “xiè xiè”, or thank you in Chinese, to everyone and when they saw me they stopped and with a big smile said “thank you” when I handed them my ticket. It was as if they were practicing their English and looking for my approval as an assumed English speaker — something I would experience a lot more in China. When I got on the plane I immediately started tinkering with the screen in front of me and found one of the greatest movies of all time: Minions. One thing I find so interesting about the minions is they have their own gibberish-like language but you can always hear Spanish words jumbled in their jargon.
After watching the movies I found the flight route page which, as you may have guessed, shows the flight route. One thing that was fascinating about the flight from New York to Beijing is that it flies over the North Pole rather than just flying East or West. In between naps and meals I continued to observe this screen until we landed. When we descended I hoped to see the beautiful skyline outside of the window, but all I could see was a grayish color — it seemed we were in a cloud. However, when we landed that was still all I could see. This, apparently, was all smog. Smog is common in Beijing and it has made me appreciate the clean air where I live and also the blue skies that I see so seldom here.
Entering the airport I was ecstatic to see every sign had English translations underneath the Chinese characters. After having my fingerprints taken I went through immigration and customs pretty smoothly and then took the “automatic people mover” to baggage claim and went to the exit. As I was leaving I saw my lab-mate Chun Yan holding a sign with my name on it. When I finally arrived at CAAS and settled in, Chun Yan and my other lab-mates, Suyash and Adeel, took me to a popular local restaurant: Domino’s pizza! It was as if I had never left America. However, the toppings on the pizza were different and resembled the Chinese cuisine. I had kung pao chicken pizza and it was delicious. One thing I found surprising is that in the U.S. these big chain restaurants are usually cheaper in price than most other restaurants. However, as explained to me by my lab-mates, in China, these American fast food chains are more expensive than the average Chinese restaurant. So, the next time I am in a fast food restaurant in the U.S. I will make sure to appreciate the low prices at these fine establishments.
After Domino’s I went straight to bed. However, it took me quite some time to fall asleep even though I hadn’t fully slept in 36 hours — I was still trying to comprehend exactly how far I had traveled. I woke up the next morning and left my dorm for a brief tour of the CAAS campus. It was beautiful. At CAAS I am working at the Institute of Crop Science which is the biggest institute on campus. Outside of the building is a big steel structure of two plants emerging from the ground with a double helix of DNA going around the two. I have looked at this beautiful structure nearly everyday and it has inspired me every single time I have glanced at it. When I look at it all I can think about are the endless possibilities that exist in science with the technology we have. In addition, it reminds of a quote from Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, where he said “…the world has the technology — either available or well advanced in the research pipeline — to feed on a sustainable basis a population of 10 billion people. The more pertinent question today is whether farmers and ranchers will be permitted to use this new technology? While the affluent nations can certainly afford to adopt ultra low-risk positions, and pay more for food produced by the so-called “organic” methods, the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low income, food-deficit nations cannot.” I have thought about this quote a lot since I have been here and even had a two hour conversation with 2 of my lab-mates dedicated to this topic. Our whole lab is funded to conduct research that will ultimately increase the global yield of crops. CAAS uses cutting edge technology such as RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 to modify plants. Sadly, the global opinion on GMO’s is tainted with the idea that they are bad and people that grow food with GMO’s are just trying to turn a profit. These people clearly do not see the goal of GMO’s and their integral role in combatting hunger globally. Coming from the U.S. I was a part of this skeptical culture and coming here has made me realize how selfish it is that these affluent nations have created this stigma around crop science technologies that are actually saving lives. I hope one day all people will be cognizant of the fact that without this type of science we cannot support a world population as large as projected in the future.
Currently, I am living at the international dorm with all the other international students. It has been amazing to simply eat, talk, and live with people from all over the world. So far, I have not only learned about the Chinese culture from my own perspective and experiences but from many other cultures as well. In addition, I have learned so much about other cultures from the brief conversations I have had over meals with the students in my dorm from countries ranging from Zambia to Vietnam. Spending time with these amazing people has taught me a lot, the biggest being that everyone has a different perspective and you can learn a lot from seeing things from their perspective. The international environment that exists at CAAS fosters a unique environment of collaboration. Everyone here feels like family. Everyday I meet someone new and I am always met with a big smile. The insights I have gained thus far from just living at the international dorm are invaluable.
For the short two weeks I have been living abroad I have learned more about the world and people than any class in school. Learning goes beyond the classroom and I believe every person, young or old, should live abroad at some point in their life. There are nearly 7.5 billion people on this planet and they all have a story and something to teach. Get out there and listen to them!
This is my first blog of many to come and I hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences! I am super excited to write about all the amazing experiences to come.
