For the trip details and pictures, click on the link below. I would suggest going there first and then coming back and reading my reflection. The end of Abby's web site will refer you back to here.

Trip Details: Beijing 2009

Dan's Reflection

Our experience in Beijing was everything that I had hoped for, yet in many ways different than expected. With all the traveling that I have done, I had never been to an Asian or a Communist country. Certainly, I had preconceived notions of both. Some of those preconceptions were reinforced while others were obliterated.

Abby and I both agree that we had the benefit of the Olympics having just been in Beijing. We enjoyed a city that was still sparkling without having to deal with the crowds of the Olympics.

Here are some fun preconceptions that were blown up. In China, never once were we served a Chinese fortune cookie and it appeared that most Chinese men were significantly taller than me.

On the more serious side, my perceptions of a Communist country were certainly tested. Beijing failed to live up to any of my preconceived ideas of Communism. I expected Beijing to have a similar feel to my experience in visiting Prague in the Czech Republic. Despite now being Democratic, elements of Prague still pose a cold almost scary feel left behind by Communism. For our trip to China, the closest thing I felt to what I felt in Prague was my two trips to Los Angeles to get our visas. Both trips resembled a poor trip to the DMV.

China seems to be thriving in spite of Communism. In my short week in Beijing, I witnessed a very vibrant, creative society that enjoys a high standard of living while definitely embracing Capitalism. My experience gave me the sense that Communism is losing its grip on China and that politically it is a nation in transition.

Our friend Ben describes Beijing as the “Wild, wild East.” In doing so, he references the freedom that the American West once had as a land that held economic opportunity without highly structured law. If Ben’s assessment is correct then, in some ways, China may offer more personal freedom than we enjoy in the U.S. today, as we have had over 200 years to self-restrict our personal freedoms by passing more and more laws.

I personally experienced that things are dramatically changing. Prior to the Olympics, foreigners were virtually forbidden from being on university campuses. Not only was I able to freely walk onto Ben’s campus to attend the conference, Ben asked me to give an impromptu address at end of Friday’s events which included an audience of high ranking Chinese education officials.

With that said, the bureaucratic corruption of Communism can still be easily found as it is openly and publicly discussed with great frustration. Then again, that in itself does not sound much like my preconceptions of Communism. Democratic elections in China may not be next year, but I would not be surprised to see them in my lifetime. After all, I have already lived through the fall of Communism in the former Soviet Union and the destruction of what used to be the world’s other great wall in Germany.

Living up to expectations is the beauty of China. Hopefully, our pictures give you a sense of the artistry, scale, and warmth of the Chinese ancient ruins and the beauty of the land they inhabit. Even many of the newly constructed buildings have character and improve the skyline as they seemingly tell their individual stories.

Exceeding my expectations are the people. This trip reinforced lessons that I have learned with previous travel. The world is rapidly shrinking daily as we become more connected. The danger of this is that we become homogenous and in the process some native cultural customs that make us unique from each other are being lost. The upside is that no matter where I have been, I have discovered that we are all 99% the same.

This was never more evident than while watching Ben’s students present their projects in class. Honestly, if someone were to mix Abby’s and Ben’s students and then asked me to separate them, I would not be able to do so. Hopefully more people can come to the realization that no matter on which piece of land we are born, as humans we are all nearly identical. I believe that understanding this is key to avoiding more conflicts locally and globally.

Another highlight of the trip for me, was meeting Alan Greenberg. Alan was a member of Apple’s team for creating and implementing Podcasting into education. As many of you know, it is podcasting that led to my opportunity to cover sports for SanDiego.com. My chats with Alan reinforced that I am on the right track with what I have been doing this year. Hopefully, next year I will discover more ways to make it all economically pay off.

To conclude, if you are planning a trip in the near future and considering Europe, I would strongly suggest that you consider China instead. I have been to both in the last year. Each offers inspiring beauty and culture. However, right now your dollar will go a lot further in China. 

Trip Details: Beijing 2009

Contact Information

• Phone: 619.341.1778
• Email: Dan@DanMcLellan.com
• Resume: DanMcLellanResume.pdf

Return to: Personal

Professional | Entertainment | Acting | DAM Good! | Personal | Shopping