To Beijing and Back: Highlights and Insights

While we were slightly disappointed by some of the supposed highlights of our trip, there were a few surprises that seemed far too coincidental to be mere coincidence.

Our first organized tour was a small intimate group of seven; one of our fellow travelers was a 60ish man from Wilmington, Delaware who was a chemical engineer by training who had spent 32 years working for Hercules. His story parallels my father’s, a small reminder of home while halfway around the world.

That same day, while we were visiting the Summer Palace on the outskirts of Beijing, along with thousands of other tourists, we unexpectedly bumped into Ronna and Moe Hochman, dear family friends of ours. Yet another—and far more intimate—reminder of home.

The third encounter is less about home and more about our unfolding adventure. At Chabad in Beijing (where there was also severe overcrowding), we sat next to a woman in her 30’s who introduced herself as Yana. It turns out that she was born in St. Petersburg, but had immigrated to Germany with her family when Communism fell. Ultimately, she made aliyah before moving to China to pursue her studies. When we told her about our impending year in St. Petersburg, she seemed to understand at once. Where others have showered us with questions, she only wanted to shower us with praise and encouragement. It was the spiritual push that I needed to make the journey back to St. Petersburg.

After a one-night stopover back in Shanghai, we are now aboard our flight back to Russia. I have to admit that I really loved China, far more than I imagined. While some customs were a bit bizarre to me—namely that Chinese don’t diaper their babies; rather they put them in crotchless pants and teach them from 3 months to communicate their needs—I felt surprisingly comfortable there. Things were different, but efficient. And I can appreciate efficiency like few others. Just after we boarded the plane and I used the disgusting Aeroflot bathrooms (more on this topic later), I had a brief meltdown. Transitions are tough. I hope that the next few weeks pass quickly as I am sure they will be among our most difficult.