Bye, Bye Beijing

Today is our last day in China, so by now some of us are either saddened the time has gone by so quickly, or many are ready to get back home....I fall somewhere in between. This day provided us with some of the most memorable experiences of the whole trip. Visiting Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City is overpowering in it's depth, breadth and spirit. You stand there surrounded by, I don't know, seemingly millions of people, just to realize you are in the world's largest public square. You close your eyes and remember that brave boy, all those years ago, standing up to the tanks as they tried to overtake his China. Standing on this spot in history fills you with a sense of the unflinching spirit that resides in every single human being. "We shall overcome...." Yes, we do, and we will again whenever our sense of freedom and choice, wherever we live, are threatened. Many goose bump moments while standing there taking it all in. Walking just across the square you are faced with the face of Mao and The Forbidden City, once forbidden and now open to millions. You have no idea how big this place is! It could easily be called the "Never Ending City", it goes on and on, layer after layer of ornate courtyards, ancient stone steps, the Emperor's chamber, the Emperor's resting room, the Emperor's wedding house, the Emperor's closet...yes, his closet which is big enough to hold the world's supply of clothing for the next 100 years. You keep telling yourself you are inside a place in history.....this secret, forbidden palace with it's serene gardens, twisted, gnarled trees and you close your eyes and imagine a young Emperor sitting under this tree, contemplating the weight of the world he must have felt were on his shoulders way back when. Just then you are startled back to 2008 with a street hawker holding watches and keychains in your face, "Boo yao" I say...("don't want").... and you start moving again with the crowds. Finally we come out the other side of The Forbidden City, back on the 21 century streets that pulsate with the rhythms of modern Beijing. And let me say right here, Beijing is absolutely beautiful! I was completely and pleasantly surprised to find it so clean, efficient and friendly, again a pre-conceived notion was busted wide open (I love when that happens!). The landscaping in this city is pure joy, colorful flowers bursting out of every nook and cranny. The smog was less in Beijing, something I found very surprising, so you could see much farther then any of the other cities we visited. We also didn't hear the ever present honking horns like we did in Suzhou and Changzhou, horns that are used as a driving tool to prevent collisions, instead of honking just as you are about to hit something! This was a refreshing respite after all the deafening noise! Driving past the Olympic venues was thrilling, seeing the tower where the torch will burn, seeing where the athletes will be housed (the building is shaped like a torch!), viewing the stadium where the opening ceremonies will be held and getting to see the "Aqua Pod" where the swimming events will be, (which by the way glows blue at night), was simply an honor I never thought I would get to experience in my lifetime. That is what strikes me the most about this trip to China, this is a once in a lifetime event for most of us, so it is an honor no matter how you look at it. I think it is a gift to have your world turned upside down, to have your senses engulfed with foreign sights and sounds, to be completely out of your element, surrounded by a language I know I'll never be able to decipher, and to come out the other end whole, enriched, blessed. I was blessed by this trip, blessed insofar as I allowed myself to be blessed, for it was when I suspended my notions, gave up the idea I was in control, allowed the "free fall" of being in a totally different place then anything I have ever experienced, only then did I find the gifts China holds in her hands. It was the beautiful children running up to me, smiling, waving, saying "Ni hao", it was in the weathered face of an elder whose hands I reached out and touched briefly, it was in the giggles of the uniformed school girls as they shyly watched us taking pictures....what on earth did they think of us? It was in the relieved laughter when I made myself understood, through sign language, about how to get to where I wanted to go when I got lost briefly. It definitely was in the power of the music that was played, uplifting, soaring, transforming for audiences and band members alike. The gift also came on days when it was unbearably hot and sticky, walking the streets with all manner of humanity and knowing I was a part of a bigger picture. China's gifts were the unexpected lunch we had today in the most beautiful of restaurants with the most beautiful of young ladies catering to our needs, it was reflected in the perfect cup of tea made by delicate hands and poured with grace. I felt humbled to shake the hands of the military commanding officers at the concert tonight, officers who called us "dear friends", smiling broadly, warmly and genuinely. Goose bumps are a gift, it's when your soul recognizes that something extraordinary is happening to you, it's when you are in the presence of greatness, it's when I heard the "The Stars and Stripes Forever" played tonight in a way I've never heard it before, it's being proud to be an American, and proud to be in China where we felt pure, unadulterated love....with no strings, no boundaries and no barriers in expressing that friendship. The UK Jazz Ensemble were the rock stars of the group, pure jazz, swinging, melodic and way cool! The UK trumpet professor played the purest tones ever heard from a horn, they were lilting, lifting ever upwards. And my dear husband, Band Director extraordinaire (you don't mind if I gush a bit do you?) held everything together seamlessly, magically and without much sleep to boot! As I heard tonight, "We are different countries, but the same family", I thought, yes, we are one, we are related and this experience will stay with me the rest of my life, and no doubt serve as a springboard for anytime I feel the need to break through a barrier of my own making. The world is in need of our love and tolerance, the world needs music and friendship and laughter, so if I can go and travel across the world and find it in Beijing, China......I can certainly find it in my own backyard and give it freely to my neighbor. It's all relevant, it all goes hand and hand, heart to heart, for China taught me this in full living color in 10 days flat! Thank you all for coming along on this trip with me, we leave for the US tomorrow morning, and barring any travel glitches, we will be home soon. I'll post some final concert pictures after our return and some final thoughts too, so I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse into a fascinating country that has enriched my life, and I feel, made us all better people in the process! Namaste and goodnight......be blessed!