Alas, one
week until I leave on another journey, this time to the Northern Capital –
Beijing! While this will be a return
trip to China for me, it will be different as I will be residing and studying
in Beijing for roughly ten months, and I will be on my own once the plane lands
on Monday, August 27 at Beijing Capital International Airport （北京首都国际机场；Beijing
Shoudu Guoji Jichang）. As for my studies, I will be attending
Beijing International Studies University (aka Beijing No. 2 Foreign Studies
University*), where I will be taking courses in Chinese language. As I have never been to Erwai* or Beijing
before, I have heard from friends who have studied there as well as Chinese
students I have met at NAU that it is a good and exciting place in which to
live and study Chinese. Also, as this is
the first time I will be setting foot in China on my own, I have had to plan
more accordingly in terms of knowing how to go through and get out of the
airport, get to the university, and to get around the city more than I did when
I was in Suzhou. Therefore, in the
following entries I intend to document my studies of the Beijing airport,
getting around Beijing, and of course reading into the many Beijing tidbits and
history prior to my visit, so stay tuned.
Travel Itinerary:
On August 25th, 2012 at 5:29 PM I will be departing
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and arriving at Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) at around 7:00 PM. Following a six
hour layover I will embark from LAX at 1:40 AM and will arrive at BCIA on
August 27th at 5:20 AM.
The Terminal:
The terminal designated for international flights at Beijing Capital is Terminal 3, the map pictured below:
Instead of boring you with someone else's photos, I will instead write for awhile in order to finish this post and take a rest before the wonderous bit of jet lag I am sure will ensue after my flight come Monday. As for entering the airport after arrival, one would exit the plane and gate, go through Immigration services to get their visa stamped. After this, you can either catch an automated train or walk to baggage claim and then from there go to customs and after this, I at least, plan to catch a taxi and proceed to my destination as planned.
