No culture shock

I just realized I'm not having the traditional culture shock on my first day out. Beijing is truly Western. People are not staring at me, the heirogryphic-like Chinese characters perhaps thanks to my Calligraphy class don't stick out to me. There's actually more English everywhere than I expected. When building raw materials - cement and steel priced went up a few years ago - it was blamed on Chinas building boom. Post Olympics that's not evident anymore. The size and scale of things remind me of Moscow with the tall apartment buildings. Aside from the random historical site every few miles - its exactly what I expected. I must now be a citizen of the world :) BMWs, Mercedes and Lexus' rule the streets along with tons of buses - a fare is only 30 cents, and of course bikes. Our lunch was a disappointing American Chinese meal - it can only get better. Some of you asked about photos, I might need to find a Internet cafe to download - Ill try soon. Saw Temple of Heaven and now to Summer Palace. I just love all the bicyclists in this 30 degree weather!