I’m in Shanghai, China now, and I will be for the next 3 weeks. Already, the experience has been unbelievable. I’ve done more traveling than most, including a couple trips to Europe — but I’ve never felt so completely foreign (or tall).

(flying over Alaska)

The flight over from Chicago (direct to Shanghai) took about 15 hrs when it was all said and done. This included 2 hrs sitting on the runway, waiting for the hydraulic system to get fixed. The movies were horrible, but it wasn’t that bad for two reasons:

• 40 of my closest work friends were on the plane
• Free drinks on international flights