buses of migrant workers

After a week out in the countryside enjoying the fresh air and blue skies i popped back to Beijing for a few days and, as usual, took the bus Beijing West Station through Guomao, at the heart of the business district, to where i live a mile south of Guomao. Getting thus bus is not only ridiculously cheap (approximately 2.5 pence, or 5 US cents), but faster than taxis that cannot use the bus lane, and more convenient than the subway which does not connect to the Station, nor to my apartment (yet!).

The bus is more than half full of migrant workers with their nylon bags with their entire life's possessions inside who come from across the country to Beijing in search of jobs to earn money to send home (or take home, if they go home occasionally) -they tend to be Men, they tend to be poor (and poorly dressed, but that is excusable!), and they tend to be rather lost and sort of excited at the same time, and in groups. They all head for Guomao, either because they hear it is the heart of Beijing's construction boom, or because they might already have something lined up there, through friends already working here, or through some kind of recruitment agency. I would like to ask them actually, but can barely understand their accents for simple words :(

The last few weeks have been somewhat crazy with presentations, trainings, proposals and all sorts -most last-minute, let alone the travelling to and from Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. But, the train is my best friend and so is the new Cocoa flavour of Dove chocolate (similar to Galaxy) -almost as good as the great stuff in Belgium 5 weeks ago!

Yesterday it was snowing in the countryside of Beijing; but in 10 days i will be in Malaysia working for a week -can't wait, especially for the food, let alone the weather..and by the time I am back Beijing should be warm.