Not all that lost in translation

After a 13-hour flight from the United States, I arrived in Beijing starry-eyed, excited, and slightly jet-lagged. After making my way through Customs and taking a short subway ride to baggage claim, I dreaded the next mission of finding a taxi.

Having taken only one taxi ride before in my entire life, it was not comforting to know I had to use one abroad - the thought frightened me. Armed with my "instant Chinese" dictionary, and a little bit of courage, I was as ready as I would be.

Outside of the Beijing Capital International Airport, it seemed easy to select a taxi out of the swarm that was located in the parking lot. However, after showing not one, not two, but four taxi drivers the address of my hotel, I was declined a ride by all. They did not understand what I was saying or the address of the hotel that was written on paper.