Stepping Over the Line

I am now in Vancouver. Left Ottawa late, arrived early. Way to go Air Canada. Ground transport connections worked very smoothly in late evening so thankful for that. Have visited my 88 year old mum this morning. To-morrow I have a date! I'll be stepping over the International Date Line. Ray (a girl) will meet me at Beijing International. We will then be off to Shijiazhuang, 300 km south and diagonally across the city. Whether we go over, under or through Beijing time will tell. I hope I recognize my name in chinese characters on her flashcard. Learning Mandarin may be beyond me but I do intend to master useful phrases. Until modern times it was a felony for a native to teach a foreigner Chinese and indeed for the foreigner to learn. Seems like a ready made excuse not to try hard. Hope to have photos soon if I can download the necessary software at my point of access, an unknown at this juncture.