"China
      is
      on
      disaster
      alert
     
     
      after
      a
      week
      of
      heavy
      rains,
      landslides
     
     
      and
      flash
      floods,
      which
      have
      killed
     
     
      more
      than
      200
      people
      and
      have
      closed
     
     
      parts
      of
      the
      massive
      Yangtze
     
     
      Rivera
     
    

    
     
      When
      you
      wake
      up
      12
      time
     
     
      zones
      away
      in
      Shanghai,
      China
      the
     
     
      last
      thing
      you
      want
      to
      hear
      is
      that!
      On
     
     
      my
      first
      stop
      in
      Asia,
      one
      of
      4
      stops
      in
     
     
      China
      also
      including
      Hong
      Kong,
     
     
      Shenzen,
      and
      Guangzhou
      as
      well
      as
     
     
      Manila,
      Philippines,
      it
      was
      an
      amaz-
     
     
      ing
      thing
      to
      witness.
      Not
      only
      was
      I
      in
     
     
      China
      eating
      with
      chopsticks,
      I
      was
      in
     
     
      the
      midst
      of
      a
      Chinese
      typhoon
      that
     
     
      caused
      flooding
      all
      over!
      Not
      that
      I'm
     
     
      pro
      flooding
      or
      anything,
      don't
      get
      me
     
     
      wrong,
      you
      know
      you'd
      be
      boasting
     
     
      too.
      It
      was
      scary
      to
      think
      that
      I
      had
     
     
      just
      spent
      33.5
      hours
      getting
      to
      China
     
     
      with
      an
      8
      hour
      stop-over
      in
      the
     
     
      Philippines
      only
      to
      hear
      that
      a
     
     
      typhoon
      was
      taking
      over
      the
      city!
     
     
      What
      did
      I
      do
      you
      ask,
      well
      that
      is
     
     
      exactly
      where
      the
      journey
      began......
     
    

    
     
      In
      late
      June
      of
      2002
      I
      was
     
     
      selected
      as
      the
      PEI
      Delegate
      for
     
     
      Junior
      Team
      Canada's
      Economic
     
     
      Trade
      Mission
      to
      China
      and
      the
     
     
      Philippines.
      I
      know
      that
      just
      sounds
     
     
      cool
      and
      a
      lot
      of
      you
      are
      wondering
     
     
      what
      exactly
      I
      did,
      but
      just
      so
      you
     
     
      know,
      I
      was
      completely
      stoked
      to
      get
     
     
      this
      opportunity.
      When
      I
      got
      the
      phone
     
     
      call
      saying
      I
      was
      picked,
      my
      summer
     
     
      plans
      took
      an
      elated
      back
      seat
      and
     
     
      what
      would
      become
      the
      most
      exhila-
     
     
      rating
      experience
      of
      my
      life
      started
     
     
      rolling.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      anxious
      to
      see
     
     
      people's
      impression
      of
     
     
      ‘my
      height
      of
      5"1
      and
     
     
      size
      five
      feet...
      |
      was
     
     
      ready
      for,
      "Hey,
      who's
     
     
      that
      huge
      girl
      with
      the
     
    

    
     
      huge
      feet?"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      came
      as
      a
      complete
     
     
      shock
      to
      me,
      as
      I
      was
      a
      newly-gradu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [8]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Seat
      Sale:
     
     
      Cat’s
      Crazy
      Adventure
      to
      China
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      CatherineWILLCOCK
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ated
      high
      school
      kid
      with
      dreams
      of
     
     
      the
      future
      that
      seemed
      so
      far
      away.
      I
     
     
      was
      apprehensive
      to
      hear
      if
      I
      had
      got-
     
     
      ten
      the
      spot,
      but
      at
      the
      same
      time
      was
     
     
      secretly
      preparing
      myself
      for
      the
      call
     
     
      that
      I
      thought
      would
      say,
      "Sorry
      we
     
     
      picked
      the
      other
      guy
      that
      knew
      every-
     
     
      thing."
      Immediately
      I
      called
      my
      busi-
     
     
      ness
      buff
      friend
      to
      tell
      him
      the
      news,
     
     
      his
      comment
      of,
      "I
      knew
      you'd
      get
      it"
     
     
      helped
      to
      ease
      my
      fear
      that
      I
      may
      not
     
     
      have
      the
      skills
      to’
      execute
      the
      tasks
     
     
      that
      were
      ahead
      of
      me.
      C'mon.....it
     
     
      was
      scary
      knowing
      I
      was
      the
      only
      rep-
     
     
      resentative
      from
      PEI,
      and
      on
      top
      of
     
     
      that
      would
      be
      a
      Canadian
      Ambassador
     
     
      in
      China/Philippines
      for
      the
      agricul-
     
     
      ture
      sector!
      Anyone
      who
      wouldn't
      be
     
     
      crapping
      their
      pants
      should
      tell
      me
     
     
      their
      secret.
     
    

    
     
      **Global
      Vision's
      Junior
     
     
      Team
      Canada
      focuses
      on
      fostering
      a
     
     
      trading
      culture,
      developing
      talent,
      and
     
     
      instilling
      national
      pride
      in
      Canada's
     
     
      youth.
      The
      program
      brands
      Canadian
     
     
      industry
      by
      equipping
      businesses
      and
     
     
      communities
      at
      large
      with
      knowledge,
     
     
      technology,
      and
      opportunities
      in
      the
     
     
      international
      marketplace.
      For
      ages
     
     
      16-25,
      it
      provides
      Canadian
      youth
     
     
      with
      skills,
      experience,
      and
      knowl-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Wild
      typhoon
      brews
      like
      bad
      gas
      over
      Hong
      Kong
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      edge
      necessary
      to
      become
      the
      busi-
     
     
      ness
      leaders
      of
      tomorrow.
      The
      eco-
     
     
      nomic
      trade
      missions
      to
      other
      coun-
     
     
      tries
      provides
      unique
      experience
      in
     
     
      international
      trade
      and
      development
     
     
      and
      the
      performance
      of
      Canada's
      key
     
     
      growth
      sectors
      in
      these
      international
     
     
      marketplaces.**
     
    

    
     
      So
      like
      I
      said,
      there
      I
      was
      in
     
     
      Shanghai,
      China
      with
      34
      other
      dele-
     
     
      gates
      and
      this
      T-2
      typhoon
      comes
     
     
      rolling
      in.
      Well,
      we
      just
      bought
      some
     
     
      umbrellas
      and
      lathered
      up
      on
      water-
     
     
      proof
      mascara
      because
      one's
      first
     
     
      night
      in
      China
      calls
      for
      an
      excursion
     
     
      around
      town
      to
      explore
      the
      nightlife!
      !
     
     
      Though
      Shanghai
      is
      one
      of
      the
      world's
     
     
      largest
      cities,
      with
      well
      over
      14
      mil-
     
     
      lion
      people,
      there
      was
      a
      tremendous
     
     
      lack
      of
      any
      sort
      of
      night
      life,
      and
      after
     
     
      a
      couple
      hours
      of
      battling
      the
     
     
      Mandarin/English
      language
      barrier
      we
     
     
      decided
      to
      head
      to
      the
      internet
      café
     
     
      and
      nerd
      it
      up.
      Funny
      this,
      but
      we
     
     
      noticed
      there
      were
      20+
      barber
      shops
     
     
      around
      the
      café.
      It
      was
      crazy
      to
     
     
      assume
      that
      Chinese
      people
      like
      to
      get
     
     
      their
      hair
      cut
      late
      at
      night,
      but
      if
      that
     
     
      was
      the
      case,
      why
      20
      shops
      on
      one
     
     
      street??
      We
      didn't
      quite
      get
      our
      —
     
     
      metacarpals
      on
      the
      keyboards
      when
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      neon
      lit
      barber
      shops
      began
      pour-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      out
      ladies
      in
      fish
      net
      stockings
     
     
      shouting,
      "For
      you
      special
      price!
     
     
      Discount
      price!!"
      Seemed
      they
      took
      a
     
     
      fancy
      to
      our
      Canadian
      guys.
      You
     
     
      euessed:it...3
      4.
      not
      your
      regular
     
     
      "Downtown
      Charlottetown
      Bob's
     
     
      Barber
      Shop"
      kind
      of
      place.
      We
      put
      in
     
     
      a
      good
      run
      that
      night,
      and
      the
      guys
     
     
      practised
      their
      Mandarin
      shouting
      to
     
     
      ladies
      we'd
      left
      on
      the
      street,
      "Ni
      Hao!
     
     
      Xie
      Xie"
      (Hello,
      Thank
      you)
     
    

    
     
      So
      here
      I
      am
      on
      an
      economic
     
     
      trade
      mission
      in
      China.
      As
      hard
      as
     
     
      that
      was
      to
      comprehend,
      the
      meetings
     
     
      with
      Chinese
      business
      men
      sped
      up
     
     
      the
      process,
      as
      we
      were
      thrown
      into
     
     
      quite
      intense
      meetings
      with
      some
      very
     
     
      prominent
      business
      leaders.
      Basically
     
     
      each
      day
      started
      with
      a
      6:30am
      wake
     
     
      up
      and
      an
      9:00am
      meeting.
      Because
      I
     
     
      was
      on
      Team
      Ag
      I
      was
      lucky
      to
      get
      —
     
     
      out
      of
      the
      city
      for
      a
      few
      hours
      and
     
     
      venture
      into
      the
      Chinese
      country
      side.
     
     
      It
      was
      on
      these
      2
      hour
      taxi
      rides
      that
      I
     
     
      got
      to
      see
      what
      in
      my
      imagination
      was
     
     
      the
      "real"
      China.
      I
      have
      to
      admit
      that
     
     
      it
      took
      me
      actually
      a
      couple
      of
      days
      to
     
     
      adjust
      to
      the
      fact
      that
      I
      was
      no
      longer
     
     
      in
      tourism
      season
      on
      PEI,
      but
      actually
     
     
      in
      China
      itself!
      I
      visited
      some
      really
     
     
      cool
      hydroponics
      farms,
      as
      well
      as
     
     
      some
      of
      China's
      leading
      distributors
      of
     
     
      fruit,
      vegetables,
      and
      seafood.
     
    

    
     
      With
      temperatures
     
    

    
     
      reaching
      over
      40
     
    

    
     
      degrees
      and
      the
      humidi-
     
     
      ty
      percentage
      in
      my
     
     
      hotel
      room
      being
      60%,
      it
     
     
      was
      hard
      to
      attend
      a
     
     
      meeting
      anything
      but
     
     
      naked!!
     
    

    
     
      The
      focus
      of
      the
      Agriculture
     
     
      market
      report
      was
      the
      pet
      food
      sector,
     
     
      so
      at
      least
      once
      a
      day
      I
      got
      to
      visit
     
     
      huge
      pet
      markets
      in
      each
      of
      the
      cities
     
     
      we
      visited.
      As
      far
      as
      the
      pet
      markets
     
     
      went
      it
      was
      hard
      to
      handle.
      There
      is
      a
     
     
      huge
      difference
      in
      the
      conditions
      that