"I Hope You Can Survival Here" - Part One

After departing the airport, I tossed and turned sans seatbelt in the backseat of a tobacco scented car for close to 3 hours.  Before you criticize my lack of safety precaution, please note that I tried to buckle my seat-belt as soon as I got into the car.  Richard and the driver found this quite humorous and had a hearty laugh as the driver careened through traffic, selectively obeying laws and signals.  There were stops at toll booths and gas stations, and I spent most of the drive in that weird stage between sleeping and waking.  Eventually, we turned down an alley, the car parked, and a gust of cool air accosted me as Richard opened my door.  As my eyes opened and I labored to remember where I was, he haltingly announced, "Reese.  We.  Are.  Here."

(The alleyway to my "hotel" ... and a tile store.)

Welcome home ... also known as Pei Miao ... also known as that place that Richard said has had some problems.  (It is classified as an "executive hotel," but it's the kind of "hotel" that lets "executives" rent rooms by the hour.  You might liken it to a neglected motel.)

Still half asleep and completely overwhelmed by the time difference, I stagger forward with my carry-on while my bags are lugged into the lobby.  For a second, I flash back to "The Shining" ... the lobby is large and the floors look like off-white marble, but the hotel feels like it should not be open to guests.  All of the lobby furniture (mainly awkwardly shaped sofas) have been wedged into the far left corner and covered with white linens, clearly past their prime.  There is a mountain of cardboard boxes next to a mostly empty wall of built-in bookshelves.  Near the furniture grave yard is a dark passage-way littered with a ladder and other hints of construction and manual labor.  The barren floors blind me as I stare about, confused and off center.

Suddenly, luggage is moving and the elevator doors open.  I follow my two non-conversant chaperones into the elevator's fluorescent glow and we alight to the 3rd floor.  We are greeted by dark tile floors, a wall of musty drapes to the left, and dirty wall paper and reddish brown doors to the right.  Our procession halts and Richard fumbles with the door key as I stare blankly.  The door to our right opens, and we are greeted by Kathryn, the 50-ish Canadian teacher who is to be my neighbor and co-worker.  She hands me a map of the town that is all in Chinese, as she and Richard exchange pleasantries.  I muster up the energy to say hello, but hardly understand what is being said and return to staring at the wall.

Soon, I am being led into the room.  Greeted by the distinct odor of mildew, I step through the threshold and move at the speed of molasses while Richard flits about me.  Soon, the television is blaring in Chinese, the bathroom faucets are running full bore, and Richard is rattling off advice and directions.  He points to places on the Chinese map, he makes me go into the bathroom to run my hand beneath the faucet and confirm that it is indeed hot water, and he dispenses with a litany information as I stare blankly at my new home, sleep deprived and disoriented.

"Please please stop talking, turn off the television and the water, and let me sleep," I psychically beg.

Though the message wasn't quite received, Richard and the stoic driver do eventually depart ... leaving a screaming television and "hot" running water as evidence of their presence.  After taking an embarrassingly long time to shut off the tv, I climb into my rock-hard bed and sleep.

I am in China.

In a few hours the sun will rise on the first day of my life in the Middle Kingdom, and I am going to need all of the energy I can get -- and then some.

Thanksgiving Edition

Yes, this post does totally conflict with the timeline.  But, I have frankly had a rough week, and it seems like a good time to talk about being thankful.

So ... let's tone down the snark for a minute and give some thanks, cool?

Preface:

To be perfectly honest, I am not the most patriotic of people.  I was raised in a household where I was taught many of the darker moments in our country's history ... at a very young age.  (picture a 4th grade version of Reese reminding her teacher that the blankets the US gave the Indians were poisoned with Small Pox)   So, yeah, criticism and dissent was not uncommon.

And really, I think we can all agree that our current government is pretty freaking defective.  Politicians spend obscene amounts of money to get the job, and then when there is actually a job to do -- they give up!  But, I'm supposed to be positive, so ...

Here's the deal, guys: being in China has made me so thankful to be American.

Where All Your Questions Are Answered

I know what you're thinking: "Wait, Reese, haven't you been in China for, like, a month now?"

Reese: "Yep.  Exactly a month."

You: "So ... um, why are we just now reading about you leaving for China?"

Reese: "@*!#$#% - #&*#* - )(@*#$!*  China.  We got a problem?"

. . .

Of course, you may also be thinking, "Reese?  Who the eff is Reese?"  Yes, I have moved to China and changed my name (kind of).  No, I don't think I need to be hospitalized (yet).  Truth is, I quite like my name.  I think my parents did a pretty good job w/ the whole naming business (shhh - don't tell them).

"So, why change it?" you may ask.

Here's the deal: my name is kind of hard to pronounce for folks who hail from the middle kingdom.  To be more precise, seeing my name on a piece of paper strikes fear into my co-workers (who are English teachers) and makes students run for the hills.  Rather than having the majority of my peers be afraid to speak with me, I have opted to go by a more China-friendly name.

So ... hello, I'm Reese.

For the record, it is really hard to remember to answer with your new name when someone introduces himself to you or asks what your name is.

I don't think I would be a good con-man.

Rough Landing

The good news:

• I had a direct flight from LAX to Shanghai.
• I purchased one of those oddly shaped neck pillows.
• I got an aisle seat (well, I got to the airport hours early to make sure I didn't get stuck in the middle).

The bad news:

• I was flying China Eastern (apparently notorious for being awful).
• I was alone, sleep deprived, and nervous.
• The flight is 14+ hours and you lose a day while traveling (pesky 15hr time difference!).

When flying on Chinese airlines, it becomes apparent that American airlines, by comparison, are pretty generous with their seat size, leg room, and baggage rules.  I'm not being facetious here.  Of course, Chinese airlines, do still serve unidentifiable and barely edible meals, and require flight attendants to be young, thin, and beautiful.  So, if you like airline food, enjoy being surrounded by people who don't speak English, prefer a "cozy" seat, and wish airlines nowadays were more like flying back in the 60's -- fly to China!

But back to my journey.  My flight was at noon.  I pulled an all-nighter packing.  I actually got less done than I planned, because packing, weighing, unpacking, and re-packing completely took over my life.  But really, two 50 lb bags when you are bringing books, supplies, and clothing to live/work/travel in China?  Not realistic, China Eastern.  Many clothes and granola bars were left behind.  So, as a result of this packing ordeal, I was exhausted and fried.  The positive is that this kind of worked in my favor -- I was too tired to freak out in a panic when I was all alone at the airport, and I was ready to sleep the second I got on the plane!

Honestly, the first 11-ish hours of the flight flew by; I had my new "neck-pillow," I had my new kindle, and I even squeezed a throw blanket into my carry-on.  Read.  Sleep.  Eat/drink.  Repeat.  Once, we hit hour 12, though,  I was ready to land.  Really, really ready.  The cabin lights kept going on and off, so both sleeping and reading were difficult.  Plus, those individual reading lights in the ceiling?  Yeah, mine perfectly illuminated the seat next to me.  So it did nothing to help me read, and quite endeared me to my sleepy neighbor.  Awesome.

"But, Reese, weren't there movies playing?"

"Yes.  In Chinese.  On a monitor hung from the ceiling.  10 rows away."

How? What? Why? China?

All valid questions.

Sometimes the answers escape me, but I will do my best to fill you in on how a blonde girl from California ended up in the middle of nowhere in China.

It has never been my plan or dream to move abroad and teach ESL.  To be frank, while it is a fascinating country, China wasn't even very high on my to-visit list (sorry, China).  BUT I am the kind of person who has trouble saying no to a dare.  When the opportunity to be paid to go to China fell in my lap ... I couldn't really think of a justifiable reason to say no.

I mean ...
Is it scary?  Yes.
Will I miss my friends and family?  Yes.

Will it be challenging?  Yes.

Will I miss Mexican food?  Yes.
Do I know Chinese?  No.
Do I like living in Winter?  Not really.
Do I even know anything about China?  ...

Too Late to Turn Back

Hours alone at LAX before a transcontinental flight have a way of making one second guess one's decisions.  My only solace was that it was too late to change my mind.


Luckily, I was far too exhausted to actually freak out.