(no subject)
So...China. I'm having one of those "where to start" moments, for this past week has been chock full of new sights, sounds, experiences, characters, people, places...everything. We arrived in Zhengzhou, at the school where we'll be teaching, two nights ago. Since then we've been getting situated in our apartments, meeting the other ESL teachers and some of Chinese English teachers, and familiarizing ourselves with this brand new, still under construction, state of the art campus. Before arriving, however, we spent 3 nights in Beijing. Our hotel was located in an old section of the city, not far from Tienanmen Square. It was lively and colorful and so full of new things to absorb that simply standing in the street and watching life pass by has been as fascinating as any of the offical sight seeing we've done.
Actually, this is a good thing, because we had a bit of time to do just that on the day we got here. After meeting some people from the school at the airport in Beijing and sending some of our luggage off to Zhengzhou, we were sent off in a bus to the downtown area with a guide (who would turn out to be more friendly and helpful than we could ever have imagined) in order to find a taxi to take us to the hotel. Apparently the hotel was in a tricky area to drive to, located off the main road in a maze of narrow streets, and many taxi drivers were unwilling to take us there. Eventually, we found one willing driver, but with 6 people and plenty of luggage, we still needed another. Joanna, our guide, decided it would be best to send one group with the first driver, while she waited with the second group trying to find another.
Now, it seemed that she had given directions to our driver for where to drop us off, but all we knew was that when we got out, we were to pay him with the money she had given us, and to wait right there until she and the others pulled up in the second taxi. Fine. So we waited.
Half an hour later there was still no sign of our friends. We had no knowledge of the language, spoken or written, no idea of where the hotel might be located, no idea of how to recognize a hotel if we were to see one, no idea where we were or how to find a street name, no phone number for our guide, and no phone to use even if we did have a number. Aside from being on a street corner in Beijing, we knew nothing. So much for all the guide book info and prepared traveller advice you read before going. Somehow, though, we weren't worried, even after 45 minutes had passed, probably because we were so worn out from the 36 hour airport to airport marathon, and so enthralled by what was going on around us.
Joanna did find us, looking quite relieved, after about an hour, and we checked into our hotel. I'd be writing for ages and you'd be bored to tears if I detailed the rest of that week, but it's been amazing. We've been from the Great Wall to the Chinese version of a KFC and from the Forbidden City to a wild train station. We've eaten lots of great food, as well as some things more mysterious, learned to speak a little Mandarin and to recognize a few characters, become skilled in the art of frogger-style street crossing, and met so many helpful, interesting, friendly, curious, and fun people. I can hardly process all the information I've absorbed over the past week, even less can I hope to pass it on to you.
We're all happy, we're all safe, and we're all excited to start teaching next week. I'm off to take a shower (imagine the shower head spraying freely in the bathroom, no tub, no stall, no curtain), and to get ready for the welcome banquet tonight. I hope you all are doing well, and maybe one of these days we'll find telephones.
Actually, this is a good thing, because we had a bit of time to do just that on the day we got here. After meeting some people from the school at the airport in Beijing and sending some of our luggage off to Zhengzhou, we were sent off in a bus to the downtown area with a guide (who would turn out to be more friendly and helpful than we could ever have imagined) in order to find a taxi to take us to the hotel. Apparently the hotel was in a tricky area to drive to, located off the main road in a maze of narrow streets, and many taxi drivers were unwilling to take us there. Eventually, we found one willing driver, but with 6 people and plenty of luggage, we still needed another. Joanna, our guide, decided it would be best to send one group with the first driver, while she waited with the second group trying to find another.
Now, it seemed that she had given directions to our driver for where to drop us off, but all we knew was that when we got out, we were to pay him with the money she had given us, and to wait right there until she and the others pulled up in the second taxi. Fine. So we waited.
Half an hour later there was still no sign of our friends. We had no knowledge of the language, spoken or written, no idea of where the hotel might be located, no idea of how to recognize a hotel if we were to see one, no idea where we were or how to find a street name, no phone number for our guide, and no phone to use even if we did have a number. Aside from being on a street corner in Beijing, we knew nothing. So much for all the guide book info and prepared traveller advice you read before going. Somehow, though, we weren't worried, even after 45 minutes had passed, probably because we were so worn out from the 36 hour airport to airport marathon, and so enthralled by what was going on around us.
Joanna did find us, looking quite relieved, after about an hour, and we checked into our hotel. I'd be writing for ages and you'd be bored to tears if I detailed the rest of that week, but it's been amazing. We've been from the Great Wall to the Chinese version of a KFC and from the Forbidden City to a wild train station. We've eaten lots of great food, as well as some things more mysterious, learned to speak a little Mandarin and to recognize a few characters, become skilled in the art of frogger-style street crossing, and met so many helpful, interesting, friendly, curious, and fun people. I can hardly process all the information I've absorbed over the past week, even less can I hope to pass it on to you.
We're all happy, we're all safe, and we're all excited to start teaching next week. I'm off to take a shower (imagine the shower head spraying freely in the bathroom, no tub, no stall, no curtain), and to get ready for the welcome banquet tonight. I hope you all are doing well, and maybe one of these days we'll find telephones.