Chengdu has officially been home for more than one day! 30ish hours is more than a day, right? Wow I must be tired to have to ask that. Honestly I feel like I have been here for longer than that, with all of the things we have done packed in. Let me summarize (and by summarize, I mean tell you in immense detail) the day for you.
Monday – 2:30ish p.m. - Our flight finally landed in Chengdu. And then it began…the joys of bus rides from the plane to the terminal, immigration, and the ever enjoyable task of getting your luggage from the conveyer belt, onto the awkward carts, and out through customs to wherever you are going. I made it that far and then the super fun task began: stepping foot into my new world. It was really neat going through to the other side because there was a group of 20+ people from our school and community there to welcome us. I felt like a superstar with the signs, cheers, hugs, and altogether merriment that resulted from our arrival. (Maybe it was just because we were so delayed and they thought we'd never make it, but I prefer the superstar storyline!) It was wonderful having so many helping hands after more than a day of traveling. They whisked us onto the bus, back to the school, and to our apartments (which are lovely and I will describe later). Phew. Exhausting, but wonderful.
Dinnerish – We had a lovely meal with our hosts, Cindy and Jenn. We went over to their apartment, both to see it and to get an idea of where things are in our area. I also got to ride on the back of a scooter for the first time. That was an experience…er…exciting. It is definitely a different way of driving from the States…a bit like Ethiopia but entirely unique, really. I immediately rethought my desire to get a scooter right away. I will probably end up waiting for a few weeks at least, probably more like a month or two. I want to have a good grasp of where I am and how things work before I brave that avenue of Chengdu life. However, getting familiar with my part of town first would be good, so maybe I will get one sooner than I think. During dinner, there was a pretty intense bout of rain, which was preceded by a lovely rainbow. The ladies said that it was the first they had ever seen in Chengdu. What a beautiful reminder of promises, old and new, it was for us. I was definitely encouraged by it, although it didn't change the fact that I was exhausted and most things that I saw or did I will never be able to remember.
After dinner, I unpacked a bit and started getting an idea for what I will need to purchase and where my bits and pieces will best work to make this new place a home.
Tuesday - a.m. - I woke up at 3:15 for a few minutes, realized that I was hungry and couldn't eat, and then went back to bed. Oh the joys of jet lag. "Why couldn't I eat?" you might inquire. Well, this morning we had a Chinese physical. Yep, a physical on the first day. Welcoming, eh? Actually, it wasn't as bad as I envisioned. The system is incredibly efficient, with different rooms that you visit for different facets of the exam. The six of us moved through relatively quickly, causing a fair bit of entertainment for the nationals around us as we were given directions in Chinese, looked back at the doctors with questioning eyes, and then were talked at louder with gestures. Oh the joys of this facet of transition.
Because of the blood draw that was done as a part of the physical, we weren't able to eat for 12 hours before it. Yep, 12 hours of fasting after arriving in a new country and feeling like meals should be at completely different times than the norm…that was fun. I haven't been that hungry in a long time, which actually served as a good reminder of how much I need to adjust in so many areas as a result of my current cultural confusion. Oh the joys of being me.
As a reward for surviving our physicals, we had Subway when we got back to our part of town. Delicious. The main difference that I noticed was types of bread that are available and that there was no ranch dressing. The Tuesday special was tuna (just like back in the States), so I got that and savored every bite.
Lunch was followed by an hour off, so my roommate and I braved Walmart (VERY different than Walmart in the States, but still incredibly convenient for most everything), got some teaching supplies from our apartments, and headed back to school. I opted to go to McDonald's (which is right next door to our school) on the way back for the afternoon to get a coffee. Definitely a good decisions. That makes two things that I don't do often in the States: Walmart and McDonald's. Circumstances certainly do change things.
Tuesday afternoon, we learned more about the school, worked out some computer bits and pieces, and had a little bit of time to be in our classrooms. My co-teacher is AMAZING and has many things set up already, so I just need to get into the bits and pieces mindset wise and we'll be ready to go. Super exciting.
For dinner tonight, we ate with 6 other ladies that work at the school at a Korean restaurant. So wonderful for many reasons, mainly that those ladies are fantastic and that the food was great. I certainly won't be lonely or starve here.
Following dinner, we did a more intentional Walmart run and then had a little more unpacking time. My room is starting to feel more like my own and life here, although far from normal at this point, is looking like something that will not only be comfortable, but home. I am on my way to being at home in China. Who would've thought :)
Monday – 2:30ish p.m. - Our flight finally landed in Chengdu. And then it began…the joys of bus rides from the plane to the terminal, immigration, and the ever enjoyable task of getting your luggage from the conveyer belt, onto the awkward carts, and out through customs to wherever you are going. I made it that far and then the super fun task began: stepping foot into my new world. It was really neat going through to the other side because there was a group of 20+ people from our school and community there to welcome us. I felt like a superstar with the signs, cheers, hugs, and altogether merriment that resulted from our arrival. (Maybe it was just because we were so delayed and they thought we'd never make it, but I prefer the superstar storyline!) It was wonderful having so many helping hands after more than a day of traveling. They whisked us onto the bus, back to the school, and to our apartments (which are lovely and I will describe later). Phew. Exhausting, but wonderful.
Dinnerish – We had a lovely meal with our hosts, Cindy and Jenn. We went over to their apartment, both to see it and to get an idea of where things are in our area. I also got to ride on the back of a scooter for the first time. That was an experience…er…exciting. It is definitely a different way of driving from the States…a bit like Ethiopia but entirely unique, really. I immediately rethought my desire to get a scooter right away. I will probably end up waiting for a few weeks at least, probably more like a month or two. I want to have a good grasp of where I am and how things work before I brave that avenue of Chengdu life. However, getting familiar with my part of town first would be good, so maybe I will get one sooner than I think. During dinner, there was a pretty intense bout of rain, which was preceded by a lovely rainbow. The ladies said that it was the first they had ever seen in Chengdu. What a beautiful reminder of promises, old and new, it was for us. I was definitely encouraged by it, although it didn't change the fact that I was exhausted and most things that I saw or did I will never be able to remember.
After dinner, I unpacked a bit and started getting an idea for what I will need to purchase and where my bits and pieces will best work to make this new place a home.
Tuesday - a.m. - I woke up at 3:15 for a few minutes, realized that I was hungry and couldn't eat, and then went back to bed. Oh the joys of jet lag. "Why couldn't I eat?" you might inquire. Well, this morning we had a Chinese physical. Yep, a physical on the first day. Welcoming, eh? Actually, it wasn't as bad as I envisioned. The system is incredibly efficient, with different rooms that you visit for different facets of the exam. The six of us moved through relatively quickly, causing a fair bit of entertainment for the nationals around us as we were given directions in Chinese, looked back at the doctors with questioning eyes, and then were talked at louder with gestures. Oh the joys of this facet of transition.
Because of the blood draw that was done as a part of the physical, we weren't able to eat for 12 hours before it. Yep, 12 hours of fasting after arriving in a new country and feeling like meals should be at completely different times than the norm…that was fun. I haven't been that hungry in a long time, which actually served as a good reminder of how much I need to adjust in so many areas as a result of my current cultural confusion. Oh the joys of being me.
As a reward for surviving our physicals, we had Subway when we got back to our part of town. Delicious. The main difference that I noticed was types of bread that are available and that there was no ranch dressing. The Tuesday special was tuna (just like back in the States), so I got that and savored every bite.
Lunch was followed by an hour off, so my roommate and I braved Walmart (VERY different than Walmart in the States, but still incredibly convenient for most everything), got some teaching supplies from our apartments, and headed back to school. I opted to go to McDonald's (which is right next door to our school) on the way back for the afternoon to get a coffee. Definitely a good decisions. That makes two things that I don't do often in the States: Walmart and McDonald's. Circumstances certainly do change things.
Tuesday afternoon, we learned more about the school, worked out some computer bits and pieces, and had a little bit of time to be in our classrooms. My co-teacher is AMAZING and has many things set up already, so I just need to get into the bits and pieces mindset wise and we'll be ready to go. Super exciting.
For dinner tonight, we ate with 6 other ladies that work at the school at a Korean restaurant. So wonderful for many reasons, mainly that those ladies are fantastic and that the food was great. I certainly won't be lonely or starve here.
Following dinner, we did a more intentional Walmart run and then had a little more unpacking time. My room is starting to feel more like my own and life here, although far from normal at this point, is looking like something that will not only be comfortable, but home. I am on my way to being at home in China. Who would've thought :)
Location: Chengdu, China
Local Time (CST -- GMT+8): 10:25 p.m. (8/7/2012)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 7:25 a.m. (8/7/2012)
