Music to My Ears

This last week was a busy one. In fact, I find it hard to even believe this is my life sometimes because I am so much busier here than I ever was back home. Well, maybe busier isn’t the right word. I suppose the right word would be social.

Thursday night I once again found myself on the back of a bike taxi after spending the evening with a couple of friends. The streets were filled with buses, other bike taxis, bicycles, people, and cars…more so than the first time I braved riding one. The ride wasn’t bad at all. I could really get used to riding those things more frequently. And again, if you ever find yourself in China, make sure you hop on the back of one. This is more of a demand than a recommendation or suggestion.

On Friday at work (and I know I don’t usually share too many tales of work, but I feel like I must this time), the entire main campus (kids ranging from 9 years old to 13 years old) was put into “teams” for our upcoming Spirit Day. We’ll have a whole day of activities, trying to build a sense of community between the kids. For each team, there are two teachers. Now, sometimes I have to work on the energy level because in order for me to last an entire day without too much fatigue or exhaustion (thanks, Sjogrens) I try to conserve my energy. Well, the teacher I’ve been placed with for the day doesn’t seem to be a real…oh, how shall I say it? He doesn’t seem to be a real energetic person. So when we met for the last period of the day, the kids and teachers, to get to know our teams and come up with a team name and chant, I felt like I was carrying the energy for the two of us…plus the kids! I asked the kids, “Any suggestions for team names?” One of the older girls suggested “Ms. Clayton’s Team”. Now, I ask you, just as I asked her, “Where’s the fun in that? There are two teachers here, plus it is OUR team.” Finally, after some pulling teeth (which may have been easier at this point), we came up with the Crimson Dragons. I asked about a possible chant, and this is what I got, “We’re number one.” Sometimes you just know which battles to fight and which ones to ignore. This was one of those battles that I chose to ignore, and so we went with it. Let’s just say Monday should be interesting (and exhausting). I may have to slip some uppers into my partner’s coffee just so I can take a break from the energy.

But even after all that struggle at work, Friday night led to another adventure in town. Six of us went to a themed restaurant and the symphony.

The Cave in Shenzhen

The restaurant was The Cave. Back in the day, a few decades ago, my cousin and I went to a cave themed restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale; we loved it! My hopes were high for this one, and it did not disappoint. The wait staff wore caps with furry pointed ears and a wolf’s tail in the back. The inside of the restaurant looked just like a cave, too. The menus were shaped like bones and the drinks (that were printed in English) had catchy names too. Also, if you bring a writing utensil, you are allowed to write on the restaurants inner walls. Shamefully, I forgot my marker at home, but luckily another friend had a pen. I left my mark on the restaurant for all to see!

I left my mark in the cave!

Our friend, Sheryl, ordered for us since she has a history of ordering great food whenever we go out with her. Again, there was so much food I will attempt to remember everything we had: mutton ribs, an eggplant dish, cabbage, sweet and sour chicken, and cucumbers. I’m sure I’m forgetting something. I also ordered the lemon strawberry soda, which was superb. And I know this is one of those things that I say a lot probably, but the food was great! A place I would definitely be willing to go back to.

Mutton Ribs

Once we were done with the eating portion of the evening, we walked over to the concert hall. But first, we encountered a little square full of life. Artists were painting portraits in unbelievable detail while others showed little kids how to sculpt figures out of clay. Also there was a gentleman playing an instrument accompanied by a radio (I want you to know I really tried to get the video into this blog, but my phone was being stubborn).

Clay sculptures

The concert hall is breathtaking. Jutting up from the ground were windows that reminded me of growing crystals.

The library is on the left and the concert hall is on the right.

As we entered, I glanced up to see the amazing architecture—gold beams going every which way above us.

The ceiling of the concert hall

Our seats in the actual performance hall were about 7 or 8 rows up. Apparently in this performance space, one must not eat (even a mint), take pictures, or laugh too loud (a poor friend of mine was laughing at a story I was sharing with her—actually the story about meeting the other teacher I’m paired up with on Spirit Day—was asked to turn down the volume). The lights soon dimmed and the orchestra stepped onto the stage. The conductor came onto stage and the music began. The symphony focused on the composer Ravel, playing his works beautifully. About halfway through the performance, a pianist joined them. He played a gorgeous Steinway grand piano—I was jealous as I played the piano for years while growing up and haven’t played in a long time. His fingers glided over the keys flawlessly. He also treated us to a solo piece (I think it was a piece from Stravinsky). Soon, the orchestra was finished. However, I’ve never seen a conductor take so many bows before. We would clap, he would exit the stage, he would come back, bow, we would clap, he would exit, he’d come back, bow, we’d clap, he’d exit, and you get the point. He probably did this about three or four times. Watching the evening’s performance, I will admit to wanting to go back. Music has the power to evoke emotions in one’s soul and physical being; this particular evening proved to be relaxing and contemplative for me thanks to the Ravel’s pieces.

As my weekend comes to an end, I hope that this week goes by swiftly (especially tomorrow’s Spirit Day). We leave for Thailand on Saturday and I’m so super excited, as this place has been one I’ve been hoping to visit. We’ll see tigers, elephants, tuk-tuks…and more! If you have any suggestions for places that we must visit while in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, please feel free to share! One tour we’re going on involves seeing some of the ruins and temples of where Siam used to stand. Well, I’m a really a romantic nerd deep inside and one of my favorite musicals I can remember watching from my childhood is The King and I. Remember where it takes place? Yep, Siam. So, of course I plan on bursting into a beautiful rendition of Shall We Dance while touring this area. However, I need to brush up on my musicality a smidge (I hope my voice doesn’t get us kicked out of the country). In an attempt to do this, I invited my fellow travelers over to my apartment to view the movie with me. There was so much I had forgotten about the movie. And to really add some jazz to the evening, we ordered Thai food and enjoyed cupcakes (because cupcakes are Thai, right?) to feast upon as we watched this brilliant movie. Now, when you watch the news in a couple of weeks and hear about an American being asked to leave Thailand for butchering a classic song, you can say, “I read that girl’s blog!” You’re welcome.

直到下一次，安全的旅程。

Zhídào xià yīcì, ānquán de lǚchéng.

One Month Later Down…

Last Thursday during our holiday break, Vince decided to head out to Ikea. I wanted to get out and explore some so I accompanied him. As he shopped, I did what the locals here do at Ikea, I lounged in the different chairs, reading my kindle, watching the crowds go by. After an hour or so, we took a taxi back to the metro station we had used to get to the area. When the taxi dropped us off, we decided to explore the area for a bit.

Stopping at the entrance of Windows of the World.

We walked through the front area of Windows of the World (we plan on going back to enter the actual park) and walked across the street to walk just one of the billions of malls you can find here. This one, though, was a dream! They had Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein. And they had Godiva. I’m a huge fan of chocolate and Godiva is one of my favorites. I insisted we stop so I could purchase a small bag of truffles. As I was in there, they had chocolate mooncakes (mooncakes are sold during the Autumn Festival season…they usually have centers with fillings…some may even have an egg in the center. None of the ones I’ve tried were tasty, but it’s Godiva so they have to be good, right?). I purchased one of each, which I later tried and they were delicious, as I knew they would be. The girl at Godiva was also interested in my background and what I was doing in China. Super sweet as well. Soon, it was time to return to the Shekou area via the metro. Of course, we were going to take a bus from the metro stop as usual, but since the traffic was so light I thought why not try the bike taxi. Vince humored me and his driver led mine to our apartment. When I first climbed on, I held onto the guy’s shoulders (because I didn’t really want to roll off into oncoming traffic when we turned); he laughed. I laughed. I gently held onto his shirt then and we were off. The ride was actually quite nice and I would totally do it again.

I’m there…you can see my sunglasses on the left and my leg (pink laces too) on the right!

That night, one of the other teachers that has been here for a while and also lives in our complex invited all of us (the ones that live in our complex) over for dinner. She was fixing spaghetti so of course I was in. There was quite a bit of us that came! She even had the head manager of the complex joining us. The evening was a nice get together for sure. I don’t always get to see everyone since we’re all at different campuses so this offered a nice opportunity to mingle with some of the other newbies. Plus, it was a home cooked meal! (I don’t cook too often after a slight incident in which I burnt my pan trying to fry some eggs—I don’t want to talk about it.) And one of the couples brought a very local dessert that I had not tried before: sticky rice, mangoes, and a sweet cream sauce. It was delicious!

Some of my new neighbors!

The next day, Kai (another newbie) joined me for a manicure and pedicure. The best part? They use the same top coat and polish as I do (shout out to CND for making the best top coat ever)! I do miss my regular gal back home (Julie), but they did a fairly good job. I got some designs on my toes (not that they ever see the light of day really since I’m often wearing tennis shoes due to all the walking) and fingernails.

Pretty nails…an excuse to not do housework!

And later that night, we went to a new place for a foot massage (I was happy to try a new place after the bruises I had from the last place!). There were four of us that went for a massage and one came to see what it was like (he also ended up taking some photos for us). When the lady who would be my masseuse began, I took out my trusty translator and showed her the word gentle and soft. She completely understood. I’m happy to report that I didn’t walk out of there with one bruise. This massage was basically the same as the other place, as in the sense that they massage your whole back, neck, and legs; however, for the head massage part, you recline in the chair and they sit behind you on the stool (the other place you leaned on the masseuse who was behind you). This place also painted wax on to our feet which made my heels so soft!

A gentle massage

Time for relaxation!

After our massages, we wandered back to our apartment but went through the mall first. We decided to get something refreshing to drink first so we stopped at the Starbucks. For weeks, I’ve admired the cases they were selling with their mooncakes. Well, lucky for us, the boxes were 20% off that night. I thought the box would be nice to use as a jewelry box. I went ahead and bought one. I will say that the Starbucks mooncakes were decent, better than some of the others I’ve had (of course NOT better than the Godiva ones). The box is beautiful and I’m glad I was able to find an excuse to purchase one.

I know I don’t talk about work too much, but I did want to share this little joy (even though I’ve had lots of joy regarding my job this year). This past week was Teacher’s Day in mainland China. The kids even brought me in some gifts! I was given an origami lily, tea, tea steeper, Hungarian salami (quite tasty), and a mug. Our (fantastic) team leader brought us a cupcake, too. I was skeptical at first about this cupcake, to be honest. I haven’t been able to find any baked goods that have lived up to the ones I baked at home or even bought at home. But this cupcake? Delectable.Yesterday, Sunia, Vince, and I went to the local science museum. I really enjoyed the science museum back home so I was excited about trying this one out. When we entered, we weren’t sure whether or not we had to pay an admittance fee, but no one was around to pay anyway so we went in. Most of the exhibits were hands-on. There was a track for balls to go through that reminded me of a giant version of Mouse Trap (from my childhood…did I just show my age?) and an arena where two robots dueled. Some of the exhibits were on sound, magnetism, force, and logic. Two more levels offered more hands-on activities! For example, we made shadow puppets, tried to walk across a frozen lake without breaking the ice and falling through, and saw a shadow of a monkey made from a pile of hanging bananas. Totally awesome!

The Science Museum

Last night, we went out with some of the other teachers that live in the apartment complex (from now on referred to as A1ers because the apartment is called Apartment One) to a place called Willy’s Crab Shack for their ribs special for teachers this week. It was buy one, get one ribs! I’m not usually a ribs fan because I hate getting my hands dirty while eating but I was told that these ribs could be eaten with a knife and fork. I wish I had a picture to share with you of the dish that they brought each of us because it was huge! Each plate had a half a slab of ribs, slathered with sauce, and fries. I hate half of the ribs, and yes, they were so tender the meat just slipped off the bones. I would say these were the best ribs I have ever eaten! The service was also great there. If you are ever in the Shenzhen area, head to the Old Shekou area to find this restaurant. You won’t be sorry! They put some tables together to accommodate our large group of 11 without hesitation.

It’s been a just over a month since I’ve moved to Shenzhen, China, halfway around the world from where I lived with my parents. And though I miss my family and friends dearly (and who can forget my destructive Dumbo), I’m grateful this transition has been somewhat smooth. I’ve met some great people here and have learned quite a lot so far. Thank you for your continued support!

Next week: A trip to the symphony!

Wet Markets, Dried Pig Faces, and Oil Paintings, Oh My

The grand entrance into the wet market.

Seafood is a big thing around here. And the fresher the better. You’ve seen my pictures from Walmart where the people purchase their seafood from the “aquariums” of fish. Well, there’s an even more exciting place to purchase your seafood: a wet market. One of our school’s DIs (Director of Instruction) offered to guide a tour of all the newcomers to a wet market in the Old Shekou area. Now, I had heard about wet markets but I had never seen one. I was sooo excited about being shown one. We met at the McDonalds in SeaWorld and walked for about maybe 10 minutes (could have been 15) down the road. We finally came to this building on the corner. Locals stared at us—not many Caucasians meandered down to it I suppose. Anyway, we were given about 15 minutes to explore. I wish we had been given more time because it really was interesting…so was the smell. First of all, if you ever find yourself in the position of standing inside a wet market, make sure to rub something under your nose, like Vicks or I used orange scented hand sanitizer from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Eels, anyone? How about a fish?

As I entered, there were tons of buckets filled with water…and fish. All kinds of fish! Small fish, large fish, fish that looked to be saying “save me” to anyone who would stop and listen. Some buckets had eels, some had shrimp, some had clams. The smell (I wanted to the full experience so I didn’t put any of the sanitizer under my nose until I took a whiff) was pungent! People crowded around stalls and tables.

Someone’s future dinner

At one table, a lady was butchering a fish. Guts were flying. It was awesome. Behind the fish area, chickens were squished in cages. Chicken carcasses were piled high on tables. If you were in the mood, you could select your chicken and watch it being beheaded. Now, I will admit, I was not into that. Sure, I enjoy eating chicken, but that doesn’t mean I want to see its demise! SO, that ended my journey into the wet market. I would like to go back and explore more areas of the market because apparently I missed the section that had turtles, snakes, and frogs.

Wet Market

These little guys were still squirting water!

Later that night, the school hosted a get-together at the Mexican restaurant in SeaWorld. It was super crowed so a friend and I decided to go ahead and walk home. We decided to go down the same street we had taken earlier (when we had walked to the wet market). Along the way home, we found another supermarket that people talk a lot about here: Ren Ren Le. This particular store was very confusing to manipulate around. Plus it was about 3 or 4 stories! I share our stop here for one reason only. Before I came to Shenzhen, I looked up what Chinese Walmarts were like on Pinterest. In one of the pages I came across, they had mentioned dried pig faces. I was extremely disappointed in not finding any dried pig faces at the local Walmart. As we were walking around one of the floors, I happened to glance at one of the barrels. Inside of this barrel? Yep, dried pig faces! It made my evening.

Every weekend, Sunia (one of the people I’ve met here) and I try to go off for a walk or to explore a new part of the city. There’s so many things to do here! We had heard about the painting village in the Dafen area. So, Sunia, Joseph, Vince (also friends in the apartment complex) and I decided to jump on the metro to this area to see if we could find some paintings or art for our apartments. The metro is fairly easy to navigate; it’s also clean and comfortable. We finally made it to the Dafen stop but had no idea which way to go. We WeChatted a couple of friends who had been here for a while to see if they could help us. While we waited to hear back, we walked around the area a bit (in an attempt to find the area of the painting village). The weather was sort of crummy, drizzling enough to have to break out the umbrella; the rain, though, really doesn’t bother me that much—not like it did at home. We were all hungry and decided to eat some food first before continuing our search. Our waitress brought some quail eggs to the table and some edamame. I love edamame! I grabbed one and popped the pod into my mouth, sucked out the bean part. The waitress scared me to death as she yelled “NO” and waved her hand. I was very confused. Apparently the correct way, according to the waitress, is to use your hands to get the beans out of the pod and then put them into your mouth. I kept eating them and didn’t worry one bit.

After eating, we continued our search. We finally came to the area we were looking for. Artists lined the streets and alleys, painting beautiful pieces of art.

Just one of the artists working on a painting.

We browsed through some of the stores. The paintings and pictures were stunning! Sure, some were pieces I had seen in the States, but then there were more unique pieces I knew I could only find here. I found two pieces I fell in love with. The first was of a junk boat sailing in the bay. The vibrant colors spoke to me and I knew it had to come home with me, especially since it was only 20RMB ($3.15USD).

My first painting!

A few stores later, I found a piece that wasn’t painted, but done with thread. The colors in this one was a bit more sedate and calming compared to the other one. It’s mostly green with pops of pink. The thread is almost iridescent, offering some shimmer when the light hits it. This one was a little more, but still not ridiculously so. I think it was 160RMB ($25USD).

Again, every weekend offers a new adventure and experience! What shall be next? Stay tuned…

The Journey Continues…Silkworm, anyone?

The other evening, the school treated all the new staff members to a dinner at The Red Lantern. It was a smorgasbord of food. Dishes kept coming out of the kitchen. Just as we finished one dish, another would find its way onto our table’s lazy susan. I’m not sure what my favorite was…the fish? Green beans? Rice? Silkworm? I’ve got your attention now, don’t I? That’s right. You read it correctly. I ate a silkworm. Our new director walked around with a plate of them, asking if anyone wanted to try it. I thought about it and accepted this challenge. At first, I had to get out of my head and turn the voice (you know the one…mine kept informing me there was an insect at the end of my chopsticks and asked if I was nuts) off. I put the whole thing in my mouth. The initial crunch gave way to an ooze. The taste had a tinge of burnt flavoring. I won’t sugar coat this (even though I wish the sucker had sugar on it because then maybe it would have tasted better): it was disgusting. And all I could hear in my head at that point was my mother’s voice: “Heather, I told you not to go over there and eat anything weird. That’s how you ended up sick (referring to my autoimmune disease) in the first place.” I wish I could have seen her face when I sent her a text and told her what I had done. Oh, how I do love my mom.

Just one of the amazing dishes from our dinner at the Red Lantern.

Silkworm? Yeah, It is gross.

I’ve been waiting for the usual back to school stress to start but haven’t gotten it yet. Though my day is longer, I have more planning periods, which give me between 1.5–2.5hrs a day. That includes lunch (which is really quite delicious) too. The kids have two recess times a day, and go to technology, art, music, and PE  twice a week.  We’ve been given about $40 on a lunch card to use at some local restaurants, plus we have even been treated to socials and dinners. It’s nice to work at a place that genuinely treats teachers as professionals. I do catch a bus daily and the commute is about 15 minutes long. I started leaving earlier than necessary in the mornings because if I don’t then I’m basically a sardine and it’s not pleasant. Even though I don’t have to be at work until 8:15ish, I try to catch the bus around 7:05am. It’s a hit or miss to be honest.

There’s been an adjustment to living on my own-like I had to actually clean the other day! I had some people over for movie night the other night. My guests were amazed at how comfortable my place was and kept saying it was quite cozy. I laughed because my mother would have been super proud. Growing up, we were always the house people came to. I’ll admit I found it annoying as a child and young adult, but I get it now. I’ve worked hard to keep my new place up and clean. Plus, I really tried my best to make it a place where people would feel comfortable and want to come to. I will post some pictures again of my apartment in a few weeks after I’ve had a chance to get some art.

My apartment so far.

The other day, I went with a group of girls to a place called Louha. There’s about 5 stories of tiny, miniscule shops that sell everything from knock off purses, clothes, electronics, art, and shoes. People would sit outside the cubbies (really, the stores were that tiny!) on stools trying to get you to take notices of their wares and goods. Nothing really looked like it was my sort of thing, but I was glad that I was able to discover another area of Shenzhen. Famished after wandering around the different floors, we headed back up to the top floor to eat. The menu offered an array of delectable delightsl—even pigeon! However, we opted to forgo the pigeon this time.

Louha

Pigeon: Maybe next time.

Speaking of food, I took a walk with a couple of my new (good) friends from my apartment complex. We decided to grab a meal (it really is one of my favorite pastimes) at a local joint. We ordered pork buns (my favorite), dumplings, and sticky rice. The rice was full of flavor—must have been the leave it was cooked in. And I wish all my buns (as in bread buns and not the buns I sit on daily) involved BBQ pork. Mmmmm.

On another day, I went to a Sam’s Club like store called Metro. The place is enormous. We started off with an empty cart, but by the time the three of us were through, our buggie was overflowing. I bought paper and notebooks for the class (yeah, and then we all had to carry it back to the apartment—thank goodness for taxis), plus a Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake mix. I can’t wait to do some baking (I miss it so much!). Near the food section, just like Sam’s and Walmart, workers were offering samples. I helped myself. Near the seafood section, I saw dried sea cucumbers for sale; they range in price ($450–$1509USD) for those in the glass cases. Who knew sea cucumbers were so pricey? Heck, what does one do with a sea cucumber? I also found an odd combo of batteries and a spoon for sale.

Very expensive dried sea cucumber

The locked case full of dried sea cucumber

Not sure about you, but I always keep a spoon with my batteries.

Pork Buns and Sticky Rice (in the wrapped leaf)

A favorite activity here is getting foot massages. I’ve been three times. On my second visit (I think I may have mentioned my first visit to one in an earlier post; my brother was with me then), I went with Sunia. We sat next to each other as our masseuses got to work on our necks and backs. Well, I was doing pretty good, except my masseuse was really rough! When he cracked my back one way, I grunted (you would have too). He laughed and proceeded to crack my back the other way. I grunted again. Now, at this point, I was already feeling a bit beat up and abused. So naturally, I started giggling and laughing in nervousness. I do not recommend this because it seemed to only encourage the guy to see how rough he could be. Finally, he got to my feet (remember, foot massages encompass the neck, head and full back as well) and I was able to relax a bit. Then he decided to stretch my legs, which my physical therapist would have loved back home. My legs, however, were not so appreciative of this. I was glad to get out of there! By that night, I had black and blue marks up and down my back. The lesson here is this: learn the Chinese word for soft/gentle and make sure the masseuse understands it before they put their hands on you. I will try the foot massage again, but not anytime soon!

Adjusting to a New Place

It’s been a week and I’ve come to a conclusion: it is HOT and lots of walking (my feet will never be the same). I’ve already had to start doctoring some blisters. The heat is also different. I didn’t think it would cause me to sweat this much. Seriously, we’re talking buckets! Like, more than two showers a day. I thought I would be use to the humidity and all—I’m from Florida for goodness sake—but no, it’s not at all like I thought it would be.

While Chris was still in town (the weekend after we arrived), we felt daring and went for a massage. We heard about this place near SeaWorld (not associated with Shamu) and so we went there. We both signed up for a foot massage, however it also included the back, neck, and head. It was quite the experience. I can’t speak for Chris, but I was sore the next day. You sit on a stool while the masseuse stands behind you kneading muscles. At one point, he sits in the recliner behind you and you lean back. As soon as he starts massaging your head, you forget the awkwardness. It is an experience I recommend if you ever find yourself in China (just avoid the backroom…and you have my full permission to giggle like I did at the gentlemen who do leave from their time in the back rooms).

On the first Monday we were in town (a day before Chris departed for his flight back home), a group from my apartment complex decided to brave IKEA. For a Monday, it was quite busy. People were just lounging and hanging out. And it was wall to wall jammed packed. Chris held up much better there than I thought he would. By the time we were done buying out the store and arranging delivery, we were ready to get the heck out of that store. I mean, don’t people work on Mondays usually? What was up with the crowd? I’m sure Chris was wishing I had waited one more day to shop at Ikea since he was leaving that day.

One last photo before we say goodbye!

Another fun activity I was able to participate in was preparing paperwork for my resident permit (I think that’s what I was applying for). I went to the school to fill out more papers (identical to papers I filled out previously) for my visa to obtain my resident permit. Then we went to a clinic for our much anticipated physical. It started out with an EKG. I went into the room and the first thing the nurse said was “shirt off, bra off.” No hello or anything. The next room was a lady that gave an eye examine and weighed me. She laughed when I told her not to tell me the weight. Next, I went to the room with the blood pressure nurse. We did have to pee in tiny plastic cups over a squattie potty; afterwards I placed my cup on a tray with about 20 other cups of pee from other new hires. We also had to get chest X-rays and give blood. That night, a group of us headed to a Thai restaurant in the mall (a block away). It was delicious! The food was served family style on a lazy susan. We had about 7 or 8 different dishes…sizzling pork, spicy green beans, rice rolls, a whole fish, an eggplant dish, mixed veggies…I can’t remember all that we had. And speaking of food, I’m happy to announce that I am starting to master the chopsticks. I’m not an expert by any means, but I’m not relying on my “trainers” as frequently.

Just one of the several dishes we ate at the Hong Kong restaurant

The next day, we had our first day of training. I learned that we do have field trips! And I no longer will have to score papers with percentages. Kids are seen as individuals and not data or numbers or dollar signs. We were also given cards with a $200rmb balance on it that can go towards food purchases at the food cart (on my campus) as well as a few other places in the area (ex: Mexican place, the Irish pub). We were also given lunch-Who knew there was a Subway in China? Well, now you do.

I’m enjoying the experience so far, but I do find myself missing my family quite a bit. But again, I’ve had a wonderful time so far.

The First Few Days

During the first week, a bus picked us (the other new teachers) outside of the apartment gates. Lots of excitement and anticipation filled the air within the bus as we drove to the main campus (there’s four different campuses…I’ll be based at “Main”). We were whisked up to the fifth floor where the school’s accountant’s office is located. The accountant gave us each the equivalent of $1,500USD in Chinese currency (from here on out referred to as RMB or CNY) to help us set everything up. Then we were off in groups of about 10. Two people led our group, one of which was an amazing leader: Ella.

Our first stop was to get our cell phones set up. I didn’t have to purchase a new phone since I was planning on just using my iPhone 6. The first thing I had to do was select a new number. Now, I’ve had my US number for about a decade. These China numbers I had to select from were like extremely long! I don’t know how I will ever memorize my new number. It’s about a billion numbers long. I originally wanted to sign up for the plan that allowed me more data (back home I use my phone all the time), but I was informed that my phone wouldn’t support 4G data. I questioned that since it the phone is the 6, but to be honest, when one is communicating via a translator it is difficult to relay your thoughts. I finally just accepted the fact that I was not going to get the 4G and went with the cheapest data plan. The monthly payment totals about $10USD.

Up next for our group was a trip to the metro and a ride. We went to the SeaWorld Metro station first to purchase tokens to ride the Metro. The first thing I noticed was how clean the station appeared. After purchasing tokens, we waved them in front of the turnstyles. Our leaders pointed out the right train for us to jump on and off we went. We each bought a Metro card, good for the bus or subway. Once we all were armed with our cards, we boarded the train again to return to the SeaWorld Station. Upon exiting the station, we were instructed to deposit the token in the turnstyles.

We were given permission to go grab lunch next. Chris (he was still with me at this point) had spotted a Mexican place in the area and begged to go. Now I didn’t particularly crave Mexican food but he continued to mention it at every chance he got. I relented and agreed (I still can’t believe I ate Mexican food on my first official day in China). He was even able to convince two other people to join us: a new coworker and her mother (that accompanied her to help her move as well). It was nice to be able to get to know a new coworker. Plus, the food wasn’t too bad, but I’ll admit that some of the Mexican places at home are much more authentic.

After the group met back up, we caught a bus to go to the internet place. Here’s the thing about the internet…All the internet packages cost the same. It didn’t matter which one you purchased, because again, they all cost the SAME. I’m not sure of the logic behind all of that, but heck, if it’s all the same, sign me up for the best then!

At this point, we were released.

Later on during this week, my new teammate—the one that has been such a huge help in communicating with me and putting up with my endless emails and questions—took my brother and I out for dinner. It is safe to say that it has been one of my favorite meals to date. The name of the restaurant: Beijing Duck. Emily ordered tons of food, and I don’t think there was one ounce of food left on any of the plates. Let me see, we had something very similar to fajitas, eggplant, tofu noodles, green beans, and dumplings. The food was delicious and the company fantastic. We then walked (again, tons of walking here) all around and ended up in the SeaWorld area (more on this later).

Our meal at Beijing Duck…all of it was tasty!

Me…doing what I love best: eating delicious food.

Walking to the bay behind the SeaWorld area

Sea World is a huge complex, centered around a ship in a man made pond. There are tons of restaurants (a bit over priced and commercial in my opinion) with any type of food you can ever desire. Every night, it has a light and water show (think Bellagio in Las Vegas but on a smaller scale). If you do ever find yourself strolling through Shenzhen, make sure you at least check it out.

I can safely say, that I think I’m going to make it here. It’s going to be okay.