A few people have asked me to start writing in here again as I begin another journey teaching in China....
I have been here a week now, and find myself struggling how to put the experience into words, so I will do the best that I can.
The long journey began by checking in 5 bags into Seatac airport on July 26th with my brother and mother by my side. We had concerns regarding weight and transporting the bags from there to here. Needless to say, there was both good and bad news. The good news was that they would check my bags from Seatac to Guangzhou, the bad was that China Southern would only allow me to have 4 bags. Blake and my mother patiently waited while I rummaged through each bag trying to move items to the suitcase I would not bring, while making sure I did not exceed 52 pounds. (The limit is 50, but always bring my mother with you flying international... she can flirt her way through anything, which got me an extra 2 pounds per bag-- Love you mom :) ). All that was left were a few large picture frames and my lovely mattress pad, which later I would regret, but I will lug it back when I return at Christmas.
I made the flight from SEA to LAX with no problems. I had a 6 hour layover in LA, which allowed me to wander around a bit. But, I had to transfer terminals, which I did successfully, obviously. When I tried to go through security though, they said I had to wait until check-in opened and re-check-in, again. I waited patiently for over an hour standing in line. Checked in (the CS agent tried to re-charge me for my bags that I already paid for and didn't even have with me, her boss wouldn't allow her to, luckily), and made my way to the gate. Had some food, met other colleagues with our matching blue shirts, and then boarded the GIANT Airbus plane. I was seated on the second story in the very back, aisle seat....I figured, and posted on fb that it would be horrible, but two sleeping pills later and lots of sleep and I was ready to land in GuangZhou. From there, we collected our bags, met the director and some TA's and made the two hour bus ride to NanSha.
I was greeted by other teachers and staff who helped me carry all of my bags to my beautiful three bedroom apartment where I took a shower and went down to have breakfast.
The last week has consisted of Ikea shopping, visa photos, medical checks, lots of shopping, exploring and long bus rides. We flew into GuangZhou which is about an hour and a half from here (with no traffic and depending on where in the city you are going.) We have also gone to ShenZhen which is also about an hour and a half, but slightly closer in distance. But, our school is located in the middle of nowhere on the southern coast of China. I rode my bike to the ocean today which took about five minutes and was closest to the water than I have been since Seattle. Hong Kong is also VERY close by, but we have to take a ferry from the terminal across the street, and are unable to do that until my passport is returned. (It is off somewhere receiving my residence permit and year long teaching visa). Once I have that, I can make weekend trips to the city for about $50 round trip. This will also be where I travel into and out of when traveling internationally. (If you want to look up my location on Google Maps, type in NanSha District, China. It is located in Guang Dong province, and is its own district, but is a GuangZhou address).
All in all, the area is gorgeous and full of palm trees, wildlife and tropical plants, animals and jumping spiders. We have had a few downpours but only one big storm. I think I have sweated more in the last week than in the last few years, but I have gotten used to the heat and humidity. 89 is now cooler weather and more pleasant than the 95 degree weather with 90% humidity that has been the average climate so far. I do not feel as though I am in China living here, and have found more locals who speak English than my entire time in Beijing. It is very helpful that I speak Mandarin, but most people speak Cantonese but understand Mandarin. There are also many other dialects too, so many locals speak two to three languages and sometime four. Linguistically speaking, this may be one of the most diverse places I have been to. (I should use this to my advantage, and hopefully will.)
School starts in two weeks, so I will try and update some more later as I explore the area more. I will try and include more photos on FB or here of the campus as it is absolutely beautiful. I have also decorated my apartment as much as I could (and would like to spend for the moment) but as I travel more, I will acquire more decorations.
If you have questions or want to know other things about the area or anything related to my experience let me know so I can find more focus in my writing.
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