Arriving in China

Four days.

In many ways, it already feels like I’ve been here a lifetime. Okay, maybe at least two weeks. 

Do you see my apartment building???

The flight from LA to Shanghai seemed endless. Culture shock began in the airport as it finally occurred to me: “I’m going to Shanghai. Why am I going there?” It seemed very odd that I was getting on a flight to China and not to somewhere in Europe! 

On the 13 hour flight I sat next to a man who barely looked at me and spoke no english. It was a far cry from Rick, the gentleman who talked to me the entire flight from Denver to L.A. By the end of that flight I’d found out he had two college aged daughters and two grandchildren. He’s recently divorced and is beginning to think about dating again. He showed me a picture of the woman he’s interested in and asked me advice on how to ask her out. Cute.

This flight, though, was entirely different. I kept thinking how nice it was that the man beside me could barely touch the ground with his feet because my backpack was taking up the entire space underneath the seats! In front of me was a couple with a toddler who screamed himself to sleep a couple times and his doting parents and grandparents in front of them. Behind me was an elementary school child whom I wanted to tie her legs and arms to her seat. Don’t fret, I will not be doing that to my children in the classroom - I’ll tell the nanny and the Chinese teacher to do it! Kidding. 

I have decided if there’s any way to petition for certain international flights to be child free I will be the FIRST to sign that list! I counted 3 newborns, at least 2 other babies under a year, 3 toddlers, and several elementary school children. Forget ear plugs or drugs, sleep was not an option for anyone on that flight (except, of course, for the father of the girl seated behind me).   

Thankfully thus far, that was the worst it’s been! 

I got off the plane and everything was a breeze. 

Passport stamp? Check.

Exchange money? Check.

Luggage cart and luggage? Check.

Customs? Check. 

Exiting the airport was where I first noticed the pushing in the Asian culture. I’d been warned about this. Lines and waiting do not seem to mean anything. Thankfully, my towering self was able to follow suit a little more easily than others. 

The tall building has been dubbed the "lego building" by staff.

My boss and her husband were waiting with a sign. They took me to my apartment which was filled with mostly amazing surprises. 

My apartment is on the very top floor far left. 

It’s a studio instead of the one bedroom I was told I would have. BUT, it’s a thousand times nicer than I had ever imagined!

See the little paper on the floor? My American boss took it off the door and threw it to the ground. I wondered if a cleaning service came or something. Nope. 

Small, but clean. Hotel-like. .

Notice, I don't really have a kitchen.

Until they see my bathroom.....

Other teachers feel bad I live far away from work.

.....and THIS. The previous tenant had a water system put in! 

After figuring out where the breaker box was and how to operate the air conditioner, I was told to wait for someone to bring me batteries and then to go out and get dinner. 

Um…okay. Sure. 

The person who brought me batteries told me there were two other people from SMIC (my school) who live in my complex. She suggested I introduce myself to them. I opted to just introduce myself to the other female. Her name is Tiffany. I think I terrified her by knocking on her door at 8pm but she happily wanted to go have dinner! Sadly, we ended up waiting in different lobbies and I was without any phone so I ventured out to get food without her.

My complex is pretty swanky. Just around the corner there’s a courtyard area that has tons of restaurants. Even so, there was just something about going out on foot, after dark, with no way to get ahold of anyone, and no way for anyone to get ahold of me, hours after I arrived in China that seemed to go against everything you are told not to do….even in a U.S. city.

But I was hungry and had to be at work in 12 hours. I just wanted something that was fast, but not fast food, and that looked relatively good. Then I could go to sleep!  

I found a nice looking sit down place that had pictures on a menu outside. Perfect! 

A few other things I was told before moving here: “It’s very easy to get by without knowing Chinese in Shanghai. I lived there for three years and can tell you ten words in mandarin.” “Shanghai has the largest expat community so foreigners are very normal there.”

Apparently not so much in my neck of the woods. I don’t live in the normal area with the rest of us crazy foreigners. My place is about a 20 minute walk from work and the housing around there. 

I doubt the locals in this restaurant had ever seen a white english speaker. I pointed to the duck and rice dish on the menu. They laughed. Loudly and blatantly. I smiled. We all mutually nodded and motioned.

Minutes later they brought me duck. 

It tasted good but was filled with surprising bones. Oddly enough I had just made duck last week for dinner! Duck with quinoa. Yum!! This was a tad different though. Certainly not as meaty as my duck. Kind of like eating frog legs; more work than it’s worth! Maybe I ate the neck of the duck? 

The gal in the restaurant brought me a soup spoon. To be honest I had no clue what to do with the spoon because I didn't have soup! One of the cooks brought me a fork. You guys, I have grown up using chopsticks at Chinese restaurants for goodness sakes! I couldn’t figure out why they kept bringing me utensils! 

About that time I began observing how other patrons were using their chopsticks. They were messy and rather uncivilized. I decided I’d stick with my foreign ways for now and work more on immersion once I got food and sleep. After all, the entire wait and kitchen staff were ogling me with VERY large smiles so I might as well show off my best American self!   

When the gal came to collect my plate she apparently assumed the fork was mine because she kept trying to give it to me. I shook my head and motioned that it was their’s. But she kept trying to give it to me! I was just about to take the darn thing thinking maybe she thought I was so hopeless that it was a gift or something. But she asked the cook something and he must’ve explained it was their’s. Clearly they don’t go handing out forks very often!

I headed back to my place and moments later Tiffany arrived! We talked until I, regrettably, had to ask her to leave. I was exhausted!

This was where I ate. I didn't realize I went in the back way until
I walked home and saw the same wait staff.  Next time I'm taking
more people with me just to see if they have more than one fork!