Hello Jinan!

OMG so much to update you on but I'm not doing that tonight... I have to work tomorrow morning and it's already 2am. So here's all I'm going to tell you for now: I posted three more updates for everyone about the trip out here. Yes this one makes four.  Enjoy your readings! I'll update you when I'm not sleep deprived and/or don't have to work at 6am.  Until then... Laters.

Failed attempts

I titled this one failed attempts because I tried to use the free WiFi at the airport but it requires me to put my phone number in to get the password.  Since I don’t have service here yet, I can’t do that.  Sad.  I guess I just have to wait until I get to Jinan and get my own Internet up and running. Regardless, here’s my next post.

I’m currently sitting in the Shanghai airport for my… wait for it… 10 HOUR LAYOVER. Yea. My flight went nonstop from Honolulu to Shanghai.  I thought it was an 11 and a half hour flight because that’s what it said on my eticket.  But it’s not. It’s only 9 and a half hours.  Which is nice when you consider that’s less time sitting on the plane.  But when you consider my situation, it sucks. What is my situation you ask? Well I have to collect my bags from the baggage claim because my bags aren’t booked all the way to Jinan.  I didn’t have one flight with a long layover, I had two separate flights booked for me. So fml.  I was supposed to land at 3:30pm Shanghai time and my next flight isn’t until 10pm. I thought at first, “Great, I have plenty of time to find my way through the airport.  I’ll need it since I’ll be somewhere where I will probably find no one that speaks English and no English signs directing me where to go.”  But now that I know that I have to go out to baggage claim and re-check-in, I’m thinking, “Oh boy.  This should be fun.” *sarcasm alert* Turns out I was wrong about the signs.  There are English signs with the Chinese characters everywhere.  So that was helpful.  Unfortunately, I was right about the fact that almost no one speaks English.  Lucky for me I found someone.  He was a security guard so he was very helpful in translating and directing me to where I needed to go.  I checked in early and admittedly really clumsily.  The woman checking me in looked at me like I was incompetent.  Then I went through security (the Chinese equivalent to TSA).  It’s amazing how many people they have helping you go through security. You have one guy who hands you a bin for your small stuff like boarding pass, passport, hoodie, and in my case snacks (not shoes though! You get to keep those on. I even kept my sunglasses on my head).  Then as you approach the conveyor belt there’s another man who points to everything that needs to go on the conveyor belt in case you forgot to take anything off. Then you have the woman or man (depending on your gender) who calls you through the metal detector.  You stand on a platform and he/she waves the metal detecting wand and pats down any spots that may be suspicious.  Then you have someone at the end of the conveyor belt handing you your stuff.  FINALLY, you have the guy who takes the bins from you and re-stacks them.  Like hello personal service! I could get used to that! Anyway, after going through security, I made the ridiculously long trek to my gate… of course my gate would be the one on the very far end of the terminal.  Did I mention that it is HOT here?! The walls are all glass.  Only the ceiling and floor isn’t glass. So you can imagine the green house effect in this giant building with what feels like no air conditioning.  If you’re traveling to Shanghai’s Pudong Airport in summer, I recommend two things: 1. Wear shorts; and 2. Don’t carry chocolate in your carry on.  My Milanos melted :( Otherwise, it’s a pretty neat place here. The workers are very friendly and helpful once you can figure out a way to communicate and understand each other. Something that is different here in Shanghai is the seating.  Sometimes in America we put out bags on the empty seat next to us and if seating is full at the gate, people sit on the floor or stand. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone ask me to move their bag so they could sit, let alone do what I’m about to describe next. In Shanghai, if there’s a bag on an empty seat, they’ll sit on the seat and push your bag closer to you.  They won’t ask you to move your bag they’ll just move it themselves.  But they won’t put it on the floor so that they have the whole seat, they’ll just squish it closer to you and sit on the part of the seat they can see.  It’s kinda funny. Just don’t be surprised if that happens to you.

I have about 5 and a half hours to kill and what better way to do that than explore the airport.  Even though I’m dying from the heat right now, I can’t help but see what kind of stuff they sell in their stores! I’ll update you on my life in Jinan once I get Internet.  Until then… Laters!

The excitement that is flying

So now I’m sitting on the plane with about 2 hours to kill. I was up for a while and then passed out for a few hours and now I’m wired and bored. Hence the long posts.  Sorry. But here are some things that I’ve noticed on my first flight. If you’re EVER thinking of flying to China, you should keep a note of this:

1) Not all flight attendants speak English even when flying from an English speaking country to their country. So while you’re boarding even if you know that they’re saying, “Down the next aisle, please,” ask something in English like, “I have to go over there?” That way they’ll send an English speaking flight attendant down your aisle for food and drinks.  It’s impressive that the woman working my aisle would remember each time she walked by that I didn’t speak Mandarin.

2) You’ll hear that the doors are closing and realize that the flight is only half full so enjoy the extra space.  However, the seats recline way far back so if anyone is in front of you expect that they’ll lean back to the point where if you’re sitting upright, you can see their forehead when they recline.  You also might want to check to see that whoever is behind you isn’t eating or drinking anything because it sucks when you’re the reason their food ends up in their lap. And don’t be surprised if the flight attendant sits your seat up before she serves you food.  She’ll do it to the person in front of you too so everyone sits up while they eat.

3) They play the safety video twice, once in Mandarin and once in English. But they leave the volume so soft that no one can hear a thing it’s saying. Everyone talks over it.

4) The top of the plane will look like it’s not connected to the bottom of the plane while you’re taking off and landing.  The overhead cabins will wobble and you will fear that the plane is not well built.  Not to mention the irritating crackling that happens for the ascent as the plane acclimates to the change in temperature.  It sounds like sand and gravel being dropped into a tin can. It’s a bit scary.

5) Once we’re in the air and it’s pretty steady, no one waits for the seat belt sign to be turned off, they just get up whenever they want. And no one gets on the PA to tell them to sit down.  While landing, people stand up and try to get their bags while the plane is still taxi-ing.  Don’t be shocked if someone falls on your lap.

6) About an hour into the flight the captain (I think) will come on the PA and start talking in Mandarin.  Sometimes they’ll repeat it in English but not always. Just go with it.  The first announcement was something about the entertainment system.  I only know because the flight attendants bowed at the start of the row then walked down the aisle and shut all the windows.  No exceptions. Windows must be shut. Then the video screens came down and some show started to play.  When landing, someone talks on the PA, the flight attendants bow, and then they walk down the aisles lifting windows, picking up trash, and making sure everything is stowed.  It’s much more of an event than traveling within the US.

7) If anyone comes on to the PA listen carefully because if they do repeat anything in English, it will follow so closely that it doesn’t sound like English and you might miss an important announcement.

8) Remember when I told you to make it known you speak English? Yea it’ll come in handy for this next one.  But first, keep your passport, boarding pass, itinerary and a pen readily available at all times (like keep it in your pocket if possible) because you’ll need it, for the first half of the flight… frequently.  So it’s important to have a flight attendant know that you speak English because they’ll walk down the aisle and ask if you need a departure/arrival card. If your flight attendant speaks English you can ask for help. I find, “What is this?” to be a helpful question when answered. The card will ask you for information that is on your boarding pass and your passport. It’ll also ask you where you’re staying an all that good stuff. So have your stuff handy or you’ll be like me sifting through your carry on for it later (multiple times).  That arrival card will be what you will give to the people who are checking your passport before you get to the baggage claim.  SAVE THE DEPARTURE CARD WHEN THEY GIVE IT BACK TO YOU.  You’ll need it when you leave.

9) Once you’re in the air and they’ve come by with drinks and food, you’re pretty much on any other flight.  It’s just the start that sets you up for a wild adventure and the end that makes you feel like you’re stupid for not speaking their language.

10) If you look Asian, the passengers will speak to you in Mandarin and you will be confused.  If you look friendly, kids will speak to you in Mandarin, and you will be confused.  If you find that you’re sitting next to someone who speaks English, TALK TO THEM! Because they may be able to help you and you will no longer be confused.

So that’s been my adventure so far, it was only one flight! Next stop Shanghai airport.  Until then… Laters!

First post from CHINA!!

Well I’m finally on my way! Yes, I’m writing this on the plane but I’m posting from Jinan.  Before I tell you about my ridiculous flight situation, let’s go back a couple of days.  Since my last post, I was still in Hawaii waiting for my passport to arrive.  My employer emailed me on Thursday saying that my passport was mailed overnight to Hawaii and I should expect it to arrive by 3pm on Friday.  I said OK.  He then emailed me my eticket that told me that my flight was for Sunday at 10am.  Wait a minute, I don’t even know if my passport will be here on time and you’re booking me a flight on a day that mail doesn’t deliver on a holiday weekend?! What’s wrong with that picture? Stress level went from a 3 to about a 7 in one email.  I thought to myself, OK no worries, I still have Saturday as a buffer just in case.  Turns out my condominium doesn’t sort through their mail on Saturday so if the passport gets delivered from the post office, It might sit in the mail room until Tuesday anyway.  Yea, stress level elevated to a 10.  I had a very stressful Friday when I couldn’t track down my passport.  I decided I needed a night of fun to de-stress. So I texted my cousin and we were out that night to meet up with our other should’ve-been-cousin (really she’s pretty much part of the family regardless of not having married into the family).  I met awesome people who I hope I will get to see again when I get back and even reconnected with an old friend from high school.  It was an awesome night! 

Then Saturday morning came and at 7ish am my dad sent me three texts that said my passport came, when can I drive the car into town to get it (he needed the car), and never mind we’re coming to get you.  Yea I was in no state to drive. I didn’t even get those texts until a bit later when my aunty had already told me that they were on their way out.  But with passport in hand I was happy again.  My mom took me shopping and to lunch where I felt much better about my trip.  I even got to clean the condo for a little bit (yea cleaning is my self care.  Don’t judge. If you do just imagine how great it is for you if you lived with me lol). It wasn’t until later when I was at the Stan Sheriff center working, that it finaly hit me.  Holy Sh*t I’m going to China tomorrow. Anxiety level just jumped from zero to 9.  In the next post I’ll tell you about my flight. It’s exciting! Until then… Laters!

Guess who's in China...

Not meeeeee. Today would be day 4 in Hawaii.  Since my last update, my mom came up to Bend to help me move out of my apartment.  We packed up the car, saw The Butler, drove to San Fransisco for lunch (leaving Bend at 3:50am), and arrived in Mission Viejo around 9pm.  Then in 4 more days we packed up my sister's apartment in San Diego and moved her out. We even got to see Planes.  Then my dad came up to Cali to help my sister move as well.  My mom, dad and I got to Hawaii Sunday night.  I stayed at my grandma's house the first night since it was close to Kahala Mall (yes I finally got my computer fixed). Then Monday night was family dinner night.  I got to see my whole family including my three baby cousins :D I love those kids.  They're so cute and SOOO much fun to play with.  Monday was also Carolyn's birthday and I totally forgot to text her! But I'm making it up now with a shout out to her.  HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY GIRL!!  Then Tuesday night I got to see my friends, Mandi, Leanna, and Isaac.  Winston was supposed to show up but had to work over time.  Carolyn was also planning on coming but she got called into work too.  I'm starting to see a pattern here.  Not sure that I like the real world yet :/ But whatever.  Dinner was so much fun. I missed these people so much! Wednesday night I reunited with another friend.  One of my best guy friends, Nick.  I call him Tony (as in Iron Man Tony Stark). His goal in life is to become Iron Man. My goal in life is to become his assistant Pepper Potts lol. Not really but when I'm with him, I definitely feel like Ms. Potts, so that's what he calls me.  We went to see Elysium and eat dinner/play games at D&B.  Such an epic night.  I beat him at a bunch of the games early on but he beat me later in the night.  Today is Nick's birthday so this is also a shout out to him.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY!!  I'm stuck in Hawaii until I get my visa so I'm not sure how long that'll be.  But I plan on making the most of it since I won't be back for a while.  I can't wait to go to China but at the same time I'm glad I'm getting in some family and friends time.  I've definitely missed everyone. I'll update you again soon.  Ideally, I'll be in China at that time. Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone! Until then... Laters.

Finally

Well, I'm not in China yet... but yes I am finally moving forward.  Last week Sunday, I had to say good bye to Jeremy and Tiger.  My heart was (still is a little) broken and since then I have felt like time has gone by so slowly.  I tried to keep majorly busy but getting more done in a day has made my time feel like it's going by even more slowly.  You know that feeling that when you get a week's worth of errands done in a couple of days and all of a sudden it's like hello, it's only Wednesday. FML. Yea that's what I've been struggling with. But enough about the sad parts, let's talk about the happy parts.  On Monday, I met a woman who has given me more information about China than I could have EVER asked for.  She even gave me her Pimsleur Mandarin lessons so that I could learn a few phrases before I go! On Tuesday, I met the group of people who will be working with me (all from Oregon).  That was my most favorite part of the week.  They all left for Jinan on Thursday but I'm still here.  I will be meeting up with them in a week or so.  On Wednesday, I met up with Robbie.  It's been way too long! On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday... Ummmm well you know the usual, good bye parties, bank notifications, packing (oh the packing), and much much more.  I am sooooo nervous that I won't be able to fit everything into my car.  It's amazing how much you can accumulate in just two years of living.  But it will be OK. Mom is on her way here to help me pack up my car.  She's the queen of tetris! If anyone can make it fit, she can.  I've already let go of so many memories and objects that remind me of Jeremy.  I can't bare to say good bye to any more of my things.  I hope that I'll be able to get through this as quick as possible.  I don't want to hurt any more.  I just wish I was on my way already.  In the next week, I will be driving to California with my mom to help my sister move from San Diego to Mission Viejo, flying home for a day (hopefully more), and then flying to China from there.  I can't believe that this is all happening right now.  So much change in such a short amount of time.  I cry every time I walk out of my (formally our) bedroom and see nothing but boxes, suitcases, and empty walls.  It hurts but it's time.  I miss my boys dearly and I will miss Bend and everything that comes with Bend: friends, memories, school.  I hope to see you again some day.  Until then... Laters.

The next episode

Hey Bloggers. So as the title suggest, I'm here to talk about the next episode of my life.  If every year of my life were an episode, we'd be on episode 24.  And as you may recall, the last episode ended very poorly.  It was tear-filled and dramatic. But hey, who doesn't like a little drama every now and then.  And honestly, isn't that what keeps your attention from episode to episode, series to series? I'll admit, even I enjoy a little bit of drama from time to time. So here's to the next episode.  I'm getting ready to go on a new adventure and I'm feeling very mixed about the whole thing.  I'm excited to have this opportunity but sad to be leaving a lot behind as I take it.  I'm anxious to get going since everything in this process as thus far been very last minute but at the same time I'm so exhausted from constantly going that I really just wanna sit back and relax for a little while.  Like I said, very mixed.  For the time being, I'm just focusing on the here and now.  Speaking of which, I'm currently in J3's hometown taking a bit of a vaca from life.  Sadly, this may be the last time I ever get to visit his childhood home.  I love this house and town and especially the people who reside here.  I wish it weren't an option but sadly, I may never get back into this house. So for the time, I'm making the most out of home-cooked meals, family dinners, and awesome company.  I'm only here for a few days so I guess I'll get going and start enjoying myself.  The next time I check in will probably be when I've got my plane ticket in hand and jetting off to China.  Until then... Laters.