China bound, round 2!

It was a crazy trip to Shenzhen, I think a total of 30hours travel time. The journey didn’t start out too well when Roz called me after we had been on the road to Dulles for about 30mins and said, “Is Regan another name for Dulles?” That’s right we had all read the itinerary wrong and where headed to the airport. So we pull over and set the GPS on my dad’s truck which takes us through all these winding roads. I was completely silent in the car as my dad’s frustration began to rise and me and Amy both closed our eyes trying not to get car sick. We somehow got there in ok time and Roz and her family were sitting at TGIFridays laughing. I straggle in looking half dead and plop down in the seat beside her dad who immediately says, “You need a drink!” it’s amazing how different our families are but still so alike. I am so lucky to have a friend to travel with. The trip would have been unbearable without Roz to keep me company, plus I love her! So first they made us fly to Chicago on American Airlines, which meant I had to pay $60 for my 2 checked bags. My mom tried to fight it but they weren’t having it. I really thought we were going to die on the landed. I and Roz grabbed each other and the cabin banged around as we bumped along the runway. On the way out we heard the flight attendant tell the pilot or someone in the crew, “A successful landing is one you can walk away from.” How comforting! Then when we got to O’Hara we had to take a bus to another terminal and go through security again where we ran into 2 other girls from our program. The TSA workers were screaming out commands and hurrying people through the lines, we looked at each other and said, “I’m gonna miss American hospitality!” haha. We did get to cut in front of all the foreigners who didn’t understand the instructions so it was nice to be on the national side for the last time this year. The man that checked my passport smirked when he saw my picture and said, “can I hit that?” My eyes popped out of my head and I said “WHAT?!” with an awkward smile and he let us through. Apparently Roz heard him say, “can I GET that” meaning can you smile like in the picture. Either way I was taken back and couldn’t stop laughing! It didn’t help that I had to go through the naked scanner right after. I am not a fan. There was a woman “randomly” picking people to go through the normal metal detector or the naked scanner. It seemed all the women randomly were picked for the naked scanner. I didn’t fully realize what was going on until after the fact. I just felt dirty. Even the way they make you stand is degrading. There are foot prints on the mat to show you to spread your legs out and then you have to lift your arms over your head and freeze perfectly still. I just felt exposed at every angle, there is a line of people waiting to go behind me and another guard staring straight ahead of me and then I know 2 guys are giggling behind the computer screen somewhere. Not a fan! It’s about 10pm and out flight leaves at 12 and we had flown through dinner so we decide to look for a restaurant. Tell me why all the restaurants are on the other side of the security check point! I can see them and smell the deliciousness but in the whole dang terminal I got NOTHING! We walked for what seemed like miles and all I found was one kiosk with cold, day old subs for $10!!! I am starving and I am about to get on a 15 hour plane ride so they know I have no choice and have to pay it, but here’s the kicker. I grab a soda and the cashier rings it up for $18 total! It was a $6.50 coke bottle!! And $1.50 in tax, on food items! That’s a month of groceries in China I don’t belong in Chicago! When we got on the huge, 2 story plan to Korea we see that 2 old ladies are our seats asleep. I don’t know where they were from, because when we finally got a flight attendant they didn’t understand English, Korean, or Chinese. Whatever I just wanted to make sure I could sit by Roz. 20 mins after takeoff I am dripping wet with sweat. It was like a million degrees wedged between the lady snoring in my ear and Roz. So I sit there fanning myself for about an hour before I couldn’t take it anymore and had to grab my bag and change into my PJs. Best decision I made all day. They come by with water and I am finally back to a normal temperature. I put the water in the little cup holder and grab the safety instructions as a fan. In true Christy fashion I proceed to hit the cup with my fan and spill the cold water all over myself! At least I wasn’t hot anymore. When we finally got to Korea we ran into like 4 other teachers in my program and take over the internet café. Turns out one of the guys in on our same flight to Shenzhen and we are excited to share a cab together to the hotel. The flight was only 3 hours and I had the middle seat on the long flight so I thought Roz was getting the better deal having the middle seat on the short flight. HOWEVER, she got stuck next to this man with the worst breath I have every encountered in my entire life! It was unbearable even on the other side of Roz. We both had to bury our nose in our hair. Then a little while into the flight he begins coughing and sneezing. But China never had the “sneeze into your Sleeve” campaign. This guy just sprays all over the seat and Roz’ arm, not even attempting to cover his germs. This continues every few moments for the rest of the trip. It was so bad we opted not to eat the in-flight meal assuming it was contaminated. When the plane arrives in Shenzhen we meet up with our friend get our bags and try to get a cab. My heavier suitcase had cracked along the bottom and was missing one of the 4 wheels! I prayed that it would make it to the hotel and then later to my apartment in tact! When we start to pile into that cab we soon find that with just me and roz’ bags the trunk and back seat was full. Our guy decided to ride on his own as I squeezed in the back sit with my bags in my lap. The hour cab right we kept thinking all I want to do is shower and sleep! Once we get to the hotel it’s about noon and the rooms are not ready yet. We leave our bags at the front desk and wait in the lobby thinking they will be ready any minute. An hour later we ask again and they say “maybe at 230”. So the 3 of us wait, as the time goes on more and more of the returning teachers trickle in but still no rooms. We ask again at almost 3 and they say “yes maybe one more hour!” After this Professor O’Donnell walks in after his flight from Beijing. He is the rich, American owner of CTLC. So we chit chat and tell him how we have been waiting for over 3 hours and there are no rooms to which he replies, “yea, My room is ready so I am going to nap now. See you later.” We all smile and laugh, thinking he must be joking. No, he is just that rude. Anyway we finally get into our rooms at 430 and take a quick shower and nap and meet the other teachers for dinner around 7. We go to the hotel restaurant and they say no, the bureau will provide a snack dinner for our group later. O’Donnell is back and well rested so we ask him what to do and he says the dinner will be around 8 so we decide to wait, again! While I am sitting there waiting a see a list of all the new schools and teaching assignments so we look through to see if there are 2 teacher at my shekou school I taught at last year. And it had another girl listed at my school while I was listed at a new school in Luohu. I asked O’Donnell if this was a mistake or why they would switch me to a new school. He just said, “yea that happens, haha.” I just sat there in a group of my friends and tears started pouring down. I didn’t say a word or make a sound, it was like my eyes were leaking. O’Donnell literally saw me crying and laughed in my face, “yea, yea sometimes.” I could have killed him! I had left all my stuff at the Shekou apartment. I told my students and teachers I would come back next year. I had an agreement with the head master for special housing. I had a tutor job set up. I knew the area. My whole world had just been turned upside down and there was nothing I could do. It was like all the benefits of returning for a second year had disappeared. I had a so many questions and no one with any answers. The new teachers and the coordinators were on a 24 hour train ride from Beijing and should be at the hotel around 8 which turned into 9 and they finally arrived at 10. This would not have been a big deal expect that the hotel put the food out at 8, right in front of where we were waiting. Yet would not let us eat anything until the whole group got there! Some of the newbies told me they were really scared of the returning teachers because we looked so angry staring at them when they walked it. But I told them it was because we were literally STARVING! I imagine we would make them feel uncomfortable, I could have eaten them I was so hungry! And that was my trip to China! Anybody wanna come visit? haha