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Eskimo
Outside of a mall in Bangkok was a Colgate Eskimo hut. You could smell toothpaste from across the street. Better than some smells in Thailand... Hello!
Sorry for the lack of a post in awhile…we’ve been quite busy since arriving in China. So I better start at the beginning and work up to now.
We had a few days in Bangkok before heading off to China. We got in more bowling, movies and experienced the general chaos that is Bangkok. But truth be told, I love Bangkok and would go back in a heartbeat. Our friends, Trevor and Paige, who are living in Bangkok while going to school, have a great apartment with an awesome pool we hung out in one afternoon. Bangkok decided to get uncomfortably hot to say goodbye to us so the pool was possibly the highlight of our last stint in Thailand. For our last dinner in Bangkok, we unfittingly went to an Italian restaurant where we had the best pizza we’ve had since leaving the states. The only reason we went there is because it’s run by an Italian man who knows how to make Italian food. You find out very quickly that ordering food not native to the country you’re in is taking a big risk. In Krabi, I ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce, which turned out to
Suk 11 roof
We found the rooftop of Suk 11, which is just as impressive as the hallways there. be spaghetti with ketchup. We ordered nachos in Bangkok which came out as six tortilla chips arranged in a circle on the plate with a dollop of Velveeta in the center of each chip. Ordering Mexican, Italian and pretty much any sort of Western food is a toss up in Thailand. But an Italian place run by Italians is a good bet. After gorging on pizza, we slept, ready to wake up early, head to the airport and move to China.
Since our last experience of flying was rushed and stressful, we arrived at the airport this time with three and a half hours to go before departure. But no one appeared to be around the China Southern desks so we decided we were too early and sat down to wait. A half hour later we walked back to the China Southern desk to find it deserted, once again. But then someone approached us asking if we needed help. We showed him our flight info and he said, “Yes, check in here. But not yet!!” So we were too early. Fast forward to two hours prior to departure and still no activity and our flight still wasn’t listed on
the departures board. Back to the counter where this time someone was actually working. I asked if we just check in there and quietly she replied, “Your flight was canceled.” Awesome. Thanks for the notice. I quickly asked if there was another airline we could fly. The answer was yes. They had already rebooked us on another airline. That flight was leaving in 20 minutes. Excellent. Somehow we had no notice of any of this. Our flight wasn’t even listed on the board as “canceled.” It was non-existent. So first flight canceled, rebooked flight would have worked had someone told us when we got to the airport that it was canceled and we needed to get on another flight but that failed too. That’s the way the ball rolls with traveling.
The woman rebooked us on a flight leaving that evening to Guangzhou where we would be put up in a hotel and fly to Shanghai the following morning. She also gave us vouchers for lunch at a nearby hotel. At no point was I really freaking out, but I was far from happy. Our new flight left in 9 hours and we had lunch vouchers to keep us
entertained. That didn’t add up for me. But we were sent off to lunch at 10 am. I had stopped asking questions at this point.
The hotel receptionist took our lunch vouchers and said the buffet lunch stated at 11:30 am and ended at 2:30. More icing on the day’s cake. Old Country Buffet lunch that we have to wait for. I slept on the couch in the hotel lobby, having taken on an indifferent attitude toward everything.
We walked into the buffet at 11:30 to be greeted by ice sculptures and a spread of food I have seen on Iron Chef but never eaten. It was heaven. We sat and ate until the lunch buffet closed. I can’t even describe what we ate for lunch. There was a table of sushi, tiger prawns, smoked salmon and seared tuna. A cheese table Bob and I devoured (cheese is really expensive in Asia so this was a giant treat for us), a salad table, pork, lamb, a pasta bar, tons of curries, beef and ham dishes. Meat you could have cooked up any way you like and desserts so pretty I felt bad cutting into them. The tiramisu had
chocolate powder on the top that spelled “tiramisu.” I didn’t hate China Southern quite as much then.
We flew to Guangzhou in first class, found our ride to the hotel after we landed, showered and slept for a few hours until our bus arrived to take us back to the airport. The hotel even gave us breakfast - a loaf of bread and soy milk. Odd. We were off to Shanghai and got my first taste of how loud the Chinese are. It was frightening at first because it feels like everyone around you is fighting, which gives me an uneasy feeling. But that’s just the way they speak and I’m getting used to it. That seems to be the beauty of traveling for so long before we came here. We’re able to pretty easily shrug off most anything - be it a cultural difference that’s shocking at first or a canceled flight. Cultures are different and they all take some getting used to but in the end we’re all people and we’re all exactly the same.
It was a loud flight to Shanghai. We think the people who sat in front of had never been on a plane
Back to the roof of Suk 11
We spent a good amount of time up there before. We’re moments away from landing and they’re not in their seats but crowded around the window looking into the sea of white clouds. One lady held on to the seat in front of her with both hands for almost the entire flight. Another lady put her plastic cup in her purse when she was done with her beverage and inspected the plastic fork for a good few minutes before eating with it. All legitimate things for a first flight, I suppose.
Another bump in the road when we got to Shanghai and no one was there from our school to meet us, which was the original plan we had worked out. I knew this was going to happen since our flight was canceled but I was still hoping it would work out. We figured it out, made it to our hotel and had a lovely meal of Pizza Hut because we were both too tired to figure out where to eat or how to order.
Monday morning was our first day of training. I should preface this by saying when we got here we had no idea what was going on. We had no idea when we would
Lopsided
Typical of Thailand start teaching, when we would get an apartment, when we would even get to go to Yangzhou. It was all a question mark so needless to say we were beyond anxious to get to training and figure it all out. I’ll give a brief summary since this post is getting long. Training was great. I love our managers/bosses and this job is sounding wonderful. Play with kids while teaching them English through games, mainly. I can play games, no problem. So training consisted of learning new games.
The second day of training was the shocking day, when Bob and I asked questions about our school. Turns out the school in Yangzhou is brand new. No one has taught there yet, no classes are in place and no students yet. I’m pumped about this. A brand new school! Then I asked about how many other teachers would be teaching there with us and I got a blank stare in return, followed by, “You two.” Yep, that’s correct. A brand new school with two teachers - me and Bob. I couldn’t be more excited. I knew this was going to be an experience but now we have a few more layers
Suk 11 roof
Probably searching for an internet connection to this adventure of being the only ones to carry this school. The only other staff at the school will be Chinese and we’re unsure how much English they speak, if any.
Tomorrow is our last day in Shanghai where we’ll observe some classes at the school here. Normally you do observations at the school you’re going to but…there are no classes where we’re going. After a few hours of observations, we’re off to Yangzhou! Sunday is our first day of work when we go to a book store to do some promotion of the school in hopes of recruiting students. Monday we search for an apartment. As for the rest of the week, we have no idea. We also have no idea of when classes will start or how many we’ll be teaching. But I really don’t care. I’m just excited to see this all unfold.
Sadly we haven’t seen much of Shanghai. It’s rained…well poured everyday we’ve been here and the past four days have been all training. Luckily, it’s a three hour bus ride from Yangzhou to Shanghai so we’ll be back here soon, I’m sure.
That’s all for now. Next time I’ll have pictures
of my new apartment and hometown! I hope everyone is doing well!
Love,
Lauren
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Terry
non-member comment
Lauren, your stories are too funny. You sound a lot like my cousin who teaches in Russia. You both write well (humorously too) to describe your take on another culture. The pictures are great too. Good luck teaching. It sounds like you may be able to do your own thing instead of a regimented program. Have fun Love ya Terry