Sometimes when things seem too good to be true, they are.
On Sunday, before leaving Beijing, we received our official placements! I was so happy to be told I would be teaching Primary school in Futian (the downtown district of Shenzhen), just minutes away from Dave's school. I had literally gotten all of my preferences, and I was ecstatic.
Then I got on a 24-hour train ride to Shenzhen. It wasn't nearly as bad as expected; in fact, the beds were far better than anything I've slept on in a Chinese hotel (I think I nearly slept through the night - such a luxury these days). We boarded in the evening just after 8pm, and it was lights off at 10pm. I woke up bright and early to a little tune blaring through the speakers that was the Chinese equivalent of elevator music and then spent the day playing card games, watching TV shows, and taking frequent naps. In a miraculous turn of events, we arrived ahead of schedule and were whisked away to our gorgeous accommodations, The Silver Lake Resort Hotel (quite an upgrade from the sports club in Beijing).
The next few days were a delight simply because we had nearly nothing to do and a pool at our disposal. We were also fed three meals per day at precisely the same time every day at the resort's "Western Restaurant" (just FYI, the only thing "Western" about this restaurant was the fact that it supplied forks, knives and spoons. They served us chicken feet and pigs ears for breakfast on the first day...).
The big day finally came: the contract signing ceremony. We had to have our bags packed in our rooms and be downstairs in our finest clothing at 10am on Thursday morning. I've never had an arranged marriage, but I felt as though the emotions I was having were those that would be common to a bride being given to a family she had never met: the uncertainty, the reluctance to leave behind the comfort of what I've come to know, and the fact that I would be signing a document binding myself to this unknown entity. Many of these feelings at least subsided as I met the woman who had come to meet me, Spring. I was presented with an enormous bouquet of flowers and lavished with praise over my "beauty" (read: pale skin). China is a pale girl's heaven. Literally everyone I've met so far has commented on how beautiful I am, and it's great for the self-esteem after my middle school years of being called the "Blair Witch," among other creative nicknames. Many Chinese women are incredibly obsessed with being light-skinned; they go so far as to wear large masks that look like what one would wear when operating a blow-torch. Most Chinese women never leave the house without a parasol or at least some sunglasses. I've often seen women walking the streets covering their faces with whatever they have handy - an enormous purse, their hands, or even a piece of paper. Luckily for me, I don't even have to try to stay this pale.
In order to start things off on a good note, I introduced her to Dave, who had come over to tell me a bit of unwelcome news. There had been a misunderstanding when making Dave's placement. Instead of teaching Juniors, he would be teaching Seniors at another branch of his school. The other CTLC teacher who is working at his same school is a "returner," which means he has preference when it comes to selecting which age group he teaches. Apparently he had a strong preference for Juniors. What this meant for us is that Dave was no longer an easy walk away from me; he is now a 40 minute metro ride away, and there is nothing we can do to change this.
So, despite this upheaval, I signed a contract with Yuanling Primary School for one year. This contract entitles me to a variety of benefits, including the guarantee of a hot water shower, a western style toilet, a washing machine, etc. I also promised to be a decent educator and go to work, among other things.
The gentleman who was part of my welcoming crew apparently had other business to attend to, so Spring told me to go and get my bags and we would go have lunch elsewhere (we would be skipping the banquet that was being held at the resort and leaving significantly earlier than I'd expected). There was nothing to do but quickly return to my room and collect my belongings, leave a note for Dave, and depart from the Silver Lake Resort Hotel with these new acquaintances.
They delivered me to the Yuanling Primary School, where I'll be living in a school dormitory for the next year. Our living arrangements can range anywhere from a college style dorm to a high-rise apartment - I believe I am solidly on the lowest end of the apartment spectrum. For starters, I do not currently have a western style toilet, but a squat toilet...which is conveniently located in my shower. In fact, I literally have to use my shower to flush the toilet. I have a tiny "kitchen" which is equipped with...a microwave. As far as the square footage goes, I'd say it's roughly 300 sq ft. It's definitely not ideal, but I've got a great location. I'm close to two metro stops, tons of parks, and the library (not sure if I could read any books there, but hey!). It will definitely be an adjustment, but I think I'm going to be really happy at the school.
Spring, despite the fact that she is not my official contact teacher, has been taking care of me for the past few days. After we unloaded my bags at the dorms, she asked me what kinds of food I like to eat. I told her that I like all foods, but I'm a vegetarian. She didn't even bat an eye at this news. She and the other teacher (whose name escapes me) hailed a cab and took me to probably one of the most amazing meals I've had in my vegetarian life (definitely the best in my whole time in China). We went to a chic and tranquil Buddhist restaurant, where the entire menu was vegetarian dishes. They ordered a feast for us, and I think I may have experienced nirvana.
After this glorious meal, Spring and I parted ways with the unnamed teacher and went to do errands. Spring is an absolute gem - so sweet, so hospitable, so helpful. During the course of the day, I got to meet her 4-year-old daughter, Coco, and her mother. Because we had to be at a meeting early in the morning, she invited me to stay the night at her apartment (I was more than happy to). I spent the evening playing on her iPad, playing with Coco (who kept asking me questions and thought I was funny, but a complete idiot) and enjoying the view from the window of her apartment on the 23rd floor.
Yesterday, after we finished up our errands, we did a little shopping together in the major mall area (she was convinced that I needed a handbag, so I could carry my umbrella with me at all times. I was also quickly convinced that I needed a new handbag). After this we parted ways at my dormitory, so I could "have a little rest." Dave and I had been communicating by email (I don't have a working cell phone here yet) and by my landline (provided, as stipulated by my contract), and we planned to see how bad this commute actually was. Since he is now far out of town, I opted to take a cab to his school, Hong Ling Senior Middle School. Should have taken about 25-30 minutes, but I think it took closer to 45 (and this is starting the clock after I finally managed to hail a cab). Once I finally got there, we had plans to jailbreak my iPhone so I wouldn't be so helpless. Sadly, those plans died with my laptop, which I guess decided life in China is too much to bear. We'll be taking it in to an Apple repair shop today, so hopefully it will be a quick fix...and hopefully after this, life will be back on the upswing.
On Sunday, before leaving Beijing, we received our official placements! I was so happy to be told I would be teaching Primary school in Futian (the downtown district of Shenzhen), just minutes away from Dave's school. I had literally gotten all of my preferences, and I was ecstatic.
Then I got on a 24-hour train ride to Shenzhen. It wasn't nearly as bad as expected; in fact, the beds were far better than anything I've slept on in a Chinese hotel (I think I nearly slept through the night - such a luxury these days). We boarded in the evening just after 8pm, and it was lights off at 10pm. I woke up bright and early to a little tune blaring through the speakers that was the Chinese equivalent of elevator music and then spent the day playing card games, watching TV shows, and taking frequent naps. In a miraculous turn of events, we arrived ahead of schedule and were whisked away to our gorgeous accommodations, The Silver Lake Resort Hotel (quite an upgrade from the sports club in Beijing).
The next few days were a delight simply because we had nearly nothing to do and a pool at our disposal. We were also fed three meals per day at precisely the same time every day at the resort's "Western Restaurant" (just FYI, the only thing "Western" about this restaurant was the fact that it supplied forks, knives and spoons. They served us chicken feet and pigs ears for breakfast on the first day...).
The big day finally came: the contract signing ceremony. We had to have our bags packed in our rooms and be downstairs in our finest clothing at 10am on Thursday morning. I've never had an arranged marriage, but I felt as though the emotions I was having were those that would be common to a bride being given to a family she had never met: the uncertainty, the reluctance to leave behind the comfort of what I've come to know, and the fact that I would be signing a document binding myself to this unknown entity. Many of these feelings at least subsided as I met the woman who had come to meet me, Spring. I was presented with an enormous bouquet of flowers and lavished with praise over my "beauty" (read: pale skin). China is a pale girl's heaven. Literally everyone I've met so far has commented on how beautiful I am, and it's great for the self-esteem after my middle school years of being called the "Blair Witch," among other creative nicknames. Many Chinese women are incredibly obsessed with being light-skinned; they go so far as to wear large masks that look like what one would wear when operating a blow-torch. Most Chinese women never leave the house without a parasol or at least some sunglasses. I've often seen women walking the streets covering their faces with whatever they have handy - an enormous purse, their hands, or even a piece of paper. Luckily for me, I don't even have to try to stay this pale.
In order to start things off on a good note, I introduced her to Dave, who had come over to tell me a bit of unwelcome news. There had been a misunderstanding when making Dave's placement. Instead of teaching Juniors, he would be teaching Seniors at another branch of his school. The other CTLC teacher who is working at his same school is a "returner," which means he has preference when it comes to selecting which age group he teaches. Apparently he had a strong preference for Juniors. What this meant for us is that Dave was no longer an easy walk away from me; he is now a 40 minute metro ride away, and there is nothing we can do to change this.
So, despite this upheaval, I signed a contract with Yuanling Primary School for one year. This contract entitles me to a variety of benefits, including the guarantee of a hot water shower, a western style toilet, a washing machine, etc. I also promised to be a decent educator and go to work, among other things.
The gentleman who was part of my welcoming crew apparently had other business to attend to, so Spring told me to go and get my bags and we would go have lunch elsewhere (we would be skipping the banquet that was being held at the resort and leaving significantly earlier than I'd expected). There was nothing to do but quickly return to my room and collect my belongings, leave a note for Dave, and depart from the Silver Lake Resort Hotel with these new acquaintances.
They delivered me to the Yuanling Primary School, where I'll be living in a school dormitory for the next year. Our living arrangements can range anywhere from a college style dorm to a high-rise apartment - I believe I am solidly on the lowest end of the apartment spectrum. For starters, I do not currently have a western style toilet, but a squat toilet...which is conveniently located in my shower. In fact, I literally have to use my shower to flush the toilet. I have a tiny "kitchen" which is equipped with...a microwave. As far as the square footage goes, I'd say it's roughly 300 sq ft. It's definitely not ideal, but I've got a great location. I'm close to two metro stops, tons of parks, and the library (not sure if I could read any books there, but hey!). It will definitely be an adjustment, but I think I'm going to be really happy at the school.
Spring, despite the fact that she is not my official contact teacher, has been taking care of me for the past few days. After we unloaded my bags at the dorms, she asked me what kinds of food I like to eat. I told her that I like all foods, but I'm a vegetarian. She didn't even bat an eye at this news. She and the other teacher (whose name escapes me) hailed a cab and took me to probably one of the most amazing meals I've had in my vegetarian life (definitely the best in my whole time in China). We went to a chic and tranquil Buddhist restaurant, where the entire menu was vegetarian dishes. They ordered a feast for us, and I think I may have experienced nirvana.
After this glorious meal, Spring and I parted ways with the unnamed teacher and went to do errands. Spring is an absolute gem - so sweet, so hospitable, so helpful. During the course of the day, I got to meet her 4-year-old daughter, Coco, and her mother. Because we had to be at a meeting early in the morning, she invited me to stay the night at her apartment (I was more than happy to). I spent the evening playing on her iPad, playing with Coco (who kept asking me questions and thought I was funny, but a complete idiot) and enjoying the view from the window of her apartment on the 23rd floor.
Yesterday, after we finished up our errands, we did a little shopping together in the major mall area (she was convinced that I needed a handbag, so I could carry my umbrella with me at all times. I was also quickly convinced that I needed a new handbag). After this we parted ways at my dormitory, so I could "have a little rest." Dave and I had been communicating by email (I don't have a working cell phone here yet) and by my landline (provided, as stipulated by my contract), and we planned to see how bad this commute actually was. Since he is now far out of town, I opted to take a cab to his school, Hong Ling Senior Middle School. Should have taken about 25-30 minutes, but I think it took closer to 45 (and this is starting the clock after I finally managed to hail a cab). Once I finally got there, we had plans to jailbreak my iPhone so I wouldn't be so helpless. Sadly, those plans died with my laptop, which I guess decided life in China is too much to bear. We'll be taking it in to an Apple repair shop today, so hopefully it will be a quick fix...and hopefully after this, life will be back on the upswing.
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