Day 1

What a day!

You know how airline bathrooms have a lever to slide which takes the green ‘vacant’ sign to a red ‘occupied’ sign? Well guess what? China Eastern Airlines has those same exact locks and signs!!! So far so good right??? I guess the thing is, in order for a bathroom to look as though it’s occupied…you actually need to slide the lock to the locked position. 3 out of the 4 times I used the restroom on the plane, I walked in on someone in the bathroom. And NOT because I was stupid and not paying attention….because they didn’t lock the door!!!! I have to admit…it made me wonder what I was in for when I actually arrived in China. L

I did arrive…safe and sound. All of my bags arrived with me; small victory for Molly. J My driver Thomas was a little late picking me up because my flight arrived early, but that was alright. He could not have been nicer. As he picked up the car and I waited with my luggage I started thinking about driving in China and what this experience was going to be like! I had heard the drivers here are terrible, there’s lots of accidents, etc. so part of me was slightly nervous, but mostly I was curious. As I waited in the parking garage that was well over 100 degree heat with 100% humidity, greasy and sweating, I started watching the cars drive by to exit the garage. Their parking garage didn’t appear to be much different from what I’m used to, but the drivers inside the garage gave me a good glimpse into what driving in China is really like. Car after car zoomed past me in this small, confined area. One lady sitting in the passenger’s seat had a small baby, around 6 months or so, just sitting on her lap. Horns were blaring left and right, cars that were merging looked like they were inches away from hitting each other but….it worked! As I watched this I smiled and laughed to myself a little….what a trip!

When we finally got going on the road I VERY QUICKLY realized that staying in between the lines defining the lanes was not an expectation so much as it was a suggestion. Cars literally appeared to me as if they were floating from one place to another; sometimes that place was in between the lines of an actual lane, sometimes it was in the middle of two lanes…it didn’t appear to matter! Cars drove fast and close to one another as they floated around and during the hour or so that I was awake I counted 3, yes….THREE signal lights that were used!!! I mean…I totally get not using a signal to change lanes when no one is around you, but there were cars EVERYWHERE!!!!! Yet NO ONE signaled!!! At this point I decided two things: 1. My mom would be having a heart attack right now if she were here. 2. I need to close my eyes to keep from having one myself. J

I got to my apartment at about 8pm and it was completely dark. I later learned that it gets dark here in the summer at 6:30 and about 5:30 in the winter. L That will take some adjusting. Somehow I had some energy so I unpacked my suitcases as well as my 3 boxes that arrived prior to me and I opened a bottle of wine they had here…anticipating my arrival. I wonder….did I mention that I’m a wine-o on my resume??? J I was told by the head of my school that this was about the best wine you could get here, unless you wanted to spend big money. He also said it is better chilled J So I chilled my cabernet and opened the bottle to have a glass before bed. All I can say is…it will have to do.