After we new teachers finished our health checks, our very friendly bus driver from school, Mr. Wu, drove us out to Metro, a ginormous home store that is sort of what I imagine the lovechild of Ikea and Sam's Club would be like. Some of the other teachers met us there to help us shop, and to pick up things for themselves as well. Apparently, shopping at Metro is an Event.
Beth, my roommate, joined us as well. She and I decided last night that since we have such a gorgeous view from our balcony, we would really enjoy having a set of chairs and a small table out there. We thought it would make a wonderfully relaxing place to have our breakfast and coffee in the mornings before leaving for school. We found the perfect set right away: cute, comfortable, and quite reasonably priced (499 RMB, which is about $76, and we split the cost). While Beth waited for an employee to retrieve our set for us, I went on to the office supply aisle to pick up some of the things I still need for school, such as whiteboard erasers, paperclips, post-it notes, and binder clips. I found a really nice three-high paper tray which will be perfect for sorting homework into when I take it home to grade. I have a nice desk here at the apartment, so I was quite eager to start setting it up.
The best part of the Metro shopping trip was picking out my bedroom decor. I had originally planned to do my room in light turquoise and chocolate brown; however, there were no bedspreads in that color scheme. As my parents are well aware, I am notoriously hard to please when it comes to bedding. I once dragged Dad to ten different stores before I could find a bedspread that I liked! Deviating from my reputation, I actually found a duvet cover that I really liked! It's a color scheme that I never before thought of, but once I got everything home and on my bed, both Beth and I were amazed at just how good my new idea for the bedroom is going to look. The new colors are grey (both light and dark), white, and two shades of pink (one is almost a raspberry color). The duvet cover has all these colors; it has large grey and white stripes (more like sections than stripes, really) and two-tone pink tulips that amazingly match the pink sheets that I bought from the States perfectly. (I normally hate pink sheets, but they were exactly what I needed and were $9. Sometimes, price teaches me to like things.) Suddenly, those sheets are no longer nauseating, but actually look really attractive! Later this week, I'm going to paint my walls light gray. I'll also add some artwork to my walls.
As anyone who has lived in Asia knows, mattresses are REALLY firm here. Too firm for me, actually. I've been able to sleep at night owing to my jetlag, but my back has been cursing me. Memory foam pads are unheard of around here, so I found a different solution at Metro. Many Chinese still like to sleep on the floor on a pad rather than a bed. I bought one of those floor pads, and stuck it on my bed for extra padding. It's not much, but it does make a difference. I may add a second one, or maybe a cheap thick bedspread under the bottom sheet later if I decide that I want more padding, but I honestly think this will be sufficient. After picking up a few more household necessities, such as wastebaskets (one for my bedroom, one for my desk), Beth and I headed to the grocery area.
The grocery section at Metro is fabulous! Hard to find delicacies, like hot chocolate, are abundant. A bag of hot chocolate merrily leapt into my shopping cart, where it was promised a happy future in Beth's and my morning coffee. I found my favorite snack, dried peas, much to my delight. I decided to splurge on a box of cereal, which is quite expensive here in China. I figure I'll use it sparingly to make it last as long as possible. I was also thrilled to find refried beans, which I promised Beth I would turn into my family's delicious "Special Dip" sometime soon (it's sort of a taco dip that is delicious on chips). Beth, who likes all of the same foods as I do (I swear, the two of us are truly kindred spirits), was quite excited. I found kiwi juice, which I cannot wait to drink in the morning. I just love all of the wonderful fruit juices that you can find in Asia!
Beth and I also stocked up on candy for our classrooms, which I'm sure will delight our students. I figured my high-schoolers would get pretty excited over Chuppa Chups, which appeal to all ages, and some nice cola-flavored hard candies. I like to chuck a piece of candy at students when they give particularly good answers -- it's fun for me, plus the kids have incentive to work hard. This being China, we don't have to abide by the more ridiculous regulations at most American schools (I'm not calling all of them ridiculous, just some), so I went ahead and stocked up on cough drops to give to students. In the States, it's illegal in most states for a teacher to give a kid a cough drop! It annoys me, since a coughing student can be such a distraction for other kids, and having to send them to the office for a cough drop robs them of valuable learning time. Here, fortunately, we're more practical.
After our shopping venture, Beth and I came home for lunch. After eating, I got back to work on unpacking and putting away my purchases, while Beth and one of our students from school (a really sweet ninth grade girl) worked on baking cookies. While the cookies were in the oven, I took a break from my tasks and enjoyed spending some time with our guest, whom I sincerely hope will be in my section of ninth grade history. In fact, I want her in my class so much I may have to start pr*ying about this! Actually, there are two ninth graders that I am desperately hoping to get -- we just got a really neat family who have been living in Tanzania added to our school family, and the mother of the family shared with me how much her daughter loves history.
Since a different family is feeding me for dinner each night, tonight I got to know another family that I had only recently met. Allison and her husband took me out first to a tea stand to introduce me to bubble tea, which I had never had before. I love it! Bubble tea is a sweetened milk tea, served hot or cold (I opted for cold) which has large tapiocas in it. The tapiocas make for a rather odd beverage, but I really enjoyed the oddity, and the flavor was great! While we were there, we happened to run into one of the third grade teachers, who readily accepted the invitation to join us for dinner.
Tonight's dinner, to my utter joy, was Turkish food! Apparently, here in Qingdao, we have a Middle Eastern foodcourt tucked away in one of the shopping centers. I had a scrumptious lamb wrap, which tasted quite a bit like a gyro. It had the delicious yogurt sauce on it that I like so well. I never dreamed that we would have such a wealth of international restaurants here. And of course, it was great to get to spend time with more of my fellow teachers. Since I teach high school, I particularly liked getting to know two of the elementary teachers, whom I really won't run into much at school.
Well, the jetlagged body would really like to go to bed, so I think I'm going to listen to it. Good night, world!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
"Basically Normal"
Qingdao apparently felt a bit guilty for keeping all of drenched for the entire day yesterday, so today we were treated to beautiful sunshine, nice warm weather that was not overbearing, and a very pleasant breeze. It was the sort of day when a walk on the beach would have heavenly, but there was too much to do to fit that in just yet. I did, however, enjoy a very peaceful breakfast with the sliding glass door to the balcony open, and the light breeze flowed through the apartment, carrying with it the relaxing sounds of the ocean and that delightful salty scent. I had two new things with my breakfast this morning: at the store yesterday, I picked up a container of blueberry juice and a product that called itself strawberry cheese. Both intrigued me, and thus needed to be tried. The blueberry juice was delicious and was definitely what it claimed to be. The strawberry cheese had one of the oddest textures my mouth has ever encountered, along with quite bland flavor. I didn't really dislike it, but I have no interest in eating it again. Certainly, it was fun to try.
After that revitalizing start, the day itself became quite full, and even a smidgeon overwhelming. To begin with, today wound up being the day that we new teachers (there are seven of us at the moment: two married couples and three singles), accompanied by one of our Chinese staff members, went to get our mandatory health checks. Having done this before in Korea, I was prepared (or so I thought) for a lot of intrusive, "interesting" stuff to be done to me. I had no idea just how much the Chinese government wanted to know about me!
To begin with, there was paperwork to deal with; thankfully, Heidi, the sweet and wonderful Chinese staff person who went with us, had already filled out most of it. After pushing our way through the "line" (i.e. crowd) Chinese-style, we got photographed and documented, showed our passports, and then headed upstairs to begin the various procedures. We each had a list, and the procedures were each carried out in separate rooms (with at least two different rooms doing each of them, so waits tended to be short).
In my first room, I was given an eye test unlike any I have ever done before. The chart had nothing but "E"s on it. Some were facing the right way, some were backwards, some were lying on their backs napping (I assume; maybe they were daydreaming) and others were facedown, perhaps suffering from stomachaches. I had to cover one eye at a time and point which direction the "E"s were facing. Being quite jetlagged still, I was not up to my usual forte at charades, so it took the non-English-speaking Chinese ladies in that room a few minutes to get me to understand exactly what they wanted. Fortunately, they did not seem irritated: most Chinese so far seem to find me amusing, or just ignore me. To finish in that room, they weighed and measured me. That part I could have done without.
In the second room I entered, a doctor felt my neck and throat, took my pulse and blood pressure, looked down my throat, and listened to my chest. He, too, spoke no English, but it was pretty easy to figure out what he wanted from me. He seemed pleased with my low-side-of-normal blood pressure (90 over 64); I noticed that he gave me an approving nod as he recorded the numbers.
Feeling a bit proud of my good numbers, I went boldly onto the next room, where the EKG (ECG here in China) was to be performed. And here, the day took a turn for the awkward. The lady carrying out the procedure spoke some English, but also relied a bit on charades. She told me to lie down on the bed, which I did quite easily. She told me to lift up my shirt, which I also did, after she pulled the curtain closed (they didn't bother to do this for the men, so I was rather relieved by the gesture). Next, we ran into an area difficult for her to communicate. I was somewhat certain that she wanted me to lift up my bra; however, I was not positive. I recognized that if I interpreted her incorrectly, this could become a very awkward situation for both of us. Going out on a limb, I decided to assume that that was what she wanted, cringing inwardly as I complied. Fortunately for the woman and myself, it was exactly what she wanted me to do. She hooked things up to my chest, abdomen, ankle, and wrist, and performed one of the oddest EKGs I've ever had (I've had two of them in the US before). After we finished, I glanced at the computer just in time to see her typing, in English, her assessment of me. The words brought a smile to my face: "Basically normal."
Next, I walked over to another room for my blood draw. The Chinese wanted a lot more of my blood than the Koreans did: three tubes of it! I actually felt slightly lightheaded afterwards, probably owing to my small breakfast. The blood draw was promptly followed by another awkward procedure: they wanted a urine sample. Now, as most women know, "tinkling" on command is not the easiest thing for women to do. In the past, my experiences have involved western toilets. This time around, I had the "joy" of a squatty potty. There's a trick to squatties: you need the thigh muscles of an athlete. Otherwise, they are not a pleasant experience. I am happy to report that my year in Korea taught me well, so at least my shoes and clothing did not get sprinkled. The squatty, naturally, had no toilet paper or tissue, but fortunately I know well enough to always carry tissues when in Asia. I delivered my sample to the smiling women who awaited it, then traveled up to the fourth floor for my x-ray.
Just as I did in Korea, I had to have a chest x-ray. This time around, I got to keep my shirt on, which I appreciated after having had to bare my chest earlier (baring my chest is not a favorite activity of mine). The x-ray tech manipulated me into a position that closely resembled an impression of a chicken, in that I had my arms pushed into little wings behind my back. The whole thing was done very quickly.
For my final procedure, I got to have an ultrasound (men and women both have to do this). Once again, I sighed gratefully when the curtain was closed (apparently, there was no concern for men who might like privacy). The goop was generously applied, and my shirt drank a bit of it just for fun. The woman questioned me as to whether I had eaten breakfast, then seemed not to believe me when she couldn't locate my breakfast in me. "Small breakfast," I explained. And after my shirt had gotten another good gluttonous gulp of goop (try saying that ten times fast), my medical check was finished!
After that revitalizing start, the day itself became quite full, and even a smidgeon overwhelming. To begin with, today wound up being the day that we new teachers (there are seven of us at the moment: two married couples and three singles), accompanied by one of our Chinese staff members, went to get our mandatory health checks. Having done this before in Korea, I was prepared (or so I thought) for a lot of intrusive, "interesting" stuff to be done to me. I had no idea just how much the Chinese government wanted to know about me!
To begin with, there was paperwork to deal with; thankfully, Heidi, the sweet and wonderful Chinese staff person who went with us, had already filled out most of it. After pushing our way through the "line" (i.e. crowd) Chinese-style, we got photographed and documented, showed our passports, and then headed upstairs to begin the various procedures. We each had a list, and the procedures were each carried out in separate rooms (with at least two different rooms doing each of them, so waits tended to be short).
In my first room, I was given an eye test unlike any I have ever done before. The chart had nothing but "E"s on it. Some were facing the right way, some were backwards, some were lying on their backs napping (I assume; maybe they were daydreaming) and others were facedown, perhaps suffering from stomachaches. I had to cover one eye at a time and point which direction the "E"s were facing. Being quite jetlagged still, I was not up to my usual forte at charades, so it took the non-English-speaking Chinese ladies in that room a few minutes to get me to understand exactly what they wanted. Fortunately, they did not seem irritated: most Chinese so far seem to find me amusing, or just ignore me. To finish in that room, they weighed and measured me. That part I could have done without.
In the second room I entered, a doctor felt my neck and throat, took my pulse and blood pressure, looked down my throat, and listened to my chest. He, too, spoke no English, but it was pretty easy to figure out what he wanted from me. He seemed pleased with my low-side-of-normal blood pressure (90 over 64); I noticed that he gave me an approving nod as he recorded the numbers.
Feeling a bit proud of my good numbers, I went boldly onto the next room, where the EKG (ECG here in China) was to be performed. And here, the day took a turn for the awkward. The lady carrying out the procedure spoke some English, but also relied a bit on charades. She told me to lie down on the bed, which I did quite easily. She told me to lift up my shirt, which I also did, after she pulled the curtain closed (they didn't bother to do this for the men, so I was rather relieved by the gesture). Next, we ran into an area difficult for her to communicate. I was somewhat certain that she wanted me to lift up my bra; however, I was not positive. I recognized that if I interpreted her incorrectly, this could become a very awkward situation for both of us. Going out on a limb, I decided to assume that that was what she wanted, cringing inwardly as I complied. Fortunately for the woman and myself, it was exactly what she wanted me to do. She hooked things up to my chest, abdomen, ankle, and wrist, and performed one of the oddest EKGs I've ever had (I've had two of them in the US before). After we finished, I glanced at the computer just in time to see her typing, in English, her assessment of me. The words brought a smile to my face: "Basically normal."
Next, I walked over to another room for my blood draw. The Chinese wanted a lot more of my blood than the Koreans did: three tubes of it! I actually felt slightly lightheaded afterwards, probably owing to my small breakfast. The blood draw was promptly followed by another awkward procedure: they wanted a urine sample. Now, as most women know, "tinkling" on command is not the easiest thing for women to do. In the past, my experiences have involved western toilets. This time around, I had the "joy" of a squatty potty. There's a trick to squatties: you need the thigh muscles of an athlete. Otherwise, they are not a pleasant experience. I am happy to report that my year in Korea taught me well, so at least my shoes and clothing did not get sprinkled. The squatty, naturally, had no toilet paper or tissue, but fortunately I know well enough to always carry tissues when in Asia. I delivered my sample to the smiling women who awaited it, then traveled up to the fourth floor for my x-ray.
Just as I did in Korea, I had to have a chest x-ray. This time around, I got to keep my shirt on, which I appreciated after having had to bare my chest earlier (baring my chest is not a favorite activity of mine). The x-ray tech manipulated me into a position that closely resembled an impression of a chicken, in that I had my arms pushed into little wings behind my back. The whole thing was done very quickly.
For my final procedure, I got to have an ultrasound (men and women both have to do this). Once again, I sighed gratefully when the curtain was closed (apparently, there was no concern for men who might like privacy). The goop was generously applied, and my shirt drank a bit of it just for fun. The woman questioned me as to whether I had eaten breakfast, then seemed not to believe me when she couldn't locate my breakfast in me. "Small breakfast," I explained. And after my shirt had gotten another good gluttonous gulp of goop (try saying that ten times fast), my medical check was finished!
Monday, July 25, 2011
A Drenched Day
Normally, Qingdao is apparently quite sunny and lovely in the summertime (humid, but habitable). At the present, however, the weather has chosen to take a sauna-ish turn, which meant that my roommate's glasses kept fogging up outdoors yesterday. Today, the weather decided to rain. A lot.
The day started out rather amusingly. I got up when the alarm on my cell phone declared it to be 6:50, noted that it seemed quite dark for that hour, then showered and dressed. Our bathroom was just recently remodeled, so we have a heavenly shower. In the shower, I noted with some consternation that my watch was off by a few hours. Sheesh, already broken in less than a week, I thought. After I finished dressing, I discovered that the small clock in my bedroom was in agreement with my watch . . . it was 3:00 am! The cell phone, I soon learned, was not like American ones that already know the correct time. It needed to be told. I corrected the error, put my pajamas back on, and quite happily went back to sleep. I dreamed that coming to China had been nothing but a dream, then woke up confused as to what was real and what wasn't. A cup of coffee restored me to clarity.
Along with several other teachers who live in my apartment complex, I caught the bus to school at 8:00, missing the rain by mere minutes. The teachers at the other complex, about fifteen minutes from ours, were not so lucky. When we arrived to pick them up, we remarked at how cute they looked, all huddling together under three umbrellas (there were about ten or twelve people).
When we arrived at the school, we had to make a run for it in pouring rain, waiting through a flooded walkway (about three inches deep). We escaped into one of the main buildings of Baishan, the Chinese private school that shares our campus. A small group of Chinese children laughed merrily at the sight of the soaked foreigners, and we all had to laugh as well. My jeans felt like they were now about fifty pounds! On the bright side, none of us felt hot anymore!
We new teachers took a tour of our gorgeous school, and I got to see my classroom for the first time (I will post pictures of both as soon as I purchase another cord for my camera). I never dreamed that I would have such ENORMOUS bulletin boards! I'm almost delirious with ideas for how to use them. My classroom is the nicest I've ever had, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to starting work on it tomorrow afternoon, after my health check and a shopping trip to a home store.
After our tour and a few tutorial sessions, we took a walk (the rain had stopped) through a really neat rural area, which seemed out of place in a big city, to a little outdoor noodle "restaurant". Basically, it was a very friendly Chinese woman cooking in a few pots under a large tarp. There were little wooden tables, with tiny wooden stools. As we sat hungrily awaiting our meal and munching on some delicious bread that our principal had purchased from another food stand, the skies opened up again, and a river was born. We were flooded in less than five minutes! The tarp kept us somewhat dry, though it kept swaying dangerously, worrying us that the strong winds may topple it. Our feet were in about three or four inches of water pretty quickly. We chose to find the situation amusing, and laughed and chatted while we ate our meal. Warren, a middle school math teacher, and I are both fond of spicy food, so we bravely seasoned our food with a large scoop of a concoction made from red peppers (the tiny uber-hot ones). We soon discovered that our food got exponentially hotter with each bite! By the end of the meal, my lips were ablaze and my clogged sinuses had completely cleared.
Since this is my first week, I'm being fed by different people at dinnertime each night (they do this for all of the new staff). Last night, my roommate cooked a fantastic spicy curry for me. Tonight, the Herzogs, a wonderful family, took me out for sushi. Although I don't do fish, there are plenty of other types of sushi that I enjoy, particularly one that I tried for the first time tonight which had dragonfruit in it.
Despite being completely soaked to the bone for more than half of the day, it was a really good day. I feel like I've come home. The stores are filled with all the wonderful things that I've been desperately missing since leaving Korea, I finally have food that is spicy enough to please me, there are loads of new things to try, all the people I've met are unbelievably sweet, the apartment is huge and attractive, the school blows my mind, and things just keep getting better. I can't wait for what the next few days will bring!
The day started out rather amusingly. I got up when the alarm on my cell phone declared it to be 6:50, noted that it seemed quite dark for that hour, then showered and dressed. Our bathroom was just recently remodeled, so we have a heavenly shower. In the shower, I noted with some consternation that my watch was off by a few hours. Sheesh, already broken in less than a week, I thought. After I finished dressing, I discovered that the small clock in my bedroom was in agreement with my watch . . . it was 3:00 am! The cell phone, I soon learned, was not like American ones that already know the correct time. It needed to be told. I corrected the error, put my pajamas back on, and quite happily went back to sleep. I dreamed that coming to China had been nothing but a dream, then woke up confused as to what was real and what wasn't. A cup of coffee restored me to clarity.
Along with several other teachers who live in my apartment complex, I caught the bus to school at 8:00, missing the rain by mere minutes. The teachers at the other complex, about fifteen minutes from ours, were not so lucky. When we arrived to pick them up, we remarked at how cute they looked, all huddling together under three umbrellas (there were about ten or twelve people).
When we arrived at the school, we had to make a run for it in pouring rain, waiting through a flooded walkway (about three inches deep). We escaped into one of the main buildings of Baishan, the Chinese private school that shares our campus. A small group of Chinese children laughed merrily at the sight of the soaked foreigners, and we all had to laugh as well. My jeans felt like they were now about fifty pounds! On the bright side, none of us felt hot anymore!
We new teachers took a tour of our gorgeous school, and I got to see my classroom for the first time (I will post pictures of both as soon as I purchase another cord for my camera). I never dreamed that I would have such ENORMOUS bulletin boards! I'm almost delirious with ideas for how to use them. My classroom is the nicest I've ever had, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to starting work on it tomorrow afternoon, after my health check and a shopping trip to a home store.
After our tour and a few tutorial sessions, we took a walk (the rain had stopped) through a really neat rural area, which seemed out of place in a big city, to a little outdoor noodle "restaurant". Basically, it was a very friendly Chinese woman cooking in a few pots under a large tarp. There were little wooden tables, with tiny wooden stools. As we sat hungrily awaiting our meal and munching on some delicious bread that our principal had purchased from another food stand, the skies opened up again, and a river was born. We were flooded in less than five minutes! The tarp kept us somewhat dry, though it kept swaying dangerously, worrying us that the strong winds may topple it. Our feet were in about three or four inches of water pretty quickly. We chose to find the situation amusing, and laughed and chatted while we ate our meal. Warren, a middle school math teacher, and I are both fond of spicy food, so we bravely seasoned our food with a large scoop of a concoction made from red peppers (the tiny uber-hot ones). We soon discovered that our food got exponentially hotter with each bite! By the end of the meal, my lips were ablaze and my clogged sinuses had completely cleared.
Since this is my first week, I'm being fed by different people at dinnertime each night (they do this for all of the new staff). Last night, my roommate cooked a fantastic spicy curry for me. Tonight, the Herzogs, a wonderful family, took me out for sushi. Although I don't do fish, there are plenty of other types of sushi that I enjoy, particularly one that I tried for the first time tonight which had dragonfruit in it.
Despite being completely soaked to the bone for more than half of the day, it was a really good day. I feel like I've come home. The stores are filled with all the wonderful things that I've been desperately missing since leaving Korea, I finally have food that is spicy enough to please me, there are loads of new things to try, all the people I've met are unbelievably sweet, the apartment is huge and attractive, the school blows my mind, and things just keep getting better. I can't wait for what the next few days will bring!
Bonding with the Braces
Well, I am in Qingdao, China at last! And what a trip it was . . .
While in Chicago on my six-hour layover, I managed to locate the Braces, a married couple bound for the same school. I was delighted to find them, largely since it meant someone to talk to. We had been rebooked to the same flight, which made us quite happy.
The flight from Chicago to Beijing was loooooooong, but not at all horrible. We wound up on American rather than United, which proved to be a very good thing. Most people here agree that United is really quite lousy on their flights to China. They give poor service (and next to none, at that) and they tend to treat Chinese passengers very rudely, which gets upsetting for those of us who care about them. American, on the other hand, gave excellent service and fed us to bursting point. We had a snack and three meals, along with six beverages during our thirteen hour flight. Each seat had its own LCD monitor, which a large selection of free movies and television shows. I watched three movies and five TV shows, played on my iPad, and even managed to nap a bit. There was no one in the seat beside me and I had a window, so I was able to stretch out a little and actually be quite comfortable. The only downside for me was that, owing to my cold, my nose leaked like a sieve for the entire flight and I got a sinus migraine for a bit (heavy meds soon defeated it, however).
Our school looked out for the Braces and I by arranging us a hotel room to freshen up in while we were enduring our long layover in Beijing. The airport there, by the way, is huge and gorgeous in the area that we arrived at (some other areas are not so pretty). We handed in our arrival cards, got our passports stamped, and then headed to the baggage claim, which was already spewing up baggage. I would like to point out that the Chinese get your baggage off the plain in about 1/4 of the time that it takes American airports (any of them that I have been to, which is many). So, big kudos to Chinese airports!
My bags were some of the first out, and all four made it safely. The airlines had done their very best to make sure that my brand new luggage got nicely scratched up. The Braces were not as lucky as I -- none of their seven pieces arrived. So, we headed off to the baggage inquiry area to look into what had happened. After about two hours, we finally ascertained that United had decided to give the baggage a vacation in Chicago rather than sending it on to American so that it could go to China -- of course, they also had gone out of their way to reassure the Braces that they transferred it. No kudos for United, and they probably shouldn't count on anything nice from Santa this Christmas. When we went to go through customs, we were shocked to find that no one was there. So, we shrugged our shoulders and just walked on through. China is full of surprises!
The Braces and I then took a shuttle to the gorgeous hotel, where we all had heavenly showers and then sat around watching CNN and nibbling on the snacks we had with us. We eventually dozed off for a little while, but we were a bit too keyed up for any quality sleep. At 7:30 am we caught a shuttle to the airport, where we raced to get to our gate in time, arriving just as our 8:40 flight was boarding.
A word about the security check: China, which is not nearly so full of freedoms as the United States, has a far more reasonable and easy security check in Beijing than any American airport I have been to. Not only do you get to keep your shoes on, they also were not the least bit concerned about my pillow, which had greatly troubled the TSA agents in both Grand Rapids and in Chicago when I traveled through there a few weeks ago. The China security people were also unbothered by my knitting needles, pens, tweezers, and nail clippers, all of which have previously gravely worried TSA officials in the USA.
At 10:30 am, the Braces and I arrived in beautiful Qingdao, and rushed toward the welcoming committee of our head principal, his wife, and my new roommate. Home at last!
While in Chicago on my six-hour layover, I managed to locate the Braces, a married couple bound for the same school. I was delighted to find them, largely since it meant someone to talk to. We had been rebooked to the same flight, which made us quite happy.
The flight from Chicago to Beijing was loooooooong, but not at all horrible. We wound up on American rather than United, which proved to be a very good thing. Most people here agree that United is really quite lousy on their flights to China. They give poor service (and next to none, at that) and they tend to treat Chinese passengers very rudely, which gets upsetting for those of us who care about them. American, on the other hand, gave excellent service and fed us to bursting point. We had a snack and three meals, along with six beverages during our thirteen hour flight. Each seat had its own LCD monitor, which a large selection of free movies and television shows. I watched three movies and five TV shows, played on my iPad, and even managed to nap a bit. There was no one in the seat beside me and I had a window, so I was able to stretch out a little and actually be quite comfortable. The only downside for me was that, owing to my cold, my nose leaked like a sieve for the entire flight and I got a sinus migraine for a bit (heavy meds soon defeated it, however).
Our school looked out for the Braces and I by arranging us a hotel room to freshen up in while we were enduring our long layover in Beijing. The airport there, by the way, is huge and gorgeous in the area that we arrived at (some other areas are not so pretty). We handed in our arrival cards, got our passports stamped, and then headed to the baggage claim, which was already spewing up baggage. I would like to point out that the Chinese get your baggage off the plain in about 1/4 of the time that it takes American airports (any of them that I have been to, which is many). So, big kudos to Chinese airports!
My bags were some of the first out, and all four made it safely. The airlines had done their very best to make sure that my brand new luggage got nicely scratched up. The Braces were not as lucky as I -- none of their seven pieces arrived. So, we headed off to the baggage inquiry area to look into what had happened. After about two hours, we finally ascertained that United had decided to give the baggage a vacation in Chicago rather than sending it on to American so that it could go to China -- of course, they also had gone out of their way to reassure the Braces that they transferred it. No kudos for United, and they probably shouldn't count on anything nice from Santa this Christmas. When we went to go through customs, we were shocked to find that no one was there. So, we shrugged our shoulders and just walked on through. China is full of surprises!
The Braces and I then took a shuttle to the gorgeous hotel, where we all had heavenly showers and then sat around watching CNN and nibbling on the snacks we had with us. We eventually dozed off for a little while, but we were a bit too keyed up for any quality sleep. At 7:30 am we caught a shuttle to the airport, where we raced to get to our gate in time, arriving just as our 8:40 flight was boarding.
A word about the security check: China, which is not nearly so full of freedoms as the United States, has a far more reasonable and easy security check in Beijing than any American airport I have been to. Not only do you get to keep your shoes on, they also were not the least bit concerned about my pillow, which had greatly troubled the TSA agents in both Grand Rapids and in Chicago when I traveled through there a few weeks ago. The China security people were also unbothered by my knitting needles, pens, tweezers, and nail clippers, all of which have previously gravely worried TSA officials in the USA.
At 10:30 am, the Braces and I arrived in beautiful Qingdao, and rushed toward the welcoming committee of our head principal, his wife, and my new roommate. Home at last!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Start of the Journey
The First Rule of International Travel is that something will go wrong. This rule is more dependable than the ability of telemarketers to sniff out the dinner hour and the dishonesty of politicians. This rule is an absolute certainty, in a world of few absolutes. Something will always go wrong on an international trip; the only uncertainty is how one will deal with the problem.
With this in mind, let me say that so far, my journey to China is remaining faithful to this rule. I knew when my visa came to me in only two days that, owing to the First Rule of International Travel, something was bound to go wrong on the trip itself. Being a seasoned traveler, I was right.
I arrived at Grand Rapids airport three hours early this morning, and was promptly informed of a storm that would be delaying my flight to Chicago. I figured that this meant that my "something wrong" would be having a delayed flight and then having to run to my gate with the frantic speed of a warthog fleeing a lion. Silly Stephanie! No, no, no, no delay at all. Instead, my flight was cancelled. Few words have quite the same heart-stopping impact at an airport as that always-in-red word "cancelled". I immediately jumped into action, rushing back to the ticket counter to beg for mercy and rerouting (I had not yet passed through security, since Grand Rapids airport is such a small one). The ticket agent sprang into action (kudos to United for having some very nice employees in Grand Rapids). She got me completely rebooked for all of my flights, a complicated process that took even longer than Superman's usual efforts to save the world (not her fault).
As a result, I left Grand Rapids at 3:25 pm instead of 11:27 am. It meant a few more hours to spend with my parents (yay duck! -- see the previous post for an explanation of yay duck). We had a leisurely lunch at a Mexican restaurant, since I figured it will probably be quite some time before I eat Mexican food again. My first flight was quite painless, made even more so because the kind United employee upgraded me to Economy Plus. My knees, unaccustomed to not being smashed up against the seat ahead of me during a flight, were quite grateful to her. Now I'm stuck in O'Hare for my first of two big layovers, a six-hour one (yuck duck -- again, see the previous post). At 9:05 pm, I will finally depart for Beijing, where, following the thirteen-hour flight, I will have my other mega-layover, this time for eight hours. Finally, at 8:30 am on the 24th, I'll arrive in Qingdao, which is beginning to take on the image of the Promised Land for me (fortunately I just have forty hours of airplane/airport journeying rather than forty years in a desert).
With this in mind, let me say that so far, my journey to China is remaining faithful to this rule. I knew when my visa came to me in only two days that, owing to the First Rule of International Travel, something was bound to go wrong on the trip itself. Being a seasoned traveler, I was right.
I arrived at Grand Rapids airport three hours early this morning, and was promptly informed of a storm that would be delaying my flight to Chicago. I figured that this meant that my "something wrong" would be having a delayed flight and then having to run to my gate with the frantic speed of a warthog fleeing a lion. Silly Stephanie! No, no, no, no delay at all. Instead, my flight was cancelled. Few words have quite the same heart-stopping impact at an airport as that always-in-red word "cancelled". I immediately jumped into action, rushing back to the ticket counter to beg for mercy and rerouting (I had not yet passed through security, since Grand Rapids airport is such a small one). The ticket agent sprang into action (kudos to United for having some very nice employees in Grand Rapids). She got me completely rebooked for all of my flights, a complicated process that took even longer than Superman's usual efforts to save the world (not her fault).
As a result, I left Grand Rapids at 3:25 pm instead of 11:27 am. It meant a few more hours to spend with my parents (yay duck! -- see the previous post for an explanation of yay duck). We had a leisurely lunch at a Mexican restaurant, since I figured it will probably be quite some time before I eat Mexican food again. My first flight was quite painless, made even more so because the kind United employee upgraded me to Economy Plus. My knees, unaccustomed to not being smashed up against the seat ahead of me during a flight, were quite grateful to her. Now I'm stuck in O'Hare for my first of two big layovers, a six-hour one (yuck duck -- again, see the previous post). At 9:05 pm, I will finally depart for Beijing, where, following the thirteen-hour flight, I will have my other mega-layover, this time for eight hours. Finally, at 8:30 am on the 24th, I'll arrive in Qingdao, which is beginning to take on the image of the Promised Land for me (fortunately I just have forty hours of airplane/airport journeying rather than forty years in a desert).
A "Pair-a-ducks"
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Departing in T-2 Days!
Wow, I really cannot believe that my departure date is so close at hand. Even more amazingly, no catastrophes have happened yet! Oh, sure, I do have my traditional pre-departure sinus infection (ever prompt) and the careless individual who hit my car head-on back in May is trying to file a claim against me (she and her front-seat passenger were not wearing seatbelts and got hurt. Clearly, the solution is to blame someone else and try to get money.), but other than that, the roadblocks, hassles, and hair-pullingly stressful madness that preceded my year in Korea are nowhere to be seen. Could I really have an easy trip in my grasp?
The biggest stressor, in all honesty, has been packing. An extra suitcase costs $200 on United, so I have to limit myself to only one extra. For Korea, I made do with only two suitcases, but that was for one year whereas this jaunt to China will be at least two years. Furthermore, in Korea I was teaching ESL and did not have to worry about things like decorating a classroom or creating in-depth lesson plans for high schoolers. Also, I did not have a dress code in my hagwon — my director was perfectly happy with my wearing jeans and t-shirts. For my China school, I have to dress professionally. No complaints here — I think dress codes are a great idea, and I know from experience that students pay a great deal more attention when their teacher is well-dressed. The only downside is that I have to have more clothes than I did in Korea, which means three suitcases this time around.
The biggest stressor, in all honesty, has been packing. An extra suitcase costs $200 on United, so I have to limit myself to only one extra. For Korea, I made do with only two suitcases, but that was for one year whereas this jaunt to China will be at least two years. Furthermore, in Korea I was teaching ESL and did not have to worry about things like decorating a classroom or creating in-depth lesson plans for high schoolers. Also, I did not have a dress code in my hagwon — my director was perfectly happy with my wearing jeans and t-shirts. For my China school, I have to dress professionally. No complaints here — I think dress codes are a great idea, and I know from experience that students pay a great deal more attention when their teacher is well-dressed. The only downside is that I have to have more clothes than I did in Korea, which means three suitcases this time around.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Call Me Calamity
"Where in the USA are you, Stephanie?" This is a question I've been getting asked a lot recently, and with good reason. The past few weeks and the next month are full to the brim with travel. I keep remarking to people, "I can't wait to get to China and sleep!"
From the 8th to 12th of June, I was in Albany, New York for my friend and former college roommate Sarah's wedding. She was the best roommate I've ever had (the girl fed me soup and changed my pajamas when I was sick -- how many friends will do that?), so being her maid of honor meant a lot to me. Finally, I got the opportunity to do something big and meaningful for her. It was also loads of fun catching up with her brothers, now that we were all free from the highly (ridiculously) restrictive/oppressive/strict/authoritarian college that we attended (which I, thankfully, transferred out of as a junior).
The wedding went beautifully, with very few hitches. Oh, it rained on the wedding day and I suffered the humiliation of requiring three people to help me zip my bridesmaid dress (stupid thesis weight gain!), but none of that mattered when Sarah walked down the aisle. In her white dress, her appearance was almost as beautiful as her soul. I got pretty emotional seeing her come down toward us, as fleeting images of freshman and sophomore years flitted past. I saw the two of us, playing pranks on our RA, strutting arm-in-arm down the commons while singing, pretending to be British secret agents while enjoying ice cream, scrubbing the dorm room furiously in order to pass our White Glove inspections . . . and now I'm tearing up again!
Being me, I naturally had to have at least one fiasco. Call me Calamity! On the day after the wedding, I was supposed to leave Albany and take the train back to Lynchburg, arriving home safely at 8:30 pm. Sarah, who in all the nine years I have known her has never been wrong, was convinced that my train left at 12:55 pm. I checked the ticket, saw "New York" and "12:55 pm" on it, and assumed that once again, Sarah was write. Perhaps it was the wedding excitement -- for the first time, Sarah was wrong. I learned this after her parents dropped me off at the train station. I thought it odd that my train number was not among those listed, even though it should be departing in less than half an hour. I checked the ticket . . . and discovered that I had looked at the wrong ticket when I checked the day before. My train had left without me four hours earlier!
I ran to the ticket counter and begged to be rebooked. The kindly ticket agent sadly informed me that all the trains to Virginia were morning trains. I would not be getting out that day. Since I knew that I had to move in three days, this situation just wouldn't work. I called out city after city in Virginia, which a headshake in response to each. I tried North Carolina -- no luck. Finally, in desperation, I asked to be routed to Washington, DC, then frantically called friends seeking someone willing to drive almost four hours up to retrieve me. I was in luck. My friend Cody, a knight after the order of Lancelot in spirit, graciously volunteered. He got lost on the way up, but no matter: at 9:30 that night, he found me. We made it in to Lynchburg at 2:30 am.
On the bright side, it was neat to see Union Station. And how fitting to visit DC one last time before leaving the country!
From the 8th to 12th of June, I was in Albany, New York for my friend and former college roommate Sarah's wedding. She was the best roommate I've ever had (the girl fed me soup and changed my pajamas when I was sick -- how many friends will do that?), so being her maid of honor meant a lot to me. Finally, I got the opportunity to do something big and meaningful for her. It was also loads of fun catching up with her brothers, now that we were all free from the highly (ridiculously) restrictive/oppressive/strict/authoritarian college that we attended (which I, thankfully, transferred out of as a junior).
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| The beaming bride and I. |
Being me, I naturally had to have at least one fiasco. Call me Calamity! On the day after the wedding, I was supposed to leave Albany and take the train back to Lynchburg, arriving home safely at 8:30 pm. Sarah, who in all the nine years I have known her has never been wrong, was convinced that my train left at 12:55 pm. I checked the ticket, saw "New York" and "12:55 pm" on it, and assumed that once again, Sarah was write. Perhaps it was the wedding excitement -- for the first time, Sarah was wrong. I learned this after her parents dropped me off at the train station. I thought it odd that my train number was not among those listed, even though it should be departing in less than half an hour. I checked the ticket . . . and discovered that I had looked at the wrong ticket when I checked the day before. My train had left without me four hours earlier!
I ran to the ticket counter and begged to be rebooked. The kindly ticket agent sadly informed me that all the trains to Virginia were morning trains. I would not be getting out that day. Since I knew that I had to move in three days, this situation just wouldn't work. I called out city after city in Virginia, which a headshake in response to each. I tried North Carolina -- no luck. Finally, in desperation, I asked to be routed to Washington, DC, then frantically called friends seeking someone willing to drive almost four hours up to retrieve me. I was in luck. My friend Cody, a knight after the order of Lancelot in spirit, graciously volunteered. He got lost on the way up, but no matter: at 9:30 that night, he found me. We made it in to Lynchburg at 2:30 am.
On the bright side, it was neat to see Union Station. And how fitting to visit DC one last time before leaving the country!
My Most Recent LHP Posts
It's been a while since I've posted links to my Lantern Hollow Press blog articles, so here we go again! Be sure to leave comments -- I love hearing back from people on my posts!
Last Sunday, I discussed how I once used a college essay to get revenge on an evil professor: Revenge on a College Essay: Don't Make Stephanie Angry!
The Sunday before, while in New York for a dear friend's wedding, I posted a review of a wonderful Korean movie that I absolutely adore, The Classic: By Chance, by Coincidence, but Inevitable
The week before that, I discussed a really fun character type, Dumb Dora, highlighting two of my favorite examples: Characters and Caricatures: Dumb Dora (Part I)
For the three Sundays before those posts, I shared a few of my favorite recipes. Each one is splendid fuel for a day of happy writing: Food for Thought, Part I: Stephanie's Delicious Creamy Spinach and Cauliflower Soup, Food for Thought, Part II: Tantalizing Naan Pizza, Food for Thought, Part III: "Eggs Stephadict"
Following my car accident back in May, I wrote an article about the impact of pain and stress on the body, and what one should take into consideration when writing a character: Just How Much Can a Body Take?
If you'd like to enjoy some short stories, head over to Lantern Hollow Press and download the latest e-zine (also for sale on Kindle on Amazon). I published two of my short stories in the last e-zine, one of which was my first ever dark fantasy, and I have another short story coming out in the next e-zine (available August 1). We recently switched webmasters, so please forgive any glitches in the website -- we'll have it all ironed out very soon.
Last Sunday, I discussed how I once used a college essay to get revenge on an evil professor: Revenge on a College Essay: Don't Make Stephanie Angry!
The Sunday before, while in New York for a dear friend's wedding, I posted a review of a wonderful Korean movie that I absolutely adore, The Classic: By Chance, by Coincidence, but Inevitable
The week before that, I discussed a really fun character type, Dumb Dora, highlighting two of my favorite examples: Characters and Caricatures: Dumb Dora (Part I)
For the three Sundays before those posts, I shared a few of my favorite recipes. Each one is splendid fuel for a day of happy writing: Food for Thought, Part I: Stephanie's Delicious Creamy Spinach and Cauliflower Soup, Food for Thought, Part II: Tantalizing Naan Pizza, Food for Thought, Part III: "Eggs Stephadict"
Following my car accident back in May, I wrote an article about the impact of pain and stress on the body, and what one should take into consideration when writing a character: Just How Much Can a Body Take?
If you'd like to enjoy some short stories, head over to Lantern Hollow Press and download the latest e-zine (also for sale on Kindle on Amazon). I published two of my short stories in the last e-zine, one of which was my first ever dark fantasy, and I have another short story coming out in the next e-zine (available August 1). We recently switched webmasters, so please forgive any glitches in the website -- we'll have it all ironed out very soon.
Monday, June 6, 2011
It All Begins to Sink in
It's official: I'm finally realizing the full scope of what I'm about to do (not that I didn't before; it's just sinking in more now) and I am nervous! Not terrified, not having second thoughts, not wanting to back out, but just a little frightened. I am, after all, moving to CHINA. For TWO YEARS. Few sane people could make a move like that without feeling a bit frightened!
There is so much to do, and such a short time to do it all in (isn't there always?). As with Korea, visa documents are entirely dependent on the speed and whim of the country in question, and there is nothing I can do to move things along in a more timely manner. It's one of those tough cultural differences: Asians move at a very different speed than Americans. Of course, they also kick out butts at education and technology, so I guess there is definitely something to be said for their way of doing things. It just gets a little unnerving to an American-wired individual. I like things done NOW! I like fast, smooth transitions with everything possible done in advance and done in triplicate. I like lists and order. I would make an awesome micromanaging dictator.
I realized today that I am down to only six physical days left in Lynchburg (I've got to be in New York from the 8th to the 12th of June for a wedding). Considering how many things have yet to be done and how many things I'd love to do one last time, I feel like I'm on a circular treadmill, racing against a cheating clock. The stress gave me a spectacular migraine today, which, sadly, meant that I had to miss what would have been my last Sunday at my beloved church, St. Timothy's. I also managed to hurt my back when I overestimated my own strength and lost a battle with a solid oak dresser . . . well, I guess since I did manage to move the dresser, you could call it a draw rather than a loss. The dresser got the last laugh, but I got it moved where I wanted it.
The most difficult thing right now is the anxiety over whether or not I'll be able to take Eowyn with me to China. I have fallen head over heals for this little dog, and the thought of having to sell her and never getting to see her again absolutely breaks my heart. Isn't it amazing how God wired dogs to become just like family to us? They really are man's best friend.
There is so much to do, and such a short time to do it all in (isn't there always?). As with Korea, visa documents are entirely dependent on the speed and whim of the country in question, and there is nothing I can do to move things along in a more timely manner. It's one of those tough cultural differences: Asians move at a very different speed than Americans. Of course, they also kick out butts at education and technology, so I guess there is definitely something to be said for their way of doing things. It just gets a little unnerving to an American-wired individual. I like things done NOW! I like fast, smooth transitions with everything possible done in advance and done in triplicate. I like lists and order. I would make an awesome micromanaging dictator.
I realized today that I am down to only six physical days left in Lynchburg (I've got to be in New York from the 8th to the 12th of June for a wedding). Considering how many things have yet to be done and how many things I'd love to do one last time, I feel like I'm on a circular treadmill, racing against a cheating clock. The stress gave me a spectacular migraine today, which, sadly, meant that I had to miss what would have been my last Sunday at my beloved church, St. Timothy's. I also managed to hurt my back when I overestimated my own strength and lost a battle with a solid oak dresser . . . well, I guess since I did manage to move the dresser, you could call it a draw rather than a loss. The dresser got the last laugh, but I got it moved where I wanted it.
The most difficult thing right now is the anxiety over whether or not I'll be able to take Eowyn with me to China. I have fallen head over heals for this little dog, and the thought of having to sell her and never getting to see her again absolutely breaks my heart. Isn't it amazing how God wired dogs to become just like family to us? They really are man's best friend.
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| So naughty . . . but oh so cute! |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Graduated!
On May 14, 2011, I graduated with my MA in history and a medal for High Distinction (4.0 GPA). Our speaker, who gave the best graduation speech I have ever listened to, was Hollywood screenwriter/director Randall Wallace.
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| Rachel and I. We're sleep-deprived and grateful to be DONE! |
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| The ladies of Lantern Hollow Press, minus Kami. |
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| All nine of the history department's new MAs. |
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| The most fantastic graduation cake ever, courtesy of Rachel's sister Emily. She made it in the shape of an antique book! And it was a chocolate mocha cake! She knows us well. |
A Blessing in Disguise (Really, Really Deep Disguise)
One of the problems I encountered with my moving to China this summer was the issue of what to do with my car. After discussing the matter with my parents, I decided that storing it was not a viable option, so I would have to sell the vehicle. In this present economy, that was quite a daunting task. However, help with the car issue came in the form of disaster . . .
On May 6, I headed up to my friends' house in the mountains for an all-night Lord of the Rings marathon (yes, we're all very happy nerds). We planned to watch all three extended versions of the films, and in between films, we planned to each read aloud our favorite section from each of the novels. In case you're wondering, I had chosen the following scenes:
On May 6, I headed up to my friends' house in the mountains for an all-night Lord of the Rings marathon (yes, we're all very happy nerds). We planned to watch all three extended versions of the films, and in between films, we planned to each read aloud our favorite section from each of the novels. In case you're wondering, I had chosen the following scenes:
- Fellowship of the Ring - The scene where Gimli is forced to wear a blindfold in Lothlorien, and Legolas volunteers to do the same. (This scene, sadly, was not included in the film.)
- The Two Towers - The humorous scene where Sam forces Gollum to help him make stew and Gollum explains his dietary preferences. (I actually like the way the film portrayed this scene.)
- Return of the King - The scene where Eowyn (my favorite character, of course) defeats the witch-king of Endor.
As I was rounding one of the many curves up on the mountain road leading to the Meltons' home, I suddenly came upon another vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. These mountain roads in Virginia, I should mention, are very narrow. When two vehicles meet, each much hug their side of the road in order to pass safely. This vehicle, however, was in the middle of the road and fast approaching. I made an effort to swerve to avoid them, but they neither slowed nor swerved (the other driver, a twenty-year-old, was clearly not paying attention). A front-end collision occurred.
The passengers of the other car (four people) claimed that they were all wearing seatbelts, and that all four seatbelts snapped off during the crash (hmmmm . . . ). I, as always, was securely seatbelted, so I was kept from serious harm. My seatbelt gave me a spectacular abdominal bruise and some chest bruising. The force of the impact gave me whiplash and bruising on the tailbone (not quite sure how/why the tailbone bruising happened). My brass owl on my necklace swung up and hit me in the head, apparently giving me a concussion (I learned of that later).
OnStar called immediately to see if I was all right. You know what? They really do respond exactly as portrayed in their commercials, and they really do stay on the line until help (which they call for) arrives. OnStar was a particular blessing to me, as my cell phone died right as I tried to call for help. They offered to call my friends for me, but I couldn't recall the number and couldn't access it either. Being in the mountains and the middle of nowhere, it took at least twenty minutes for the police and ambulance to arrive. The other car's passengers all had facial injuries from lack of seatbelts, but were otherwise all right. I declined to go in the ambulance, not realizing two things: 1. I was actually hurt worse than I thought and 2. I didn't know that my car insurance would cover it.
I had a remarkable answer to prayer during all this. The other people were a bit frightening, yelling at me and trying to blame me for the crash (even though they were 100% at fault, as the police eventually determined). I was trapped in my car, as the driver side door wouldn't open and I was in too much pain to try to find another way out (plus, I honestly was a bit afraid of the other people and their relatives who soon arrived at the scene). I prayed that God would send a late-arriving friend, have my other friends come looking for me, or else send a kindly neighbor who at least knew them. God did much better!
My friend David was repeatedly delayed as he tried to leave work that day and head up for the evening/night's festivities. Normally, he is prompt. He ended up arriving shortly after the accident, and was clear-thinking enough to take lots of pictures for me. He was the more opportune friend that God could have sent right then -- you see, David is a lawyer! After I spoke to the police (the officer only asked about five questions), David drove me up to the Meltons' and reassured me that I was not at fault for the accident. I knew I had done all that I could to drive safely and to try to avoid hitting the other car, but in my state of shock, I kept wondering if I was remembering everything correctly, and going back in my mind to see if I could think of anything I should have done differently. In the end, I finally realized the dismal truth: No matter how careful good drivers are, we can never be completely safe from people who just don't pay attention.
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| Poor little Flavia, the best car I ever owned. |
In another example of God preparing in advance, I had, at the last minute before leaving home, grabbed my neck heat-wrap and my migraine pain medication. Although I felt just fine at the time, I had a sudden feeling that it would do well to be prepared, just in case I got a migraine. Normally, I don't bother to carry my migraine supplies for normal visits to friends. I was certainly glad to have them with me that night!
I ended up going to ER the next day, where they proved just how inept ER can be by focusing on only one problem and ignoring the others. It was not until a few days later that my severe neck pain led me to a chiropractor, who did x-rays. A week later, I went to my doctor for more pain medication (I had horrible unceasing pain after the accident, plus daily migraines). My doctor pointed out that I had had internal bleeding from the accident, an injury which people actually die from. ER should have known that a swollen, hard abdomen after an accident means internal bleeding, but they never bothered to listen to me, and I was too medicated to insist. Fortunately, God kept me safe.
So what was the hidden blessing in all this? Well, at least now I don't have to worry about selling my car!
The Defending of the Thesis
In case you were wondering, I defended my thesis on May 2, and passed! Plenty of things went wrong, since this was, after all, me defending. I had only gotten two hours of sleep, I was dopey from benedryl (my spring/summer allergies have been HORRIBLE), and I forgot my adapter for the presentation and had to use someone else's laptop, which meant that my slideshow animations didn't work on the inferior PowerPoint (Keynote is SO MUCH better) and a few of my slides got warped or deleted.
Because my topic has not been written on (at least, not published about), I was commended for a thesis that discussed an exciting, unknown topic in the field of WWII espionage history. My committee members all enjoyed reading it, and they said that it was excellent work. So, I guess the nervous breakdowns and sleepless nights were all worth it!
Because my topic has not been written on (at least, not published about), I was commended for a thesis that discussed an exciting, unknown topic in the field of WWII espionage history. My committee members all enjoyed reading it, and they said that it was excellent work. So, I guess the nervous breakdowns and sleepless nights were all worth it!
Sleepless in Atlanta
Well, that Atlanta trip back in April certainly proved that I can handle both the unexpected and a severe lack of sleep. I should do just fine as a teacher in China!
Owing to severe storms, my flight leaving Lynchburg was delayed twice. Instead of departing at 5:45 pm as planned, it wound up being after 8:00, which meant that I had to change my connecting flight in Charlotte to a later one. That flight then got slightly delayed. We took off around 10:00 pm and had a highly white-knuckled flight to Atlanta. I have not experienced so much turbulence since my harrowing flight in the Philippines a few years ago! It was like being trapped inside a stormy pinball machine. The plane bounced to and fro, while lightening flashed all around it. I admit, although I am a seasoned flyer, that I had to say more than one prayer that the plane wouldn't crash!
Once we got to Atlanta, the plane had to circle, as Atlanta was not allowing anyone to land. After nearly half an hour, the pilot announced that Atlanta had closed and evacuated their airport, and we would have to return to Charlotte. Everyone on the plane groaned quite loudly! We had an even more stomach-churning flight back, as the storm had worsened (this was the same storm system that spawned multiple tornadoes, one of which practically wiped out Ringgold, GA). When we returned to Charlotte, we were able to land, but not to disembark from the plane. In our absence, Charlotte airport had also closed and evacuated!
After spending more than an hour stuck in a landed plane, with a wild storm going on outside, the airport finally figured out what to do with all of us passengers. They announced that we would be leaving for Atlanta as soon as it could be done safely; in the meantime, we had to wait in Charlotte's abandoned airport. We all made mad scurries for electrical outlets, as EVERYONE had electronics (mostly cellphones) that needed recharging. I found a secluded area a ways from our gate and settled myself on the floor to recharge my own phone, which had died. From my iPod, I managed to email in and let my new employer know that I would be very late arriving in Atlanta.
Finally, we flew out to Atlanta again, crossing our fingers and hoping that we would actually get to land this time. Having pulled an all-nighter the night before in order to finish my thesis, I was now completely exhausted. After landing in Atlanta, getting my rental car, and driving to my hotel, I finally checked in at 5:30 am. I had been awake for 46 hours straight. I caught a two-hour nap, showered, then grabbed some expresso from Starbucks for breakfast and went in for my all-day psychological examination (it was to determine if I have the mental stability/stamina to handle life in China for two years or more).
Clearly, I am less crazy than my family and friends think. Despite all that went on before it, I passed my evaluation with flying colors and got the green light for China! A few weeks later, I was officially hired by the school and signed my contract.
Owing to severe storms, my flight leaving Lynchburg was delayed twice. Instead of departing at 5:45 pm as planned, it wound up being after 8:00, which meant that I had to change my connecting flight in Charlotte to a later one. That flight then got slightly delayed. We took off around 10:00 pm and had a highly white-knuckled flight to Atlanta. I have not experienced so much turbulence since my harrowing flight in the Philippines a few years ago! It was like being trapped inside a stormy pinball machine. The plane bounced to and fro, while lightening flashed all around it. I admit, although I am a seasoned flyer, that I had to say more than one prayer that the plane wouldn't crash!
Once we got to Atlanta, the plane had to circle, as Atlanta was not allowing anyone to land. After nearly half an hour, the pilot announced that Atlanta had closed and evacuated their airport, and we would have to return to Charlotte. Everyone on the plane groaned quite loudly! We had an even more stomach-churning flight back, as the storm had worsened (this was the same storm system that spawned multiple tornadoes, one of which practically wiped out Ringgold, GA). When we returned to Charlotte, we were able to land, but not to disembark from the plane. In our absence, Charlotte airport had also closed and evacuated!
After spending more than an hour stuck in a landed plane, with a wild storm going on outside, the airport finally figured out what to do with all of us passengers. They announced that we would be leaving for Atlanta as soon as it could be done safely; in the meantime, we had to wait in Charlotte's abandoned airport. We all made mad scurries for electrical outlets, as EVERYONE had electronics (mostly cellphones) that needed recharging. I found a secluded area a ways from our gate and settled myself on the floor to recharge my own phone, which had died. From my iPod, I managed to email in and let my new employer know that I would be very late arriving in Atlanta.
Finally, we flew out to Atlanta again, crossing our fingers and hoping that we would actually get to land this time. Having pulled an all-nighter the night before in order to finish my thesis, I was now completely exhausted. After landing in Atlanta, getting my rental car, and driving to my hotel, I finally checked in at 5:30 am. I had been awake for 46 hours straight. I caught a two-hour nap, showered, then grabbed some expresso from Starbucks for breakfast and went in for my all-day psychological examination (it was to determine if I have the mental stability/stamina to handle life in China for two years or more).
Clearly, I am less crazy than my family and friends think. Despite all that went on before it, I passed my evaluation with flying colors and got the green light for China! A few weeks later, I was officially hired by the school and signed my contract.
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