So, greetings from Shanghai my friends. Let me begin to tell you of my adventure so far.
It began leaving the house with a rather fortuitous event. We were just barely driving up the road to the freeway where my mother and I saw something, a bird of sorts, fly over the trees and land on a post. We slowed down to get a better look, and realized it was a bald eagle!!!
Right as we passed it, the great bird lifted off one more and began flying along side the car. We were shocked. It was just stunning to see a bird with wings the same length as the width of our car within distance of seeing is piercing golden eye clearly.
We decidedly agreed that it was a sign. America was saying goodbye to me. Ah I loved it!!! Later my mother sent me a message telling me about the symbolism of that event. To see an eagle it means you are on the right path, and making the right choice. I certainly hope so because the following tales will only tell.
So we got to the airport where ILP reps were waiting for us. They gave me my passport and visa, plane ticket and traveling health insurance booster. I was raring to go. My parents seemed rather at ease with me going. I almost expected my mother to cry though. We met Jordan before going through security, who was also going to Bengbu. I kind of latched on to her as my travel buddy and now we seem to be good friends.
We hopped on our first plane early and got to Phoenix within a couple hours before transferring to head to LA. TSA must've been tough on my bags because they broke the lock on one and also the wheel which I found out as trying to drag my bags half a mile up the road at the LA airport. I was wondering why one of the bags was so hard to move them I noticed the wheel and bent down to check it.
Friction had lit that thing on fire!!! I couldn't even touch it, though I did find out by getting a blister from the casing which I was surprised wasn't melted. So Jordan and I had some real trouble getting out bags to the next terminal, but after renting a cart (airports will rob you blind every chance they get), we moved along nicely.
We stopped to get tickets for our next flight then dinner. For irony's sake, I got panda express. My last dinner in America and I got flipping Chinese. Granted the American version has been severely altered as I now know.
We then met another of our Bengbuian teachers at the terminal in LA; Megan. She is rather quiet but I hope we can become close friends too.
Next up was Korean airlines. Boy were those planes nice!!!! Even the 2 meals we got weren't like the butt end of airline food jokes. Though morning tofu is rather disgusting. Only the spicy sesame sauce made it edible.
About 4 hours into our 13 hour flight, I was to tired to fall asleep but too excited to fall asleep. Oh melatonin, how you work wonders. I checked out within a few minutes finally after popping a pill. I think I got the most sleep or of everyone. Probably the deepest too. By the time we arrived in Korea I was so well rested I wanted to run around and check out the crazy awesome stores in that Korean airport. Sadly only a few were open, but the Hello Kitty one was and someone got hot chocolate that I kid you not had Hello Kitty's face in the foam on top. Fancy little cutesy stuff like that was everywhere in that airport. I got to see my first sunrise out of country in Korea. It was so smoggy that the sun was red coming up. The art does not lie people.
We got second breakfast on the next plane (must be some sort of ritual short people like hobbits and Asians are into). By then our group of forty teachers from the start had whittled down to about 25 who were bound for Shanghai. It was a short flight, just 2 hours.
We were all dreading going through customs. What a hassle right?
WRONG!!!
The only bad part was waiting in a mile long line because of the masses who were all on our flight. We pretty much waltzed through customs undisturbed. But dread was soon to follow. At least for my head teacher, Heather.
As we walked through the crowds of people holding signs with names on it to find their travel, we did not see a single ILP sign. That was the one thing they had guaranteed would ALWAYS be waiting for the teachers upon arrival. But there was no one to be found.
25 young adult Americans were stranded in an airport in Shanghai with no one to pick us up for a six hour drive to Bengbu.... sounds like the opening to a bad joke right? We didn't even have Wi-Fi to contact the ILP directors because the airport didn't have a public network.
Out of sheer luck one of the other teachers could text in country and sent a message to Jared the director to tell him of our predicament. While Heather got robbed blind by a worker at the airport who charged her ¥35 to borrow her computer for internet and email.
In the meantime we bought some small snacks from a mini mart in the airport, and had a bonding experience of sleep deprived joviality. We took turns babysitting a herd of luggage that took up the entire open floor at our little terminal space. I must have been on edge because I started giving the stink eye to anyone who walked close to our luggage. We got a lot of stares from locals, our mob of pale faced goons must have seemed pretty ridiculous to them. Asians think Americans are obnoxiously loud, and I'm not gonna lie, we were.
We wound up staying at the airport for eight hours, until a miracle godsend, Ray, who was the brother of a headmaster at one of the 3 schools (Sally?) our groups would be splitting up to go to, arrived to save the day.
The Changzhou group got on their way, as did Nanjing. Their schools were within a four hour drive. But the Bengbuian group was half a day away and by that time it was already too late in the day to have them come get us then drive all the way back. Our jet lag would have been extended for yet another day, and it would have meant w would have to stay awake until the bus got there. Luckily, Ray was still there to save the day.
He took us to Jin Jiang Inn, a 4 star hotel (granted it was a different standard of stars), got us rooms, let us settle in and then got us dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Our first meal in China was an absolute feast of the most authentic and bizarre food.
I even tried chicken feet, which wasn't bad, just a little bony. I couldn't even stomach the lotus root. It was like a sausage/intestine with holes through it and half digested yellow lumpy matter inside. We all went into a food coma from the 18 dishes Ray ordered. And by the end the rest of us were done but watching Ray was like watching man vs food. He just kept eating!
Jordan and I skipped breakfast the next day, but again we got a feast at lunch waiting for our bus. The shredded pork and pancakes were everyone's favorite.
Finally Mary our headmaster arrived to gather us up, or luggage is stuffed into the back of a tiny bus, as we ride precariously on. Just found out we may be getting another hotel for the night as it is not just a six hour ride to Bengbu as we previously thought. It is NINE. I guess I'll have even more to write about soon!
-Alexis Jones
PS just found out, our driver is lost. Brilliant!!! PPS it took us 62 hours longer to get to our destination than it should have. We have arrived. Just haven't had time to write a new post/blog.
It began leaving the house with a rather fortuitous event. We were just barely driving up the road to the freeway where my mother and I saw something, a bird of sorts, fly over the trees and land on a post. We slowed down to get a better look, and realized it was a bald eagle!!!
Right as we passed it, the great bird lifted off one more and began flying along side the car. We were shocked. It was just stunning to see a bird with wings the same length as the width of our car within distance of seeing is piercing golden eye clearly.
We decidedly agreed that it was a sign. America was saying goodbye to me. Ah I loved it!!! Later my mother sent me a message telling me about the symbolism of that event. To see an eagle it means you are on the right path, and making the right choice. I certainly hope so because the following tales will only tell.
So we got to the airport where ILP reps were waiting for us. They gave me my passport and visa, plane ticket and traveling health insurance booster. I was raring to go. My parents seemed rather at ease with me going. I almost expected my mother to cry though. We met Jordan before going through security, who was also going to Bengbu. I kind of latched on to her as my travel buddy and now we seem to be good friends.
We hopped on our first plane early and got to Phoenix within a couple hours before transferring to head to LA. TSA must've been tough on my bags because they broke the lock on one and also the wheel which I found out as trying to drag my bags half a mile up the road at the LA airport. I was wondering why one of the bags was so hard to move them I noticed the wheel and bent down to check it.
Friction had lit that thing on fire!!! I couldn't even touch it, though I did find out by getting a blister from the casing which I was surprised wasn't melted. So Jordan and I had some real trouble getting out bags to the next terminal, but after renting a cart (airports will rob you blind every chance they get), we moved along nicely.
We stopped to get tickets for our next flight then dinner. For irony's sake, I got panda express. My last dinner in America and I got flipping Chinese. Granted the American version has been severely altered as I now know.
We then met another of our Bengbuian teachers at the terminal in LA; Megan. She is rather quiet but I hope we can become close friends too.
Next up was Korean airlines. Boy were those planes nice!!!! Even the 2 meals we got weren't like the butt end of airline food jokes. Though morning tofu is rather disgusting. Only the spicy sesame sauce made it edible.
About 4 hours into our 13 hour flight, I was to tired to fall asleep but too excited to fall asleep. Oh melatonin, how you work wonders. I checked out within a few minutes finally after popping a pill. I think I got the most sleep or of everyone. Probably the deepest too. By the time we arrived in Korea I was so well rested I wanted to run around and check out the crazy awesome stores in that Korean airport. Sadly only a few were open, but the Hello Kitty one was and someone got hot chocolate that I kid you not had Hello Kitty's face in the foam on top. Fancy little cutesy stuff like that was everywhere in that airport. I got to see my first sunrise out of country in Korea. It was so smoggy that the sun was red coming up. The art does not lie people.
We got second breakfast on the next plane (must be some sort of ritual short people like hobbits and Asians are into). By then our group of forty teachers from the start had whittled down to about 25 who were bound for Shanghai. It was a short flight, just 2 hours.
We were all dreading going through customs. What a hassle right?
WRONG!!!
The only bad part was waiting in a mile long line because of the masses who were all on our flight. We pretty much waltzed through customs undisturbed. But dread was soon to follow. At least for my head teacher, Heather.
As we walked through the crowds of people holding signs with names on it to find their travel, we did not see a single ILP sign. That was the one thing they had guaranteed would ALWAYS be waiting for the teachers upon arrival. But there was no one to be found.
25 young adult Americans were stranded in an airport in Shanghai with no one to pick us up for a six hour drive to Bengbu.... sounds like the opening to a bad joke right? We didn't even have Wi-Fi to contact the ILP directors because the airport didn't have a public network.
Out of sheer luck one of the other teachers could text in country and sent a message to Jared the director to tell him of our predicament. While Heather got robbed blind by a worker at the airport who charged her ¥35 to borrow her computer for internet and email.
In the meantime we bought some small snacks from a mini mart in the airport, and had a bonding experience of sleep deprived joviality. We took turns babysitting a herd of luggage that took up the entire open floor at our little terminal space. I must have been on edge because I started giving the stink eye to anyone who walked close to our luggage. We got a lot of stares from locals, our mob of pale faced goons must have seemed pretty ridiculous to them. Asians think Americans are obnoxiously loud, and I'm not gonna lie, we were.
We wound up staying at the airport for eight hours, until a miracle godsend, Ray, who was the brother of a headmaster at one of the 3 schools (Sally?) our groups would be splitting up to go to, arrived to save the day.
The Changzhou group got on their way, as did Nanjing. Their schools were within a four hour drive. But the Bengbuian group was half a day away and by that time it was already too late in the day to have them come get us then drive all the way back. Our jet lag would have been extended for yet another day, and it would have meant w would have to stay awake until the bus got there. Luckily, Ray was still there to save the day.
He took us to Jin Jiang Inn, a 4 star hotel (granted it was a different standard of stars), got us rooms, let us settle in and then got us dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Our first meal in China was an absolute feast of the most authentic and bizarre food.
I even tried chicken feet, which wasn't bad, just a little bony. I couldn't even stomach the lotus root. It was like a sausage/intestine with holes through it and half digested yellow lumpy matter inside. We all went into a food coma from the 18 dishes Ray ordered. And by the end the rest of us were done but watching Ray was like watching man vs food. He just kept eating!
Jordan and I skipped breakfast the next day, but again we got a feast at lunch waiting for our bus. The shredded pork and pancakes were everyone's favorite.
Finally Mary our headmaster arrived to gather us up, or luggage is stuffed into the back of a tiny bus, as we ride precariously on. Just found out we may be getting another hotel for the night as it is not just a six hour ride to Bengbu as we previously thought. It is NINE. I guess I'll have even more to write about soon!
-Alexis Jones
PS just found out, our driver is lost. Brilliant!!! PPS it took us 62 hours longer to get to our destination than it should have. We have arrived. Just haven't had time to write a new post/blog.
