So we were suppose to take a train to one city and
then get off and go on another train to go to our
school which would be an over night ordeal but
instead... We got on a train and went through like
all the passport stuff and couldn't find the people
we were suppose to meet there. When we did it was
this little Chinese guy whose English name is Tim.
He just grabbed some suitcases and lead us out of
the train station in a hurry. When we were outside
just standing there for a while then he told us we
were gunna stay in a hotel that night and go in this
little bus that barely had room for all our luggage
(about two big suitcases jam packed and a carry on
suitcase or big backpack per girl x 6 girls) and four
of our bodies in a seat. Oh dear. So when we get to the
hotel, I don't recognize it as a hotel...just a random
stairway in the middle of a street right? With a neon
sign over it in Chinese-just like the other places right
by it. It's shady! Tim tells us to give our passports to the
lady at the desk and then takes us to our rooms. You
should have seen all these confused American girls.
Frightened that we may never see our passports again...
Which may mean so many things! Our wheels are turning and
we all confide in one another but then we just take a semi
deep breath ( because many people in China smoke so inhaling
too much could have been more harmful then helpful,
especially here.) and trust this new Tim character who must
know what he is talking about. He is the one who can speak
and read Chinese. Then after taking a gander at our rooms
and after being gazed at and taunted by some young Chinese
boys across the hallway, we went to find some dinner. Now mainland China is NOT like Hong Kong. Forget the English
translation in and on most things. Forget about the LA strip
feeling. This is China. Something is frightful about not being
able to understand anything and having everyone stare at you...
not knowing their thoughts. Plus everything is a little more
'shady' and not as free bird. Dinner was in a restraunt that had some rooms off to the side
so we were happy to be "in a box" as one girl said after she
flung food onto the girl next to her and the wall trying to
use chopsticks. Well she also burnt herself on the dish the food
was in so her arm reacted quickly and uncontrollably. Oh what a
dinner. The cool thing about formal dinners like that is that
in the middle of the table, they slowly bring you one dish at a
time and set it there. Then everyone who wants some of that
takes some. ( most of the first few meals was a taste test for
us all) then the meal gets bigger and bigger. They just add so
many dishes you know none of you will finish off even one plate
they bring out. At the end they bring out the fried rice, which is my favorite
and the bulk of what I ate all night, that and peanuts. :) they
served tea and orange soda with the meal. It was definitely an
experience. We all ate with chopsticks all night,
(even the peanuts) my hand muscles started to hurt! :) But I
already have my own pair of chopsticks and I'm using them at
every meal ;) the drinks were mostly just to toast with which
is what you do with your new friends, according to Tim. So after we go back to the hotel and we each get our passports
back *what a relief*, we head back to the rooms. I was relieved
to be moved down the hall where there were bigger beds so 4 of
us could share that room, And it was away from the strange Chinese
boys. It smelled of smoke and we aren't sure they even cleaned it
before we went in. There were sunflower seeds on the ground and
other little things but we were tired and there wasn't much we
could do. At this lovely hotel, we got to experience our first
'squatty potty' moments. None of us wanted to go and I held it
in until the morning but alas, we all used that lovely porcelain
hole in the ground.
Some Chinese people stayed up super late and
were really loud which I thought was strange. For some reason I
thought chinese people were quiet. Not exactly true. We slept on
those super hard beds anyway and awoke 15 minutes before we left
on our 12 hour van drive. Can't hardly explain that one but it
sure threatened to mess up my sleeping schedule I had worked so
hard to try to have. (sleep only at night) anyway, the school is
huge! It has a hotel for parents that want to visit their kids
because the kids live at the schools basically. When we got here, the dorms we are staying in were huuuuuge messes.
We were solely disappointed in the last ilp girls that stayed here.
It was disgusting. Thankfully we had some time today to clean up a
bit. Although they still do have character.
have wireless until just a bit ago. Now I'm falling asleep on my
nice firm - very firm- bed. And I quote from Bryndi who I share a
room with, "this bed is so hard! I thought I was laying on a book
that I needed to move for a second, but it's just the bed!" oh but
it is Soooooo much warmer than in our room. It's so cold here.
So cold. And our heater has been on for more than 24 hours and it
still isn't warm. Still. It's freezing.
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