it was my second day of classes. i had 4 classes. they all went pretty well, and i've to continue to brainstorm what i'll be doing for the next couple of weeks. i got less and less nervous as time goes by.. as classes goes by. i'm basically doing the same lesson this week for all 8 of my classes. i have no idea what everyone's level is, but i'm slowly accommodating.
in between my two classes today, i had 2 group of girls making dates with me. i've never been invited to something like this, but i didn't hesitate to their invitation. i went home (i didn't have a third period class,) ate, put on my jeans and running shoes, got some cough medication from hongmei, and took the mini school bus back to their campus.
when i got into the bus, the fellow teacher says, hi. i get slightly flustered. i've been meeting a lot of people lately. the local English teachers, especially, are very warm. she was one of them. she knew me, but i just met her. i've been having teachers come sit in my classes, which makes me a bit nervous,.. but whatever. i find out that yes, they are indeed happy that i am here.
i get to the west campus gates and surely, my students from first year are there. they are funny. we walk down the street to the park. i've seen sorts of gazebos, beautiful ones. i didn't know they were in this particular park. everything is beautiful. the girls explain that town folk like going to this park after work and school. and it's true. people all over, walking, chatting, sitting, fishing, relaxing, folk flying kites (grown ups/adults), work out on the grown up friendly jungle gyms. i have to take pictures. i love this park. it's nothing i've seen before. i loved this experience. i will have to go back a couple of times.
tomorrow is friday, and i have another date with some girls on my own campus. they'll be visiting my place. these kids keep me busy. my last class for the week. some time off on the weekend. yay-ness!
oh yes. after dropping the girls off at the western campus, i found my way walking down to the "supermarket," bought some stuff, asked for tea and other stuff, and walked home. it's a long way, but i know i need the exercise. i've not been doing anything much physical. my legs are sore now.
oh yes. today i took videos of the crazy bathroom that i have here. i'm uploading them as we speak. it's crazy stuff. check out my links!
have a very good day!!
haha, oh yes. i can't read my own site, because i'm censored. i can't only edit what i've wrote, but i can't see my own site. what lovely luck.
people drive crazy here! hahaha, really they don't.. but they flow with each other. a scooter/motorbike may be going the wrong way on one side, but whatever. just accomodate. the honking, which is a lot, are usual warnings. "i am coming." our mini bus driver loves honking. it's not as threatening as how we would take it in north america.
oh yeah, one last thing. i swear. i'm walking on my own finally in this city, and i'm freaked out. i could never drive in this city. and! i could hardly walk. it's really scary walking across the street. people just go even if it's red. but! it just flowed. everyone was aware of everyone. all accomodating. again, different method.
20060316
20060314
China 2006 - arrival - part 4 - schedules
written 20060315 beijing time
yesterday, i got up at 7:30 am. i went to bed at 10:30 pm, i think. i'm not quite sure knowing how i slept, when my habit is sleeping for no more than 7.5 hours. it's currently 4:49 am where i am. i went to bed yesterday night at 9:45 pm. so that's about 7 hours. i have to take a nap later on.
my first class tomorrow starts at 8 am, and i have to be at the staff [mini] bus stop at 7:55 am. i just got the bus schedule yesterday night from bernie. apparently they run between the campuses within 10 minutes of class start and end times. i have 16 classes (2 double ones) and an English corner (double) making classes a total of 20 hours a week. 45 minutes each but averaging about 40 students. they call it 2 classes, but it's actually 1 class with a 10 minute break in the middle. it's a 90 minute class.
my schedule is tuesday to friday, i have mondays off. i have 1 to 3 classes a day. while the morning starts early, after 2 classes, i have lunch at 12. the whole school shuts down from 12 to 2:30 pm, as bernie says. the only afternoon class is from 2:30 to 4:10. oh, i do have school on monday.. the English corner is from 4:30 to 6. at 6, there is the last bus that leaves west campus to the main campus, where i am living. if i miss any of these buses, i've to go home by taxi, which cost about no more than a dollar each ride. communicating that i need to get back to the main campus will cause momentary confusion, i suppose.
a first free morning settled
i got up early yesterday as i said. made a nice breakfast (pao with sweet bean paste, and a banana.) brainstormed what i'd be doing in the first class. tried to watch t.v. (all in mandarin). had lunch. noodles. instant noodles, but of course, added veggies such as onions, grape tomatoes, some chinese green, mushrooms, smoked beef, yumm. worked on the first class lesson again. it was already afternoon. hongmei had said that she'd come in the afternoon. having thought i finished my lesson planning (didn't know it was rather a 90 minute class than a 45 minute class,) i decided to take a nap at 2. when hongmei finally came to pick me up at 3, ringing my doorbell. she forgot to take my phone number the day before and also had asked Mary from upstairs to knock on my door. when i was napping, i recalled someone knocking, but i wasn't sure if it was for me or not.
being back in my jammies, i let hongmei in, and let her show me how to work the shower machine. i didn't realize that i had to plug that big thing in. it had to be plugged in for an hour she said. she let me know that the plumber/water guy would be coming by later. Mary would watch my apartment while we were out. i had a couple of things on my list to get, and without asking, she brought me a towel. also, some garbage bins that i said i would get the day before.
we went to her office to find out about the bus schedule and got on the bus. a maintenance worker came in the office and she introduced us. he was really surprised when he found out that i was the new English teacher. hongmei later explained that with the word "foreign," he actually expected me to be "foreign." likewise, i thought he was a student. a lot of young people that i have encountered have duties i normally see older people doing in Canada. more on that somewhere else.
a lot of the reactions i get is, "you look Chinese." i just say, "i know" or "i'm Vietnamese." i don't know how to explain it, but i've learnt the word for Vietnamese in Mandarin. i think i sound defensive that way. am i just explaining so they know more? or am i being defensive? that is a Montreal question.
my meeting with the directors of the English department.
it was good. short. brief. Ms Yang and Ms Tscho (i think) were really nice. they gave me the text i could use as a reference. they said the students don't like it. really, they want me to work on their oral speaking (my class is oral communication,) with almost any topics really. regarding topics, Ms Yang mentioned that students can talk about anything, just that i cannot steer them to my own personal beliefs, which is okay. good teachers should let the students steer the discussion anyway, i think.
i didn't sign a contract yet. which is strange. i will email this fact to hongmei later. also, bernie told me that we are to pay for the electricity. i remember slight having emailed hongmei asking about this. when i get my internet today, i'm going to review those convos i had with hongmei. about pay too. i have to review everything i have, because it's all very slightly off, which is not too big of a deal.
i met a local English teacher. i forgot her Chinese name. of course, names in any language other than English and French, i can't grasp very well. she tells me her English name, which is Mary. i have to write down her Chinese name next time i see her.
i saw my office, but! i don't think i'll be using it. there is a couch in there, which i might use to crash.. if ever! well yeah.
english corner.
so! we walked into my first school setting in Jincheng. Bernie was heading it. we get into this building with obviously a plumbing problem, which is normal of it apparently. we walked up the two flights of stairs and into a classroom with students all standing, some on chairs hovering over something at the front of the room. Ms Yang, hongmei and i slip onto the left side of the bunch and watch for about 5 to 7 minutes before Bernie realizes we are there. he was showing them pictures, first of objects in this home in vancouver, pictures of his office in vancouver, and then pictures of him and hongmei's family hanging out two weekends ago.
the students really love it. about 50 students were there. i spotted one male student. at least two students had electronic dictionaries. some students were really short. some pale, some tanned. again, people of minority come in all different shapes and sizes, not the generic mainland chinese that we see in Toronto. this is concluded also from when i went to small French town in Quebec. before getting back to the mini bus getting home, about three students stop me and welcome me to the school. they seem to be very welcoming of "foreigners" to the school. also, from my meeting with the directors, i finally understand, i am one of their only resources (as a teacher) to learning English. my students are all English majors, mostly at the beginner level.
the return to my apartment. showering. my toilet.
i came home to about 4 or 5 men in my apartment including Mary. after realizing that i can't speak Mandarin, they finish their work and had the computer teacher (who was pretty okay with English) communicate with me that i can't sit on the toilet yet because of the wet plaster, and that i can't put toilet paper in the toilet. he also tells me that he'll come back the next day to hook it up since he needs to drill holes or something.
while the computer teacher (the only English speaker) was upstairs, another fellow tells me something in Mandarin. he tells me then points to English words and Chinese characters and gets me all confused. i can't communicate with him. i later find out that he just wanted to say that his English was poor. i surrender. haha.. man, i've got to learn some Mandarin.
trying to catch some kiddie channels. i think it works. i saw spongebob in Mandarin yesterday night. very briefly while making dinner.
the shower apparatus actually took more than an hour. the shower head ill-situated. it could be more to the right. the amount of hot water is limited really, so i can't take too much time. which is okay.
Birnie showed me that my plug for my camera is made in China, so i could use it here. that is exciting news. the only thing i can't use, that i brought, was my hair curler. a pity. i don't know if it's chinese, but i'll check it later. he showed me how the washer works, too.
i watched some circus stuff, which was crazy funny stuff.
oh yeah, my mom and my sis annie, called me each twice. i went up to Birnie's two nights ago to email my family my contact. apparently my mom was freaking out for a couple of days.
my thighs and calves are bigger. i think? lack of running around at the restaurant/working? but i've been eating less here? blah..
trying to get directions to the supermarket, but hongmei just says it's better to take the bus/taxi. i need the walk i should tell her.
China 2006 - arrival - part 3 - the train ride
written 20060316 beijing time
to the station
from the hotel, we took a not too long ride to the "train station." i tried to figure out how to get around and about if i were to go to beijing by myself. i realize, i will never be able to do what i did at St. Joseph in Quebec. i don't know then language. after taking the train, it confirms this. so more about the train in China experience.
as as soon as got off the cab, a woman asks us if she can carry my suitcase. this is the second incident of something like this. paulina, a friend, had mentioned something like this when she went to Thailand. the woman asked for 15 yuan. she was probably as old as me and hongmei put together, and desperate. she followed through baggage check (which was really not baggage check, more like we do it for doing it.), and asked and carried my 67.5 lb bag. it could've broken her back.
so it snowed, which was beautiful. people scattered. it wasn't a typical canadian train station. it was a typical old china train station with stands of food and people carrying their belongings in whatever bags that should not break. rice bags, old gym bags, garbage bags, luggage bags,..
we waited for hongmei's friend to arrive. which he did. he didn't speak English. he was friendly and helped with my bag. closer to the entrance of wherever we were going, someone else asks to take our luggage, also expressing that to go to our platform there are many stairs up and down. we finally oblige. only 10 yuan now, and we did realize that the stairs were steep. that amount equates to 1.50$ cdn. he brings my luggage into our cabin.
on the train
so we get a little cabin of four beds. we share with another person whom we don't know. a comrade. again, no English. hongmei and i chat, then hongmei and her friend chat. i look out of the window. more people carrying their stuff in "bags." i take pictures. pictures of the gi-normous kiwis. they amuse me. i take a nap.
hongmei tells me that we are taking first class, which cost 30 yuan one way. calculating it, it works out to 4.50$ cdn. our trip is 13 hours by train. she explains. 3rd class includes a seat that you would have to sit in for 13 hours, at 1$ each way. 2nd class includes a doorless cabin, shared with 5 other people, not two bunks per wall, but 3. most can't afford 1st class.
i enjoyed the airplane ride better, except for the bed on the train. i was entertained on the airplane, with movies, radio stations, food service. the train was humbling. as a colleague here at the school says, if you go to China, it will be a waste if you don't take the train.
the washroom was literately a hole in the floor. great i thought. napkins were offered by hongmei.
hongmei also had to the tickets from beijing to jincheng beforehand from a friend. they were first class and would be hard to come by on the same day.
also, hongmei, coming to beijing to pick me up from jincheng, took 3rd class. i don't know where to situate myself to that.
from the hotel, we took a not too long ride to the "train station." i tried to figure out how to get around and about if i were to go to beijing by myself. i realize, i will never be able to do what i did at St. Joseph in Quebec. i don't know then language. after taking the train, it confirms this. so more about the train in China experience.
as as soon as got off the cab, a woman asks us if she can carry my suitcase. this is the second incident of something like this. paulina, a friend, had mentioned something like this when she went to Thailand. the woman asked for 15 yuan. she was probably as old as me and hongmei put together, and desperate. she followed through baggage check (which was really not baggage check, more like we do it for doing it.), and asked and carried my 67.5 lb bag. it could've broken her back.
so it snowed, which was beautiful. people scattered. it wasn't a typical canadian train station. it was a typical old china train station with stands of food and people carrying their belongings in whatever bags that should not break. rice bags, old gym bags, garbage bags, luggage bags,..
we waited for hongmei's friend to arrive. which he did. he didn't speak English. he was friendly and helped with my bag. closer to the entrance of wherever we were going, someone else asks to take our luggage, also expressing that to go to our platform there are many stairs up and down. we finally oblige. only 10 yuan now, and we did realize that the stairs were steep. that amount equates to 1.50$ cdn. he brings my luggage into our cabin.
on the train
so we get a little cabin of four beds. we share with another person whom we don't know. a comrade. again, no English. hongmei and i chat, then hongmei and her friend chat. i look out of the window. more people carrying their stuff in "bags." i take pictures. pictures of the gi-normous kiwis. they amuse me. i take a nap.
hongmei tells me that we are taking first class, which cost 30 yuan one way. calculating it, it works out to 4.50$ cdn. our trip is 13 hours by train. she explains. 3rd class includes a seat that you would have to sit in for 13 hours, at 1$ each way. 2nd class includes a doorless cabin, shared with 5 other people, not two bunks per wall, but 3. most can't afford 1st class.
i enjoyed the airplane ride better, except for the bed on the train. i was entertained on the airplane, with movies, radio stations, food service. the train was humbling. as a colleague here at the school says, if you go to China, it will be a waste if you don't take the train.
the washroom was literately a hole in the floor. great i thought. napkins were offered by hongmei.
hongmei also had to the tickets from beijing to jincheng beforehand from a friend. they were first class and would be hard to come by on the same day.
also, hongmei, coming to beijing to pick me up from jincheng, took 3rd class. i don't know where to situate myself to that.
China 2006 - arrival - part 2 - in beijing
written 20060315 beijing time
and so i landed. got confused with all the signage in the airport. when you are out of your familiar, the environment is completely different. the air is different. methods, i mean. methods of directing people is different. it took me about 45 minutes to finally get out of check out and baggage claim.
bus trip
we finally met, me and hongmei. she was near the end of the line of people waiting for businessmen and loved ones. of course, her sign had my name. i realized that i was exhausted from the 13 hour plane ride. so there i am lugging my things around, wondering what we should do next. eat or go downtown beijing. we settled on taking the bus downtown, bus #2. i tried to recall all of these traveling hints thinking i'd be doing this on my own eventually. i can't i finally realize, i will explain in length a little later.
in the bus, hongmei gives me a personal size box of milk. milk! i thought that was great, but i knew it would not be as cold, knowing that she too had to travel to Beijing. the milk was sweet. i didn't like it much. so, we sit for a bit more than an hour, and chatted. we passed by a lot of "fat" buildings. knowing that Beijing has a lot more people than Toronto, i tried to compare. their buildings are more fat than tall. there are more "open spaces," much more spaced out than the claustrophobic Toronto.
we get to our stop. i look over to the beijing subway entrance, which is cool. lots of honking. we get off and just as i've been warned, some people came up to ask if they could offer some service. these drivers wanted to drive us, free of charge, to a hotel. why? they worked for the hotel. i'm looking at hongmei hoping she knows how to handle this. i asked her if she trusted them. she said, "i don't know." in the end, talking to them more, we took their offer.
the hotel and eats
they charged hefty in comparison to everything else in china. 55$ canadian. i mean, we're talking about how a dish of good food costs a buck here. hongmei went to find a cheaper place, but no luck. our room was alright, the bathroom system is funny. the toilet is in the shower area, so it gets wet when you take a shower.
we actually each take a shower and decide to take a nap before finding food. it was sweet. hongmei asks the doorman (doorboy, seems young to me) for a place to eat. he points down the street, which becomes and alley. we ended up eating in a little shop. very good food, but i soon realize that they have no laws for smoking indoors here. i'm enfumagated. hongmei points out the kettle over the fire in the centre of the room. it's very customary of older shops. the meal cost 3$ cdn. we had three dishes with lots left over.
the mall
we take a walk around. we end up going to this mall. it's really like a supermall. we walk into an area with bras and underwear. "they're on sale," hongmei says, and we shop. hongmei makes a purchase and we proceed further into the centre. shoes. think sears shoe section. times 25. it makes me a bit weary as to which part would have the best quality shoes. all funky stuff. zahra would love it. she would just love it. we proceed into the rest of the mall. make up, suits, shirts, this and that. and they close at 10pm. it's crazy stuff. we walked out finally and walk to a bigger street. there was this other centre even more tempting to get into. i knew i didn't want to buy anything yet, or everything that i saw, so i just opted to go back to the hotel. while hongmei was brushing her teeth, i crashed. i closed my eyes. when i opened them, it was dark and hongmei was already in bed.
beijing bookstore building
so! we got up at 7am. i had gotten up in the middle of the night at 4am and just forced myself to sleep. i was getting adjusted to the time difference. we had complimentary free breakfast at the hotel, which was real simple foods. i had a hard boiled egg, despite all this chicken flu stuff. there was this go chow wai that was round, which was good.
the bookstore was not too far, open at 8am. hongmei had asked for directions. we turned the corner, and i am flabberghasted. this building didn't have a bookstore in it. this building was the bookstore. it was huge. it was definitely bigger than toronto's "world's biggest bookstore." we walk throught the 2nd set of plastic door coverings (the first at the mall the night before,) and we found reception. there were about 4 attendants behind the counter. i recalled at the hotel, there were a couple of staff at the door as well. i realize that there are always a lot of workers around, no matter the task.
we proceed up to the escalators. i realize that this store was bigger than the one in Toronto. we get into the audio/visual section. very big. lots of product. hongmei was looking for software for another English teacher. i wander looking at teaching esl software, then to movies and music. vcds for about 1-2$ each. i end up getting 2 that i eventually realize i can't play on the computer they gave me. i contemplate on getting a vcd player. live norah jones and eurythmics. we check out the esl books section. i get lots of books. we leave the building and take a lot of pictures in front of the building.
walking back, i take more pictures and a video. we got some street meat. lamb kebobs. i don't eat lamb, but didn't refuse it when hongmei offered to treat. it was great! got pictures of that, too. bikes everywhere! and pictures of that, too. i should have but didn't take pictures of probably 200-300 bikes stationed outside the mall we were at.
we get back to the hotel at exactly 12noon when we have to check out.
oh yeah. chinese people blow their nostril innards into the street like it's common habit. gross.
and so i landed. got confused with all the signage in the airport. when you are out of your familiar, the environment is completely different. the air is different. methods, i mean. methods of directing people is different. it took me about 45 minutes to finally get out of check out and baggage claim.
bus trip
we finally met, me and hongmei. she was near the end of the line of people waiting for businessmen and loved ones. of course, her sign had my name. i realized that i was exhausted from the 13 hour plane ride. so there i am lugging my things around, wondering what we should do next. eat or go downtown beijing. we settled on taking the bus downtown, bus #2. i tried to recall all of these traveling hints thinking i'd be doing this on my own eventually. i can't i finally realize, i will explain in length a little later.
in the bus, hongmei gives me a personal size box of milk. milk! i thought that was great, but i knew it would not be as cold, knowing that she too had to travel to Beijing. the milk was sweet. i didn't like it much. so, we sit for a bit more than an hour, and chatted. we passed by a lot of "fat" buildings. knowing that Beijing has a lot more people than Toronto, i tried to compare. their buildings are more fat than tall. there are more "open spaces," much more spaced out than the claustrophobic Toronto.
we get to our stop. i look over to the beijing subway entrance, which is cool. lots of honking. we get off and just as i've been warned, some people came up to ask if they could offer some service. these drivers wanted to drive us, free of charge, to a hotel. why? they worked for the hotel. i'm looking at hongmei hoping she knows how to handle this. i asked her if she trusted them. she said, "i don't know." in the end, talking to them more, we took their offer.
the hotel and eats
they charged hefty in comparison to everything else in china. 55$ canadian. i mean, we're talking about how a dish of good food costs a buck here. hongmei went to find a cheaper place, but no luck. our room was alright, the bathroom system is funny. the toilet is in the shower area, so it gets wet when you take a shower.
we actually each take a shower and decide to take a nap before finding food. it was sweet. hongmei asks the doorman (doorboy, seems young to me) for a place to eat. he points down the street, which becomes and alley. we ended up eating in a little shop. very good food, but i soon realize that they have no laws for smoking indoors here. i'm enfumagated. hongmei points out the kettle over the fire in the centre of the room. it's very customary of older shops. the meal cost 3$ cdn. we had three dishes with lots left over.
the mall
we take a walk around. we end up going to this mall. it's really like a supermall. we walk into an area with bras and underwear. "they're on sale," hongmei says, and we shop. hongmei makes a purchase and we proceed further into the centre. shoes. think sears shoe section. times 25. it makes me a bit weary as to which part would have the best quality shoes. all funky stuff. zahra would love it. she would just love it. we proceed into the rest of the mall. make up, suits, shirts, this and that. and they close at 10pm. it's crazy stuff. we walked out finally and walk to a bigger street. there was this other centre even more tempting to get into. i knew i didn't want to buy anything yet, or everything that i saw, so i just opted to go back to the hotel. while hongmei was brushing her teeth, i crashed. i closed my eyes. when i opened them, it was dark and hongmei was already in bed.
beijing bookstore building
so! we got up at 7am. i had gotten up in the middle of the night at 4am and just forced myself to sleep. i was getting adjusted to the time difference. we had complimentary free breakfast at the hotel, which was real simple foods. i had a hard boiled egg, despite all this chicken flu stuff. there was this go chow wai that was round, which was good.
the bookstore was not too far, open at 8am. hongmei had asked for directions. we turned the corner, and i am flabberghasted. this building didn't have a bookstore in it. this building was the bookstore. it was huge. it was definitely bigger than toronto's "world's biggest bookstore." we walk throught the 2nd set of plastic door coverings (the first at the mall the night before,) and we found reception. there were about 4 attendants behind the counter. i recalled at the hotel, there were a couple of staff at the door as well. i realize that there are always a lot of workers around, no matter the task.
we proceed up to the escalators. i realize that this store was bigger than the one in Toronto. we get into the audio/visual section. very big. lots of product. hongmei was looking for software for another English teacher. i wander looking at teaching esl software, then to movies and music. vcds for about 1-2$ each. i end up getting 2 that i eventually realize i can't play on the computer they gave me. i contemplate on getting a vcd player. live norah jones and eurythmics. we check out the esl books section. i get lots of books. we leave the building and take a lot of pictures in front of the building.
walking back, i take more pictures and a video. we got some street meat. lamb kebobs. i don't eat lamb, but didn't refuse it when hongmei offered to treat. it was great! got pictures of that, too. bikes everywhere! and pictures of that, too. i should have but didn't take pictures of probably 200-300 bikes stationed outside the mall we were at.
we get back to the hotel at exactly 12noon when we have to check out.
oh yeah. chinese people blow their nostril innards into the street like it's common habit. gross.
20060313
China 2006 - arrival - the flight
written 20060314 beijing time
after seeing my family goodbye.. hahaha.. i walked back into the airport to the currency exchange office. at check in, we asked where travel insurance can be bought. they pointed down the hall, which we followed where we got lost. we asked two execs staff members about where to buy travel insurance and they pointed downstairs. we then asked the currency exchange box office that we were already standing by about insurance and they said that they sold them. made me wonder if these exec people know anything. yikes.
they didn't have any on hand so they told me to come back in 15 to 20 minutes. it was already 8:15 am so i told my mom that i'd walk them to the car. annie had work, my mom had work, and my dad needed sleep. i also wanted to see my dad who was waiting in the car, before i left. so we said our goodbyes.
after getting my travel insurance which is good for a year, i made that long walk into the gates. down the hall, through carry-on check, down the escalators, down the wrong hall, back down the wrong hall, through the right hall, found out that at 9:10 am people have not yet boarded the plane, sat down and waited. lift off was at 10 am and sat humbly as to what was going to happen next. i've never been on a large plane before, going overseas with so many people.
i'd say this is my first real trip on a plane. the other trip is with people i knew so i didn't pay attention so closely. the pilots got on first. all four of them (this is a 13 hour trip). eventually, the elite/first class people got on, followed by the accessible and children, then rows 33 and up, which is me!
i sat. put my coat and jacket in the overhead compartment. waited. was tired. the night before, zahra love came over. actually it was a long day. i met up with kathy, zahra, and john. i went to bed at about 1 in the morning, waking up at 5:30.
i sat. the person assigned to the next seat came finally and said, "Nee how," which is "Hi, how are you?" in Mandarin. i smile and try to nap again. he smelled heavily of cigarettes. eventually, we talked. he didn't speak English much, but he understood my purpose of going to China, and i knew his.
i must say, being on airplane is not so bad. yes, the worst part is comfort i think. i tried to push my chair down as much as possible. the best part of them (air Canada) trying add comfort is the nice blankets that they give us. i thought it best not to take it home, but i thought of it..
they gave us headphones. pride and prejudice couldn't keep me awake. i know the story already and i was really tired. the "radio" stations that they have were probably compilation cds that they were playing, obviously over and over again. some retro stuff i liked, and some alan cross recorded shows for air canada. corpse bride played, too, as indicated online. it still sucked. they played documentaries and a chinese movie, which i couldn't understand. the English words were too little.
waiting for the washroom, a woman and her child passes by and says something to me [in Mandarin.] i think she was trying to be humble but expected me to let her son go first. i don't like this, and insist that the woman before me is going first. i don't give her my turn either, but apparently the elderly woman after me lets the woman's son go first. i think it's really ridiculous. really ignorant. i think the boy's gotta learn to wait. there's bad parenting right there.
the food was alright. the first meal wasn't that great. white meat chicken and potatoes in some thick gravy. raw salmon salad. vanilla gelato. i opted not to have beef on the plane for some reason. second meal was noodles in a cup. snacks. rice and chicken. lots available to drink. alcohol, too. i had spicy clamato, orange juice, water, orange juice.
the trip didn't seem that long. lots of naps. i felt better by the end of the trip.
of course, i was above clouds, my favourite!! i look down and all the grooves in white and such. it looked like there could be life on the clouds. the sky. i saw the moon quite early in my trip. the sky. it was light, then dark, then light again.
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