Survival=Crossing the Street Successfully

I started my first official day off at the police station with my real estate agent, Jason. The police officer and him got into quite an argument. The police officer kept on pointing and yelling at my passport and Jason kept yelling back and eventually got one of my landlords on the phone and he or she must have appeased the officer since she allowed me to register. I tried to ask Jason what was going on, but he told me that this happens with every foreign teacher.

On the drive back to the hotel, Jason made several phone calls to some of his other clients. On one conversation, Jason was explaining to the person how to pay for electricity. He got off the phone and under his breath he let out an exasperated, "Foreign teachers." I laughed and told him we all need some hand holding. Jason just nodded a solemn, "yes." I hope I might meet that teacher on the phone someday. I don't really understand the electricity thing quite yet myself.

I spent a few trips back and forth on the subway from the hotel to the apartment moving my stuff over. I really got a lot of things over here! I was feeling a little sorry for myself that I was doing this all by myself, but on one of the trips there was a teenage boy wearing a Steve Prefontaine Eugen, Oregon Nike shirt, and I felt that I had gotten a sign. I'm not sure what it meant, but I felt better. I went to find some food at the shopping center close to my school and found a sushi station that had the sushi listed in English and Chinese! I was so excited. I got some sushi, a coke and a mango pudding. It was so good. Not as good without Meghan and Crystal and Reilly, but still very good. In the background they were playing a Backstreet Boys song ("Shape of My Heart") and then Beyonce's "Single Ladies." I felt that was another good sign. I went to The Lotus and discovered its layout is much like a Fred Meyers. It has home goods and groceries. I bought a pillow, a towel, laundry detergent that I think is suppose to smell like daisies and water.

I spent the afternoon washing a load of clothes. It is one of the smallest washing machines I have ever seen in my life but it fit more then I thought. I had the windows open to let in some fresh air because the place smells a little narly and started to really appreciate the view. My view from the fifteenth floor is actually pretty impressive. I can see a lot of skyscrapers and some of the media center's grounds. It started to rain profusely a few moments later. Another teacher at work had warned me about how the rain here does not clean the windows but actually makes them dirtier! It's true. It's gross. There is a nice railing right by my windows where I can hang my laundry to dry. China does not do dryers. I have to admit, it is nice to have a washing machine right inside the place I live in!

I have come to disdain crossing major intersections here. They only put on the pedestrian walk signal maybe one out of three potential crossings. Even today, I was crossing with light and a huge bus came barreling down through the cross walk and I raced back to the safety of the sidewalk where an old man started laughing at me! I must have looked pretty silly to him. Everyone else around me looks they are so at ease crossing the street. I usually try to skulk behind a big group of people crossing whenever I can even though I'm the easiest target at every crossing, but it makes me feel better. Sometimes the pedestrian light is only on for about fifteen seconds, and I have learned to only make it across halfway and find a place to stand on the partition. Crossing the street should not be this hard.

This is my last night in the hotel. I won't miss the gross cigarette smells, but I've started to become comfortable here. Thanks for being my first home in my adopted city, He Ping Li Hotel. I shall miss having my bed made for me when I come back each night.