Things That Are Different

Well, week two is in the books and it was less eventful than week one.  At least from the writing a blog that will make you laugh at my misfortune standpoint.

I did manage to catch my first cold in forever, which I'm 100% not surprised happened given the change in climate and the high volume of strangers I'm in ridiculously close contact with on a daily basis.  I've been exceptionally careful of touching my face and you'll be glad to know I quit biting my nails because my hands NEVER FEEL CLEAN. 

Despite catching a cold, the week was another productive one work-wise.  I'm also learning the area more and have my directional bearings, which makes me happy because I like to know where I am in the world.  This weekend I'll be exploring a lot so I should have some fun stories for my next update.  I also asked a coworker if she wanted to hang out this weekend and she does (yay!) so I am excited to do something with a local.

Some of my sarcasm in this post may come off as judgmental, and it's really not, it's just sarcasm.  Despite being amazed at some of the behavior, I've found it easy to adapt to.  For example, if you need to go somewhere, just go.  If you wait and let someone go in front of you, you'll get stuck or stand there forever.  So, without further adieu, I thought I'd focus this post on "things that are different", some of which will tie in nicely with why it is no shock I got sick and some others that are just different/interesting/funny/weird.  

SO MANY PEOPLE - There are so many fucking people here it is amazing.  I remember the first time I went out in New York City as an adult.  I was in awe of how many people were out and about at midnight.  This is just like that, except here, you're forced to be absurdly close with strangers for undetermined amounts of time on a DAILY basis.  Elevators are packed like sardines, as are subways.  Everybody needs to get somewhere and the more the merrier seems to be the way to do it.  What's extra fun in this society of so many people is that coughing, sneezing and nose picking don't appear to be things that you do discreetly or with the intent to shield others from your germs.  I've been coughed on in a crowded subway, sneezed on in an elevator and this very morning, I watched a grown man pick his nose and inspect every single booger he pulled out of it.  And then he grabbed the pole in the subway with the same hand.

COURTESY - Actually it is lack there-of.  I don't want to classify everyone as rude, because I truly don't believe they are.  Most people I have been in contact with have been incredibly kind and the ones who are able (because they speak English), helpful.  I believe that courtesy is a learned behavior, if you grow up seeing your father hold the door for your mother, you're more likely to do so.  If you grow up seeing your parents bum rush the elevator to get in before anyone else gets out even though the elevator is packed with 90 people when it should only hold 30, you will probably do that, too.  This happens everywhere.  Getting in and out of the elevator, getting on and off the subway, going up the escalators, waiting in lines - you just go for it.  Godspeed.

WALKING & DRIVING - Again, so many people.  I've come to classify this as a truly every man for him/herself society.  Kind of like survival of the fittest.  It seems when people are out walking, their sole focus is where they are going or what they are doing, no mind of anyone around them.  I've been run into, stopped because someone decided to just stop walking and look at their phone, almost run over by a bus and multiple cars.  Oh, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way, and don't think that just because the walk light is green that a car cannot turn left or right as you are crossing the street.  They can.  And will.

DOORS - My office has so many doors.  Just to get to the bathroom I have to go through three doors, all of which have to be clicked to open or I have to use my badge.  See why my hands never feel clean?  I feel like I'm just crawling with germs on a regular basis.  Everywhere I go, there are doors to be clicked open, badges to be scanned, buttons to be pushed, turnstiles to rotate through, handles to hold, etc.  There isn't enough anti-bacterial in the world to get me through these 3 months.  And I don't even like or use anti-bacterial, but right now I feel like I should bathe in it.

LOUD TALKING - Loud noises!!  When they're speaking Mandarin loudly, it often times sounds like they're yelling at each other, which often times makes me laugh.  What gets me the most is the loud talking in the office, when it is clearly personal conversations.  I just don't think anyone cares.  The background noise at times when other people are on work calls has got to be astonishing.  My guess is they're all used to it.  I find people have loud personal conversations everywhere though.  Elevators, etc.  I guess you make the most of your time?  Me?  I prefer to listen to a Miranda Lambert song on repeat.

PREGOS EVERYWHERE - So Shenzhen is a really young city.  30 years ago it was nothing more than a fishing village, and now it is home to 15 million people, many of whom are transplants from other provinces and cities.  Reading the history and hearing stories from people who grew up here is amazing.  The growth that has taken place over the last 30 years is unbelievable, and there is still construction going on at a rapid rate.  Back to my first statement about this being a young city, there are pregnant chicks everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  I'm not talking "omg, there are 3 ladies in my building who are prego."  I'm talking I see at least 10-20 pregnant chicks a day and none of them are repeats (except the girl I sit next to).  It's kind of neat to see such a young population.  Everywhere I go it seems like we are all the same age.  Kind of like college, but instead of a party, we're all going to work.

SLEEPING - This is a fun one.  Apparently when you're tired, you sleep.  To date, I've seen people sleeping in the following places: The subway station, the subway, the hotel lobby bar, Starbucks, and at work.  Just a little nap.

BREAD AND CHEESECAKE - These two things are everywhere.  And I don't mean on a menu.  I mean entire stores dedicated to them.  There is a store called Bread, it's a chain, I've seen about 5 of them so far.  There's also an entire store in the mall that just sells cheesecake.  And there's a small booth in the subway station that sells it, and a place next to the froyo place that sells it. I asked a coworker today what is up with the cheesecake and he said they like the way it smells, so they opened up stores and the girls like to eat it.  What pisses me off is 99% of these girls are skinny. 

Last but not least, is the favorite thing about Asia in general…the lost in translation t-shirts, signs, posters.  I've seen a top that said "Be Kate Moss Now"  (um, ok?), "Pleasure before Business" (I like her style) and my favorite...Last night I passed a sweet looking woman, who had great hair, a pretty face, great body, and nice white pants.  This is what her t-shirt said:

Be Weird

Become a Witch

Stay Crazy

Don't Give a Fuck

I mean, not bad advice if you really think about it.  Oh, and I think there's a boom boom room massage parlor across from my hotel.  Cheers, y'all!

Oh PS.  Follow me on Instagram for pics... @thehillbillyhippie

Meltdown in Chinatown

Well if any of you had an over/under about when I'd have my first meltdown, if your guess was on day two, you win!! 

I stayed in Hong Kong my first night and had a blast. I reconnected with an old friend and made a new one, had lots of laughs, danced and drank Chinese beer. It was great!

The next day, I collected my bags and made the short trip across the border into China. It was surprisingly easy.  I took the MTR (subway) straight to the immigration center in Shenzhen.  Brilliant. 

This is where things begin to go south. 

Smartly, as I was traveling alone, I packed all my stuff into 2 suitcases and one cross body bag. However I packed for 3 months, so the bags were heavy. Walking and pulling these two suitcases behind me was a workout in itself. Once I cleared customs, I was told, my hotel would be in walking distance. This is true. It was approximately a half mile from the entrance to the station. I'd already been dragging these bags for a while and my hands were cramped, it was hot and I was walking at a snails pace when I was pulling the bags, and had switched to push them, which seemed to be faster but also very cumbersome. Regardless, it was the home stretch. I mean I could SEE the hotel for Christ sake. 

By the time I got to the street I was dripping with sweat, and I was actually telling myself how fucking great it was that I only had 2 bags. Imagine if I'd packed a third?? Oh my god I don't know what I'd have done. 

Then I notice the white fence that is all around the street. There is NO WAY TO CROSS THE STREET. How the fuck am I supposed to get to my hotel? I'm now rethinking the cabbie who insisted he drive me while simultaneously trying not to cry. 

I ask someone and he points to the underground and then points to the hotel. Great. I have to backtrack. So I'm REALLY fighting back tears now because not only do I have to drag these bags uphill (it was a slight grade, but it was hell) the elevator was out so I have to get them both down an escalator. 

Incredibly, I get down the escalator without incident. I start walking through the tunnel. At this point I'm cursing the entire Chinese race in my head and thinking how proud I am to live in a country where if anyone saw another person struggling the way I was, they'd offer to help. 

Finally, I see light, and know this battle is almost over. And then I see stairs. 2 sets of stairs. No escalator. You're fucking kidding me. There's not a chance in hell I could lug these two bags up a huge flight of stairs. I turn around and absolutely lose it. I'm just standing there crying in a tunnel, sweating, literally having no idea how I'm going to get to my hotel. If that's not a vision of pure beauty, I don't know what is. 

And then, my faith in humanity (and the Chinese race) is restored when a sweet man approaches me and speaks English, and tells me that I don't need to cry and he will help me. Bless his heart, he was not a large man, but he lugged that suitcase up those stairs and out of nowhere another nice man drug up the other one. 

By the time I thank them profusely and walk into the lobby of the hotel, I've stopped crying.  I realize that the lobby is a bit more run down than the pics on the website showed, but it was just the lobby, so I checked in and went up to my room.  I had reserved a non-smoking room.  It still boggles my mind that there are hotels in the world where smoking is ok on some floors, but that is another topic.  I walk in and the room smells musty and there is a hint of cigarette smoke.  The room is also much more run down than the pictures portrayed and it is also incredibly small.  Do note, that I am a freak about hotel research and I scour the internet reading reviews before I book anything.  I'd say my success rate in being satisfied with hotels by using this method is about 90%.  Well this hotel fell into that dreaded 10%.  So what do I do?  What any normal person would do, I immediately start crying again.  Go ahead and laugh, I'm laughing as I type this.

I sat there for about an hour feeling sorry for myself and then decided to go walk around the area and see what my surroundings were like.  To say it wasn't in the slightest what I had expected is an understatement.  I had been given plenty of feedback about Shenzhen from people who had been here, and I took it all with a grain of salt, but now I was thinking "holy shit, they were all right...what am I going to do??"

I get some dinner, shower and go to bed.  I needed sleep and had a big day on Monday.

Upon arriving at the MTR station where I was told to exit to get to the office, I realize that I do not have the address of the office in my possession.  Being that I'd had a rough day the day before, my emotions were on high and I was constantly on the verge of a meltdown.  Thankfully I called the mainline to the office and in describing where I was to the receptionist, I learned that I was in fact, right in front of the office.  Yay!

This is where things start to turn around.  

My coworkers are wonderful.  They took me to lunch and asked me where I was staying and how it was.  Their faces said it all when I told them the name and location of my hotel.  They all agreed that there is no way a female who is alone should be staying there and advised to switch immediately.  I spent the afternoon on the phone with another hotel in an area of town that they suggested, negotiated the same rate I had at the current hotel and made plans to arrive there that night.

I was nervous about checking out of the first hotel, and one of my coworkers volunteered to come with me, assist in my check out (he said I needed a local) and drive me to my new hotel.  Really?? SO NICE.

I still have no idea what he told them that made them not question my check out, but I really don't care.  My new hotel is wonderful and I feel like I'm living in a city vs. a 3rd world country.  I have walked around the last 2 nights and I feel incredibly safe.  I'm excited to explore the area and am once again confident in the decision I made to do this assignment.

My first 24 hours here were tough, but the next 48 have been great.  While it is still incredibly surreal that I am here until September, I'm looking forward to how the rest of the journey unfolds.  I've also downloaded a countdown app so I can quickly look to see how many days I have until I meet Kris in Shanghai.  36 in case any of you would like to countdown with me.

Cheers!

Big News!

On Friday afternoon, I'm hopping on a plane for Hong Kong and I'll be working in our Shenzhen, China office until September.  Yes, you read that right, September.  

I am a firm believer in putting the things you want out to the universe (and by the universe, I mean SAYING them out loud, and telling the people who have the power to help you get those things, what it is you want) and if they're meant to be, they have a higher chance of happening.

Last summer, I told my manager that I really wanted to do a rotation overseas.  He was supportive and put me in touch with some people, so I could get the word out that I was interested.  Shortly after, I was told that due to the costs associated with sending someone to work overseas, that it likely wouldn't happen in 2014.

I was told this in January.

In February, an opportunity came up where a person was needed to go work in Asia.  Guess who got asked if they wanted to do it?

So, Friday I will head out, with a full suitcase, an open mind, and a LOT of work to do once I am there.  Oddly, I'm not yet anxious or nervous, and while I normally am a huge procrastinator, I have everything I need, I just need to pack it.  Maybe I'm growing up?  

I'll be using this blog to stay in touch and share my adventures, thoughts and musings.  When I finally got this up and running, I envisioned writing a lot more than I have to date.  Like anything, if you want to get something done, you have to set aside the time to do it.  I'll be setting aside time to blog more once I land.

I also want to give a huge shout-out to my husband, Kris.  The question I have been asked the most when telling about this upcoming trip is "what about Kris"?  Kris is awesome.  Kris is 100% supportive.  Kris knows how much I want to do this and would never stand in my way, despite his sadness.  And he's going to miss me.  And I'm going to miss him.  And, yes he will visit, and that will be awesome.

Kris is also going to truly understand how much I do to keep our life in order around our house.

Am I a scared to be gone all summer?  Hell yes.  But that is why I knew I had to take this on.  Knowing that I am leaving has given me a huge sense of appreciation for all the little things in my life that I love, and for that I am thankful.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer, filled with adventure, family, friends and of course some ice-cold beers.  Cheers!