“No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.”
– Chuck Thompson
After a 2 hour flight to Dallas and a 15 hour flight to Beijing, I have arrived. The flight was pretty uncomfortable, being stuck in the middle the entire time and not getting any sleep. But surprisingly I showed up not tired at all. Going through security was quick and soon I found my China contact who got me a sim card and whisked me away to my hotel.
The next day I was taken for medical checks, which is customary for a work visa, and later on that day I was shown the school I would be teaching at in the Xicheng district and a few apartments to choose from, only a 15 minutes walk from school. The apartments are all pretty much the same layout. Some had a separate bedroom while others, like the one I chose, were more of a studio style apartment. Bathrooms are relatively small with your shower, washing machine, toilet, and sink all mushed together in this one space. There are no dryers, everything in hung dry. The kitchens are also pretty small with no ovens. Just a microwave and a stove.
The first week was filled with moving in and training at company headquarters in another district of Beijing. I learned how to navigate the subway and which bus to take to get me back home. Everyone I have met in training or at my school have been very welcoming and supportive. Whenever I look lost or like I don’t know what I’m doing, some random Chinese person helps me out even though we cannot communicate with each other through our language. There have been some minor bumps or inconveniences (like my VPN not working for 2 weeks), but overall it has been an interesting and positive beginning to my new life in China.
Stayed tuned for more updates and check out my photography page that I recently updated with photos from my trip to Washington D.C. in December.
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