Today begins our review of the last few weeks. I know I haven't written a meaningful blog in such a long time. I apologize. There will be several installments of my trip and things leading up to it. There is no way to tell all about Beijing in one sitting (one of my favorite terms, please don't attempt to eat this blog, its not healthy). Enough of this silliness;
Part One: Travel Planning – Chinese Style (adding a "Baby" after style seems fitting)
In America and everywhere else you want to plan vacations as far ahead as possible, months, sometimes years. I've told stories of how class has been canceled without me knowing, schedules being changed, and not knowing what grade I'm going to teach until I arrive at school. Well now imagine all of this when it comes to trying to plan a vacation. The Chinese do not get many breaks, no Christmas, no Easter, and no Thanksgiving. When you get a whole week off, you want to seize the carp, or diem, or day and go… far away from school. October 1st is National Day and most schools have an entire week off. Plus the weekend was the mid-autumn festival, making the week "Golden Week" (that’s slang for every Chinese person being on vacation). I had been told, Beijing takes a whole week to see, and now is the perfect time because the weather is best.
The four of us foreign teachers from the United States teach at 3 different schools, all with different schedules. I talked to everyone and had them ask their schools when exactly they had off, to make sure we got tickets so no one missed class. First news came back that Tabitha couldn't go, she would have to work, but that quickly changed and she had no school. Then we found out Bracha had to stay, she would be teaching 3 days, have 4 days off then teach 3 days then have another 4 days off. Now this was about Tuesday, about 4 days before we wanted to leave. We were left with the decision of what to do, miss out one of our very few chances to travel or… leave Bracha all by herself. I kept checking on prices and corresponding with a new friend in Hangzhou who had a travel agent. We had to know by Thursday, and get tickets or else no one was going, there would surely be no train tickets after that.
Bracha's supervisors met Wednesday and decided she could go. All four of us set for BEIJING!!! All we had to do now was get tickets.
Step #1: Get Bus Tickets from Wenling to Hangzhou
Wenling is a city of about 1.5 million, too small to have a train or a good airport. Once we get to Hangzhou it will be easy to take a nice sleeper train to Beijing. We need to get the bus tickets first in order to move to Step #2: Buy Train tickets from Hangzhou to Beijing.
After School on Wednesday, Rodrigo, my Brazilian friend helped me get bus tickets (and of course show me the best place to buy dumplings, unbelievable!!! And it’s another whole in the wall, would never find it on my own). We got tickets for early Saturday morning, that way we could get a train ticket anytime Saturday night or Sunday, and even have time to hang out with our friends in Hangzhou. I made sure to call everyone and make sure no one had to work on Saturday. And of course I had checked with one of my teachers, who told me, we were having a "Sports Meeting" Friday and Saturday, no need for me to come. All was going well.
Step #2: Get Train Tickets from Hangzhou to Beijing
One of our new friends in Hangzhou is teaching there for her second year. She has a travel agent she uses to do most of her trips. This trip would not have been possible without Cammie's help, Thank You! She contacted her travel agent to get us a train with a room with 4 soft beds and a 14 hour trip to Beijing. Things were going well… too well…
"James, can you run on the English department's 100 meter relay race? It is part of the "Sports Meeting," said one of his colleagues.
James replied, "Which day, Friday or Saturday?"
"Oh, Saturday. We need you because each division is to have 3 guys and 1 girl. You would be the 3rd guy. Ok, great."
"But… ah… umm…"
Always expect surprises while teaching in China. After talking to some other teachers and saying that I had already made plans they said it was totally fine. I still felt bad.
Finally, I got word back from Cammie and the travel agent… and remember things were going so well. No train tickets left, at all. So I asked about plane tickets… The travel agent made some calls. No plane tickets left. This I found to be quite odd, because I was doing a little research myself on the internet, and had found plane tickets from Hangzhou to Beijing for only a few hundred more Yuan than our train tickets ($20-$30 US). These plane tickets would also save us about… hmm… round trip… 24 hours of travel time. Sounds like a plan to me! I thanked the travel agent for her work, and went to the good ol' standard, booking online. After working out a few or many details about how to get the tickets delivered (thanks again to Cammie) and a booking a place to stay (thanks again to Cammie) we were set!!!
4 Bus Tickets: Wenling to Hangzhou
4 Plane Ticket: Hangzhou to Beijing
1 hostel/4 beds: 1 night in Beijing reserved for our 11:30 pm arrival
We even had time to visit Jackie and Cammie in Hangzhou and a full day to site see around the beautiful West Lake we had grown to love during our first week in China, because our plane didn't leave until Sunday at 9:30 pm.
On Friday, before the weekend, James and I both had off. We did some running around town and I took him to see my school. I arrived at school, and hung around to get some business done. Soon the afternoon session of the "Sports Meeting" or Track Meet began. Most of the students ran and long jumped and high jumped wearing their jeans and clothes they wore every day to school. No body stretched before their events. About an hour I again was asked to participate in the faculty relay race. I again said I had already made plans. Oh, but wait, the relay race is today! Some where, some how the day of the race had been changed from Saturday to Friday. I would surely not decline now! I would just have to be like the students and run in my nice tan Sketchers and Tom and Jerry T-Shirt. I tried to warm up and stretch as much as possible but the race snuck up on me. I was to be the final leg of or relay race. Most of you should be laughing right now, knowing how fast I am. It didn't matter how fast I was, I got the biggest cheer from all the students as I ran that last leg of the race for 4th place past the finish line. I was the foreign teacher. (The first three divisions were way out of reach by the time I got the baton, just to let you know.) We did not get last either, I was happy about that, even though it was all for fun, I was just fast enough. The race ended and the Meet was done for the day. My weekend had begun, and tomorrow we would leave for the beautiful city of Hangzhou, and then Beijing.
To be continued…
Part Duex: Hangzhou a city of beauty, Pizza Hut, and a whole ton of Tourists!!!!!
Part One: Travel Planning – Chinese Style (adding a "Baby" after style seems fitting)
In America and everywhere else you want to plan vacations as far ahead as possible, months, sometimes years. I've told stories of how class has been canceled without me knowing, schedules being changed, and not knowing what grade I'm going to teach until I arrive at school. Well now imagine all of this when it comes to trying to plan a vacation. The Chinese do not get many breaks, no Christmas, no Easter, and no Thanksgiving. When you get a whole week off, you want to seize the carp, or diem, or day and go… far away from school. October 1st is National Day and most schools have an entire week off. Plus the weekend was the mid-autumn festival, making the week "Golden Week" (that’s slang for every Chinese person being on vacation). I had been told, Beijing takes a whole week to see, and now is the perfect time because the weather is best.
The four of us foreign teachers from the United States teach at 3 different schools, all with different schedules. I talked to everyone and had them ask their schools when exactly they had off, to make sure we got tickets so no one missed class. First news came back that Tabitha couldn't go, she would have to work, but that quickly changed and she had no school. Then we found out Bracha had to stay, she would be teaching 3 days, have 4 days off then teach 3 days then have another 4 days off. Now this was about Tuesday, about 4 days before we wanted to leave. We were left with the decision of what to do, miss out one of our very few chances to travel or… leave Bracha all by herself. I kept checking on prices and corresponding with a new friend in Hangzhou who had a travel agent. We had to know by Thursday, and get tickets or else no one was going, there would surely be no train tickets after that.
Bracha's supervisors met Wednesday and decided she could go. All four of us set for BEIJING!!! All we had to do now was get tickets.
Step #1: Get Bus Tickets from Wenling to Hangzhou
Wenling is a city of about 1.5 million, too small to have a train or a good airport. Once we get to Hangzhou it will be easy to take a nice sleeper train to Beijing. We need to get the bus tickets first in order to move to Step #2: Buy Train tickets from Hangzhou to Beijing.
After School on Wednesday, Rodrigo, my Brazilian friend helped me get bus tickets (and of course show me the best place to buy dumplings, unbelievable!!! And it’s another whole in the wall, would never find it on my own). We got tickets for early Saturday morning, that way we could get a train ticket anytime Saturday night or Sunday, and even have time to hang out with our friends in Hangzhou. I made sure to call everyone and make sure no one had to work on Saturday. And of course I had checked with one of my teachers, who told me, we were having a "Sports Meeting" Friday and Saturday, no need for me to come. All was going well.
Step #2: Get Train Tickets from Hangzhou to Beijing
One of our new friends in Hangzhou is teaching there for her second year. She has a travel agent she uses to do most of her trips. This trip would not have been possible without Cammie's help, Thank You! She contacted her travel agent to get us a train with a room with 4 soft beds and a 14 hour trip to Beijing. Things were going well… too well…
"James, can you run on the English department's 100 meter relay race? It is part of the "Sports Meeting," said one of his colleagues.
James replied, "Which day, Friday or Saturday?"
"Oh, Saturday. We need you because each division is to have 3 guys and 1 girl. You would be the 3rd guy. Ok, great."
"But… ah… umm…"
Always expect surprises while teaching in China. After talking to some other teachers and saying that I had already made plans they said it was totally fine. I still felt bad.
Finally, I got word back from Cammie and the travel agent… and remember things were going so well. No train tickets left, at all. So I asked about plane tickets… The travel agent made some calls. No plane tickets left. This I found to be quite odd, because I was doing a little research myself on the internet, and had found plane tickets from Hangzhou to Beijing for only a few hundred more Yuan than our train tickets ($20-$30 US). These plane tickets would also save us about… hmm… round trip… 24 hours of travel time. Sounds like a plan to me! I thanked the travel agent for her work, and went to the good ol' standard, booking online. After working out a few or many details about how to get the tickets delivered (thanks again to Cammie) and a booking a place to stay (thanks again to Cammie) we were set!!!
4 Bus Tickets: Wenling to Hangzhou
4 Plane Ticket: Hangzhou to Beijing
1 hostel/4 beds: 1 night in Beijing reserved for our 11:30 pm arrival
We even had time to visit Jackie and Cammie in Hangzhou and a full day to site see around the beautiful West Lake we had grown to love during our first week in China, because our plane didn't leave until Sunday at 9:30 pm.
On Friday, before the weekend, James and I both had off. We did some running around town and I took him to see my school. I arrived at school, and hung around to get some business done. Soon the afternoon session of the "Sports Meeting" or Track Meet began. Most of the students ran and long jumped and high jumped wearing their jeans and clothes they wore every day to school. No body stretched before their events. About an hour I again was asked to participate in the faculty relay race. I again said I had already made plans. Oh, but wait, the relay race is today! Some where, some how the day of the race had been changed from Saturday to Friday. I would surely not decline now! I would just have to be like the students and run in my nice tan Sketchers and Tom and Jerry T-Shirt. I tried to warm up and stretch as much as possible but the race snuck up on me. I was to be the final leg of or relay race. Most of you should be laughing right now, knowing how fast I am. It didn't matter how fast I was, I got the biggest cheer from all the students as I ran that last leg of the race for 4th place past the finish line. I was the foreign teacher. (The first three divisions were way out of reach by the time I got the baton, just to let you know.) We did not get last either, I was happy about that, even though it was all for fun, I was just fast enough. The race ended and the Meet was done for the day. My weekend had begun, and tomorrow we would leave for the beautiful city of Hangzhou, and then Beijing.
To be continued…
Part Duex: Hangzhou a city of beauty, Pizza Hut, and a whole ton of Tourists!!!!!
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