It was a cold and bright morning on September 8th, 2010. Michigan was in fall-mode, and I can still remember the sound of leaves crunching under my feet as we walked to the van. I didn't know that day what I was getting into, but I was excited about my prospects. Driving to the airport was a  blur, it seemed like the hour long trip lasted all of two minutes, and I spent every second of it drinking in the scenery, the trees, neighborhoods with houses and lawns, the blue sky, lakes glowing in the morning sun. I knew that after I stepped onto that plane, I would be leaving all of this behind for a while. I can only recall scenes from the airport, they flicker in the back of my mind like a broken flashlight, quick and tearful goodbyes followed by a lengthy security check, and finally settling in for the 15 hour flight...

15 hours later, with no sleep and white knuckles from gripping the armrest so tightly, I stumbled off the plane in Beijing. A quick walk through the airport lead me to the exit, where we were greeted by our employers. I looked at Brad, and realized that he was the only person I knew for thousands of miles. Swallowing this fact, I stepped outside. The air was just as I remembered it from my study abroad trip the year before, heavy. With each breath I took I felt like I was only getting a fraction of the air that I needed. It was stifling hot, the haze so low to the ground that the buildings appeared to be quivering in the distance. Our employers informed us that our new school was a 4 hour drive from the capital, and we proceeded to hunt for our their small VW sedan in the labyrinthine parking garage. When we found the car, they realized that they had miscalculated the appropriate transport. 2 tall Americans + the maximum allowed luggage weight and number of pieces = too small for a compact. We made it work- the trunk held one of our 50 lb. suitcases, and the other three packed into the backseat with us. The guide was kind enough to take our carry on bags (also almost 50 lbs. each) in the front seat with her. After we started the drive, I fell asleep on my companions shoulder, and saw no more...

Until 5 hours later when (after being stuck in horrible traffic, or so I was told) we were rolling in to our new city. Shijiazhuang was nothing like Beijing, no history to speak of, a fraction of the air quality, and none of the beauty. This quaint little city of 7 million was where we'd be living for the next year. The sun fell below the horizon just as were entering the city proper, and by the time we reached the school, it was dark (as dark as possible in a city that suffers from extreme light pollution). The car pulled into the gate, and drove up to the front of a large building. One light out of our line of vision was on inside, flickering threateningly like those in a haunted house. We untangled ourselves from our luggage and the VW and proceeded up the steps. Our guide led us to the elevator (the source of the flickering light) and pushed the #4 button. My stomach dropped as we started to rise...

The 4th floor hallway was similar to the entrance, dark and slightly creepy. Ever since I played Silent Hill, deserted schools always make me uneasy, I'm just waiting for the little kiddies to come gnaw off my kneecaps... But to my relief, no hungry children came looking for me, and I was lucky enough to be shown my room first. The apartment was much bigger than I expected, and I was thankful for that. I dropped my things and jumped across the hall to Brad's room. Our guide made sure we were satisfied with the rooms before telling us the scoop. At the end of her speech, we realized that out of our two apartments, we could make a single functioning one.  One shower didn't work, one of the gas lines was leaky and might blow up if we try to cook with it, one of the air conditioners had been turning itself on and off recently without warning. After giving us these little gems of information, we were left to unpack and rest up and think about surviving here for a year...



(I realize now that this story could go on forever seeing as how I'm still in China, in a different city. After reading this, it sounds like a horror movie, but it's actually been one of the best years of my life. I hope this doesn't turn anyone off to teaching abroad, I just thought that I thought I'd share this part with you today because it is so unique, and a traveler probably would have some stories like this. If you'd like to hear more, I'd be happy to write, just let me know.)


-Stacey