Hello from Langfang!
Brad and I have returned from our escapades around the Chinese country to our little apartment in Langfang. It is hard to believe that it has only been a week since we left! Here is the summary of our adventures in traveling:
Saturday
Newt, Shannon, and I taught classes on Saturday morning to make up for the National Holiday. We took a taxi to the bus station, where we found our bus was a half hour late. After boarding our bus, we waited another half hour to leave the bus station. The bus was terrible: trash covered the floors, Brad could not fit his knees into our seat, all of the upholstery was filthy, and the overhead spaces were too narrow for any bags, so the aisle was full of our baggage. It was 4.5 hours of claustrophobia at its worst. On the way our bus driver made extra money by picking up 7 additional passengers who sat in the aisle on stools, including one hitchhiker. Along the way we drove by a truck packed with dogs (including one german shepherd) ready to be menu items for a Korean restaurant. We arrived in Qinhuangdao (Ching-wan-dow) in time for a late dinner before Brad and I headed over to our cushy hotel across the street. We were thrilled to have TV and working lights. Our bathroom had a toilet with water, toilet paper, soap, and a bathtub. It was the first TV, toilet with water, and bathtub we’d seen in a month!
Sunday
After a good night’s sleep, we tried the hotel breakfast, where we only found the Chinese “mantou” (fried bread) to be appealing. So we joined the others for french toast and eggs. We spent the morning meeting with Newt’s five other teachers (Ian, Megan, Mark, Andy, and Shana), and the many other ELT Edge teachers from Qinhuangdao. It was a wonderful time of sharing and laughing and loving on one another. It felt so good to be with so many other Americans after so long! After a large Chinese lunch out together, we came back to the school for the afternoon. Brad played basketball with the boys, Megan made granola, and Shannon and I went out for a stroll around the campus. In the evening, we went to a European-style coffee shop for chocolate ice cream, where we watched the Women’s World Cup Game (Germany vs. Brazil) on television.
Monday
For breakfast we ate Mueslix and Megan’s granola, then bummed around for the morning. We boarded a bus, and halfway across town, we were in our first traffic accident in China. I directed Brad’s attention to a motorcylcist who rode right in front of the bus without even looking up at it. The bus hit the motorcyclist, and luckily our group was all seated. Everyone in the aisle flew forward onto the floor, and I received a goose egg on the back of my head from someone else’s head hitting mine as they fell. One girl got up gripping her ribs. She and her friend got off the bus, and with the motorcylcist, they walked to the nearest hospital. Eventually we got moving again and made it to our destination. For lunch we went to a pizza restaurant for our first pizza in a month! Brad and I shared a Hawaiian pizza, and also had malted tea drinks. Then we walked around the outdoor markets, stopping in the Adidas stores to look for running shoes for Brad. Dinner was late, but the Qinhuangdao group made us a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan, spaghetti, and watermelon. Afterward we again gathered to share thanks and requests. It was a great time of bonding, and it was sad to see it come to an end.
Tuesday
Tuesday was another travel day. We were up early in the morning, boarding a bus to Beijing. This bus was much nicer, with ample room for legs, clean upholstery, and no trash. They even showed Chinese movies during the trip! In Beijing we were awed by all of the skyscrapers and many American venues. We dropped off our bags at Tony and Lily’s apartment, and then headed for Tiananmen Square. We got to see the brand new National Theatre (a giant egg in a man-made lake), the entrance to the Forbidden City, and thousands of people in the capital for the holiday. The Square was beautiful, and covered with flower sculptures celebrating National Day. After taking a lot of photos, we went to dinner in an authentic tea house, complete with live music and shadow puppets! George Bush Sr. actually ate there during his presidency!
Wednesday
The boys (Newt, Brad) slept at Peter’s apartment, and the girls (Shannon, me) slept at Tony and Lily’s apartment. Lily cooked eggs for breakfast, and then we headed out to the Temple of Heaven. It was beautiful! The inner temple is surrounded by vast gardens (lots of roses!), perfectly designed forests, and pavilions. Brad and I went into the inner temple area alone (the others had already seen it), and loved the architecture, painting, history, temples, walls, and altars. I grew dehydrated and fatigued from the sun, so I drank lots of water and orange juice with lunch at a lovely little bakery. After lunch we went to the Pearl Market, where Brad and I purchased 2 winter coats (Colombia $40 and North Face $26), 2 pairs of shoes (Puma $20), and 2 intermal frame hiking backpacks ($13 each). The Pearl Market is INSANE to say the least. Everywhere you go you are pursued by aggressive sellers calling “Lady, Lady, Lady!” Then you have to barter for EVERYTHING. The sellers start very high, and the buyers start very low. And the sellers DO NOT want you to walk away. I had to peel one lady’s fingers from my arm repeatedly because she would not let me leave her booth. The Pearl Market is not for the faint of heart, but you can get things for dirt cheap if you’re willing to argue for them. Afterward we went to dinner at a Chinese place near Tony and Lily’s. After dinner, the boys left for Peter’s, and the girls stayed up late sharing our love stories and encouraging one another in our relationships with our men.
Thursday
Thursday was our final travel day. We met up with the boys, and Lily made us a spaghetti breakfast. We spent the morning looking into Cellphones and visiting a bookstore. We’ve decided to hold off on a cellphone for now, because the prices in Beijing were too expensive. We ate lunch at a bakery, and then took the train home to Langfang. The train was about as insane as the first bus! We took the cheapest “hard seat” train, and it was obvious when we got on. There was trash everywhere, and we had to ask people to get out of our seats. Apparently there is no limit to the number of tickets sold for hard seat cars. The aisles were jam-packed with people standing for the entire one hour trip home. They kept bumping and pushing, and no one respects personal space or stands in a line of any sort. We were told that a girl from Qinhuangdao rode to Shanghai in this manner, standing on one foot for the entire 13 hour journey. I was glad we had seats! It really makes me miss American transportation systems. I slept the whole way though, so I barely noticed the passage of time.
So now it’s the weekend, and we have been recovering. We’re back to washing clothes, mopping the floor, checking the Internet, eating with kids, playing games with kids, and grocery shopping. Things should be pretty routine for the next couple of months. I hope you are all doing well. We think of you often, and love hearing from each of you.
Love,
Jess and Brad
