Taxi Ride to Sun City Apartments in Beijing

The gentleman driving me from the airport spoke no English, but I was able to phone my landlord and she was able to give him directions. If I wasn't awake at the time that I entered my taxi, I sure was from the moment he began driving. I knew that I was in for an exciting experience. This driver was clearly experienced and knew how to "drive". I felt as though I was watching a car chase in a movie. He wove his way in and out of traffic with pinpoint accuracy. It was both thrilling and a little nerve-racking, but at no point did I ever feel that my life was in danger. He taught me that pedestrians definitely didn't have the right of way. It doesn't even matter if the walk sign says, "walk". It really means, "Walk at your own risk."

I'm Finally Here

This is the first time that I've had access to internet. I'm in China safely and borrowed someone's connection. Everything has been going smoothly. My roommate arrives tonight and as soon as we set it up, I'll be able to post more then.

My air travel when off without a hitch. If anyone is planning on traveling internationally, it would definitely recommend flying Japan Airlines. I had 3 fabulous meals and two snack times. The meals included salad, entree, bread, and desert. I was so overjoyed when they served a big Nestle's ice cream sandwich for a snack. It brought me back to good memories from childhood. On my way to Japan, I was able to sit in a window seat with nobody next to me. The gentlemen on the aisle seat had never traveled internationally and couldn't believe the service.

The new Beijing International Airport is an architectural wonder. It was enormous, beautiful, and clean. I had no problem with customs and baggage as we were the only flight that had come in so late. I soon found out that several of the airport volunteers really couldn't help as they didn't know English. It is quite a challenge trying to communicate with the Chinese. They couldn't even tell me where the ATM machine was. Luckily I was able to find it so that I could pay my taxi fare.

Friends for Life

I am so blessed to have you as a friend. Whether you have known me for over 35 years or only a few months, I consider you a friend for life.  You are part of a circle that I call family. I love ya! I can never say it too much. I love ya!

I've been having such a good time meeting with friends who have wished me safe passage, bought me goodies for the trip, taken me to lunch or dinner, given me great advice, and  some spending money for the trip. You will all be in my heart. I'll be thinking about you as I travel and attempt to share with you my adventures through this blog. I will be keeping it rated G for the benefit of my students and those who may be offended by strong language. 

I will be leaving in three days. Can you believe it?! Thanks for your love and support. (Gosh is this sounding mushy or what! But who cares.) Your friendship and our experiences together weave the amazing tapestry I call, "My Life."

"Face your fears Ms. Illa."

I once had a student named Danielle who said to me, "Face your fears Ms. Illa." This statement comes to the forefront of my thoughts whenever I get nervous and scared to do something that goes beyond my comfort zone. Traveling by myself internationally in a country with such a different culture, is one of those trying times. Even though I am thrilled and excited to be going to the Olympics in Beijing, I am not quite sure that everything will go off without a hitch. (I hate that voice of doubt.) This will be the very first time I will be going it alone. (My brothers would call me weak, but I have to prove them wrong.) It's one thing to go into unknown territory, but it's quite another to travel by myself  to a destination in which the language is totally incomprehensible. I'm thankful for my colleagues at the USOC who I could call if I was in a real jam.

I can really relate to my immigrant students who step foot in my classroom knowing little or no English. I tell them that they are brave and I try to reassure them that they can trust me. I'll have to put my money where my mouth is and suck it up. My students inspire me to be courageous when I have to go through seemingly difficult situations. I will be thinking a lot about them. Their bravery will give me strength.

I think that I've done everything in my power to ensure that I get to the apartment safely. What scares me is that I have to rely on strangers to help me. Thank goodness for them though. Without them I would be totally freaking out. I have all of the addresses in Chinese characters on bright pink card stock that has been laminated, hoping that the person translating it didn't make a mistake. I was told to show this card to a taxi driver and they would be able to get them there. I hope that my driver can understand some English otherwise, it's going to be a long 20 or so minutes. Can you believe that I have never been in a cab by myself, let alone at night. I am supposed to arrive at 9:05 pm  on Aug. 29.(Remember China is a day ahead of CA) After immigration and a long wait for a taxi, I may not get in until about 11pm. Yikes! All I know is that I won't be able to relax until I get into my apartment where I will meet the owner for the first time. I keep telling myself that I have to have faith. I wish that I was arriving during the day. 

Now that I've thoroughly freaked some of  you out, I intend to make a posting ASAP and I will call my sister when I'm safe in my apartment. Did you know that I could be  such a nervous wreck. I hide my fears quite well. 

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt

Housing

Finding a place to stay was a challenge to say the least. When I first agreed to volunteer I knew that it was my responsibility to secure a flight as well as a place to stay. Normally I could rely on my sister planning the trip, but China was unknown territory.  Finding a reasonably priced place would take a lot of time to research . Teaching a 4/5 combination class this year took all of my energy, so I couldn't bring myself to do the leg-work. I took what I thought was the easy way out. 

Originally I had planned on staying at the Beijing Normal University Dorms because of several reasons: (1) It is going to be the high performance training center for the US Team, (2) $130/night included meals, (3) High security, (4) 2 in a room, and (5) Access to training facilities. Things changed quickly and the price became $175/night with 3 people to a room. I remember how crowded San Jose State Dorms were with 2 people sharing, so I went for another option. Housing at the US Olympic Committee's (USOC) Headquarters, Beijing Hilton. It is a really nice place, with an even "nicer" price of $6,000 for the month and no meals were included. YIKES! I thought for sure that I was going to have to live like a pauper all next year.

You might think that I was crazy to even contemplate staying in such an expensive place, but I didn't know where to begin looking for a place in a foreign country that I had never been too, in a city as big as Beijing,  and in a country I couldn't read the language. It was a risk I wasn't willing to take, so I decided to stay where I knew I could survive. I still don't have a good grasp of the money exchange rate. It's frustrating. :-(

I will be sharing my housing with Melissa. This is her first time to travel internationally. She will be volunteering and working the same 7pm-1am shift that I have at the USA House. I have only emailed and spoken to on the phone. $6,000 was not what we had anticipated. Fortunately she happened to meet a couple in Colorado Springs, CO who  helped get us connected with Dan, a business consultant for the USOC. He was a LIFESAVER! Dan was responsible for securing their apartment. Timing is everything. As Dan was picking up the keys to their apartment, he bumped into a friend, Angela, in the same complex. She told him that her apartment would be available in Aug. because she was going to need a larger one. As luck would have it, we were able to rent her place. It gave me peace of mind to know that Dan had also lived in this complex.

The apartment has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, air conditioning (a must), it's fully furnished, all appliances including a washing machine, kitchen, security guards, TV, internet access, and a land phone line for $3,500.  I just wired my share of the rent, $1,849. I couldn't believe our good fortune. Melissa and I are so relieved. Who knew that we could find a really nice apartment that is walking distance from the USA House for an affordable price at the very last minute. Funny how things just sometimes fall into place. What a load off of my mind. :-)

Welcome!

Aloha Everyone,

As many of you already know, I have been very busy getting my classroom ready for the first day of school. I leave for the Beijing Olympics a week from today and will be returning the day before school starts. I'll be taking the first day of school off in order to get readjusted to Pacific Time and life back in the states. 

I spent the day doing errands and doing lunch with friends before I leave on this once in a lifetime adventure. Yesterday with the help of my sister, I had a bon voyage barbecue/pool party. It was terrific spending time with everyone. I feel so blessed to have such supportive friends and family. The food was delicious!!!!

I'm hoping to be able to post an entry at least every other day. Let's see if this low-tech person can do this. It's worth a try.

Take care.

Peace, Arlene:-)