Chapter China: January 2015

The 'Peninsula' - a neighbourhood of condos close by.

One sunny day I went for a walkabout. I wandered into areas I hadn't been before. There is still plenty of exploring to do! I ended up going for a walk around 'Shekou Mountain' which is the little mountain you see in the second picture below. On the other side of the mountain from where I live, I reached the sea and the bridge and border crossing to Hong Kong.

Beautiful weather, trees, and flowering bushes along this path.

Shekou Mountain

I still have to pinch myself to believe I live in a climate where palm trees can grow.

Liveaboards

The bridge to Hong Kong

Another walking path, heading towards the 'Peninsula' residential area.

The roof of my building! Great place to bask in the sun, hang out laundry, and dry fish!

Inside my building. My apartment is the closest door on the right on the top floor.

The bright red mat three doors down on the right is my place.

Down below is a communal social area. People eat meals together here, play board games, etc.

Taking a break.

How a month went by since my last post I do not know. Where do I even begin? The past month has kept me occupied and to be honest, it is a bit of a blur. I would say the most eventful bit of news is that the job with EF English First finally came through. There was talk of my start date being pushed to February 4th, instead of January 7th, but on January 4th I got a call from EF saying my visa papers were ready and that I needed to go to Hong Kong on the morning of January 6th to apply for a 30-day resident visa, and re-enter China on January 7th with the other 13 teachers arriving from overseas. So with one days notice I organized myself for an overnight visa run to Hong Kong. On the morning of the 6th I woke up at 6:00 am and was in downtown Hong Kong at the visa office by 8:30am. That gives you an idea of how close I am to Hong Kong! To get there I took a taxi to 'Shenzhen Wan,' the bridge to Hong Kong just down the road from where I live, and the closest border crossing. I walked across the border and took a bus to the heart of Hong Kong where the visa office was. It was a very organized process. I joined the line of foreigners waiting for the office to open at 9 am. When the doors opened, they let about five of us in at a time. I took a number and was out of there within 15 minutes. Then I checked into my hotel, took a nap, and then went wandering about town. The next morning I went back to the visa office, picked up my Z visa, and hopped on the metro to China. As always, it felt great to be back in China. I actually got a bit homesick for the place while in Hong Kong for just one night! Across the border I took a taxi to the Holiday Inn where EF had a room booked for me, along with the other teachers. It seemed surreal to be in a Hong Kong hotel one night and the Holiday Inn in China the next.

The next day, January 8th, I walked to the EF Head Office, met the other teachers, and started orientation and training week. It was a tiring and sometimes trying week, but I made it through, and we have now all been allotted our positions at various EF schools throughout the city. Sunday was my first day at my school. The job starts with a couple weeks of observing other teachers, so they very gradually ease us into teaching, which I really appreciate. This is all such a different routine from how I have been living the past two and a half years - I haven't worked full time since leaving Kidzsmart in September 2012, and I have to admit that I am still a little gun shy. There have been days when I've just wanted to quit before the job even begins, but I'm sticking with it, taking one day at a time, and making sure that I'm always moving forward. I know that time will just naturally make it easier.