Snow

It’s November 14, 2007 and I’m in Shenyang, China. I looked out of my window at work and its snowing. I’m the only one in the office that’s excited. No one else even glances out of the window. I smile and stare outside at the little snow flakes. It’s freezing in my office, but for now, I don’t mind because the snow is new and exciting for me.

Yesterday, I complained about my TV and my wobbly dining room table to my mobility coordinator at work. In the evening, my landlord called me. My landlord is responsible for furnishing my apartment, and the fate of my comfort lies in his hands. He told me that he couldn’t afford a new TV, but that he and his wife could take me out around the city to make up for it. He wanted to take me out today to a comedy show by one of the most famous comedians in China: Zhao Ben San, who is from Shenyang. But at the end of the phone conversation, he asked that I not tell my mobility coordinator about our conversation.

After thinking it through, I called him back today and told him that I couldn’t go. I’m confused by the interactions here. What does it mean for my landlord to call me and ask me not to tell my mobility coordinator? And there’s a very slim chance that he doesn't have the money for a TV, because he owns several flats in the nicest area in Shenyang, when most families cannot even afford one normal flat. Furthermore, he has his own car, property in Shanghai, and just had his second child, which you have to pay an arm and leg for in China because of the one-child policy. My conclusion: he’s trying to buy me out so he doesn’t have to buy a new TV. I don’t think an expat who doesn’t speak Chinese would have encountered something like this. However, I am a young girl who happens to speak Chinese who has the unfortunate luck of renting from a cheap landlord, and I’m stuck because I can’t switch landlords.

The cool thing about living in my apartment is that I can have groceries delivered to me. No not just pizza, groceries! The cost of services is so low here. I can have nearly anything my heart desires brought to my door for free. I have a doorman downstairs that calls me to ask me if he can let strangers up. Sometimes he tells me, “theres’s a lao wai here wanting to see you.” “Lao wai” literally means old outsider. It's a common Chinese term for foreigners, which can be used in an endearing or hateful manner. Usually it's the prior and not the latter. I’m also not used to the lack of tipping. There is no tipping here: not for hairdressers, bartenders, taxi drivers, restaurant servers, people who bring you TVs, groceries, and everything else you can imagine.

The public restrooms, a.k.a. holes in the ground, also take some getting used to. I seem to have a mental block that prevents me from adapting to this style of restroom. Me and these restrooms go way back. During previous visits to Shanghai or Beijing, I drastically reduced the amount of water I drank while in public places, and I successfully avoided the use of these dark, dank and smelly holes for weeks at a time. For the last two weeks, Project Dehydration has been in full effect. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is sustainable for 2 more years, particularly at work where I am for 10 hours a day. How I envy the opposite gender in this department. I will, however, keep you updated on PD’s progress.

I can't see my own blog

I was overwhelmed by the response to the start of this blog. I received so many emails of support and shared sentiments that I am really encouraged. Thank you all for being here for me.

The bad news is, while you can see my blog, I can't. I discovered this yesterday. At first I thought it was just my connection. But after further investigation I discovered that I simply can't get into anything with a *.blogspot.com page. I've heard about the Great Chinese Firewall; I just didn't expect to be impacted by it so soon. Here's a related article. http://www.danwei.org/net_nanny_follies/blogspot_blocked_again_after_1.php

So now you are officially reading material that the Chinese are not allowed to read, unless they have a proxy server and know how to get around the system. Some other main websites that are blocked in China include myspace, youtube, wikipedia, various news sources and almost any page having to do with a proxy server. A proxy server is a server that allows you to disguise your IP address and go around the Chinese firewalls in many cases.

Interestingly enough, to edit or create a blog, the web address is under blogger.com, which is a different server that is not yet blocked, so I am still able to add information. I just can't see the blog or any related comments once it is posted. So I will continue to post.

Also, I found an article that is pretty relevant to the issues described in my previous posts. http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1461208,00.html#article_continue

Lastly, I also wanted to share some pictures of my apartment with all of you. Enjoy and have a good weekend!

From the entryway...

My living room...

One of the bedrooms
The kitchen...


The balcony...

Day 1

Let's start with day -3, a few days before I left the states.


I had the fortune of acquiring a fever, sore thoat, and all other symptoms that come along with the season.

Day -2, I went to the doctors and he gave me 2 shots which where PAINFUL! That's why I hated them so much when I was little - 1 for steroids and another for antibiotics. Then I got a z-pack. The shots in my bum ended up setting off the metal detector at the airport.


Day 0 - A 26 hour trip from Huntsville, AL to Atlanta, GA, to Seoul, Korea, to Shenyang China. Did not sleep a wink.


In Korea, I opened the card that Anna P. told me not to open until I was on the plane, and the card screamed, "Congratulations!" "Do more of the good stuff, give me the good stuff, yeah do more of it..." Hahaha. I'm going to miss my trusty co-workers. Count on them to embarass me and surprise me at the same time.


The Seoul airport is like a massive for story high-end shopping on that happens to have gates and terminals and planes on the side. I was overwhelmed in Seoul by the stores - Gucci, Fendi, LV, Prada, Hermes, and all the stores were packed with people. I went upstairs to the lounge area to take a nap.


A few new co-workers came to pick me up in Shenyang, including my boss, whose name is Chen Chao and has worked for Michelin for 10 years. He's an easy-going and driven guy. Two girls from the mobility group walked me up the stairs to my apartment, which is on the 12th floor. I have a 2 bedroom with a few of the city on a balcony. I pick one of the rooms as my bedroom - the smaller but quiter one. I tried to call home, but I found out later that my landline was down because the person that was supposed to arrange the phone connection had a baby on the day of my arrival. I tried to sleep but couldn't the first night, so I spent the night unpacking and reading, and thinking about my family and friends. I miss everyone so much. I guess its natural to feel alone when you're in a new place by yourself.


I walked around in the morning by myself. I waited outside for Sophie from the Mobility group to pick me up. While I'm waiting, I see someone walking a dog and a think of Savannah, then watch as Japanese women board a shuttle to take them on a regular day of golfing, and a near car accident, all within 10 minutes in front of my apartment. Sophie takes me around to show me the city, buy me medicine, feed me lunch, give my my new cell phone, and a cash advance on my salary. What a saint. We then went to work and I met the plant manager, the project managers, and the IE teams, and took a brief tour around the facility. My three week training program officially starts Monday.



A few sights I saw:

A flatbed truck with a bed of dead chickens with their feathers still in tact.

Some ridiculously rich neighbors with nice cars.