Jeanie's Experience in China
(by Jeanie, Australia)
Jeanie is a lovely, openminded lady from Australia. She tells a story about her life and travel experience in China. She taught English in a private school and has a very close relationship with Chinese of various ages. Now, she is running a tour website that aimming at helping people to arrange their tour to Yangshuo where one can experience Chinese lifestyle and culture while enjoying the beauty of China. Her website is: http://tourwithjeanie.com.
＊Travel is very safe and I have never had a problem even though I do not speak Chinese. At times of frustration and difficult communication, someone always materializes to help me out.
＊When I arrived at Shanghai railway station I was stunned at the huge sea of black heads, not inside, but all outside, some with live chickens too. I could not believe my eyes.
Safety Belt--Welcome--Dinner with no Desert
I arrived in China with no expectations except that I had a job to go to. My first horrifying experience happened very quickly as I was being driven the 2 hours from Shanghai to Zhangjiagang. As we left the city limits the driver and passenger took off their safety belts. "What are you doing?" I cried, horrified. "We don't have to wear them once we leave the city limits" they answered. I responded with, "What, are you crazy?" Then I watched with horror as many people performed suicidal acts along the highway. I gasped from one to the next as I saw people put themselves in dangerous situations. I responded so badly that during the following year that I was at that school, the driver told everyone about my reaction whenever we were driving somewhere together. It didn't matter that he spoke no English, he had good body language.
When we arrived at the school, we drove around the huge campus to a building where I was greeted by the deputy principal who spoke perfect English. She reassured me as I gasped, watching my bags being driven away in the car we had just arrived in. “Come with me,” …up 5 floors...pant pant…I was not fit; into a room where I was warmly greeted by the headmaster and 3 local business men that he happened to be entertaining. I had not washed, combed my hair or anything for over 20 hours; no matter, its dinner time. We sat down to a big banquet meal. I was joined by other foreign staff and a Chinese teacher whose job was to look after the foreign teachers. First I suffered the embarrassment of not being able to eat with chopsticks, amazingly they found a fork. My Chinese aid helped me make eating decisions, she was used to this. It was mostly a mystery to me. Food was finished, then much to my amazement everyone stood up together and we left the room. Where was my after dinner chat and coffee, or desert?
Alone--Lost--Help
One of my cases had gotten lost by the Airline along the way so it was with complete surprise that 3 days later I found it returned and in my room. I love investigating new environments, so I was in my element. The two young girls who were sharing an apartment with me, left 4 days after my arrival to go on holiday. They left me notes and instructions. The first evening on my own, I went to the supermarket they had shown me, so I could browse by myself. Catching a bus there was easy, but I knew the bus would stop running before I had finished shopping. The minute I stood before a taxi to go home I remembered that I had left my notes at home. "Where did I live?" No idea! I could not even point in the general direction. Within two seconds, so it seemed, there was a crowd around me, all trying to be helpful. I did know that I lived in a complex opposite the East hotel so I was using that as a landmark. Paper was offered by one man and a pen from another. What was I supposed to do with that? (a long time later I discovered that people do not always understand each other, but they can all read the same script) Eventually someone in the crowd, that seemed to increase by the minute, understood the word hotel so the taxi driver bundled me into his car and off we went. He drove to the most expensive hotel in town. Oh no, I thought. But as we pulled up, a foreign women walked out and I asked her if she could help me, "Of course, I speak Mandarin." When the taxi driver and I finally arrived at my complex we both laughed!
The Holiday--Travelled by Myself--Keep Calling--Shanghai to Hainan--Plane or Train
About 6 weeks after I arrived in China it was Spring Festival. The school management decided that I would be so bored; they insisted that I take a holiday. I was not so eager, as I was sure I could not possibly be bored. Just days before I was to leave on my holiday, they gave me brochures about a trip to Hainan Island. I looked at the beach photos and said "No, I live near the best beaches in the world, why would I want to see Chinese beaches?” This created a stir which I could not understand. I later discovered that the trip involved flying both there and back, and they considered this to be a safe way for me to travel. Right up till the last day the trip was still being organized, something I found very strange. The destination meant nothing to me, and the trip was to last for 5 days. I was to travel by train then fly back. Everyone went into worry mode, calling me everyday, even the headmaster had his say. The lovely young man at the travel shop was helpful, but also joined the worry brigade. He sent one of the staff to accompany me to the train. When I arrived at Shanghai railway station I was stunned at the huge sea of black heads, not inside, but all outside, some with live chickens too. I could not believe my eyes.
I was taken straight to a private office where lots of talking began. I could see-- worry worry worry. Eventually I was given the phone to speak to an English speaker:
"They have the wrong destination on the ticket."
"Is it before or after my destination?"
"After."
"So what is the problem, surely I can get off OK. "
Worry worry worry, we went out for lunch and returned two hours later, again-- talk talk talk...worry worry worry, eventually the phone was given to me to speak to another English speaker.
"The train arrives at 3am, what if there is no one to meet you?"
"I will wait OK, no problem!"
The girl from the travel shop accompanied me onto the train, spoke to the staff and got me settled in before leaving. I was happy to see her go!
The train trip went without a hitch though the tour guide at my destination seemed very anxious that I should not leave her sight. I later discovered that the young man at the travel agency had called her and told her to take special care of me.
The evening before my return, the tour guide told me I would be going back by train. I told her, "No I am supposed to be going by plane." Actually, I was very happy with this news as trains are so much more interesting than planes. She insisted I was going by train and met me as arranged the next morning. I did not have a cell phone so I had to ask her to call my school to tell them I would be a day later than planned. It took sometime for the school to answer her calls. By this time we were sitting in a 4-star hotel foyer adjacent to the railway station. Outside, thousands of people waited their turn to get into the station.
At the required time my guide took me to the front of the line (I felt very embarrassed) and into the waiting room. We were half way up the line to get on the train when her phone rang. "You have to return by plane." my guide said. I was peeved. There was nothing I could do, but return to my hotel to wait till the next morning to be taken to the airport. My hotel was on the outskirts of town, so going for a walk from it was not at all interesting. The guide told me not to leave it at all.
Since this experience I have always travelled by myself, making arrangements as I go. Travel is very safe and I have never had a problem even though I do not speak Chinese. At times of frustration and difficult communication, someone always materializes to help me out.
