Customs was simple -- it was the first time in my life traveling internationally when the customs agent didn't ask me a single question. But I noticed, on my way to the baggage claim, that something was off.
The carpet was wrinkled. It was wrinkled in some way the entire run of the terminal. Something had gone wrong somewhere in interior decorating process. Somebody had dotted their i's, but perhaps not crossed their t's.
Otherwise, things were pretty normal. But let this act as a sort of foreshadowing of China in general.
I grabbed my bag and strolled out of the airport into the sweltering heat. I met the staff member picking me up, and we jumped into a waiting DiDi she'd ordered (a Chinese form of Uber). Surprisingly, it was a Mercedes-Benz SUV. Even more surprising were the pillows waiting for us in the back:
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| And on the dashboard, an array of miniature Iron Men. |
The food was absolutely delicious, and fun to cook ourselves in the boiling soup stock. But when I reached for a lettuce leaf to eat, the teacher who'd brought me swatted my hand away. "Don't eat anything uncooked in China!" she warned me. I listened!
For dessert, I got a mini chocolate cake at a convenience store. Inside the package, I found my utensil needs met in a surprising way yet again.
That evening, the students were taken out for Western food, which was very tasty but not especially worth sharing here. I spent the evening chatting with some panelists who came to speak to us, and trying desperately to get my bearings while operating on a massive sleep deficit. But physiology caught up to me, as it will us all, and I hit the hay promptly at 8pm.
I slept on until about 3am, when I found that I had no choice but to awaken. And such adventures I had... but those will have to wait for another time! I was still finding my place in China. I had a lot of exploring to do. Destiny called, and I accepted the charges.
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| And there's a coconut vending machine in the lobby, which I still don't understand. |
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