The Challenges

China always presents challenges to us foreigners who dare to try and live in this country.

The first and most prominent is of course the language.

I have been fortunate enough not to have endured any illness at this stage (touch wood) but others I have known had suffered from colds or stomach upsets and the result is always,"go to the hospital everyday to get a saline drip!" It is almost impossible to buy cough drops or ear drops. Although Barbara purchased a life supply of cough drops when we were in Qingdao from the Metro Supermarket where we almost caused an international incident.

I have had all sorts of problems with my computer. The computer is actually the schools and I am advised when I need something I must ask, however getting it fixed can take weeks at a time. If it is not interfering with the Chinese then it is not an issue. At times I have had to go to the internet cafe.

At one stage I was almost going to go and purchase another laptop!

When I arrived at the school I was given a mud map of the city. This has been very useful. Although you say a word in Chinese you are always challenged. When you pull out the map and show them they repeat the word and you are certain it sounds the same as what you just said.

On my first day here I was taken to lunch. Recently another teacher arrived and I was summoned to his welcome dinner at short notice of course. Getting any notification is a feature of life! Anyway I was told it would be in the school restaurant. I asked where that was. I was told that it is the same place you had your welcome lunch. I had absolutely no idea where that was. How could they possibly think I would remember where I went for lunch on my first day. I had arrived from Australia with a couple of hours sleep in Beijing. Driven to a city I did not know and a campus where I had spent two minutes. The were kind enough to meet me at the apartments. It really is close to the apartments. Directions would have been very easy.

Not long after I have arrived I had been summoned to the office. I went to the 'girls' who speak no English and asked them if they could take me to see Peter. We headed to an area of the campus which was completely foreign. It appears that they were taking me to his apartment not his office. I have no idea why they thought I would want to go to his apartment! Eventually what should have been a 5 minute walk was a 20 minute walk around the school campus. Perhaps Peter was about to send the search party or maybe I haven't lived up to the no notification period!

Some things happen that we don't understand. When we ask for explanations it is too hard to explain. A common phrase is "How do I say it?" The mysteries of China.