I think we look better like this:
My mom and niece
To see more pics from this day: http://picasaweb.google.com/IronLadyAi/CT#
Drove down from CT with Janelle....finish packing, went to the hair salon, visited Renee proceeded to say my final goodbyes to the Children’s Ministry, went to service...Greeted my friends, went to Brooklyn Heights to a Thai restaurant…do you see sleep mentioned anywhere here?…
The day of the flight….
Went to World Changers Church Brooklyn (2784 Linden Blvd inside the multiplex) for 9am; fellowshipped at Olive Garden, went home to repack to ensure I was not over the 50lbs limit…my sister came to visit, took a shower and was on the phone for a few hours ensuring people that I would not want for anything while in China and thanking them for their blessings… 10pm- JFK here I come…
At the airport…
In the restroom…
I walk by the men’s room, there is a “woman” squatting in the men’s room using eastern style toilets, I go to the ladies room, they have western toilets, over by the faucets, I see a little boy peeing on the floor while his mom washes her hand- right on the mat where I need to stand to wash my hands!
An older lady is in the restroom staring at me… I look at her and she smiles and continues to stare…
Get back on the shuttle bus a few mins later, get on a smaller plane (which had a lot more leg room though); get milk biscuits and peach juice—35 mins later, I am in Yichang
Yichang, China
Go to the restroom to ensure I am presentable to meet my host, eastern toilets!
As soon as I walk to the baggage carousel, I see my bags only, most people have already left, attendant puts my bag on cart and turns off belt. I walk out see a lady walking towards me, I smile – she smiles, a guy takes my bag and we greet for a few in Mandarin. She asked me how my flight was and we have a bit of Q&A- about 30 mins later, she asks a very important question “how did you know that I was the person who was supposed to meet you?” Thank G od it was because I neglected to look at her ID, etc- she had my passport pics so she knew who I was but…
My apartment… 4PM
The teachers come downstairs to greet me, love my apartment- the rooms are huge, I have a bathroom in my room and a laundry room in the other bedroom, the kitchen is huge and has an eat-in kitchen, the living room is gorgeous- I couldn’t ask for more. The American teachers decorated for me leaving some encouraging scriptures in different rooms, gave me useful info – told me to settle in and get ready for dinner for 6PM… I unpacked my suitcases, sent emails, took a shower and got ready, met the teachers on their floor and we left to go to the restaurant.
Dinner…. Always tell the truth
All the teachers came out to dinner, massive amounts of pictures, very good conversation, a plethora of compliments of how sweet and smart I was (aww I know right)
There was so much food! I ate at least 10 different dishes in less than 2 hrs! I commented that I liked one of the dishes…always tell the truth…they went through so much to ensure that I got a whole serving of the dish I commented on..thank G od I really liked it lol…
Look at my eyes, I was tired!!!!
It doesn’t bother me that I eat rice and noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner- not yet
It also doesn’t matter that I eat breakfast at night and dinner in the morning
I don’t mind eating 8 times a day lol or drinking OJ with every meal
I went to bed at 9pm so I woke up at 5am, I don’t usually sleep for more than 8 hrs so now I know what time to go to bed everyday
I really like the teachers- American and Chinese- the first impressions are great
I am very happy so far, stay tuned…
Words to know (all missing accents, etc)
Hello ni hao (nee how)
Bye zaijian (zy-jyen)
Thank you xie xie (shyay shyay)
Yes shi (sheu)
No bu (boo)
My mom and niece
To see more pics from this day: http://picasaweb.google.com/IronLadyAi/CT#
Drove down from CT with Janelle....finish packing, went to the hair salon, visited Renee proceeded to say my final goodbyes to the Children’s Ministry, went to service...Greeted my friends, went to Brooklyn Heights to a Thai restaurant…do you see sleep mentioned anywhere here?…
The day of the flight….
Went to World Changers Church Brooklyn (2784 Linden Blvd inside the multiplex) for 9am; fellowshipped at Olive Garden, went home to repack to ensure I was not over the 50lbs limit…my sister came to visit, took a shower and was on the phone for a few hours ensuring people that I would not want for anything while in China and thanking them for their blessings… 10pm- JFK here I come…
At the airport…
Papa!
The flight was scheduled to leave at 1:45am which required me to get there by 10:45pm the night prior. I arrived at the airport around 10:35pm and asked if I could use the scales that were not being used to check the weight of my bags. The weight requirement was 23 kilos/50 lbs for the 2 checked bags, 5 kilos for the carry on. The gentlemen reminded me that “the flight is full, we will not accept any overweight bags or extra bags, no exceptions.” My first bag was 27 kilos, the second 29 kilos, the third 12 kilos and the fourth was 6 kilos; in essence my bags were overweight by 22 kilos! I removed a few items as I had an extra bag just in case I needed to do so.
At this time there were about 25 people already online, not including children/infants. My dad told the manager that I was going away for 10 months and my bags were a bit overweight, if there was anything he could do….he told me to go to the next agent (as in skip the other 25 people who were patiently waiting)- I gave the agent my passport/visa and ticket and my dad put the bags on the scale, he accepted them without a problem, asked me to sign my ticket and then went to another agent and whispered something- she then said “well tell her its overweight”- he told me and we told him to go talk to the manager, he accepted the bags and told me to have a safe flight! Now that’s the favor of God!!! Sweatlesss
We walked over to customs and the agent told my dad he doesn’t think that my dad would be allowed to go, so I said to him “then can we just take our chances?”- as in if they turn him back fine but since you seem questionable, lets just see… he said “there is something about that Jamaican accent, go right ahead!” FAVOR AINT FAIR BABY! So my dad was allowed to stay with me until I boarded the flight!!! After we went through the security checkpoint, they closed the line, so we were the last person to get on that line, everyone else would have to wait on the longer lines… can somebody say FAVOR?
I usually prefer window seats but I wasn’t sure how big the plane was so maybe seat D could have been a window seat plus “it was a full flight” so I prob wouldn’t be able to change seats- when I boarded the plane, it was not a window seat, the plane was pretty full, BUT I had 3 seats to myself, you know homegirl lay straight across!!! I was rested!
JFK to Shanghai…
Flight left a few mins late, around 2 am EST, at 3 am, I was having dinner- choice of noodles/chicken or tofu rice—the noodles were a bit bland, I slept for the entire time becoming deeply upset if I had to use the bathroom in between and interrupt my sleep. I’m not sure if there was food served in between, even though I had my DVDs, books, laptop, etc to help me pass the time, I slept throughout the flight. At 3pm EST, 2 hrs before touchdown, I chose the Chinese breakfast over the Western breakfast, so I had something green that tasted like noodles and cabbage and now that I think about it, not sure what the meat was… it tasted good though…
Shang..haiiii (5AM- 10AM/ 5-10PM EST)
Customs was a breeze, the guy just looked at me to ensure I was the person on my passport, checked my Chinese visa and told me to go…picked up baggage, didn’t take long, went over to the “transport hall”—where connecting passengers check in for the next flight- saw a guy named Erik ( Loon Wing) and asked him if I was in the right area, he assured me and then became my angel (Heb 13:2- Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, some have entertained angels unawares). This guy carried my bags which were extremely heavy, translated for me, gave me a phone card to call my parents, recommended what to eat in the airport restaurants, etc. We walk up to check in for our flight (he was going to Chengdou- area affected by earthquake and I was going to Yichang)- after allowing me to go through security, he called “Rose, I’m going to be out here for a while, I don’t know why but they (security) said wait out here”. I was not sure what to think but I know sometimes Chinese locals can get in trouble for entertaining/fraternizing with foreigners- I prayed I wasn’t the reason for the trouble and that if he was guilty by his own rights I would not be deemed an accomplice! I went to change into more professional clothes so I could meet my host, went to a restaurant and had celery and chicken dumplings (which were amazing, cost me $7US- $4 being the price of a small bottled water!)… went to my gate… still no Erik, about 10 mins later, I saw him walking to my gate- he said there was a problem with his ticket but everything is fine now…. I dunno….
At 8am, about 10 mins after I had eaten, I went back to the restaurant and ate Hainanese chicken with rice; beef and mushroom rolls and peking duck with Jasmine tea--- yum!
Erik boarded an hour before me so I watched Olympics and slept the last 30 mins before boarding
Shanghai to Yichang…
Flight left at 10:45AM; 11:45AM ate chicken, rice and vegetables for breakfast. There was an older guy sleeping when the food was coming around, I lightly nudged him and said the food was coming, he didn’t smile, say xie xie or give me any response. I know if I was sleeping I would want to be woken up but I wasn’t sure if I did the right thing… he was in the middle so he got his food first, when he got it- he gave it to me, then took his after- so I guess I did the right thing and that was his way of saying xie xie…when the air hostess asked what he wanted to drink, he nudged me as if to pass on the question, I told her OJ, he asked for OJ – gave me his OJ then took the next drink… I mean actions do speak louder than words…
Wuhan, China
Went to sleep immediately after I ate, I woke up hearing an announcement that we have arrived in Wuhan. I didn’t have another ticket so I assumed that I would stay on the plane, they would pick up other people then we would go to Yichang…so I stayed on the plane and hit the call button, no one came while people were getting off but I saw about 10 ppl behind me staying on the plane and one guy 2 rows ahead. A few mins later, I look back there is no one there but the guy in the front was still there. A stewardess comes to me and says “are you from Paris?” I look at her and say “no, why?”—she smiled and ignored me, I guess that’s as far as her English goes… another stewardess came to me and said “they are waitng for you, lets get you off this plane”- I explained that I had to go to Yichang, she informed me that I had to change planes and get a new ticket. I walk off the plane down the stairs and there is a lady running towards me and she says “come”- there is a bus load of people who were on the plane waiting for me… I got on the shuttle and went to the aiport… the shuttle bus stops about 3 mins later and two of the stewardesses are screaming something in Mandarin, people start rushing off the bus, I am still confused and sleepy, I walk to her and say “what?”- she bursts out laughing, a few of the other passengers are smiling ( I started smiling when I realized how that came out) and she says- “you stay here”. 2 mins later, we get to another stop, she hands me a ticket and tells me to go inside. The signs in the airport confirmed that everything was fine…
The flight was scheduled to leave at 1:45am which required me to get there by 10:45pm the night prior. I arrived at the airport around 10:35pm and asked if I could use the scales that were not being used to check the weight of my bags. The weight requirement was 23 kilos/50 lbs for the 2 checked bags, 5 kilos for the carry on. The gentlemen reminded me that “the flight is full, we will not accept any overweight bags or extra bags, no exceptions.” My first bag was 27 kilos, the second 29 kilos, the third 12 kilos and the fourth was 6 kilos; in essence my bags were overweight by 22 kilos! I removed a few items as I had an extra bag just in case I needed to do so.
At this time there were about 25 people already online, not including children/infants. My dad told the manager that I was going away for 10 months and my bags were a bit overweight, if there was anything he could do….he told me to go to the next agent (as in skip the other 25 people who were patiently waiting)- I gave the agent my passport/visa and ticket and my dad put the bags on the scale, he accepted them without a problem, asked me to sign my ticket and then went to another agent and whispered something- she then said “well tell her its overweight”- he told me and we told him to go talk to the manager, he accepted the bags and told me to have a safe flight! Now that’s the favor of God!!! Sweatlesss
We walked over to customs and the agent told my dad he doesn’t think that my dad would be allowed to go, so I said to him “then can we just take our chances?”- as in if they turn him back fine but since you seem questionable, lets just see… he said “there is something about that Jamaican accent, go right ahead!” FAVOR AINT FAIR BABY! So my dad was allowed to stay with me until I boarded the flight!!! After we went through the security checkpoint, they closed the line, so we were the last person to get on that line, everyone else would have to wait on the longer lines… can somebody say FAVOR?
I usually prefer window seats but I wasn’t sure how big the plane was so maybe seat D could have been a window seat plus “it was a full flight” so I prob wouldn’t be able to change seats- when I boarded the plane, it was not a window seat, the plane was pretty full, BUT I had 3 seats to myself, you know homegirl lay straight across!!! I was rested!
JFK to Shanghai…
Flight left a few mins late, around 2 am EST, at 3 am, I was having dinner- choice of noodles/chicken or tofu rice—the noodles were a bit bland, I slept for the entire time becoming deeply upset if I had to use the bathroom in between and interrupt my sleep. I’m not sure if there was food served in between, even though I had my DVDs, books, laptop, etc to help me pass the time, I slept throughout the flight. At 3pm EST, 2 hrs before touchdown, I chose the Chinese breakfast over the Western breakfast, so I had something green that tasted like noodles and cabbage and now that I think about it, not sure what the meat was… it tasted good though…
Shang..haiiii (5AM- 10AM/ 5-10PM EST)
Customs was a breeze, the guy just looked at me to ensure I was the person on my passport, checked my Chinese visa and told me to go…picked up baggage, didn’t take long, went over to the “transport hall”—where connecting passengers check in for the next flight- saw a guy named Erik ( Loon Wing) and asked him if I was in the right area, he assured me and then became my angel (Heb 13:2- Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, some have entertained angels unawares). This guy carried my bags which were extremely heavy, translated for me, gave me a phone card to call my parents, recommended what to eat in the airport restaurants, etc. We walk up to check in for our flight (he was going to Chengdou- area affected by earthquake and I was going to Yichang)- after allowing me to go through security, he called “Rose, I’m going to be out here for a while, I don’t know why but they (security) said wait out here”. I was not sure what to think but I know sometimes Chinese locals can get in trouble for entertaining/fraternizing with foreigners- I prayed I wasn’t the reason for the trouble and that if he was guilty by his own rights I would not be deemed an accomplice! I went to change into more professional clothes so I could meet my host, went to a restaurant and had celery and chicken dumplings (which were amazing, cost me $7US- $4 being the price of a small bottled water!)… went to my gate… still no Erik, about 10 mins later, I saw him walking to my gate- he said there was a problem with his ticket but everything is fine now…. I dunno….
At 8am, about 10 mins after I had eaten, I went back to the restaurant and ate Hainanese chicken with rice; beef and mushroom rolls and peking duck with Jasmine tea--- yum!
Erik boarded an hour before me so I watched Olympics and slept the last 30 mins before boarding
Shanghai to Yichang…
Flight left at 10:45AM; 11:45AM ate chicken, rice and vegetables for breakfast. There was an older guy sleeping when the food was coming around, I lightly nudged him and said the food was coming, he didn’t smile, say xie xie or give me any response. I know if I was sleeping I would want to be woken up but I wasn’t sure if I did the right thing… he was in the middle so he got his food first, when he got it- he gave it to me, then took his after- so I guess I did the right thing and that was his way of saying xie xie…when the air hostess asked what he wanted to drink, he nudged me as if to pass on the question, I told her OJ, he asked for OJ – gave me his OJ then took the next drink… I mean actions do speak louder than words…
Wuhan, China
Went to sleep immediately after I ate, I woke up hearing an announcement that we have arrived in Wuhan. I didn’t have another ticket so I assumed that I would stay on the plane, they would pick up other people then we would go to Yichang…so I stayed on the plane and hit the call button, no one came while people were getting off but I saw about 10 ppl behind me staying on the plane and one guy 2 rows ahead. A few mins later, I look back there is no one there but the guy in the front was still there. A stewardess comes to me and says “are you from Paris?” I look at her and say “no, why?”—she smiled and ignored me, I guess that’s as far as her English goes… another stewardess came to me and said “they are waitng for you, lets get you off this plane”- I explained that I had to go to Yichang, she informed me that I had to change planes and get a new ticket. I walk off the plane down the stairs and there is a lady running towards me and she says “come”- there is a bus load of people who were on the plane waiting for me… I got on the shuttle and went to the aiport… the shuttle bus stops about 3 mins later and two of the stewardesses are screaming something in Mandarin, people start rushing off the bus, I am still confused and sleepy, I walk to her and say “what?”- she bursts out laughing, a few of the other passengers are smiling ( I started smiling when I realized how that came out) and she says- “you stay here”. 2 mins later, we get to another stop, she hands me a ticket and tells me to go inside. The signs in the airport confirmed that everything was fine…
In the restroom…
I walk by the men’s room, there is a “woman” squatting in the men’s room using eastern style toilets, I go to the ladies room, they have western toilets, over by the faucets, I see a little boy peeing on the floor while his mom washes her hand- right on the mat where I need to stand to wash my hands!
An older lady is in the restroom staring at me… I look at her and she smiles and continues to stare…
Get back on the shuttle bus a few mins later, get on a smaller plane (which had a lot more leg room though); get milk biscuits and peach juice—35 mins later, I am in Yichang
Yichang, China
Go to the restroom to ensure I am presentable to meet my host, eastern toilets!
As soon as I walk to the baggage carousel, I see my bags only, most people have already left, attendant puts my bag on cart and turns off belt. I walk out see a lady walking towards me, I smile – she smiles, a guy takes my bag and we greet for a few in Mandarin. She asked me how my flight was and we have a bit of Q&A- about 30 mins later, she asks a very important question “how did you know that I was the person who was supposed to meet you?” Thank G od it was because I neglected to look at her ID, etc- she had my passport pics so she knew who I was but…
My apartment… 4PM
The teachers come downstairs to greet me, love my apartment- the rooms are huge, I have a bathroom in my room and a laundry room in the other bedroom, the kitchen is huge and has an eat-in kitchen, the living room is gorgeous- I couldn’t ask for more. The American teachers decorated for me leaving some encouraging scriptures in different rooms, gave me useful info – told me to settle in and get ready for dinner for 6PM… I unpacked my suitcases, sent emails, took a shower and got ready, met the teachers on their floor and we left to go to the restaurant.
Dinner…. Always tell the truth
All the teachers came out to dinner, massive amounts of pictures, very good conversation, a plethora of compliments of how sweet and smart I was (aww I know right)
There was so much food! I ate at least 10 different dishes in less than 2 hrs! I commented that I liked one of the dishes…always tell the truth…they went through so much to ensure that I got a whole serving of the dish I commented on..thank G od I really liked it lol…
Look at my eyes, I was tired!!!!
It doesn’t bother me that I eat rice and noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner- not yet
It also doesn’t matter that I eat breakfast at night and dinner in the morning
I don’t mind eating 8 times a day lol or drinking OJ with every meal
I went to bed at 9pm so I woke up at 5am, I don’t usually sleep for more than 8 hrs so now I know what time to go to bed everyday
I really like the teachers- American and Chinese- the first impressions are great
I am very happy so far, stay tuned…
Words to know (all missing accents, etc)
Hello ni hao (nee how)
Bye zaijian (zy-jyen)
Thank you xie xie (shyay shyay)
Yes shi (sheu)
No bu (boo)
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