Packing to move to China was a nightmare. My poor parents suffered as I took over their entire dining room with my stuff, stubbornly fought all of their suggestions, practiced carrying my bags up and down their stairs and complained like a toddler about how on earth I was going to manage my luggage by myself.
In the end I was able to fit everything I need for a year into two suitcases and a very heavy backpack.
In LA I boarded the flight that Disney had booked for me on
Eastern China Airlines. Once aboard the
plan I found that the passengers were about 90% Asian and that nobody looked
like they were Disney English workers.
Also, to my delight I found that no one was in the seat next to me! So I spread out across the two seats and
spent my flight reading my new Kindle (thanks Woolleys!), missing my friends
and family, excitedly dreaming about my new life in China and observing the
people around me.
A few differences that I found on this flight from other
international flights:
- There were twelve extremely attractive flight attendants. The men all worked in the first class cabin and the women were meticulously dressed in the smartest airline outfits I’ve ever seen. It gave the effect of having your beverages served by non-nonsense Asian Stewardess Barbies.
- You read about how the Chinese aren’t burp freely in public but it was still pretty funny to have the man across the aisle from me doing it frequently.
- · My experience on international flights has been that you are allowed to get up and move about but that the flight attendants usually try to encourage everyone to stay buckled in their seats as much as possible. NOT the case on this airline. People on this flight moved about unrestricted, sometimes spending as much as 45 minutes standing. They congregated in small groups or wandered up and down the aisles chatting with other passengers, sharing snacks, and reading over each other’s shoulders.
- · I’ve read that the Chinese make a lot of fuss over children and clearly it’s true. The two year old girl in the seat behind me was like a celebrity! It was impossible for people to pass down the aisle without stopping to fawn over her, shaking her hands or touching her head.
- · The food on the plane was predictably terrible but this time it was all Asian.
- · This is the first time I’ve been on an international flight where they show movies the old fashion way, on small overhead screens. One was in French the rest were all in Chinese and all were subtitled.
- · The man kitty-corner to me took lots of effort to stay refreshed on the flight. Regularly bathing himself with wet wipes and dabbing some kind of fragrant peppermint oil onto his skin.
- · And my very favorite thing: Sunshine Calisthenics! Towards the end of the flight a video was shown where flight attendants led the passengers in a series of stretches and exercises (which I happily joined in on) and then the video culminated in both male and female flight attendants joining in a big dance number that incorporated these stretches. And NOBODY laughed, it was totally for real.
I was relieved to finally arrive
in Shanghai where it was pouring rain!
On the hour drive into the city the water made all of the skyscrapers
and neon signs look extra bright and glittery and I just kept thinking I CAN’T
BELIEVE I LIVE HERE! I’m so excited to
see what the future holds for me in China!
Night rain in Shanghai
Oh my goodness...I am going to LOVE reading your posts... :-) So glad you made it safe and sound!!
ReplyDeletexoxoxo
Nikki