Bedlam at 698 (China)- Chapter 2- Traveling

Chapter 2- Traveling

Right, I’m sitting on the train, first class coz that’s the kinda snob that I am. Having food and drink throw and me when all I wanna do is sit in piece and quietly play football manager and ring my mates, that said I was please with the offer of a bacon sandwich, blatantly accepted. This is the weirdest feeling in the world. I have known words to explain how I feel. I think ive just said bye to my 19 year old cat for the last time. Heart breaking. I don’t understand, I’m going to a place that I really don’t know exists, not as in I never knew China was there but the culture. I don’t know how to describe anything at the moment. So the only advice I can give at this point to any one about to experience this, is you will feel so many emotions, you are taking an amazing step in changing your life. The only way you will ever know what I feel at this moment right now, is to just do it. Grab yourself by the balls and go. don’t be scared, I don’t know why ive wrote that bit im fucking petrified!

All went smoothly through Heathrow as expected and I was taken good care off on the air china flight to Beijing. The air hostess kept coming and offering me a drink every hour or so and I had my own personal TV with plenty of movies to click through. And there was a under the plane camera to watch take off. This is in economy class. Although as on any flight the lack of leg room for a 6ft1 person on a 12 hour flight did wear thin. So I arrive in Beijing, checked my visa, through passport control and collected my bag. Now for another 7 hour wait until my next flight. So straight outside for a smoke, and I look out over the 2nd floor drop off point and all I see is a motorway and clouds. So I grab a drink and have to hang around for two odd hours until I could check my bad back in. Then I only had 5 hours to my flight. So I hang around read the paper and get some food, shit hot food! Was great and im thinking this is going to be great! I ponder around this massive airport which maybe big but has fuck all in it, for a few more hours until I go through to the other side. By this time im so tired. I couldn’t sleep on the plane, and had been travelling for 18 hours now. To my dismay I find out that there is a smoking room through the other side, had I known this I would have come through a lot earlier. I had a walk around and find my gate and have a sit down. Next thing I know is im getting tapped on the shoulder and some guy said “gates closing to Nanchang”…..FUCK!!! Leg it. get on plane, opps last person. Sit down, fall asleep again before we take off.

I wake up after everyone had finished there food, gutted. And then again just before landing. Its 21.30 when I land and I have a smoke while waiting for my bag. Then one last deep breath and round the corner to see a sign stating my name. Great the mans is here to collect me. So I walk round the barrier and go and met him, he steals my bag away from me and then three other girls come to met me aswel, one of which is hot as. Usual greetings are pasted and we walk to the mini van. Sitting there I felt so relieved. To finally be near the end of this journey. We talk for five mins and they offer me a smoke. These people seam great. For the rest of the car ride little was said. Apart from the hot girl talking to me a little bit and I work out she has the best English. The male, Lu knows none, Anne, my head teacher knows little ands the other girl, lilly? knows even less. One day on and I can’t even remember the hot girls name. I get taken to my flat, 18th floor, we get in the lift and the lift is covered in wood, im thinking about the dive that im going to be living in. We get to my room and open the door and the first thing I see is a 40inch TV awesome, nope, no English channels. It’s a small place, one room, with a double bed, big sofa, table and kitchen in one room with a glass separation for the toilet, a western toilet. We talk for a while, when I say we, I mean the hot girl translating and the rest talk in what I think is mandarin. Then im left to unpack and to get some sleep and told to meet at the school in before ten. I start to unpack but get to tired and just want to lie down on that nice soft bed…. Noooooo, It feels like a plank off wood covered with toilet paper as padding.