Days Two and Three

          When someone you don’t know invites you to lunch, it’s always unclear who is paying for what unless that is part of the conversation. When you arrive at the restaurant and the person who did the inviting asks you to pay for your lunch using the only payment method accepted at the restaurant, which you don’t possess, things become confusing. Add chopsticks, almost no spoken English, and no printed English to the equation and it equals chaos ending in owing lunch to your new acquaintance. At least that’s how it went for me on Day 2 of my Beijing adventure. I know now that WeChat pay is the only currency accepted in the on-campus restaurants and will work with my bank on Monday to set that up.

            Days 2 and 3 were full of new knowledge and jet lag. My sleeping schedule is a mess right now, but I’m working on turning it around. I spent a lot of time sleeping over the past two days and have developed a whopper of a cold. In a fit of packing prowess, I included Mucinex D and Benadryl in my carry on, so I’m set to battle any kind of cold and sinus junk. In spite of my sleepiness, I learned how to access the public WiFi from my apartment and that I need an ID card to enter or leave the campus.

            The WiFi issue is a real problem. I spent my first 24 hours in China without the ability to contact my family or friends to let them know I had arrived safely. However, during the previously mentioned lunch outing, my new friend signed into the University network for me so that I could send messages and buy my own access. This worked out well as I was able to buy unlimited access to a local public WiFi hotspot for $4.95 a month. This isn’t perfect, but until I’m able to set up access in my apartment, it’s a workable solution.

            In a prolonged instance of minor panic, my electronic devices died one by one as they ran out of power and I was without outlet adapters. Then, I decided to try plugging in my phone charger and risk the potential for shock or burning up the plug. Voila! It worked! How magical! Thank you, Apple for having uniform prongs on your plug ins! My laptop was another problem altogether, though. It has a grounded plug which only works with an adapter. As I was preparing to take the Beijing subway (of which I am terrified because it is incredibly crowded) to the closest Apple store, I remembered that my laptop can be plugged in without the grounded outlet. I frantically dug through my backpack and found what I needed to make it work. Tears, day 3.

            Because the on-campus food service requires WeChat pay and I don’t have access to WeChat pay until I can call my bank in Omaha, I don’t have much food. I packed two quart-sized bags of granola bars and found a lady on campus selling fruit which I could buy using cash, but those supplies are quickly running out. On day 3, I again considered braving the subway to buy groceries. As I was negotiating myself out of my subway panic, I remembered my new friend warning me repeatedly that I couldn’t come and go from campus without an ID card. I have no ID card. After contacting the person who is tasked with helping me navigate campus, I learned that I can apply for an ID card tomorrow. My fingers are crossed that I can actually hold the ID card in my hands tomorrow. So, it’s one more day of bananas, mandarins, and my last two granola bars before I can buy food. It’s a good thing I came with some extra fat stores. I feel a little like a bear in winter. I’ll be glad when spring arrives.

             Before I end my narrative of days 2 and 3, I’ll backtrack to lunch with my new friend. This new friend is responsible for arranging the Chinese part of my fellowship stay. This was to include housing and on-campus amenities like WiFi, an office, and library access. So far, housing is the only thing that is in order and even that appears to be temporary. We’re working on ironing it out, but it’s a little unnerving for a person who schedules the minutes in her day to have things not as expected and far from settled.

            The beginning of any new experience is exciting and difficult and fraught with uncertainty. My adventure in Beijing is no different, there are just a few extra layers to be managed. I have some things to look forward to in obtaining an ID card and eventually conquering the subway and some things to think about as I work through my expectations.  For now, it’s 6:01am on day 4 and I’m off to take another nap.