Randoms

Between work, parties and a snow festival- I am trying to squeeze in a blog post. There won't be a lot of coherency here, so bear with me.

1. I leave next week for vacation. Technically, I get 5 weeks after working here for 6 months. I have only been here 4 1/2 months (ahhh has it been that long?) but I finagled my boss in to letting me work a couple of extra weekends to save up comp time. The reason? BALI, Indonesia.

Get ready to turn green because this is where I am staying: http://www.hotelpadma.com/

A group of 7 of us are flying down from Beijing and will be at the resort for an entire week. Did I just type the word, resort? YES I DID.

Anyways, the break will be nice. I know I only work 7 hours a day but just going to the grocery store in China can be an exhausting experience. This should give my mind a bit of a break. It doesn't hurt that it comes with a nice tan...

2. Speaking of vacation time, my weeks are already booked. I have visitors coming- yeah! My mom, aunt and cousin will be in Beijing in April for 2 weeks. My sister Katie and her friends will be here for a week in May and then Devon is also planning on a visit. That last one is a shocker but I am super excited to see everyone. I try to relate my experiences over here as best as I can through this blog, email and web chats but you really have to see China to believe it. It will be nice to at least share a base understanding with people.

3. The new apartment is awesome. The old man has not come knocking once. In fact, the only noises I hear come from the school outside my window. The kids are out every morning for exercise drills. It is hilarious to watch. My neighborhood is also a lot more fun. There are tons of places to eat and shop- not that I have a lot of money to spend, cause oh yeah, that's right- I'm going to BALI.

4. Work has gotten significantly busier. The company is expanding in to the TV realm which means hundreds of bureaus around the world, hundreds of new hires and billions of dollars. The problem is that no one here has any TV reporting experience, except me.

This is a good thing because it makes me a pretty valuable asset. Not only will I be conducting training sessions but I am considered somewhat of an expert in this area and am consulted on several issues. It is nice to feel important and valued at work-something I never got in the States.

Plus, it is SO exciting to be working for a start-up. What I do now could potentially impact the way news is covered in this country for years to come. The possibilities are endless and that really invigorates me. Plus, my coworkers- both Chinese and foreign- are really great people. They have taught me so much and make coming to work- fun.

5. I have passed the point where I feel like a tourist. The first few months here were really exciting. I must have been running on adrenaline to get through all that I did in such a short amount of time. Then I hit a low point around Thanksgiving. I really missed my family and friends back home. While I have made friends here, I longed for something familiar. I just wanted to be with people who already knew me instead of introducing myself over and over again.

No matter how homesick I got, or how alone I felt- I can't see myself moving back to the states, at least not in the near future. There really are no career opportunities for me there. I still want to be with those I love, but find I am resolved to make a life here. That means establishing some sort of routine.

I need to go to bed at the same time, not sleep in so much, exercise, make my own meals. There needs to be some normalcy. That is hard to establish because in the course of a day I can see and learn so many new things. Plus, my work schedule changes every week. It is and will continue to be a challenge for me.

The other ingredient in this- no rules.

6. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have no rules. I don't live with anyone, so there isn't that unspoken etiquette of putting away your dishes or making sure you flush the toilet. I can sleep til 2 in the afternoon if I want, without having to feel guilt about how lazy I am because there is no one there to judge me. In China, everyone wears such eclectic clothing there is no need for my shirt to match my pants. Hell, even showering isn't mandatory. It is a cultural thing- people don't judge other people.

Being a foreigner also comes with some leeway. People don't say anything to me if I walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk. I could carry out groceries from the store and probably wouldn't be questioned. I am not sure if the reason is because they can't speak to me and efforts would therefore be useless or because it is a cultural thing not to question foreigners. Either way, my conscious and values keep me in check for most things.

The other stuff is different. I find having to make my own rules, or set my own routine, overwhelming at times. The only thing I have to do is go to work. My free time (and there is a lot more of it over here) is up to me. I wonder- has anyone else grappled with this?

If so, how do you get over it?