Nala Dog

 I am very lucky in my timing to be able to adopt my dog Nala within a few days of arriving in China. She is 2 and a half years old and so well trained, she has made an excellent adventure companion as I wander around Guangzhou. We explore every park and sniff around so many cool places. A coworker recently had twins and their house is chaotic, so despite not wanting to re-home her, I am completely a dog person, so this works out great. I can even take her to some restaurants with outdoor seating and some coffee shops don't mind her sitting with me. She is a mix of many Asian dogs, she weighs 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds, she has a black tongue, a curled tail, a soft coat, which doesn't smell bad, and a good attitude. She doesn't bark much, just a little "woof" and bravely struts on her walks. She has a fast run, and can jump really beautifully. We see a random cousin of hers on the street about once a week, dogs that look just like her, so she is a common mix. They are always healthy, happy dogs too. She looks a little like a gargoyle. There are a lot of dogs in my building, and in Guangzhou.

I appreciate that she is street savvy and knows how to get around just fine, despite being 11 inches tall. Something cute about her is that she is accustomed to having her feet wiped after walks. She sits still and waits for me to wipe her paws, patiently allowing me to take each one. Then she waits for her treat, she sits and lays down for it. 

Next week is the fall holiday, Golden Week. I wish I could tell her that we will spend the whole week together, that would put more smiles on her face. She is a good buddy, I feel pretty lucky to have her.

Car has a cool paint job, but Nala is staring at her mom, which is a gargoyle.

Fruits basket

 AISG has an amazing Human Resources team. They have been clear and professional throughout my hiring, entry visa application, entry into China and then entry into Guangzhou city. The furnished apartment is where I will finish three days of "home quarantine." It's a lovely place in the Yuexiu district, a vibrant and posh area of Guangzhou city. During the hotel stay Human Resources advocated for my every need, and gave me things I didn't end up needing, because they were covering their bases... Pre-empting complaints I guess. I have simple needs, thank god. I brought the leftover fruit from the hotel and then today a delivery of fruit came to my door. I can now open a fruit stand, which will certainly help me learn the currency, some local language, and business customs. It's going to be like a "lemonade stand" for an adult woman. 

Additionally the school sent Italian food, and Mexican food, which I am very grateful for, because I don't understand WeChat very well. I have looked at the local bakery delivery site and am pleased to find that most menus have pictures and work with a numbering system. I've learned 1-10 in Mandarin so things are going to be smooth for me!!! They have a different way to present numbers by hand in South China, instead of ☝ 1✌2 ✋5...  I'm catching on to this too. 🤙🤙🤙 The "hang loose" hand gesture = 6. A good description is here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_numerals#Hand_gestures. 

The community management sent a green plant to keep me company, and that will live by the living room window. The apartment has everything stocked, kitchen essentials, bathroom essentials. I can't see any reason to leave my apartment. This is kind of like a New York or Dubai situation. ANYTHING can be delivered. Yet, I am by nature someone who prefers to hunt and gather my goods. You know, you have to "use it or lose it." I must tend to my fruit stand. 😉

Last but not least, my library colleagues sent me lovely pink roses with a handwritten note. Incredibly thoughtful! I feel so lucky to have gotten this particular job. I interviewed a lot over the past eight years to keep in practice and make sure my skills were fresh. Nothing was really suitable. I am glad I was locked down in Dubai in 2020 instead of locked down in Riyadh..... Things worked out for me, every time. You end up in a place for some cosmic reason. Getting flowers from two library ladies named Kitty is reward enough for being patient to make my way to Guangzhou. I feel like I can make a difference in our students lives. Hopefully make them smarter, more adjusted in the world, more information literate, more confident in their abilities, and not afraid of challenges. Life is pretty difficult! Although sometimes your food is delivered to your door when you need it, and then you need to count your lucky stars. 

7 + 3 Xiamen quarantine

 Quarantine has been better than expected. I heard the wifi would be awful and the food inedible. I have nearly perfect wifi, the food is good, and I feel quite relaxed in my space with a big window. I committed a few faux pas by sticking my head out the door to grab my food and shouting “shi shi” 谢谢"Thank you," with no mask on. I didn't finish reading the directions yet, they gave me a whole packet of information. But I took a shower and a nap immediately upon arrival.   You need to put your mask on when you open the door, and really the staff would prefer if you didn’t talk to them at all. Luckily since that incident I have not received any notes or warnings about my behavior. I should be out of here on time, thanks to the wonderful support of the HR team who is helping me to fill out the Fujain province Health code, as well as the Chinese federal health code. There was also the Guangzhou codes... I have a lot of QR codes on my phone now. I also need to check WeChat often to find out my status, alive, dead, deported... I will need to be cleared after a week of negative covid swabs and temperature checks.

Wear your mask when you
open the door 

Friday September 2 is my checkout date and I fly to Guangzhou. I will be transported by ambulance to my apartment, where I need to stay in three additional days of quarantine. The furnished apartment is all set up, I heard from others they wanted for nothing. I am told there is even cash waiting for me. A nice welcome!

I was given a lot of information in preparation for this experience, and these tips were the most helpful. 

• Don’t bring more baggage than you can handle by yourself
• pack everything you might need for the week, it’s almost impossible to get anything extra. 

I’m pretty low maintenance but I do have a healthy appetite. I brought way too much extra food, I only needed to bring the tuna packets, and the oatmeal packets. The rest I haven’t touched, but it’s better to have too much than too little. I was told that the catering doesn’t include fresh fruit, but I have been given fruit at every meal, I wish I brought my watercolor set to document the beauty… 😉The delicious green plums are new to me, but the asian pear and apples are also appreciated. 

Good fortune fruit from Fliport Hotel

Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/834019.Parvana_s_Journey

One of the best things during this quarantine was discovering Deborah Ellis, I read a young adult novel called “Parvanas Journey” which was absolutely heart rending. It reminded me of "Grave of the Fireflies," the animated film by Miyazaki. It is about a girl who is wandering war torn Afghanistan looking for food and shelter. Absolutely gutting at times, but an excellent story of overcoming obstacles and making it through something very hard. It is a good book to read in quarantine because if you ever want to complain about anything, you realize someone out there is dealing with a lot more problems. In addition to Taliban unrest in Afghanistan, nearby Pakistan is dealing with horrendous flooding. Seriously, can these people get a break? Im grateful I packed this book, a perfect one for me during this time.

After the three days of quarantine in my apartment in Guangzhou, I will have some clerical tasks, such as getting.a Chinese SIM card, and bank account. There is also a medical exam of some sort. Then I go to work on campus at my new school and start doing library classes almost as soon as I walk in the door! This is new for me in every way, I am excited for the adventure. I'm looking forward to pointing students towards good books and helpful information.