The flight wasn’t too crowded. Gage and I had a window and an aisle seat with no one sitting between us. Still a long, grueling flight. I didn’t tell you all before we left, but the University here hasn’t wired the money for my services yet, so we were told not to get on the flight until payment had been made. I responded that we would get on the flight, but would renegotiate my teaching schedule when I arrived. (I’ve been through this Chinese standoff before…)
I was up at 2:30 a.m. Chinese time–no idea what time in the U.S. Just waiting for the world to wake up so we can find bottled water to brush our teeth. We are housed on the top floor of the guesthouse, which is the high-rent district. I’ve never made it above the 5th floor in the past. We have internet service, a little fridge, a big TV (Chinese programming), a hairdryer, and very minimal water pressure, but the water’s warm. Things are great!