A few false starts

As alluded to in my previous post, I'm not actually in China right now and haven't been for over a week now. Thanks to the extended break the school takes for Chinese New year, I'm currently taking a well deserved convalescence in Malaysia.

Normally, I wouldn't think of touching a computer for more than a few brief, requisite "Hi Mom and Dad, I'm okay" emails, but turns out that when you have a month of free time in a tropical country, you are able to relax and slow down enough to start writing again.

My vacation started, and I mean this fondly, in a fashion typical of all my experiences in China. Our school, within the space of four days, had decided to pick up and move part and parcel four hours to the South to a city called Dalian. Once there, it was collectively realized that everyone's respective flights still left from Shenyang, so off we went. A few days later, having re-visited my 'hometown' as a tourist and 'catching up' with friends I'd seen a week before, I was off to Malaysia.

Only, it wasn't quite that easy. Waking up early, I looked out to realize that it had snowed. Not much, maybe 2", but it was fresh and probably a little slippy driving. I had planned to have a quick coffee with the friend driving me to the airport before heading off. Too bad, we would probably have to head right out. Well, no, as it turns out, we had a long leisurely coffee. Those 2", in a city not used to moisture of any kind meant that not only the airport was closed, but the highways were temporarily shut as well.

Unfortunately, by the time we actually got out to the airport, and my plane finally took off, I'd totally missed my connection and found myself with two very unexpected days in Beijing. Now, there are certainly worse places to be stuck. Beijing is a great, vibrant, cosmopolitan city; one of those places where just walking the streets is energizing. That said, it would have maybe been a bit better if all of my bag hadn't been full of clothes more suited to +30 C, rather than +3 C. Regardless, still a treat.

I think I've mentioned my China situation? A collection of roughly 16 people with almost nothing in common except the extenuating circumstances? We're all pretty tight and supportive of each other, but we work, eat and play almost on top of each other in what can be some very trying circumstances and after five months, a few cracks are beginning to show. Almost by unspoken agreement, most everyone has gone their separate ways, either for the whole trip or for at the very least for a few weeks.

So, as luck would have it, not only did I find myself in Beijing unexpectedly, but it just so happened that I was able to call up a few people who I knew would be there at the same time to keep me company until I could actually start my vacation proper.