When My Ninja Like Sleeping Skills come in Handy...

We were squished into a teeny tiny hotel foyer with our luggage in the city of Beijing, trying to envision what the hotel rooms above us would look like.  When I say teeny tiny, I mean smaller than the size of my bedroom at home.  I must admit I was hoping for the best because I’m getting a little old and one of my favorite pastimes is sleeping.  I would call it a well-refined art.  I wasn’t sure what to really expect for $30 a night per room, though.

We were told that the local police had to know about our presence within 24 hours.  We handed over our passports so the hotel employees could start the lengthy process of notifying law enforcement of our arrival. Not in Utah anymore. 

I must admit that the foyer, smoky hallways, and super sketchy stained carpet made me worry, but upon entering our oasis in this bustling city, it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.  Two not-as-hard-as-plywood twin beds and a view of the adjacent building made for a restful place to lie my head.  A western toilet in the bathroom may have been the best gift of all.  I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a squatty potty quite yet.  

We walked around the corner to have dinner at a local restaurant.  We were greeted by a ton of smoke, loud local shirtless men, and plenty of stares.  Luckily we were given a back room to ourselves and began to learn proper etiquette for dining.  1.  No chopsticks or spoons on the table.  The table is considered the floor.  2.  The round turning thing in the center of the table is to be turned slowly.  It has all the food on it.  3.  You don’t reverse the direction because something passed you by.  You just wait for it to come around again.  4.  Your plate, bowl, and tiny cup are shrink wrapped together at your place.   5.  The only beverage of choice is steaming hot water - no matter the temperature outside.  6.  Rice or noodles are served at the end of the meal if you have not had your fill. (Not like Korea.) If you ask for rice early, because you are very American, or very Korean, they will probably forget to bring it to you until you remind them the second or third time.  It will almost be the end of the meal by then.  7.  The food is divine and waiting for a dish to rotate to your side was sometimes excruciating.  8.  We need to learn how to serve vegetables in America!  They kind of serve vegetable dishes first which is not disappointing because they are amazing!  9.  If you don’t know how to use chopsticks, you will find yourself on a diet of sorts.  Thanks mom for teaching me young.  10.  The total cost of feeding 9 people a 10 course scrumptious meal was around $40.  What!?

After our amazing intro to Chinese cuisine, we got back to our room and plugged in our special mosquito repellent thingamajigger.  We figured out how to turn on the wall air conditioner - Hallelujah!!  I fell asleep that night apprehensive about jet lag but the 3 hour nap on the plane helped me sleep pretty good.  My ninja-like sleeping skills come in handy sometimes.  I was still awake at 5am, but that is pretty normal for me so I called it a win.  I slept like a baby - a newborn baby - all you moms and dads know what I am talking about.  

BTW, One of my dear friends and student, Erynne, sleeping like a baby in the photo.