Dear Marilla,
This is what I've taken to saying to myself EVERY SINGLE day. I'm currently scurrying to find plane/train/mule/motorcycle tickets to Hong Kong because my 90 day stay is up and I don't have any visa sponsorship...(no worries found cheap airline tickets across Hong Kong border in Shenzhen. I get there and take the subway over the water and cross the border into Hong Kong for a few few days, then fly back to Shanghai. Piece of cake...right?!?!)
Anyway...
I have 13 - 15 students that are as irregular as they can come with cancelling and rescheduling our class sessions weekly/daily/hourly. So my time going to the "head pimp" for more students is not necessary. I can't budget to save my life here. First, I've not been paid for hundreds of minutes of works (getting paid by every 100 minute is by far the most ass backward system I've encountered...whatever) Secondly, getting paid once a month IS INSANE. Thirdly, I'm too busy teaching folks English to stop and crack down on MY mandarin...ARGHH!!!! So frustrating.
I apparently need some niche or unique selling point in order to do anything in the fitness industry here. I'm not trying to pull some Billy Blanks marketing shit, so I need something low key AND I enjoy...I'm working on that now as well. For some reason many here seem to think that being a Black American means "you can dj at any random club", "you can find a job anywhere"...ummm yeah NO
The places I've interview with must realize that I just want to do yoga all day and not much else. Still trying to figure out how I've sent out my resume to over 100 places and had 19 interviews and nothing. Yes I've turned down jobs for middle of China, Indonesia, and some other 3rd world places. Because I'm not ready for that and its not what I want to do right now. (The pay sucked too. I have USD bills to pay still and making something equivalent to $400USD a month is not what I want to subscribe to...sorry)
Which brings me to a new fact that I've found out about myself: my standards of living ARE pretty f'n high. Yes I've decided to live in the freaking NYC of China and YES I am unemployed and YES I should be more compromising with my living standards...BUT I AM NOT. While chatting with another english teaching working "whore", we talked about our expectations of living in Shanghai (what we will put up with and WILL NOT) We agreed "the american" comes out at times and we proudly become the asshole Laowai (foreigners) when we have certain expectations on hygiene, common courtesies, and human behaviors that should be "understood" as wrong are being displayed toward us. I'm a reasonable person, most of the time. I'm respectful of culture, but I draw the line when simple things are over looked. If I'm paying over 40RMB for a meal, I will need you to wash your hands.(I know, but $6 IS a lot here don't judge) No ifs, ands, or buts about this. I've strangely found my patriotism while being here...hilarious.
*Steps down from high horse*
So the hot fellas that were coming out of the wood works are all out of town for the holidays, so my networking mojo is a no go. Which is fine because I need to focus on not getting shipped back to the US and go to Hong Kong. No one should be jealous of my absurd life...seriously.
Sorry this post is so long, but I've not posted as often as I wanted this month. I will post pictures soon of stuff and things. Btw I didn't mention Xmas because I worked and was sick. Plus I'm indifferent toward it anyway so it doesn't really matter. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I'm told celebrations here are from December til February (Chinese New Year). Gives me plenty of time to join in on some festive activities...blah
love, love, love from shanghai to all.
signed,
Anne Shirley running to the border :)
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