Hostel Life

I got offered a job to teach at English First! Finally, I was going crazy out of my mind that I wouldn't have a job and will have to go back home and face everyone. EF is actually paying me more than what KaiEn was going to pay me and they are more helpful in the apartment search process. I am not positive when I start working, but hopefully it will be sometime this week; I'm starting to get bored and running out of things to do in Shanghai that does not cost money. I know at EF, I will go through a 12-week induction program, so unlike KaiEn, they are motivated to keep me at the school. Now, I feel like the next hard process transitioning into Shanghai is the apartment search. I don't really know if it will be easy or it will be hard. I think I might live with another teacher, but not one that also teaches at EF. I prefer to have a different group of friends outside of EF, so that not every aspect of my life is somehow work-related. I am already starting to get really sick of being in the hostel.

I have never had a bad experience in a hostel; and there is nothing wrong with this one. But, I just want to have my own room, my own bed, my own space. I just want to be able to unpack my stuff and access it easily. Living out of a suitcase sucks. I'm also sick of making friends with people that are gone in a few days. I've made my first real friends here; a 25-year old couple from Finland. We shared the same room and they were quiet but still quite friendly. They were always interested in what I was doing and I loved hearing about their travels. However, this is their first time out of Europe and they are on a 7-month tour of the world, literally. They started out in Finland and took the Trans-Siberian Railway into Beijing and are making their way down through China, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America and then to South Africa. I'm actually kind of jealous of them. I would love to do something like that. Maybe I will. At least, I think I might do the Trans-Siberian Railway when I complete my contract here in Shanghai. But that will be a year from now. Anyway, back to the Finnish couple. I really miss them a lot actually. They were here four nights and they left two days ago. We hung out every night and really got to know each other. They were pretty fluent in English, so it wasn't difficult to talk to them at all. I shouldn't be that worried about friends, I'll make some soon enough when I start working.

After they left, I felt kinda shitty all day and wondering how I could really miss them that much; I've only known them four days. But then later that evening was when I got the job offer at English First. Also, new people came into the room...another girl from Finland and a Dutch girl. Apparently they had become friends in Beijing and now decided to travel together. To be honest, when I first hung out with them, I thought they were airheads who were obsessed with getting drunk. That night, I couldn't carry a real conversation with them. Plus, there was always this vibe of awkwardness between us. Other than that, they were nice. I drank with them and also hung out with some British people staying in another room. I thought they were cooler. Last night, I hung out with the Finnish, Dutch and the four British people and we played a really fun drinking game. Things got a little out of hand, but it was the first real fun night I've had. I had a lot of fun with the Finnish couple from a few days before, but they weren't big drinkers-not that I wanted to be like those airheads who like to get drunk. After last night, I started to like the Finnish and Dutch girls a little bit more; I had to give them some credit because they were always inviting me along with them, despite the obvious awkwardness between us. They're leaving tomorrow and honestly, I don't think I will miss them. Ok, that sounded a little cruel, but whatever. They probably won't miss me either. But I like to think the Finnish couple might miss me just a little bit; we got along really well and there wasn't awkwardness between us.

Also, I met some older Irish guys here in the hostel. One night, we actually closed down the hostel bar. Now I think they've left. It would be cool if there were still here. We talked a lot about Ireland and said how much we missed it. They have invited me to hang out with them last night and I didn't. I hung out with the Finnish, Dutch and British people. I felt really bad for some reason. It's not a big deal, but I wanted to have another chat and a round of drinks with them. Oh well, they were kind of my friends here too. And now, they've gone back to Ireland I'm sure.

I shouldn't stake too much on the people I may meet here. It's a hostel; people come and go. I think I'm getting lonely for some friends. I can't develop a relationship with people who I will only know for several days. I didn't really have friends in Texas either. My last group of friends was in DC. Plus, I also really miss my friends from Miami and Ellicott City. I've lived in Texas for two months before I came to Shanghai and didn't really meet anyone at all. I'm really am getting lonely and moving to a Communist country and getting a slow start here isn't helping. I'm actually to the point where I'm desperate to start work so I can meet people. Despite the emotions I'm having now, I am really happy to be here in China. I'm teaching English to non-native speakers in a communist country on the other side of the world. I can make my impression somewhere else in the world. But it would be as exciting if I didn't have friends to share this experience with.