Two Tuesdays: To China and Back Again: A Jet-Lagged Tale

So, probably the worst part about working in China is the trip back and forth from America.  Now, this is not because the service on the flight is terrible or anything, but simply because the flight is so, so, unbearably long.  A straight flight from the east coast to of the United States to the east coast of China is about 14 hours.  But of course, I am young, my savings account (what savings account?) is pitiful, I have student loan debt and currently get paid in Chinese currency, so I am not taking a straight flight; I have layovers.  On average, I  usually have two or three stops before I make it to my destination.  So, this flight is more like 20 hours.

Immediately post 20 + hours flight. 

However, it is pretty cool when you are traveling back from China, because of the time difference.  I left China on Tuesday, January 22nd at 5:00 pm and arrived in New York at 11:30 pm...on January 22nd!  Which makes me feel like a time traveler, and is also nice, because it feels like I got all that travel time back and it wasn't all wasted being squished between two elderly Chinese women who would keep up a constant stream of flatulence while they slept.  However, it also makes January 22nd approximately the longest day ever, and that is why I am calling this post Two Tuesdays, because for me, it was Tuesday for some 30 some-odd hours.

The other reason the flight is the worst part about working in China is the jet-lag  which is why I am now awake at 4 in the morning, typing a blog entry (which is probably not something I should be doing in my jet-lag  exhausted state, but oh well).  I have tried to make myself so tired that I would sleep a whole night through (which has resulted in some very nonsensical Facebook chat conversations--sorry Becky!--and some interesting dinner conversation) but alas, my body is still on China time, and my eyes popped open at 3:30 and would not close again.  Tomorrow, my goal is 5:30.

And it is not just coming back from China that is rough on the sleep cycle, but also when you fly to China.  The last time I went to China, I made a few traveling mistakes.  First, the night before my flight, I did not sleep at all. I knew I probably wasn't going to be home for close to a year, so I stayed up the whole night talking with my sister, and when she went to sleep, I played some video games, and just in general enjoyed being in America for another few hours.  And then I got on my cheap flight (only 650.00 to China!) and stopped in Chicago, then LAX, and finally Shanghai.

When I arrived in Shanghai (exhausted because I don't sleep on airplanes and didn't sleep the entire night before, and of course, jet-lagged) I was too late to take a long distance bus or catch a train.  So while I was walking around the airport trying to find a way home, one of the security people informed me that I needed a hotel, but, he told me, the airport hotel was too expensive (tai gui le!) but that he knew a cheaper one and to follow him.  So, I did, and my jet-lagged brain (which is considerably lest paranoid and danger oriented than my regular brain) got into a van with a bunch of strangers whom did not speak English. Luckily, they did just take me to a hotel; I checked in, showered, slept for 8 hours, and then the next morning, around 7 am, they took me back to the airport and I caught a bus back to Hangzhou, where I spend the day with my neighbor at Starbucks, drinking coffee and talking about America.

At this point, I was feeling pretty good.  I was feeling like maybe I'd finally kicked jet-lags butt (after making the trip twice already)--3rd times a charm!  So that night, I went to bed around 9:00, feeling pretty tired, and pretty excited because Olivia was returning to China the next evening as well.  The next thing I knew, someone was knocking on my door, so I popped out of bed and was immediately disoriented because it was dark, so I thought (even though my body was telling me I had been asleep for some time) that it most very early in the morning, so I ran to my door, since early morning knocking usually indicates some kind of emergency.  I open my door and standing outside is my neighbor...and Olivia.  I just kind of blinked at them for a moment and they were staring at me in that concerned-look you usually reserve for psych wards or hospital rooms.

"I thought you weren't getting here until tomorrow night", I said to Olivia. "Rachel", she replied, "it is Saturday night..."  Yep, I who can't sleep on planes, trains, or automobiles; who usually wakes up early and has trouble sleeping for more than 7 or 8 hours, slept for an entire 24 hours.  I went to bed at 9:30 on Friday night and woke up at 9:30 on Saturday night.  Dave, my neighbor, proceeded to tell me about how he'd knocked on my door for lunch and had texted a few times throughout the day, but I did not respond, and about how they'd knocked a couple of times this time before I'd answered, because he was worried.

The flight, and the resulting jet-lag/exhaustion are the reasons why I rarely make the trek back home; as much as I love and miss my friends and family, the flight and recovery time (not to mention the cost!) are simply not worth it to only be home for two or three weeks.  However, this time, I will be home for close to seven months, so I am willing to pay the price of living through two Tuesdays.  Now I am going to go play computer games until the rest of America wakes up.

Jet-Lag!