Back in March, before I went to interview at the international school, I looked up my teaching credentials. I knew my California credential was current because I had renewed it when we were living in Sacramento. I had assumed that my Nevada credential had expired so I was very surprised to find out that it was still current and was set to expire on my birthday in May. I looked up what I needed to renew and I needed 6 units (which I could do online) and also I needed to be fingerprinted. Not so easily done in China. I figured, "Oh well, I guess it's going to expire."
After a month of working in Xian, I started thinking, "I'm pretty sure that I am not going to be able to make it through a full school year." Some days were good and I would start thinking, "Maybe I can do this." Then there would be a bad day and I would start thinking, "There is no effing way that I am going to be able to do this!" On those days, Matt and I would usually go to the bar at the top of the hotel and eat hamburgers and drink wine (or beer) and say, "What the hell were we thinking?" (For the record, Matt wasn't exactly loving Xian either.)
By the time May rolled around, I had been in Xian 2 months. The weather had changed from really cold to pretty warm. I had about a month before my Nevada credential expired. By this time I had looked into it and found that if I let it expire, I would have to start out all over again as a new teacher and it would take much longer than if I just renewed. Because we were planning to go to Beijing on May 15th for the weekend anyway we decided that I should go home after the Great Wall Marathon and renew my credential and then come back, just to keep my options open. So I signed up for online courses to get my 6 units and then booked a one-way flight from Beijing to LAX on the 18th. (I had to travel on the 18th because we would already be in Beijing.)
It was very interesting timing because the day after I booked the flight, the principal called me into his office to discuss how things were going at the school. He offered me a year one position for the following school year. I had to turn it down because I just couldn't see myself making it through the full year. (I came at the end of winter and I'm pretty sure that's a good thing as I am not a winter gal.) He said he had a feeling that was going to be the case, but he thought he would offer anyway. So I told him about my plans to go home and renew my credential and I said I would need at least a week off and after that there would only be about a month left of school. He said that was fine, and to do what I needed to do. I told him I would let him know as soon as I booked my return flight.
So after much discussion with Matt, we came to the conclusion that neither one of us felt all that great about Xian. The difference was that he had signed a two year contract and I hadn't. We finally decided that I would go home for a week, then come back, finish out the school year and then stay for the Summer. I would probably go home in the Fall when the new school year starts. With this decided, I attempted to book my return flight but the internet wasn't working. Next day, same thing. It was super slow and all the return flights were around $1,800. (Sadly, thats around what I would make working through the end of the school year so this wasn't making a lot of financial sense.)
The next day at work I received a text from Matt saying to call him ASAP, which I did. Now, before we moved to Xian we did realize that it was a risk and we went over several possible scenarios of how bad stuff could happen. Apparently we missed one. The whole thing is very complicated involving 2 different owners and when I have tried to explain it in person, people still get confused. Also, it is really not my tale to tell. So let's just leave it at, a really crappy unstable situation arose. Matt still had a job, just not the one he originally signed up for.
So now everything was really weird and uncomfortable. The man who owned the hotel building, also owned the apartment building that we lived in so therefore, if you lose your job, you also lose your apartment. This was it for me. UNCLE! I simply can't live like that. There is enough uncertainty just living in a foreign country, I don't need to add the uncertainty of not knowing if you will have a job and apartment as well. So thank God I didn't book a return flight. We decided that I would just go home on the 18th and Matt would stay and see how things panned out. He still had a contract after all. So I told my work that I would not be returning and my last day would be the 10th of May. After the Great Wall Marathon in Beijing, Matt went back to Xian and I just went home.
Matt had about a month of a really crappy situation. (I would not have handled it at all well.) It did come to the point where he had 2 days to get out of the apartment but luckily he already had a new (temporary) apartment lined up and a new job situation as well. The new apartment was much nicer and quieter so that was good for him. It was about three miles farther away from my school though, so had I stayed it would have been a ridiculous commute for me where I could no longer walk home in the afternoon. I probably would have had to quit anyway. The situation seems to be working out well for Matt though, because he is getting a promotion and he will be opening a new hotel. So sometime next month he will be moving AGAIN! Now he will be closer to Beijing in Jinan, so this move requires a flight. It all worked out for the best I suppose. Because I decided to leave, he was free to take the job in Jinan.
I have since gone home. Neekole Peekole got a summer internship doing computer coding so we got to go shopping for new work clothes. That was really nice and I'm glad I didn't miss that. Yay Nicole! Also, because I went back early, I also got a job as an early hire for the school year! Yay me! Matt is still in Xian but he should be starting his new job in Jinan sometime in July. Hopefully he can come for a visit this summer. Also, my job is at a year round school so it should make it easier to visit while Matt is away. Would I leave the country again in the future if the opportunity arises? Of course! Will I go back to China? I would not say never, but I would say that is highly unlikely. I need a break for a couple of years at least.
One last thing. We had a huge problem trying to get Sammy from Riyadh to China. The guy who was helping us was ridiculous and always finding some excuse why he couldn't send the dog. It was was very frustrating for us and for our Riyadh neighbors who were taking care of him for so long! Thanks neighbors! Had he ended up in China, there is no way Matt would have been able to keep moving him around. They have some pretty strict quarantine laws there and it doesn't sound like they take very good care of the dogs when they do quarantine them. So Sammy is now back in Vegas. This was probably his last trip as he is looking pretty old these days. I really don't think he would have liked China all that much either!
The situation isn't exactly ideal, but it is what it is. We just do the best that we can with the situations that present themselves. For now, if Matt can manage to tough it out in China, then the payoff is big for him and worth staying. For me, I could tough it out but I am almost certain I would resent it. I'm much better off in the states for now.
As for China, I think I would have lasted a lot longer in Beijing or Shanghai but regardless, it is still China. I prefer staying in a 5 star hotel than a typical Chinese apartment. So the saying is true for me. It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there!
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