The Long Road Home

In August of 2015 we attend the BYU workshop for China Teachers and booked our flights both to and from Guangzhou.  Knowing that flying home the end of December would be chaos, we elected to fly with Delta instead of a Chinese airline.  We just implemented the return part of that ticket for the longest journey ever taken; we estimate 40 hours!

Sunday morning, December 20 in Guangzhou, South China University of Technology, after long hours of packing, weighing and repacking four suitcases and two roller bags we started our day at 2:00AM. The last preparations and final cleanup had us ready for our driver arriving at 3:00AM. We had really “hit the wall” and were ready to be on that flight to the U.S.  Our schedule was really a repeat of our arrival in September: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Seattle, then Salt Lake City.

The only Guangzhou dilemma was trying to determine whether we check-in with domestic or international.  Since we don’t communicate well in Chinese it became necessary to stand in both lines before Shanghai Airline (Delta’s partner airline) decided how to check-in through domestic and check the bags international all the way to SLC.  Two security check lines later we were at the boarding gate for our 7:30AM flight with only minutes to spare from our three hours early for the international flight, no time for breakfast here!

Enter Shanghai International Airport.  For a country that does not celebrate Christmas both Guangzhou and Shanghai were crazy busy.  We navigated the maze and stood in the lines directed to transfer from domestic to international only to find that we needed to claim our luggage and recheck it, that information after we had stood in a very long line to check in for an international flight. Back to the luggage carousel to discover that only three bags had arrived the fourth was who knows where from a direct flight?  Back to the check-in line with a missing bag notice, this was not a very positive beginning!  Yet again two more security check lines.  Did I mention that in China security does not use those invasive screening machines that flash your photo, no, no, no they use a full body wand and pat down, sometime referred to as a full body massage.  Not only is it intense, up close and personal, it takes four times as long to get through a long line. We again were running tight on the three-hour exchange time!  We were running down the concourse only to discover that we needed to board a bus to be transported out to the tarmac to board the plane.  Really, Delta cannot get a gate assignment at the Shanghai International Airport!

Finally lift off from Shanghai we are in the air for the U.S. great relief spread through the atmosphere of our seats. I had just selected my first movie, settled in for a 14-hour overwater flight when the announcement came that there was a mechanical equipment problem and this plane needed to divert to Tokyo International Airport for repair.  I had really wanted to go to Japan at some point, however this was not the time.  The anxiety level just replaced the great relief in a matter of minutes.  Tokyo happens to be the Delta hub for Asia so the chances for repair are better in Tokyo! We were a captive audience so let’s get on with this. 

Upon arrival in Tokyo we were informed by the crew that we couldn’t get off the plane because no one on the plane had a Japanese Visa, so they would proceed with the repair while we all waited on the runway.  Sure they served water and pretzels regularly, they couldn’t do food service, no breakfast and now no lunch! Our crew were committed to keep the passengers informed every 15 minutes, so every 15 minutes we receive the same update: they were continuing with repair no further information.  Two hours later they figured out how to get 250 passengers through the Tokyo airport to yet another Delta A330 that was destined to Honolulu.  Great we are now going to Honolulu from Tokyo; SLC is beginning to feel a lifetime away.  We were police escorted down the concourse, quite a site to behold and boarded on the second aircraft.    We now had crew rest issues, so someone important at Delta made the decision that the new A330 would continue with the Honolulu crew to Seattle leaving the original crew to rest and later take the Honolulu route. Yahoo no security pat down in Tokyo! The luggage was transferred from plane to plane, we were down one bag before we boarded, it would be a miracle if we landed with any luggage at all with this unscheduled middle of the night transfer! Once again we are off to who know where, never trust the destination until to see the ground!

Originally we were scheduled to land in Seattle at 7:30 AM complete customs and take an 11:30 plane to SLC.  That certainly wasn’t going to happen.  We landed at 2:00 PM missing the 11:30 and the 1:10 flight to SLC.  There were two flights left to SLC, at 4:00 and at 6:10, what are the chances there would be any seats?  We started through the customs and immigration process, one more security check, thank goodness for the invasive photo screening devices! Miracle of all miracles we picked up all four bags in Seattle to take through customs! Some how Delta automatically rescheduled us for LAX, we were later told that there were no seats available on the SLC flights.  So our luggage was loaded on the flight to LAX, however when we arrived at the LAX gate there were no seats! We were now standby on the 4:00 and confirmed on the 6:10 to SLC.  To yet another gate for the 4:00, stand by was only a wish; of course everyone shows up for a flight on December 20, most trying to get home before Christmas.  No seats on the 4:00.  Yet another gate change to check in and confirm the seats that had been promised.  Yahoo we actually were given a seat assignment but the flight had been delayed from 6:10 to 9:40 PM.  Thank you Delta Airlines.  That gave us time to experience Ivar’s clam chowder. 

We finally arrived in SLC just after 1:00 AM with all four pieces of luggage! We drove into the driveway just after 2:00AM! Quite the adventure to go home for Christmas!

Each time we transferred and changed flights we were issued a new set of boarding passes.  As I look through that stack I have 14 boarding passes for lots of different destinations.  I am happy to announce that Delta has apologized for any inconvenience that flight may have caused and sent 10,000 points to my account! Shame on you Delta Airlines!

The Last Week in Guangzhou 2015

The last week of pretty much anything presents a flurry of activities. This week has not been an exception to that generalization.  Final Grades were due on December 18, which in and of itself is a task. We were required to submit electronic and hard copy grades dated and signed, along with a final copy of eighty student’s final paper that could theoretically be submitted for publishing.  Paying our electricity, water and gas bill was on the list as well.  That adventure required a limited conversation with each utility organization. Chinese speaking students saved us with our limited Chinese vocabulary.  Exchanging RBM to dollars at the bank is always at least a 3-hour adventure.  First is the waiting in line with a number, minimum wait this year has been 2 hours with two tellers open, a passport, bank card, and original application paper work are required to receive dollars.  Again a Chinese-speaking student was required to get that accomplished.

Chinese customs and traditions are complicated but protocols are important and need to be respected.  Delivering gifts to the university departments that we have worked with turned out to be a pleasurable experience.  They are always very gracious and extend their appreciation for your effort to make a difference in the lives of Chinese students.

We provided one extra class that was optional for students to attend to learn about American Culture and Customs with three sections together.  We packed in 60-70 very curious students anxious to learn about America. Classroom activities included Skype to Colorado and Arizona.  It was a great idea but the university equipment and limited Internet provided a less than adequate experience for SCUT students to try their English on English speakers.  Both Mike’s family and Kaci’s family were troopers to pick up the slack that was created.  We ended up typing our questions, back and forth between bad connections.  Larry Cooke, a China Teacher from Wyoming is a very talented musician and joined us to sing American songs.  Larry plays both the guitar and mandolin; Craig being the music buff explained Elvis, The Eagles, Taylor Swift, John Denver, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Lennon, The Beatles and Alabama while I ran the PPT.  It was a fun gig for all. 

C14

 

 

 C4

 Last Class American Culture Day

 Last Class American Culture Day

Board chalk art

 China Teachers Dinner@ GDUF

 Dinner with Gary and Michael

Chinese Uber

Christmas Holiday Openhouse in 350 Square Feet!

One more event before we leave! We have had many student volunteers help us this year with all kinds of projects and even just basic support, like getting internet connected to our apartment, setting up a Chinese bank account, campus ID photos, Campus Orientation, and departmental meetings it seems like a great idea to say thank you to the whole group.  Twelve volunteers were invited to an open house at our little 350 square foot dormitory apartment on December 14.  We wondered if they would all come together or if open house style would work well. 

I made Jessica’s Carmel popcorn and bought tangerines from the fruit market for the menu items. We quickly became the entertainment spot for the evening.  I wondered how many we could really get into our little spot but the students were very adept at squeezing in many bodies in a small area.

 

Larry Cook also a China Teacher from Laramie Wyoming, in #304 just above us brought his guitar and we have taken advantage of his gifts and talents to sing non-religious Christmas Carols.  He became our entertainment for the evening.

They all came together, they all stayed together and they all loved to sing the English Christmas Carols.  I put the lyrics on a PPT so they could see the words, Larry played the guitar and we had a regular sing-a-long.  It was an exciting surprise to watch them enjoy American culture.

The Hoverboard Saga

As we traveled from market to market in Guangzhou fall of 2015 the one reoccurring item that surfaced was a hoverboard.  They were everywhere, on every corner and whizzing past on every street.  We also began to see them on campus at South China University of Technology.  They came in every color imaginable, metallic, camouflage, splat paint you name it, it was available.  The accessories were mind boggling, wheels 6.5inch, 7 inch, 8 inch and 10 inch you could choose the Benz style wheels or the Lamborghini style wheels.  LED lights in the front, LED lights on the deck and to top it, Bluetooth, remote control all were also available.  It began to remind me of ordering a car!  We were hearing rumblings about the lithium batteries, Chinese batteries versus Samsung.  Several online articles were cautionary about getting the right battery. 

One Thursday, the day we didn’t have classes we decided to visit a factory to see what exactly the deal really was.  I am not sure why we thought visiting the factory would be helpful; it was more of the mumbo jumbo that you hear on the streets and from the vendors.  Everything was wonderful, how many would you like to purchase???? It took us all day to figure that out!

We had already booked our flight back to the U.S. on Delta so the next step was to contact Delta to see if they allowed hoverboards checked as luggage.  Fortunately we had arrived with three suitcases, one empty, and an additional one full of food that had been consumed so we had two empty suitcases to return back home with.  Wouldn’t it be great to take hoverboards home to our grandkids for Christmas?

I went to the Delta website and found other customers had already inquired about this issue and there didn’t seem to be a concern with checking hoverboards with our luggage.

Information from the Delta website and Delta Assist on 1 December 2015:

Delta: ✅ The airline said it allows hoverboards in checked baggage.

Thanks! and are they allowed in checked luggage, too?

Follow

Delta Assist

✔ @DeltaAssist

@misscaileyanne You're welcome! Yes, you can always check them. :-) *SD

2:42 AM - 1 Dec 2015

Hoverboards don't qualify as permitted electronic device under most airlines' existing policies. But they are one of many devices with lithium ion batteries that have the airlines and regulators concerned.
Currently, these are the regulations in place for hoverboards at different airlines:

·       United: Allowed in checked luggage, but battery must be removed and taken as carry-on

·       Delta: Allowed as checked luggage or carry-on

·       American: Allowed as carry-on only

·       Southwest: Allowed in checked luggage if battery is under 160 Watt-hours

·       JetBlue: Not allowed in checked or carry-on luggage

·       Virgin America: Not allowed in checked luggage

·       Current FAA guidelines state that in a carry-on, "Passengers may carry all consumer-sized lithium ion batteries (up to 100 watt hours per battery). Passengers can also bring two larger lithium ion batteries (100-160 watt hours per battery) in their carry-on."

·       The same batteries allowed in carry-on luggage are allowed in checked, except for "spare (uninstalled) lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries," which are completely banned. "The batteries must be protected from damage and short circuit or installed in a device. Battery-powered devices — particularly those with moving parts or those that could heat up — must be protected from accidental activation."

Off to the market we went and made our purchase of four hoverboards, one for each family.  Wouldn’t that just be the greatest Christmas gift ever!  We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves and so excited to be able to be part of the cutting edge. Of course we bought all the bells and whistles, everything you could load on our hoverboards. Nothing but the best for our grandkids! (I had memories of the Cabbage patch doll Christmas we experienced when Craig brought dolls home from Germany when they were not available in the U.S.)

 All packed up in B4 bags and ready to go!

 A mere ten days latter after we had made our purchase. On the morning of December 10 this news flash crossed the CNN app on our computer.

Delta bans hoverboards out of safety considerations

By Staff Writer • posted Dec. 10, 2015

Despite hoverboards' presence on many gift lists this holiday season, Delta decided today to stop allowing them on aircraft out of safety considerations.
Employee and passenger safety remains the airline’s top priority, driving Delta to disallow hoverboards and all lithium battery powered self-balancing personal transportation devices in carry-on and checked baggage effective Dec. 11.
Poorly labeled, powerful lithium-ion batteries powering hoverboards are the issue. Delta reviewed hoverboard product specifications and found that manufacturers do not consistently provide detail about the size or power of their lithium-ion batteries.
This investigation revealed devices often contain battery varieties above the government mandated 160-watt hour limit permitted aboard aircraft. While occurrences are uncommon, these batteries can spontaneously overheat and pose a fire hazard risk.
In addition to the 160-watt hour or less requirement for lithium ion batteries, any spare batteries (or any battery not already installed into an electronic device) must be in carry-on baggage, and no more than two spares are allowed.

Holy cow, we are now ten days from takeoff with our hoverboards all packed in the B4 bags only to read this horrifying new flash! Enter Panic!!!
DHL, UPS, and EMS also refused to ship the boards air cargo. Craig loaded one hoverboard in our grocery cart and went to China Post to see if we could ship them slow boat from China.  After a two hour wait in the mail line we were told in Chinese they were a safety consideration and each board would need to be in an individual wooden crate, actual shipping cost would be approximately $50 each depending on the crate construction.  Terriffic, where do you get wooden crates built on short notice? Turns out some students had some experience trying to ship their lab equipment and knew of a spot that would build wooden crates.  A little phone research by Chinese students revealed that the custom wooden crates would be double the price of the hoverboard.  Not really a good option, never mind that the shipping costs would be added on the now heavier wooden boxes.  We were very quickly running out of options.   At the end of 24 hours it was clear that our grandchildren in California, Colorado, and Arizona were never going to see a Chinese hoverboard for Christmas 2015.  Our $500 investment in the best Christmas present ever was becoming a $500 liability! What to do?? We decided that our best option would be to try to make some children in Guangzhou International Branch a Merry Christmas. 
It just so happened that the Branch Christmas Party was scheduled for Saturday night, December 12. We asked a few questions of President Qain about which parents would allow the hoverboard and which families were in need of a boost in their Christmas budget.  After an eventful Sunday, bus trips, metro trips, almost 24 hours after we began this adventure all four hoverboards had been moved out of our apartment to new homes and remaining in China.  They will make someone very happy on Christmas morning; sadly it won’t be our grandchildren. Sometimes we insist on learning things the hard way! We have actually been part of our own “Christmas Miracle.”

Guangzhou International Branch Christmas Party

Christmas is not a holiday that is celebrated in China, however this year there are many more Christmas decorations in commercial areas, hotels and shopping centers, as well as Christmas Carols being blasted over the speakers.  Students at the university are very curious about what this American holiday is all about.  They try to draw parallels between their Chinese New Year and American Christmas because families gather together for both celebrations.  It is quite a leap to explain, especially given the fact that religions conversations and explanations are not allowed to take place.  I usually end this explanation with “ I would like to be able to explain this religious holiday to you but your government will not allow me to talk about religion.”  That puzzles them also but they have a clear concept about what the government requires!

It has become very clear to me living in China, how much food plays in our holiday celebrations.  Sometimes the flavors and aromas of the holiday are more poignant than the other traditions.  Christmas food traditions are such a major part of what come to mind.  We had sushi, cashew chicken, the best fresh fruit buffet you could imagine, and even a turkey for dinner along with Christmas pudding.  It was a very nice spread of food but didn’t seem like Christmas.  Santa Claus arrived with gifts for the children and the entertainment was loads of fun.  The best part of this Christmas party was the people.  There were five continents represented in our little International branch and conversations in many languages were going on in the Canton Mansion.  Exciting to learn and listen to others tell their Christmas tradition stories. 

China Teachers Table

Outside decorations at the Canton Mansion

Beautiful Scarlet Roman

Belllarmine Nwanevu visiting Santa

President and Lori Qian

Don Homer, Jocelyn Foreman, Dave Hennessey, Larry Cooke & Brandon Baron

 

Christmas Pudding

Alvez Family

Farewell Party from SCUT

Dear all,

How time flies! Soon comes the end of the semester. We thank you for being so conscientious and responsible for our students. Your patience and kindness are highly appreciated!

Now we would like to invite you for dinner at 18:30, Dec. 10 in West Lake Hotel.  A van will be offered for teachers who live on University Town Campus.

please let me know if you are able to attend.

Have a nice day!

--

Sincerely yours,

Susie  Yan

Foreign Affairs Secretary

Room420, Building 4, School of Foreign Languages, Wushan Campus, South China University of Technology

Our final Farewell Party was scheduled and attended last night.  We had a great time with all the foreign teachers, now foreign experts.  It was an opportunity to say thank you and reflect about our opportunity to work with Chinese students and staff with BYU China Teachers Program.  There isn’t any other way we could have learned and experienced the learning curve.  This is one you have to experience to believe.  We take with us great memories; we have met amazing people and friends for a lifetime in addition to changing the lives of hundreds of students for the better.  We have felt the responsibility of being goodwill ambassadors politically, with education and religion.  We are thankful to have taken advantage of this gift.

Chime-long International Circus

If you are up for a good old-fashioned circus; one that would be illegal in the U.S, the Guangzhou Chimelong International Circus is one you shouldn’t miss.  It was indeed international inclusive of acts from China, Russia and the Ukraine.  All countries where animal rights are never a consideration!

Dancing bears, marching flamingos, white lions and white tigers, elephants, prancing horses and trained aerial dogs but the most surprising was the stuffed panda! There are more pandas in Guangzhou than the entire United States but for some reason the only panda to appear in the event was an artificial stuffed panda!

Every act was a Las Vegas finale, bigger and better than the one before it.  There were acts on the center stage, parades through the ring in the audience, very up close and personal, trapeze, speed races, ariel acts you name it and it was there.  Two spectacular hours of spellbinding performances without a safety net, but precisioned and executed to the smallest detail!

Signs you are in China

Thanksgiving in Guangzhou

Who would have thought we would be in Guangzhou in 2015 for Thanksgiving! Life seems to be full of interesting twists and turns.  We have been blessed with the opportunity to broaden our horizons and enjoy unusual experiences.  Thanksgiving in Guangzhou this year was one of those remarkable experiences. 

This semester we have had Thursday off with no classes all semester, so Thanksgiving was a day that fell into that schedule nicely.  On the Trip Advisor’s “Top Ten Things To Do In Guangzhou” number three is Cycle Canton.  Since bicycles are part of the culture and a way of life in Guangzhou, we decided to see what that was all about.  Our BYU supervisors, Jamie and Genial Ballentine, happened to be visiting in Guangzhou for this week so they decide to join us as well.  We became a group of seven plus two guides. 

We took #3 line metro one stop, #6 five stops downtown to the Garden Hotel area to meet our guides and bicycles to start the trek! Ben and Natalie were our guides, two young entrepreneurs, both of Chinese decent. Ben’s parents were both born in Guangzhou but moved to San Francisco where Ben was born and grew up.  He has returned to Guangzhou first to teach English and now to start a business.  Natalie is native Guangzhou.  Both speak very good English and both know the inside story of Guangzhou.  Craig and I have been in Guangzhou now for 16 months and we were amazed that this bike tour only visited one place we had already seen. They shared very insightful historical information, back alleys, green spaces, as we biked 17 kilometers in four hours through the city of Guangzhou.  We actually ended our tour in Zhujiang New town, the metropolitan area next to the Pearl River. Best Thanksgiving bike ride ever!

The expat community of the Guangzhou Consulate are always very generous, they live in posh accommodations with all the living comforts we are used to enjoying.  The Allen, Barron and Ashton families invited all of us to join them for a legitimate Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy, cream corn, yams, cranberries, pumpkin pie and a chocolate cake thrown in for good measure.  I am not sure if the food was extra delicious of if we just hadn’t eaten American food for a while but Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous!