Day One in China, Sunday Aug. 6/06

I woke up at 4 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep and got up at 4:30. Still couldn't call home and since it was 4 p.m. there it would have been so perfect. The TV wouldn't turn on but there is a satellite dish on my balcony. By the way I have taken pictures of my fabulous apartment but I don't have the camera and cord with me. I'll post them another day. I poked around until about 7 a.m. and finally went outside to ask the guards at the gate if they spoke English so I could find out how to use this phone card. The previous night I did phone my cousin Charlene's friend Rose who did inform me that I had to dial 001 not 011 which got me to the part where I had no authority. The guards (yes there are guards all around this complex as there is at the complex at work. The guards at home don't actually stop anybody from entering but at work you have to show why you are there.) The guards found out how to use the card but they couldn't relay that fact to me. I went walking up the street to find a pay phone because I thought I could just insert the card. No pay phones but a Radisson Hotel - someone in there must speak English. The concierge was most helpful. You have to scratch with a coin to reveal your card no. and pin. Hooray back home to my nice cool apartment. It is very hot outside and I am sweating to death. I try again and I get all the way through to dialling my home number and it still won't work. I am very frustrated and near tears. I call the number for the person to contact if there is something wrong with the apartment. He works for YCEF also. Oh, I forgot it is 001. Finally, I got Doug on the phone, we chatted and then I called Paul and Sandra to tell them about this great apartment and then I phoned Mike who is in Vancouver. I had to leave him a message and when I did get him I forgot the time difference between Vancouver and Toronto. I woke him up at 6 in the morning. Sorry, Mike. It has been hard not to phone every day but those 3 phone calls have almost used up my whole card. Apparently it is very expensive to phone direct without a card.
Later that day Laura the Early Childhood Coordinator who is probably my boss,but neither she or I new my assignment, came and showed me around the shopping area in my neighbourhood. I bought a few more groceries, a garbage can, a mop, etc.
That evening I received a phone call from Corinne at work she was sending someone to give me a new card for the satellite. Laura had gotten the TV turned on but it was obvious there was no satellite. When the man came he said my box was bad and I could buy a new one for 1000 yuans. I could pay him in Sept. after I get paid. No Thank you. When Corinne heard about this she and her husband who lived in this apartment until June came right over with her card because she was sure it should work ( it did in June). But no luck so it seems if I want to watch some english programming I will have to dish out the money. I'll decide later. It's getting late, I am watching CCTV 9 which is an english news station and reading a book. I go to bed about 11 p.m. I'm sure I will be able to sleep later tomorrow morning.