My life as a volunteer prisoner ended on Friday the 4th of March. I have to admit that it has been a pretty gloomy three weeks.
What I enjoyed most was the woman who came to take my temperature every day: a genuine prison guard's face. What a mug! She must have trained to make a face like that :-)))
The daily routine was not lacking in salt either: the bed hard as wood capable of awakening the ascetic tendencies of the most committed epicurean, the meal trays, the toilet paper in homeopathic doses, etc. In short, an absolute delight! I guess I must have looked like the European annoying everyone to get toilet paper! But I made an effort to ask for it in Chinese! ;-)
In the end, it wasn't so bad.
It all depends on how we look at it. I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do.
And on the bright side, I appreciate the hotel I'm in even more! It feels like it is Buckingham Palace!
Those little annoyances spice up my daily life! And I must admit that my little Chinese skills have helped me get out of a few embarrassing situations.
What a joy to have all the bank cards working only when they want to. As a result, I have become a specialist in borrowing money from expatriates with whom I have made friends! :-)))
But the cherry on the cake was the check-in at the hotel just after my release from prison... sorry, confinement.
To check-in at the hotel, we need the result of the last PCR test and a "green code". But to get these documents, we need a Chinese phone number and a specific app installed on the phone. Which, of course, I didn't have. I had to use my scared cocker spaniel look to be let in!
Not to mention what I've just learned: travelling from one city to another is almost as complicated as coming to China.
Now, most of those little annoyances are solved, and I'm starting to get my bearings. I'll be ready for the next visit.
Anyway, it is, in the end, quite a fun adventure!
I'm actually enjoying it !!! :-)
I will end my little travelogue by thanking Amber Ting, Joan Wang and Weiwei Zhao for their help and advice. I look forward to meeting the team in a few days when I am allowed.
