Today was a day of I did it(s)!

First, I taught my first Zumba class all by MYSELF! So what if there was only one student in the class and she was the very first friend I made in China. Thank GOD I did I did it with her first before I have a whole class full of people. There were several songs I thought I knew very well but when it came down to doing it today, I came up several times with blanks. Jenelle was patient and loved every minute of my attempts at the song before I would say, ummm lets do a different one, I can not remember it for the life of me! I wanted to do my teachers justice in presenting their routines and hoped the fun of it all came through and according to Jenelle, it did. At one point, when I was changing music, another Intel wife, I did not know, asked her what she was doing and with me and Jenelle told her a trial run for a class I am going to teach. Un-named Intel wife said she would want to come and to tell her when it was on for real. I am going to check with the Shama (where Jenelle lives and where we did the class today about using their room at least two days a week since so many of the families live there and then check with the Inn fine gym about using their room too. I am so excited I have many Ladies of Leisure telling me they will come, guess I just need to do it! And today I did it!
 
After, Jenelle and I talked about the things that are different in China over lunch, besides the obvious. Waitresses, for example. will wait and wait and wait patiently for you to look over the menu and decide on what you want before leaving your table. Jenelle and I ordered our drinks and had to ask the waitress to go AND get them so we could have more time looking at the menu without her standing behind us. It's a little un-nerving when you are so used to being rushed in and out of a restaurant so the server can turn the table to make more money. In China, NO TIPPING. The servers do the job they were hired for or they don't work, it’s great! We talked about some things she learned the hard way such as no heads, guts or feet! The majority of the population is poor in China and they eat everything! So she had to tell her Ayi to buy the best meats, not to worry about the costs of the good meats but to still get the best price. Guess that was a fun conversation to try and explain and communicate effectively.
 
Janelle took me to a second butcher choice after I told her Linda had taken me to the butcher the other day. The second butcher had chicken breasts fresh and you could buy only what you needed. The reason why we talked so much about food, I was meeting with a friend of Janelle’s Ayi later at 2p...round two of interview. We were going to have a person from the Shama help us by translating for us. That, I have to say, is one benefit of living in a building of service apartments within a hotel. The staff usually speaks English and when you get into a bind, they can call in your food order or tell someone how to come and get you or in my case, tell a maid what I want her to do if she is going to work for me. After stopping quickly at the second butcher and getting a "card" that is in both Mandarin and Korean (because it’s on Korean street), we hurried back to the Shama to meet the next prospect for our Ayi. Why a business card for a butcher you ask? Or at least were thinking? So I could give it to the Ayi and tell her where to buy our meats. Do you remember the pictures of the food markets where the food was laying out and not refrigerated? Well, I do NOT want my foods bought there! I will be giving my Ayi a card so she knows where to go to buy the food for our family.
 
Finally, we met with Ms. Li, Jenelle’s Ayi, Ms. Huan Ling (my prospective Ayi) and a representative from the Ayi Company, Ms. Jin Lin Shu. Her job was to help negotiate on behalf of the Ayi and make sure the duties are clearly outlined so there is no confusion. But then when I thought about that, I was confused. I did not speak or read Mandarin and the paperwork was and all of the conversations were in Mandarin! Who was there to represent me? Ah, the Shama guy…He agreed to translate for us. Thank goodness! We talked about all the duties, hours, and all that the job entailed and then came the negotiating the salary. They asked what I would pay and I asked what she would like. “Ok, you pay what you want if she is good, you pay more if she is not, you pay less” That’s what was said to me when he asked her the question I posed. NO, I want to have a price agreed on; we’ll do a three month contract and then look at the possibility of a raise then. We then talked about more duties; both Jenelle and I brought the conversation back to the pay. Finally after talking about it being part time and only four hours a day(after she said she did not want to work past 6p because of her son-hey, I get it, I have kids-ok, no biggie) we agreed on hours and she said she would like the job. Hello?? We still have not talked about pay nor have you seen our apartment? Ok, Pay. How about 1000RMB? For part time work? No, how about 800RMB (I was able to find out what another woman is paying her PT Ayi and this was a little more because we talked about the Ayi’s getting more because other people are paying it) so my plan was between 800RMB and 900RMB. But you know me, when she countered at 900 RMB, I said 850RMB and after the 3 month contract, I would go up to 900RMB if she did a good job. We talked some more, I still do not know if she’s agreed or not but then they asked me again to sign a contract? I asked about the rate, yeah, 850RMB was good and yeah they would like to see the house. We went to see Mr. Yang, me alone with three Chinese women who talked so fast, I could not make out one single sound! So I did what I do when I am with Suonllens’ family and they are speaking Spanish, I zoned out and did not even hear the sounds…Mr. Yang joined in on the conversation during the ride to the HaiFu from the Shama and as far as I know, he could have been saying all kinds of shit about me and my family but I did not care, I was that much closer to getting my Ayi. Ms. Ping seemed really nice and was smiling so she was ok with me so far! So when we got to the HaiFu, Mr. Yang said, I wait” and I said, “Yes”. We proceeded to get my bag and my boom box out of the back of the van and they three skinny as can be Chinese women carried my stuff, taking it out of my hands. It’s still takes me awhile to feel comfortable with this and I am not sure if I will but then I’ll be in big trouble when I go back to the US and I do not have a Ms. Ping or a Ms. Shu who wants me to hire one of them so they both can get paid…
 
Up in the apartment I showed them around, Ms.Li looked relieved she did not have to clean the house, it’s QUITE a bit bigger than the three bedroom apartment at the Shama. I showed the spices I had, the dishes and cooking equipment as well as the dishwasher and sanitizer for the dishes. All seemed ok with what I had, I asked Ms. Li to tell Ms. Ping if she did not see what she might need that we could go shop on Thursday to get anything that Ms. Ping would need. The other Ayi was pretty concerned with that sort of thing and Ms. Ping didn’t seemed to care one way or another. I showed the bathroom which she was to use, as well as the washer and dryer that was conveniently located in her bathroom! No, I did not plan it that way! Javier uses that bathroom too, the other downstairs bathroom is in Asia’s room and if she is in her room and doesn’t want to be bothered, Javi’s bathroom is just fine. We were going to sit down to do the contract but then the three decided the Shama would be better, the translator was there after all! So we all were going back out side when we started talking about names. Why is it, ethnic people can not say “Michelle” we tried several times to get them all to be able to pronounce it and ended up giving up having her call me Lee. They tried some more in the car, Mr. Yang was able to say it and they all cheered! I said my in laws could not say Me-shell either but they did not get it but I laughed…Too funny! After we were back at the Shama, the contract was signed and it was explained, we were done after two hours of when it began. I seriously was WIPED out!! And made sure they knew it by my best charades of sighing and wiping the fake sweat off my brow! All three of them laughed and helped me out of the elevator and to the car! I rode home in silence with Mr. Yang and then called Suonllen. Told him of all that had happened and the price we were playing, he was like, “you liked her that much?” HELL YES! The price is right and she smiled many times when we had the language issue, I can see a LOT of that happening in the future and if she can laugh and get through it with me, then its all good!”  At this point, I ask myself, “WHO CARES IF SHE CAN COOK OR IF SHE KEEPS A CLEAN HOUSE??? I AM DONE, I DID IT!!!”