I really hate the first day of traveling overseas. I’m jet-lagged. I’m writing this note on my iPhone on the plane ride to Haikou from Shanghai. Please forgive me for typos.

I’ve been going non-stop in London since I returned there last Saturday after a month long vacation at my parents’. I was cleaning out my flat and handling some last minute business. I had only four hours of sleep the night before I headed out to China as I couldn’t fall asleep until late at night due to jet-lag coming from the US. I woke up at the crack of dawn to say goodbye to my dear friends on a very dreary and rainy weather day in London.

Then I hopped on the plane for an 11 and a half hour journey. Sleeping on the plane is hard.

When I got to Shanghai, I felt overwhelmed and beyond exhausted. My body had this queasy feeling as if it’s totally confused about what time it is at the moment. I wanted to go straight to bed. I felt I wanted to be cranky and didn’t feel the thrill of excitement. I ALWAYS have this feeling when I first land in a new country where the surroundings are so strange and unfamiliar. The airport was very nice and easy to navigate, but it was being the minority and surrounded by a totally unfamiliar language that gave me the feeling of discomfort and being dislocated. Fortunately, because of my physical appearance, all Chinese knew to speak English to me.

I noticed while waiting for my baggage in Shanghai that the inseams on my shirt didn’t seem right and then I saw a label sticking out on the side. Uh oh! I’m such a total dork. What’s even worse is that when I was changing batteries for my sound processors, I had them on the wrong ear! I guess I was too tired to bother to notice. For those who are not familiar with cochlear implants, switching sound processors is like putting prescription contact lenses in the wrong eyes. That’s what I got for lack of sleep.

I hope to have a good night’s sleep and be able to start fresh tomorrow. From my past experiences of traveling to another country, when I have a good night’s sleep and am well rested, my personality changes. I wake up and say, “Let’s get going! I’m ready to start a new adventure!”