I've done it.
I bit the bullet.
I have succumbed.
In Beijing, you're no one, a nobody, not popular, uncool, a lame-o looser if you don't have a QQ. Or at least a Weixin. And now, friends, family, strangers, I have both. Now you may count me among the cool, the elite, the creme de la creme if you will... Or, among the over 700million others that have them. Either way, they are considered essential modes of communication here in China, and now I am looped in.
If you would like to be a cool kid too, you can download QQ (more or less China's AOL instant messenger) for your phone from iTunes, the android market, or I believe, the blackberry app store (whatever it may be called)... You can also download it for your desktop here. Weixin also goes by WeChat, and can be downloaded in the same places that QQ can.
I must take a moment to say that I love, adore, am in love with, would marry if it didn't involve bigamy, WeChat. For those of you familiar with the app Whatsapp, it's a similar concept. But better.
So, here's the lowdown. WeChat allows you to use the internet (either wifi, or your "3G" on your phone) to send individual and group messages, drop a pin on a map to show your friends where you are, send photos, video chat with individuals, and even though it's a little creepy, you can even "look around" to see people using WeChat near you (you can turn this feature off so that people can't see you, too). But my personal favorite, and the reason that I'm shamelessly plugging the FREE app is that you can use it like a walkie-talkie.
That's right folks. In addition to all the really cool stuff I just mentioned it is a walkie-talkie. Actually, an improved walkie-talkie, because you can seamlessly switch back and forth between voice and text on the same screen, it saves your voice messages so that you can listen to them later, and it's just plain awesome, really.
So, basically friends and family that are equipped with "smart phones" should download this app, and then add me, so I can hear your lovely voices on a regular basis.
In other news, Chinese New Year approaches. YAY, a month off work, right? WRONG. In the way of things going wrong when you're over seas, this has been either completely miscommunicated, or mishandled, or someone is being really mean.
Backstory? Here: When I first looked into this job in particular I was told that we would get somewhere close to one whole month off for Chinese New Year, and that that is a standard vacation for English teachers in China. What I failed to do was get this in writing, or make it part of my contract. I foolishly took it for granted that standard policy would be upheld. It will not be.
This year, for whatever reason, we are being given the bare minimum that the company must give us according to Chinese law: Three days.
Now, this wouldn't even be a huge problem except that when we first asked what our vacation days might be, so that we could plan fun trips and adventures, we were told that they didn't have dates set yet, but that we would get two weeks. We hemmed and hawed a little, because two weeks does not one month make, but fine, no problem. The issue now is how did two weeks turn into three days? When, and why did this happen?
Last year the English teachers at the school had the ENTIRE month of January off. They were handed a bag of money with their January salary in it, and told to make merry and enjoy the holiday season. I have been handed nothing, except a belligerent e-mail from my agent reiterating that we're only getting three days. She failed to answer my questions as to why we're getting less than one month, why it took her so long to tell us the dates if they were only going to give us the government holiday bare minimum, and why they told us it would be two weeks when clearly it is not.
Let this be a lesson to you... and me. Get everything in writing. You'd think I'd know that by now, but apparently I needed to learn that one again. I'm pretty sure it'll stick this time.
Please excuse this rant. It is, for obvious reasons, at the forefront of my thoughts recently.
Now Super Husband and I are off to dinner.
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