Did I mention I refused to do to children/people what my job description, "public school teacher" told me to do? No marching children across the "yard" with their hands behind their backs like prisoners, in total silence. No locking them up for testing at the age of eight. No scientific destruction of their imaginations, yanking them from a good read into an hour of the program. No phony hopes for college or a good job, unless, paying your rent and not having to deal with the alternative economy to survive under racist hiring practices is your idea of the good life.
Fed up, I used to tell my accomplice, "I've had it, it's off to China, I'm ready to give up my few bourgie habits and take to the blue pajamas."
It seems I have been in a bit of a time warp, as I romanticized my disappearance, Shanghai and other cities have been growing - are expected to double in population in the next 3-4 years, yes you read that correctly- making the egocentric U.S. myopic idea that Los Angeles is large and sprawling city seem a bit naive!
We were looking for a small town, something like 1-2 mil when I was still at work and got a call on the cell phone - not the afterwork, "did you survive, me too, I will see you later" from my accomplice, but a Mr. A, telling me that it was a particular good placement, pressure was on, this kind of offer would last no more than 48 hours. Okay, I knew his game, but September approached and it seemed a good deal. "I don't want to decide for him, although I can predict this will meet the criteria we have both come to as what we want." "Do me a favor then," asked Mr. A. "Would you just call the office back when you accept? And please, there's a lot of paperwork involved, so we need you need to be certain that you won't change your mind. " He was as concerned with credibility as we were, reassuring.
Hours later, we arrived at our meeting place. We already agreed it was a go, but I pushed to make the call together - ceremonial, and within a few hours, it was done. There was no beer, no Tsing Tao, all we had was champagne tossed to us by the wedding planner over three months ago. It doesn't interest us. Instead of a toast we sat on the patio and talked about the plans with a certain abstraction that probably came from being slightly shocked and nervous, together.
We have about five weeks to prepare ourselves. Haven't told the landlords or the bosses. Waiting for the Official Offer to take to the Consulate.
As we well know, the country is pivotal to the global economy. We knew we weren't getting great deals at J.C. Penney and Target without global sweatshops. We have already driven through Northern Mejico and it's eerie transformation. However, we can bet that certain midwestern parents will believe they're still commies over there. And that we're going over to the other side! Oh, well.
An irony only to be understood by some. "We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us." Aztlan Underground? I can't give the proper credit at the moment.
The other side has crossed them. Now we're going to investigate for ourselves.
