Indiana Jessie: This is What Happens When You Move Abroad.

My first day here was a bit crazy. I left my hotel in Manila at 2:30 in the morning to catch my flight. I got into Beijing around 11, corralled myself through customs in about an hour, and got into a cab with an HR guy from the company I am working for by 12:15.

The countdown in my phone!

Do you ever have those feelings where you feel like the decision you made was the right one? Well, while sitting in the back of the cab and watching Beijing fly by with all of its glorious pollution and neon signs, I had that feeling. I knew I made the right, albeit difficult, choice to leave the U.S. for a bit.

The night I got here I went on a solo adventure around my hotel. Last year, when I came to Beijing to visit my bestie, the school she worked at was right up the street from where I am staying. Luckily, I recalled eating at a cafeteria in the basement of some random building. When I recognized the building, my heart leapt! I found it! I found delicious local food! My first meal here was a spicy pot filled with quail eggs, cilantro, peanuts, potatoes, seaweed, lotus root, bean sprouts, tofu, seaweed, and a few other things that just looked good so I piled them into my bowl. I was not disappointed. I've eaten there twice since.... no shame.

Two other teachers arrived when I did, but I wasn't able to meet up with either of them for a bit. But when I did, we went on an adventure to find our way around the subway, which is relatively easy to navigate I might add. We ended up in The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. We had so much fun exploring.