Hello, Hohhot

Minus twelve degrees centigrade, sang the air hostess. Please dress in warm coat before exiting the plane.
I, in long shorts and thin cardigan, had just left a scorching Kiwi summer. I was not prepared for the ice and wind and frost of a Chinese winter.
It is only now, 30 hours after landing in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, I am wrapped up in thermal pants, thick socks and a long-sleeved vest. It wasn’t so bad when I arrived, actually – only minus five. And it’s getting warmer by the week, apparently. We could hit double figures by March.
The sudden about-face in my daily dress only compounded to my utter panic about what the hell I’d gotten myself into. I can’t teach! What am I doing? I’ve never imparted knowledge on anybody about anything, let alone led a classroomful of eager Chinese kids in rounds of “Now I know my ABC’s” and how to use the past continuous tense.
Nevertheless, I got off the plane. A prim Chinese girl slammed a stamp in my passport and I hauled my bag (abhorrently lacking in thermal clothing) off the conveyor belt. I presented my rumpled, jet-lagged face to the Exit and was warmly gathered up by Sally Jia, Aston School’s manager, and Luke, the new foreign manager.
Driving into Hohhot for the first time was thrilling and terrifying. I hadn’t slept for 36 hours, I was bloated with an aeroplane diet of beans and over-stewed vegetables, and I was nervous as hell about my new employees discovering my inadequacy as a teacher. I was also freezing.
But, after a stiff-legged stomp around the city park, a hot shower and a meal of unidentifiable street food, I was feeling somewhat human again. In a matter of hours, I’d met most of the staff at Aston English – all of whom are wonderfully friendly and laid-back – and had a ‘taste’ of the English lessons I would be taking myself in a short time.
Too much to cover just yet; details will follow.