Almost three weeks in China so far. Hard to believe that I can say, China is exactly how I imagined. I have found that almost everything I have ever heard of China, to be true.
Right now, I am sitting in my 15th story flat, looking out the window towards tall buildings, a busy streets, construction sounds, smog, and scooters galore. The vast amount of scooters here amazes me. They even have their own lane in the roads. A lane which people can walk in. Still not used to being able to walk in the road, while trying not to be hit by one of the many crazy drivers, whether it be via taxi, scooter, or bike. Soon, I can be one of those crazy drivers myself. My friend Simon has given me his bike upon his return to England this morning. Very thankful for that, because many times I miss my bike that is sitting in the garage in the United States. It is a casualty of my nomad lifestyle these days. I'll get it out on the streets soon, and if I die, we can blame Simon for that because he made the bike available to me.
So, you might be wondering what my first impressions of China were. I'll start by explaining my journey here. I left my house at 230 am, to go to Monroe. I caught a plane from the small small small airport there and went to Houston, and then to LAX, where I was positive I would see a movie star in the international terminal. I am fairly convinced I saw a basketball star because of his height, but other than that, only me, with two many hand bags. From LAX to Shanghai, I was sitting amongst a group of Chinese teenagers (about 30 or 40) returning from a trip to the US. Seeing as I dont sleep well on planes, I took many Dramamine to help me sleep. And by many, I mean enough to make me pass out to the point where the flight attendants were worried about me.
When I arrived in Shanghai at 530, I got my bags and found my driver waiting for me in the arrivals. There was my name on a sign. Followed him and felt sort of priveleged. Here I am, dressed nice and there is a short man carrying all of my luggage for me. Maybe people thought I was important. Or maybe they just said, wow foreign creature with blonde hair. Let's stare some more.
The drive to Shanghai to Wuxi was good. Then I passed out for the last 30 minutes. Seeing as all I could say to the driver was thank you, I probably seemed a freak because I kept repeating it the whole journey together. I can thank him, though, for teaching me how to properly say Wuxi. Not that I can still properly say it, but at least I know how it sounds. Maybe in 7 months I'll get the tones down of the pronunciation of the city I live in. By the way, that x in Wuxi does not sound like an x, but rather an sh sound with very little emphasis on the h while using a certain tone. Good luck with that.
I arrived at the flat and was pleasantly surprised with my room. I had plenty of storage space, but the entire time I was thinking, why is it so hot, and why is my bed wood only? Welcome to China. Now you may sweat through your clothes and then go sleep on a wooden mattress covered by a sheet, but dont cover up with the sheet because at night you will melt.
After talking to Matt for hours once he arrived home, I went to sleep, and woke up to go to work. Was pleasantly surprised again with the school I teach at. I actually have desk space. In a room with many other teachers, with endless amounts of resources, and we can even use the copy machine. For those in Peru, please compare now.
So, I've been teaching for 2 weeks so far. Has been interesting. I love most of my classes. The ages range from 4-15. Chinese children are for the most part adorable. Sometimes naughty, and I have to be the mean teacher, which I don't like, but I applaud myself for being able to sound mean through my laid back attitude, friendly voice, and smile. Yesterday, I started teaching a weekly class at a public school, and let me say that when my DOS told me to walk in and not smile the entire day because they can run wild if they know their teacher is nice, I was not looking forward to that. And for good reason too. Three of us went yesterday to a school with bars on the windows. I felt like a military dictator out for the kill walking into the school with a scowl on my face. So let's just say that I won't be looking forward to the weekly classes at Xishi. But the classes at EF are for the most part a joy.
Other than teaching, I have had little time to do other things. I have hung out with some friends. Matt is a great flatmate. Christine took me for my first Chinese meal, and she, Eatty, and I have been shopping and eating out. One day, Eatty took me to the lake to take pictures. And tonight is girls night with the three of us and Safa. Looking forward to that. Other times, I have hung out with Simon and Sergiy. Always fun around those two.
So other than all of that terribly exciting news, here is what I have observed about China...
The men actually DO spit anywhere. And not just a dainty spit, but a real powerful gutteral sounding spit. It should come as no surprise to you, that this...does not appeal to me. I also love, and think American men should do this as well, that Chinese men walk around with their shirts either off or rolled to the tops of their stomachs. Amazing. Chinese girls do, in fact, walk around in the highest heels imaginable. Although I am surprised they are not as short as I imagined. Maybe I just got used to being a giant in Peru. China really is a quickly developing nation. And rightly so, considering the unbelievable amount of people here. I live in a city of 6 million. Small by China standards. But considering I hail from a town of 25,000 I'll accept a "small" city in China anyday. I think I should find a new place to shop, though. Went to Carrefour one night to buy some food and a phone. It was like Walmart, the day before Christmas, on steroids, times a million. Haven't they heard of leisurely shopping? The food here, as you can imagine, is amazing. Have only eaten proper Chinese food 3 or 4 times but it has been delicious. Am also becoming a pro at eating with chopsticks. No wonder the government has allowed me a residence permit. I am practically Chinese now. Although you can't tell by the looks of me. And I know this because of the amount of stares I get. I particulary like it when Chinese kids look at me and point and I wave back and it thrills them. They dont understand the height. They dont understand the blonde hair. They dont understand the curly hair. Almost makes me feel important.
Well, I'm off. Off to complete the weekly mission that Claire has given me. Eat something Chinese that is either dog, a fried insect, or chicken feet. We'll see how that goes.
