The Long Road

The beginning was this.

Just kidding, I swear. (Though, he does possess a striking resemblence to one of my neighbors....)

My real beginning....is here. Hunan Province, China.




Somehow, I found myself outside the states, and across some random body of water to boot. Suddenly before I quite realized what was happening, I was teaching English at Changsha Medical University. This is where I am now.

The rest is what happened next.


When Harold and I arrived at this university, there were four foreign teachers already living here:

Mike, the cultural anthropologist interested in Chinese Ethnohistory
Pat, the "Father Time" look-a-like. Resident Chainsmoker, gift-giver, guide and friend.
Beth, Pat's keeper (aka, his wife XD). Wonderful lady, my new mother, and baker of delicious Banana Nut Bread.
Joris, the Dutchman who teaches "Proper British English" and who is married to a lovely, if not overly talktative, Changsha lady named Xu. She helps me buy the freshest vegetables at the market in the mornings. Joris, on the other hand, scares me a bit with his love of 'Nurses' (The nursing majors at the school). Hm.

I live on the third floor of the 1st Teacher's Dorm, located in a great big hole near the back of the university. I don't joke when I say, "hole". Two days before Harold and I arrived, the area flooded to the point where the teachers had to crawl out of windows from the second story onto the edge of a hill in order to get to class. It's an interesting story to hear, but I have to say, I'm glad I was wasn't there to witness it.



The apartment is nice. Much nicer and more spacious than I originally imagined when I signed up to come to China.

I have snazzy furniture, a huge bed in one room and another completely extra room, just for my belongings or guests if I have any.





The shower is in my bathroom, not in my kitchen as some other foreign teachers have, and I've even got brand new appliances like a new washing machine, microwave, rice cooker, TV, DVD player and computer. Quite luxurious. I especially like the computer as my laptop runs Vista (unfortunately), so our logistics person couldn't seem to hook it up to the internet properly.


Ah, the internet. Much like our phones and many other services, the university seems to be defaulting on payments. Our phones are still disconnected, and our internet is less than stable. Also, the water company has threatened now to stop delivering water as the university continues not to pay them. Also, inside our language labs (which serve as our main classrooms much to my displeasure), the computer systems rarely ever work and the companies that the university bought the equipment from won't fix any of it, because apparently they have not been paid in full.

It's a little shady around these parts. For a private university, this place seems to be in the pits.

The students range from good to bad, normal for any university, and in general, it's pretty peaceful. I love walking along the Back Street, the popular hang-out street for students, because it's very different from being in the city. The ground isn't paved, and the place is usually overrun by the smell of Stinky Doufu (Tofu). If you hold your nose, it tastes very good, I think. Not my favorite dish, however. Early in the morning, farmers lay out their straw mats for their vegetables and fruit, always fresh and tasty before 8:00am. I bought some chicken too. The definition of "fresh" here is that it was killed and defeathered in front of me. Pretty interesting, I'd say. My mother was appalled, but I simply thought, "I wonder if it'll taste different from the frozen stuff at Wal Mart?" Not too much difference except in price. Wal Mart in general is expensive and I hate it. I hated it in the states, and I hate it here. Bleh.


The town, here, which people call Wang Cheng, is totally under construction. We regularly have timed power and water outages which can make life rather inconvenient, but these are the quirks one must expect when moving to an entirely new place. Although there is mud, dust and unused building materials everywhere, the area has a certain charm about it. The people are nice, for the most part, and the food is wonderful. (from an American southerner's perspective of course XD) I personally think some good ol' Red Beans and rice with andouille sausage and some of Patrick's corn bread win, but the cabbage here is fantastic.

Mmmm....

So, the school is a little beyond underdeveloped. We had upwards of 5,000 incoming freshmen this semester, but nowhere near enough student dormitories. We have almost 1,500 students living in the one library on campus, while the majority of the school funds are sent to the building of a new hospital in front of the university. The cafeteria frequently makes large groups of students and faculty sick to the point of needing to go to the clinic, and the recreational facilities amounts to a circle of semi-dry dirt (the track), and a parking lot with hoops (basketball court). All in all, it feels like home. :) We fondly use the term, "Ghetto" which Harold and I, much to our great amusement, explained to Chessy, our very stressed-out FAO. She's the most wonderful person alive, and it was fabulous. It's like this entire area has been slapped together with duct tape.

Ah, duct tape....life's most precious resource....*sigh* So glad China has it...

Since, I've already used it to fix my showerhead. XD


Moving along. I must use this time to update the world on the past month! I will do it in a series of 15 points. Hopefully concise. If not, read someone else's blog.

1. I arrived.

2. I moved in.

3. I didn't have class until September 22nd (Hurray for Mandatory Military Training for Freshmen!!!!!!!!!) I have class now, though, and I teach everything BUT Oral English. Crap. Textbooks?! What?! I also have 500+ students, ranging from English majors to random kids off the street who barely know "Hello". Oh, and I have two textbooks for each class. And I am supposed to finish both textbooks this semester.

4. I discovered Metro (and then discovered all the cheaper stores closerto me after I'd blown 500 kuai)

5. I despaired over our foreign residency problem (which wasn't a problem for very long thanks to monetary 'connections' between school and police.) I didn't waste a lot of time despairing though, else I wouldn't have had much fun at the Changsha Museum...



or the....


Martyr's Park.

(That guy there is Mike, by the way. We call 'im Doc. Just because.)

6. I made friends on Busses (Maria, her brother, Sally, Maxine, Wu Fang, Wang Jiexing etc...)

7. I celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival, outside, in a circle with Baijiu (oh god). Someone had a guitar. I also played pool in an arcade with Maria and her brother.

8. I messed with my camera during some downtime.

9. I went to the Foriegn Experts' Banquet to celebrate the National Holiday, and now I want a traditional Chinese Bamboo flute. I want I want!

10. During the National Holiday, I went hiking around a luxury hotel that was prettier on the outside than it was on the inside.

11. I learned the Changsha Bus system part with a friend and part by myself. In this way, I discovered the fabric market!

12. I ate Sushi in China (What? Srsly?)

13. I ordered a meal for 6, in Chinese, on Walking Street.

(Note: That lovely Foreigner in my picture is Heidi, Pat and Beth's daughter. She's quite the cool chick.)

14. I bought a scarf with Suekoilya, Lisa and Shane.

15. I insulted a group of girls in a scarf store. In Chinese. XD Oh the things we learn on the street.


That scarf incident happened last night. Today, I've busied myself with lesson plans, making copies, and playing with this blog. Fun, right? Loads of fun.


Well, as far as adventures go, this is turning out pretty crazy cool. I'm a month into it now, and I have had my fair share of ups and downs. I know there is more to come. Much much more.

Oh bring it on already, so I can go get more dumplings.