The Journey So Far

Well, I have been here about a month now. Crazy how time just flew by. Oh, by the way, I downloaded a VPN before I got here. (Not sure exactly what it does but in short, it lets me sneak past the firewall.) It was free so I wasn't sure if it would work very well. But it looks like it does, so... yay! I can blog!

So far, teaching English in China is everything that I thought it would be and more (some good and some not so good).

The Good (in no particular order):

1. The other ILP teachers.
The are all so cool and nothing like the "spend the semester partying abroad with my bestest friend" girly girls that I was afraid they might be. Actually, none of us knew each other before hand and we are all so different but we gel together so well. It's too bad we all live so far away from each other in real life...

2. The food.
Some of the other girls might not agree with me but I think the food is awesome. Sure, I don't know what I'm eating half the time and sure, at other times, I wish I hadn't found out what I had been eating (duck blood being the top of that list). But I am seriously digging the egg drop soup and loads of veggies that come with every meal. And I think we can all agree that the street food is to die for. Hopefully, nobody will though. The Chinese aren't exactly known for their sanitation.

3. The Shopping.
Ok, I admit it. I like shopping. Don't let the frumpy wardrobe and complete lack of accessories fool you. Anyway, the prices here for a lot of things are excellent. One girl, McKenzie, got a nice bottle of perfume last night for 12 kuai (or about 2 USD) and I saw some pretty cool Vans shoes for 95 kuai (less than sixteen USD). And that is before bargaining. Which is also awesome. The prices at a lot of stands are really inflated, especially because they think we are rich, being from America and all. But it is generally expected that you haggle unless it is a nicer store that has actual price tags on the items. There are so many sports apparel stores too. I am practically drooling over jackets and shoes each time we turn a corner.

4. The Teaching.
This has been the hardest part about being here. The kids are little devils a lot of the time and the actual teaching is emotionally and physically exhausting (especially when you have had to chase after more than one kid screaming down the hall or wrestle another one for pack of crackers because one was just not enough). But it is so rewarding when they start using the language, even if it is to say that they didn't get a marshmallow yet as they're still chewing the first one. And did I mention they are the cutest little kids on the planet? My nephews and nieces aside, that is. :) Pictures are forthcoming.

5. Just Being in China.
I just like being here. I've had numerous nightmares where I've had to come home early for some reason and can't get back, and I'd be very upset about it. These dreams have actually been quite interesting. In one, I had to come back so I could talk to an advisor about doing an internship in DC. In another, I had to go home because I had a hair appointment along with Rochelle. Very interesting dreams, indeed. I guess what I can take from them now is that this time in China will be over before I know it so I should make the best of my time here. Already, a month has gone by in the blink of an eye. I hope that I will remember to make every minute count and get out all I can from this experience.

The Not So Good (or rather, That Which Builds Character):

1. The Air Pollution.
I thought Salt Lake was bad with the inversion but China is like super bad inversion all day, every day. I hate that I can stare at the sun without damaging my eyes even at noonday. I hope it'll get better as it gets to be spring.

2. The Trash.
There is trash everywhere on the streets of the city, along with other types of waste too. Everything seems to have a thin layer of grime coating it.

3. No toilets.
My room, thankfully, has a normal toilet but they are nowhere else to be found in all of Bengbu. It's just "squaters". Basically a bowl on the floor. And even tracking down a public squater is an ordeal.

4. The Honking.
Chinese people just honk all the time. They hold down their horn or honk repeatedly constantly. I guess it's just their way of communicating where they are at because there are no traffic laws or at least traffic laws that are generally acknowledged. Anyway, super annoying and I hear them all night long.

5. The Spitting.
Everybody spits but it's not just a normal spit, it's hawking lougies left and right. Men and women. It's so loud too. I just don't get why it's ok to do out in public.

Well, that's a bit about what I'm experiencing in China. Overall, I really do like it here and thanks to Skype, I haven't felt too terribly homesick, though I can't wait to hang out with my "friends" again when I get back (namely my sisters and nieces and nephews). To all reading, I love you and miss you and I will see you before you know it. :)

A New Chapter

Thinking back on the last few times I thought about making a blog post, I realized that one of my biggest excuses for not writing anything was that I had absolutely nothing interesting to write about. Well, I guess that this really lame excuse will be harder than ever to justify for the next four months because I am leaving tomorrow to teach English in China!

The only downside is that I will be in China. Where blogger is not allowed. Luckily, my lovely sister Kristin is willing to post whatever interesting tidbits and pictures I find along the way for me. Even though I will be behind the great firewall of China, you will be hearing more from me than ever before! Get excited.