I knew eventually I'd break down and start a blog... So here goes!
For all of you who actually know me you can skip this part, but to anyone else... This is who I am.
I'm an American living in China for the year. I was born in Massachusetts, raised in New Hampshire and went to school in New York. St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York - to be specific. While at St. Lawrence I got a taste for travel. Before coming to China I had been to four continents and spent time in seven countries. I'm sure you as a reader will not have the same reaction as my Chinese students did when I told them this. They began to applaud. Then again... That was a general reaction they had to me all day. But back to my introduction. At St. Lawrence I was a Global Studies major with a double minor in Asian and European studies. I took foreign language classes in French, German, and Chinese. (Another fact that made the students applaud.) While at St. Lawrence I studied abroad in France. The program I went through (named the Global Francophone Studies program at St. Lawrence) had us go to French Canada and Senegal as well. I was also fortunate to get a study grant to go to Germany and a Mellon grant to study in India - the country I wrote my Senior Thesis on. I applied and was accepted to study abroad in shanghai through Ciee but refused. Hearing stories about my friends' adventures in China made me want to go even more so I began applying for teaching jobs. I found the Ciee program and instantly loved it, it was my first choice and I was very excited when I was accepted.
Fast forward to China!
I arrived in China last Sunday, close to a week ago (though I can't imagine that it was that recent). I stayed in Shanghai at the Jiaotong university "hotel" with other Ciee members for a week (well, 5 days) and flew to Qinhuangdao yesterday. My time in Shanghai was both memorable and enjoyable. The people were kind, wonderful and like minded. The only thing that saddens me is that we didn't have more time together. In Shanghai we were able to do some sight seeing but mostly we attended lectures and classes about being a teacher, living in China and (most importantly) The Chinese Way.
Here my title is 外教 which simply means foreign teacher but the profession is also termed "Foreign expert" over here. I like that term. My friends from Ciee and I were joking about it. I said that I guess it's appropriate considering most of the people I know (95% or so) are foreigners (in the eyes of the Chinese people). Yet still - being deemed an "expert" wow!
I think a better term to use would be "Rock star." It's amazing. I've been abroad before and I've been the white person but I guess I was more far removed than I thought because I didn't predict the reaction people have had to me.
Yeah sure, I'm a blond American with white skin- thus I'm interesting. But I could not make you understand from reading this how amazing these people are to me or how interested they are in me.
I'm not just a white person they want to take a picture of anymore, to these students I'm much more. They want to do everything for me.
But I'm getting ahead of myself!!! This last day (or two) has not been all puppies and kittens. In fact it's been hard for me to talk to people since arriving in Qinhuangdao because I am afraid to tell them details, I'm worried if I tell people all the problems they will think I'm miserable - but miserable I am certainly not! Far from it. I am still jet lagged - a twelve hour difference is a big change! Not to mention I was booked solid last week with classes and lectures, which - though helpful - took up a lot of time. Friday I had to get up early and spend in transit and travel makes me tired! Qinhuangdao is hot -more so- it's humid! The humidity raps around the skyscrapers like a white down comforter, hanging in the sky like chalk dust. In Shanghai the warmth and humidity could be pleasant - walking outside felt like easing your way into a warm bath but here... Here the moisture in the air clings to you like dirt clings to sticky skin. With the constant haze, humidity, and warmth I want to curl up and nap all day - which I almost did!
Last night I was finally able to go to sleep early (after re scrubbing my apartment, including the walls...) The sleep was amazing (though I was very hot!! And my bed is not too comfortable... (one word: plastic). But I managed to sleep till six! At six I was able to get a shower (my water went from not working at all to just being hot water) kind of. I lazed around (I thing I haven't been able to do since getting to China) till about nine when I took a walk around the campus and went to my office to see my coworkers (in China you share an office, there are six people in mine). Two other new teachers (中国人，英文老师）then went to the mall with me to get some things (Tesco - yes they have them in China). That trip could become a novel so I won't say more than that I bought some food and things for my "apartment" (I will refer to my apartment as 房子, it feels more appropriate).
Well I guess this blog entry has no direction, point, or narrative... So maybe I should give up for the day and try to write again later.
Want to learn more about Qinhuangdao? Checkout this website my friends made. (There are even some pictures of me on there!) http://qhdconnect.spruz.com/
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