Just an update

Well, as you know I have moved in to my new apartment. Linda and I finally went out and got some stuff for it. I needed a humidifier b/c it is very dry and I have a cold. We also went to a market and got 20 or so DVD’s.( they are about $1 or 6 kuai). Guitars start at about 200 kuai and violins at 400 kuai. So I might pick up one of those and try to learn. Oh, I got a watch or 68 kuai. I did it because there are no clocks in the class rooms and I think it would be rude to be checking my mobile to see how much time is left in class. Anyway, it is shiny and seems to keep accurate time. Oh and a travel tip for anyone planning on visiting China. Do not try to catch a cab between 4:30 and 5:00 as that is shift change time and the driver just wave for you to get out of their way.

We went to the super market as well and got some food stuffs. It is kind of like a two story tightly packed Wal-Mart but with non food stuff (no automotive section that I saw). The food section is the interesting part though. It is upstairs and is at times overwhelming. It took me a while to see exactly the system that they use to organize everything. One of the reasons it took a minute to adjust is actually because it has a very large imported foods section. So I can get Pringles and some Barilla pastas and Skippy crunchy peanut butter and olive oil. I am not going to get these things very often as they are a lot more expensive than the local foods of which there are many.

The local products area is a kaleidoscope of colors. Many of the things sold are bottles with sauces and flavorings which I guess is what US super markets are like too but to me it seemed a bit overwhelming because there are simply so many of them. It is like the barbeque sauce isle time 1000.

The fruits and vegetables are in the back of the store and are for the most part very similar. There are lemons, peaches, and watermelons, apples of all sort, potatoes and onions. The carrots are HUGE and actually deep red/orange in color. There are of course many new vegetables and fruits that I do not know the name of, but I will make sure to try them and let you know if there are any good ones.

I went for my medical exam today. They took my blood and started running tests on it less than a minute after they took it. After they took blood I went and got an ultra sounds examination to check my liver and kidneys I guess. The weighed me and at the same time used sound or lasers or something to measure my height. After that I went for X-rays of my chest and finally blood pressure. All of that took about 30 minutes it was great.

Then I went and got a new cell phone for local use only, its red.

I start teaching class Friday. My first class is with the 4 to 6 year olds. Mostly it is a lot of singing and repeating phrases. A lot of my time this week has been spent observing the teachers in a variety of classes. It is a lot of fun and I am learning a lot. That is all for now I will take some pictures soon and post them to Picassa. Sorry for not being on top of things I have been busy, and our internet is intermittent at best.

Flat and job description

I have made it to my new residence in Xian. It took me a while to get the wireless hooked up and even when I did I waited to post this report till I had some pictures. The pictures had to wait till I cleaned and organized everything. As you can see it is actually a spacious flat (I have to use flat because it is easier for my students to say than apartment). The flat is has wood floors throughout except in the bath and kitchen which have tile. The walls are toupe, according to Linda.

We are on the tenth floor and luckily there is an elevator. The lights in the hall ways are sounds activated so all you do is stomp your foot when you are coming in at night.

The door opens up to a 20’ X 12’ish living room that includes a sofa; two chairs a television set and an empty 4’ long fish tank. Adjoined to the living room just as you walk in is a 10’ X 10’ish dining room. The dining room is furnished with a 4 legged glass table big enough to sit 6 and a small refrigerator and freezer combo. There is a sliding smoky glass door that leads into the kitchen which has cabinets that come up to about my mid thigh, a sink, a two burner stove, microwave, and a toaster. The cabinets are stocked with a wok and some other pots kitchen essentials. There is a tank less water heater on the wall that supplies hot water for our sink and our shower. The temperature control knob is located on it so if it is too hot or too cold we go to the kitchen to adjust the temperature for the shower. Across the room from the water heater is the gas meter. There is a credit card shaped slot in the gas meter for our prepaid gas card which we have to add credits to at the community lines supermarket which is down the street a ways. We have a similar slot for our electricity card outside our flat. I asked Lind how we know if we are getting low on either. She said, “Our electricity turns off, or our shower is cold.”

As I make my way out of the kitchen, and through the dining room I see the door to my room. The spacious bed room comes complete with a full size lumpy and hard bed, a bed side table, an ironing board, a desk and chair, a wardrobe to hold my clothes. Hanging between desk and the wardrobe is a metal bar which I use to dry my clothes after I take them out of the washing machine. The washing machine is located just off of the living room and right in front of the bath room. A tube runs through the wall and allows the washing machine to drain onto the floor of our bathroom which also happens to be the shower floor. The toilet is thankfully a western style toilet, but as in many places around the world we are not allowed to flush the toilet paper, so that goes in the rubbish bin between the toilet and the sink.

Out the bathroom, and down a short hallway to the left is Linda’s room which has a similar layout and furnishings to my own but hers cam with a slightly comfier bed and all in one weight lifting machine.

Ok on to work. The language institute that I work at is about a 20 minute walk down 3 roads. As you step out of the elevator onto the 4^th floor you will see the big glass doors that have written on them in smoky block lettering EF. The walls behind the reception desk are yellow and actually very cheery. All of the offices have modern looking glass walls (like something in Alias if you remember that TV show). The teachers are in two large offices so that we can help each other out and get to know one another. I will describe the people more at on a future date, but they are nice and welcoming. On the other side of the building there are15 class rooms most of which have 18 chairs lining the walls facing in towards the front of the classroom where there is a white board and a small desk for the teacher. There is also a computer lab with games for the students and a small library mostly with children’s books. The toilets at work are actually the Turkish toilets or squatters not the most pleasant thing, you can look them up as I will not be providing pictures.

Stop over in Hong Kong

Well, I am in Hong Kong, I went 24 hours without eating, but that is because my last meal was of course a Portillo’s Italian beef and Hamburger. I have to say that I do not want to take a plane ride of that length for at least 8 months. It did give me time to think however. In fact the flights are when it hit me. At first it felt like any other flight that I have taken in. A few (23) hours in some plane and I get off and do my thing. Then I said, “Wait, this is not normal flight I will be gone for 8 to 9 months. “ Anyway I am more excited than ever so bring it on.

My First Blog Entry

Well I am boarding the plane for LA then Hong Kong and finally on to Xi’an. The trip should take about 34 hours. My roommate, Linda Jo, whom I am sure all of you will be hearing about frequently, left two weeks before me, and has said that the outside temperature is in the 20’s and the heat in our apartment does not work the best. I have brought more extra warm clothes than I had originally planned in order to compensate. I have still managed to squeeze everything into my traveling backpack and my garment bag. I am, however, forced to check in my garment bag due to the fact that I am bringing my notebook. Additionally, I thought it was a good idea to bring along some English language posters for the classroom, so since I am checking a bag anyway, I have decided to check the posters as well. This has ruined my no checked baggage when traveling streak. But, since I will be there teaching for 8 months, I am giving myself a reprieve.

Linda Jo passed through the Hong Kong Airport a couple of weeks ago and found a “Travelers’ Lounge” where I can shower and sit in a comfy chair and get Wi-Fi access. It cost around $50, she said. But I have a 9 hour layover there, so I think it might be worth it to arrive at my destination at least a little awake and coherent – not to mention smelling better.

My starting weight for this adventure is 169 lbs. When I was in Asia last spring for 3 weeks I lost about 15 Lbs. Not on purpose. Just the things I ate and the walking for up to 10 hours a day was a bit of a change. As I will be spending a lot of time teaching and preparing my lesson plans I do not expect to do as much walking, so I am curious what my end weight will be this time.