I’ve never stayed in China for the summer, and I’m excited about the things that could happen as I take in and learn new things. What happens when cultures collide? It is easy to answer this question in an objective, sociological, scientific way, but being in the actual midst of it makes the experience that much more acute.
After saying goodbye to the last of my teammates (all weekend, we would all gather to say goodbye as people left for the airport in shifts- starting with 14 and then there were 11, and then there were 8, and then there were 3—we kept saying this with each group that left—we pride ourselves on being a large team), I boarded the train. A 30-hour journey would take me back to my old stomping grounds of Hengyang. I was surprised- nobody bothered me at all on the train. Traveling is wearing on anybody, but when hounds of people want to practice their English or laugh at your Chinese, or tell you you’re writing the characters wrong, or sit on the bunk next to you and simply stare at you, it can be rather stressful. However, not a single person did this! Not one! I was somewhat relieved. I got a lower bunk, which, if you’ve ever been on a sleeper train in China you know that this is nice. The train was air-conditioned and I was able to sleep for a good part, reading and studying Chinese for the rest of it. The train was supposed to roll in at 4 AM according to the schedule and I was all ready at that time, like an eager little girl ready to go to kindergarten for the first time. Then the attendant told me that we were behind and would actually not reach Hengyang until 6. My friend was already at the train station to pick me up and I had to tell the poor guy to turn around and go home.
When I stepped off the train, WHOOSH, a blast of hot humid air hit me and I struggled to take deep breaths. Whew! I had forgotten just how humid the south of China can be. And this is mild, they say! At 6 AM I was sweating like a billy goat within twenty steps. I couldn’t understand a word the taxi driver was saying to me because of his southern accent (and the fact that they don’t speak standard Mandarin because they prefer the local dialect, which I don’t speak). It is soooo good to be back! :) :) I got to the house of my Chinese friend, said my hello’s, after which my friend proceeded to tell me that he had stayed up all night to pick me up because he felt that would be easier than going to sleep and having to wake up at 3:30. Bless his heart.
I stayed with the family of this same friend for the first few days, but have since moved back into my old apartment for July, which the school has so graciously offered to me. My friend is Michael, the first person I befriended when I came to China four and a half years ago. He has since become one of my best friends. He owns an English school and I have agreed to help him out a little bit this summer. His mom is the very definition of Chinese hospitality. I can never eat enough or be cared for enough, so she thinks. Although she doesn’t speak more than a few words of English, we are able to communicate relatively well. She is my Chinese mother. :)
Funny thing was that when I got to their house, after 30 hours on a train, all I wanted to do was take a shower. However, that day they just happened to have someone do some kind of work in the kitchen which meant they had to turn off all the running water in the house. The family has a nice little invention- they use the coal stove to heat up the water in the bathroom that allows for running hot water. So, what happens when there is no running water? Just use a bucket. And that’s exactly what I did. She had some water she had been storing and with a cup and bucket I took a bath. The cold water felt really niiiiice. :)
I later went to the university where I used to teach because it was just around lunch time and students were just getting out of class. I wanted to see who I would run into. I have not seen most of these students for a year because when I was here during Chinese New Year they were home with their families. The first people I ran into, surprisingly, were the group of girls I have come to love the most (outside of our family group)! We had lunch together and I was so excited to catch up a bit with them. I taught them for two years and they always gave (still give) me such great joy.
Later that afternoon I found my old teammate Chris and helped him pack up all his belongings since he is moving to language school in the fall. So, I went on a mission. He went to class and I just went to work putting things in piles, having liberty to throw things away and trying to salvage items in the kitchen that can be passed on to the new teammates. I tell you, I’ve been doing this the last few weeks for my current teammates, and it is so much more fun when you’re doing someone else’s apartment and not your own.
I'm not going to chronicle every single thing that happens during my day because I don't want to bore you, but check back every once in awhile and I'll give you the highlights. This summer will give me a chance to relax, read books just for the fun of it, maybe study Chinese a time or two, and meet with old friends. Good times, indeed.
After saying goodbye to the last of my teammates (all weekend, we would all gather to say goodbye as people left for the airport in shifts- starting with 14 and then there were 11, and then there were 8, and then there were 3—we kept saying this with each group that left—we pride ourselves on being a large team), I boarded the train. A 30-hour journey would take me back to my old stomping grounds of Hengyang. I was surprised- nobody bothered me at all on the train. Traveling is wearing on anybody, but when hounds of people want to practice their English or laugh at your Chinese, or tell you you’re writing the characters wrong, or sit on the bunk next to you and simply stare at you, it can be rather stressful. However, not a single person did this! Not one! I was somewhat relieved. I got a lower bunk, which, if you’ve ever been on a sleeper train in China you know that this is nice. The train was air-conditioned and I was able to sleep for a good part, reading and studying Chinese for the rest of it. The train was supposed to roll in at 4 AM according to the schedule and I was all ready at that time, like an eager little girl ready to go to kindergarten for the first time. Then the attendant told me that we were behind and would actually not reach Hengyang until 6. My friend was already at the train station to pick me up and I had to tell the poor guy to turn around and go home.
When I stepped off the train, WHOOSH, a blast of hot humid air hit me and I struggled to take deep breaths. Whew! I had forgotten just how humid the south of China can be. And this is mild, they say! At 6 AM I was sweating like a billy goat within twenty steps. I couldn’t understand a word the taxi driver was saying to me because of his southern accent (and the fact that they don’t speak standard Mandarin because they prefer the local dialect, which I don’t speak). It is soooo good to be back! :) :) I got to the house of my Chinese friend, said my hello’s, after which my friend proceeded to tell me that he had stayed up all night to pick me up because he felt that would be easier than going to sleep and having to wake up at 3:30. Bless his heart.
I stayed with the family of this same friend for the first few days, but have since moved back into my old apartment for July, which the school has so graciously offered to me. My friend is Michael, the first person I befriended when I came to China four and a half years ago. He has since become one of my best friends. He owns an English school and I have agreed to help him out a little bit this summer. His mom is the very definition of Chinese hospitality. I can never eat enough or be cared for enough, so she thinks. Although she doesn’t speak more than a few words of English, we are able to communicate relatively well. She is my Chinese mother. :)
Funny thing was that when I got to their house, after 30 hours on a train, all I wanted to do was take a shower. However, that day they just happened to have someone do some kind of work in the kitchen which meant they had to turn off all the running water in the house. The family has a nice little invention- they use the coal stove to heat up the water in the bathroom that allows for running hot water. So, what happens when there is no running water? Just use a bucket. And that’s exactly what I did. She had some water she had been storing and with a cup and bucket I took a bath. The cold water felt really niiiiice. :)
I later went to the university where I used to teach because it was just around lunch time and students were just getting out of class. I wanted to see who I would run into. I have not seen most of these students for a year because when I was here during Chinese New Year they were home with their families. The first people I ran into, surprisingly, were the group of girls I have come to love the most (outside of our family group)! We had lunch together and I was so excited to catch up a bit with them. I taught them for two years and they always gave (still give) me such great joy.
Later that afternoon I found my old teammate Chris and helped him pack up all his belongings since he is moving to language school in the fall. So, I went on a mission. He went to class and I just went to work putting things in piles, having liberty to throw things away and trying to salvage items in the kitchen that can be passed on to the new teammates. I tell you, I’ve been doing this the last few weeks for my current teammates, and it is so much more fun when you’re doing someone else’s apartment and not your own.
I'm not going to chronicle every single thing that happens during my day because I don't want to bore you, but check back every once in awhile and I'll give you the highlights. This summer will give me a chance to relax, read books just for the fun of it, maybe study Chinese a time or two, and meet with old friends. Good times, indeed.
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