Today we had a two hour orientation with Dr. Lee, our Chinese ESL affiliate, a lunch with about 1500 entrees and were told we had a "two hour bus ride" to Deqing.
After our FOUR hour bus ride, we are finally here. I have yet to experience the culture shock I have been preparing for...I just feel like I am in the international district. I suppose when I can't get out of it, I will feel differently!
Our hotel (which is kind of a dive, but a dive with air conditioning), is right around the corner from the school. In front of the school are banners with the words "Welcome to the famous teachers from the United States!" (our guide, Sabrina, told me this). So not only have I had fifteen frames of fame in the US, but now I am officially proclaimed famous in a Chinese city. It feels great, except that I think -as a celebrity- I should be able to upgrade my hotel!
Some sights NOT seen in Seattle's ID: men walk around this steamy place without shirts, vending machines offer cigarettes, m & m's, women's underwear and soap (my hotel room has packages of only men's underwear (which should come in handy) and women's socks), a cafe filled with teens and twenty-somethings playing all kind of videos and speaking on screen to their friends through cameras, and street vendors selling dumplings and humbow(should be fun). I have not seen any noodle performance artists yet.
I have yet to hear the specifics of my teaching assignment; I have already learned that the answers will come in their own time. For now, I will go back to my hotel and lay my famous head down to sleep!
2 comments:
It sounds like we'll need to stand in line for autographs!
I could not be more jealous of your fresh humbow.
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