So, just thought I would share with you some things that I have noticed / experienced in the first few days of being here.
* The street sweeper trucks play the Happy Birthday tune while driving up and down the streets (this starts promptly at 7am every morning)
* The same street sweeper truck sprays tons of water on the streets to "contain all the dust" yet doesn't care if you are in the line of fire
* Everyone drives like a maniac here (worse than when I was in Colombia); they will drive down the middle of two lanes just to get in front of another car - yet I haven't seen any accidents so far
* While the Chinese people are very nice, they have no qualms about pushing in front of you in line at the store or jumping in a taxi that you just flagged down
* Instead of going to the car wash, the car wash comes to you - there are men with water tanks on the back of their bikes that wash cars in our apartment complex all the time, and they look like they just came from the dealership
* The only children that you will find at the playground or outside playing are babies and toddlers since the other children are studying most of the time
* Baby and toddler clothing are split bottom pants so that kids can go to the bathroom easier
* Being an American you get stared at everywhere you go
* Even when they realize that you can't speak Mandarin they still speak to you in their language nonstop and even faster
So, there are just a few tidbits of things I have discovered so far. I am sure that I will have plenty more to share with you in the next few months.
To update you as well - I am now officially in my own apartment. It is a 2 bedroom / 1 bath (it was the same price as a 1 bedroom) and is located on the 8th floor (the number 8 is a lucky number for the Chinese). So, anytime you all want to visit I have a spare room for you. I have posted some pictures of my apartment for you to see (click the picture of the sunset to the right to access the photos). I am calling these the before pictures. The Chinese like to put crazy colors together such as my yellow couch, with a purple table and chairs in the eating area, which are both located in the same room. Since there are so many fabric markets here that specialize in re-upholstering furniture for really cheap prices I plan on changing out some colors over the next few months, as well as re-arranging some furniture too. When I am finished I will post some new pictures.
Well, that's it from here for now. I am still loving being here and finding my niche to make a difference in this place. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
In China, Doing Well, and Accomplishing A Lot
Ni Hao (Hello) from China! I have officially been here 5 days, and have had no problems adjusting to being here. I was able to stay awake 11 hours after arriving on Thursday, but definitely slept for 12 hours that night as well as the next night to fight off jet-lag. I have been to street markets and Metro (a store very similar to a Sam's or Costco), and have done pretty well in remembering which direction to go to get to these places. I have also eaten at a Subway and a Turkish restaurant since being here. Xi'an definitely has a wider variety of foods than I anticipated since there are restaurants that specialize in American, Italian, Mexican, Turkish, and Korean in addition to all the Chinese food - which is delicious, by the way.
As far as getting things accomplished, I found an apartment and have put down a deposit and should be signing the contract in the next day or two. How apartments are done here is very similar to someone owning a condo in the States - you have a landlord (or owner) for each apartment and you go through a realtor to negotiate a price with the landlord to rent an apartment. Due to this fact all the apartments are very different from appearance to flexibility in what you can do in your apartment. We looked at 5 apartments in 2 days, and I have to say that they were all different, with things I liked in each one, but the one that I liked the best and felt "at home" in was the very first one. It is also in the same apartment complex as the rest of my friends. All of my friends here have apartments in the same complex, we are all just in different buildings. My friends have told me that I am very lucky to have a landlord who is so nice and accommodating. He has allowed me the option of painting (the Chinese use some crazy colors in places), if I so desire in the future, and he asked if he could buy me a plant or flowers for my place for when I moved in. He also showed me how to work the washing machine, considering you have to hook it up to the water source in the bathroom and the directions are written in Chinese. I feel good about the choice I made and look forward to making it home over the next several months. I will post pictures once I am moved in.
School.......my friends and I met with the Director this morning of a new school that we are going to go to for classes, and we will start on September 7. The school is associated with a University, but is a smaller version run out of two apartments that were converted to a classroom and office space. This school option is a little cheaper price wise, is located in our apartment complex, and has like-minded people. A few of us (including myself) are going to do 2 to 1, meaning it will be 2 of us to 1 teacher for 10 hours a week, while a few others will do 1 to 1 for 8 hours a week. We will also have 2 teachers that will rotate throughout the week to give us different teaching styles as well as different experiences with dialect and pronunciation. I am excited about the school and feel this was the best option to get more attention to learning the language. There is also the option of getting a tutor for a few hours a week to help with language if needed.
Finally, things are coming together for work as well, but I am going to leave those details to be filled in later once they are finalized. What I will say in the meantime is that I will be working with Olympic athletes that are here in Xi'an teaching them English and life skills. I will have to go to Beijing for a few days or possibly a week for training before starting work, but I will let you know once I have the details. I am pretty excited though.
I plan to post another blog in a few days to update you on more and to give you an insight to the little quirky things I have discovered about Xi'an and China in general. Hope you have a wonderful week.
As far as getting things accomplished, I found an apartment and have put down a deposit and should be signing the contract in the next day or two. How apartments are done here is very similar to someone owning a condo in the States - you have a landlord (or owner) for each apartment and you go through a realtor to negotiate a price with the landlord to rent an apartment. Due to this fact all the apartments are very different from appearance to flexibility in what you can do in your apartment. We looked at 5 apartments in 2 days, and I have to say that they were all different, with things I liked in each one, but the one that I liked the best and felt "at home" in was the very first one. It is also in the same apartment complex as the rest of my friends. All of my friends here have apartments in the same complex, we are all just in different buildings. My friends have told me that I am very lucky to have a landlord who is so nice and accommodating. He has allowed me the option of painting (the Chinese use some crazy colors in places), if I so desire in the future, and he asked if he could buy me a plant or flowers for my place for when I moved in. He also showed me how to work the washing machine, considering you have to hook it up to the water source in the bathroom and the directions are written in Chinese. I feel good about the choice I made and look forward to making it home over the next several months. I will post pictures once I am moved in.
School.......my friends and I met with the Director this morning of a new school that we are going to go to for classes, and we will start on September 7. The school is associated with a University, but is a smaller version run out of two apartments that were converted to a classroom and office space. This school option is a little cheaper price wise, is located in our apartment complex, and has like-minded people. A few of us (including myself) are going to do 2 to 1, meaning it will be 2 of us to 1 teacher for 10 hours a week, while a few others will do 1 to 1 for 8 hours a week. We will also have 2 teachers that will rotate throughout the week to give us different teaching styles as well as different experiences with dialect and pronunciation. I am excited about the school and feel this was the best option to get more attention to learning the language. There is also the option of getting a tutor for a few hours a week to help with language if needed.
Finally, things are coming together for work as well, but I am going to leave those details to be filled in later once they are finalized. What I will say in the meantime is that I will be working with Olympic athletes that are here in Xi'an teaching them English and life skills. I will have to go to Beijing for a few days or possibly a week for training before starting work, but I will let you know once I have the details. I am pretty excited though.
I plan to post another blog in a few days to update you on more and to give you an insight to the little quirky things I have discovered about Xi'an and China in general. Hope you have a wonderful week.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Leavin' on a Jet Plane...
Hey! So, I am officially leaving for China in a few hours. When I arrive it will be Thursday morning for me, and Wednesday night for you (there is a 12 hour time difference). I hope to post a blog sometime soon after arriving, but it may be a few days until I can get internet.
I am looking forward to updating you from the other side of the world!
I am looking forward to updating you from the other side of the world!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Just Around the Corner
Howdy! Just thought I would give you a quick update on what is going on in the next few days before my departure. Tonight my parents flew into town to spend the weekend with me before I head out, as well as my aunt and uncle (on my mom's side) decided to come for a 24 hour visit. When my Uncle Tommy and I get together we seem to get into a lot of trouble, so we will have to see how much of a ruckus we can cause in the short time we have together.
Things have definitely continued to progress nicely, and I am not stressed out at all - maybe that's because I did not wait until the last minute to pack either (that usually makes a difference). I have one suitcase completely packed and is under 50lbs., and I am almost done with packing everything else into the second suitcase, but just trying to make sure it is under 50 lbs. as well.
It's officially 3 days until I leave for China, and I am getting very excited. I don't think it will really hit me until after a few days of being there that I have actually moved, but I am looking forward to that moment and to the many adventures that await me in learning a new language and culture.
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and that you are enjoying many adventures of your own.
Things have definitely continued to progress nicely, and I am not stressed out at all - maybe that's because I did not wait until the last minute to pack either (that usually makes a difference). I have one suitcase completely packed and is under 50lbs., and I am almost done with packing everything else into the second suitcase, but just trying to make sure it is under 50 lbs. as well.
It's officially 3 days until I leave for China, and I am getting very excited. I don't think it will really hit me until after a few days of being there that I have actually moved, but I am looking forward to that moment and to the many adventures that await me in learning a new language and culture.
Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and that you are enjoying many adventures of your own.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Fun Filled Week
Hey again! Whew, last week was jam-packed, but full of great memories and lots of fun! The week started out with a get together on Sunday, which gave me the opportunity to see many of you, and to be able to catch up with you on what has been happening in your lives. I enjoy the times that I get to spend with each of you.
The rest of the week was spent with the family hanging out and visiting sites around town. My parents and I enjoyed having Ethan and Drew (my nephews) staying with us for the week, and
I even enjoyed the morning wake-up calls when they jumped in the bed and sang my dad's morning song to me (Get up, get up, you sleepy head, get up, get up, get out of bed). No offense to my dad, but when your nephews sing it, it is cute and tolerated a little bit better. One day during the week we went to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. It has been 2 years since I have been to the Aquarium and at least 10 years since I have been to the World of Coca-Cola, so I enjoyed it immensely. It was also fun to watch the excitement in Ethan and Drew at both places as they dragged Wills, a family friend, around to all their favorite things. And Ethan and Drew's best advice for the World of Coca-Cola: "Do not drink the Beverly in the tasting room - it is gross!" Another day during the week, after my brother and sister-in-law arrived in town, we went to Stone Mountain. We rode the cable car to the top of the mountain, which I enjoyed since I had never done that the other times I have been, and enjoyed looking out from the top. After the ride back down, my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews all decided to do the ropes course. The boys especially loved it, and were trying all the "more difficult" obstacles on the course. We then concluded the night with a wonderful laser and fireworks show. I have posted some pictures for the week for you to look at.
On Saturday my Aunt Carol, Uncle Art, cousin Angie and her girls Cynthia, Dayle, and Brandi (on my dad's side of the family) came and joined us for the weekend. We had a great time reminiscing and just spending time together. It is always fun to see family.
Well, the countdown is now 11 days until I leave. I am beginning to decide what I want to take with me and lay it out, so we will see how it goes. I will update you next week on if I packed well or not.
Hope you have a great week, and I will be checking in again soon.
The rest of the week was spent with the family hanging out and visiting sites around town. My parents and I enjoyed having Ethan and Drew (my nephews) staying with us for the week, and
I even enjoyed the morning wake-up calls when they jumped in the bed and sang my dad's morning song to me (Get up, get up, you sleepy head, get up, get up, get out of bed). No offense to my dad, but when your nephews sing it, it is cute and tolerated a little bit better. One day during the week we went to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. It has been 2 years since I have been to the Aquarium and at least 10 years since I have been to the World of Coca-Cola, so I enjoyed it immensely. It was also fun to watch the excitement in Ethan and Drew at both places as they dragged Wills, a family friend, around to all their favorite things. And Ethan and Drew's best advice for the World of Coca-Cola: "Do not drink the Beverly in the tasting room - it is gross!" Another day during the week, after my brother and sister-in-law arrived in town, we went to Stone Mountain. We rode the cable car to the top of the mountain, which I enjoyed since I had never done that the other times I have been, and enjoyed looking out from the top. After the ride back down, my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews all decided to do the ropes course. The boys especially loved it, and were trying all the "more difficult" obstacles on the course. We then concluded the night with a wonderful laser and fireworks show. I have posted some pictures for the week for you to look at.
On Saturday my Aunt Carol, Uncle Art, cousin Angie and her girls Cynthia, Dayle, and Brandi (on my dad's side of the family) came and joined us for the weekend. We had a great time reminiscing and just spending time together. It is always fun to see family.
Well, the countdown is now 11 days until I leave. I am beginning to decide what I want to take with me and lay it out, so we will see how it goes. I will update you next week on if I packed well or not.
Hope you have a great week, and I will be checking in again soon.
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