Ganbei!

Here are some pictures of our apartment. It’s now our second week in China and our focus has turned to teaching. On Monday we met with administration in the International Business School and learned that in addition to our English Writing classes on Wednesdays, we’ll each be teaching six additional classes. I will be teaching American Culture and Etiquette and Scott will be teaching Western Cooking and Etiquette. Our first classes start tomorrow and I am a bit nervous. We received a workbook that the students have, though flipping through it, it seems somewhat inappropriate for a writing class as many of the exercises are listening and conversation. On a happy note - we now have Internet in our apartment!

Today we loaded up on a bus with 20 Vietnamese students and went to the International Clinic for an additional series of health tests in order to obtain our residence permits. Each test took place in a different exam room and included vision testing, EKG (heart monitoring), ultrasound, blood testing, and the most challenging test was submitting a urine sample. The public toilets here in China consist of a porcelain hole in the floor that one must squat over. First of all, I hadn’t had anything to drink all morning and didn’t have to go, then squatting over the hole, trying to relax while balancing myself and my purse, and most challenging – attempting to capture what little I could muster into a tiny cup, all the while breathing through my mouth so not to breathe in the putrid smell of Chinese bathrooms through my nose.

After the tests, the Vietnamese students took us out to lunch. Dining in China is a lively, communal experience. First, the servers come and fill everyone’s teacup with delicious green tea. Then, once the food is ordered, the dishes come out one by one and fill the center of the table, often on top of a lazy susan. Lastly, the server brings a big steaming pot of rice and fills everyone’s little bowls. Spinning the lazy susan or reaching across, you fill your rice bowl with the different dishes using your own chopsticks. The Vietnamese students ordered bottles of wine and beer, insisting we take one of each and every ten minutes, cheered Ganbei (bottom’s up) while toasting one another. We learned from them that it’s the men’s job to “take care” of the women closest to them around the table, in filling their bowl with prized pieces from the best dishes. I’ve learned to steer away from most poultry dishes as attached to the meat are numerous bones and pieces of skin and fat, while the beef and vegetable dishes are delicious and far more creative than any Chinese dishes from North America.

Last week we were shopping for DVD’s (a new indulgence of ours) and met two women from the United States. One woman, Donna, has been living in Kunming for 14 years with her husband Dan. The ladies took pity on us and invited us to join them and their husbands for dinner that evening. It turns out that they started the international school in Kunming as they raised their three daughters here and Dan now runs a sailing school at a lake close to Kunming. They were such warm, friendly people and gave us invaluable advice about living in China, as well as supplying us with a good map of the city, an excellent phrase book, some literature on Chinese history and even a grater for our block of brown sugar that we weren’t sure how to prepare. I am grateful for this new friendship.

We’ve also made some friends playing badminton and now have a weekly match at the gym. Our Chinese is still a struggle, but we’ve learned that we can take advantage of four free hours of Chinese classes a week.

Thanks for all of your comments – it’s good to know that you’re actually looking at this and care about what we’re up to. We miss home, but are determined to adapt to our new surroundings.