Shell in China

Alright, I have yet another initial disclaimer. I swear that I put these pictures into the blog in the order that I describe them below, but when I just checked it, they were all goofy! So, please excuse the order and I think it is safe to say you will be able to tell the difference between the bathroom and the kitchen! Sorry about the oddness of it all!






This first picture is of me on the train. I am happy and refreshed because this is just the start of our sixteen hour journey to Gansu! At this point we are still enjoying the novelty of the train. This was my first ever train ride and boy was it an experience. At first the train employees were not super friendly, especially those in the dining car where the Americans all gathered to play cards, but after a bit of schmoozing, we became their best friends. It is a little something that the Chinese like to call "guanxi." We had the same crew on our train up to Gansu as we did coming home today, which worked out well for us. Today I got free breakfast in the dining car, some free snacks and one guy spent a good deal of time trying to convince me to join the Miss World pagent being held in China.



The next few pictures are of our new digs in Chengxian, Gansu, China. There is a picture of our living room with the comfy couches. The only problem with them is that that when it is hot, we stick to them!



Then there is our kitchen. It is found on kind of like a patio thing at the back of the apartment. It is really small, but knowing how much I cook, it should work out just fine! We have a rice cooker, a microwave, a two burner propane stove and a small sink. I think I may try to find and buy one of those cupboard top oven things as well. We didn't cook at all while we were in Chengxian, since our dean took us out to eat for every lunch and dinner, but I think this kitchen will be sufficient. The biggest worry about it is that I think it may be freezing cold when winter comes!




Next is the bathroom. We are lucky to have a Western toilet, as many people have the squatty-potties! This was a welcome sight to see! I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the bathroom is just one square room; shower stalls are not common in China. All the water just drains into a single drain on the down-slanted side of the room. Our washer is also in the bathroom and we just set out a drain tube and that water goes into the same drain as everything else. It is a little odd to get used to, but really can be quite convinient!




The final picture is of our new campus, looking out from the kitchen window. The building on the right, with all of the trees in front, is the library. As you look down the lane you can see the cafeteria towards the back of campus. It is a really small area, so you are looking at over half of campus! Some of the classes meet in the library, so I may be teaching there. That will be nice when the freezing cold winter arrives!


Thad and I split up the pictures I took, so you can see more of the apartment on his site. I think he has more train pictures, the computer room, etc... The pictures posted really small, but if you click on them they will get bigger!

We are back in Chengdu for a couple more weeks. We will swear-in as offical Peace Corps Volunteers during the first week of Septmeber and then we will head back to our site in Chengxian, Gansu. We are looking forward to making the permanant move and to hearing from everyone at home!

I love and miss all of you! (Just for my Natural Helpers--GUESS WHAT!!)

woa its actually looks nicer than i figued it would be.


Guess Wut back!

Hey Nick! Yeah, the apartment is pretty nice. I think it will get cold in the winter though, because heating seems to be an issue around here. Also, on the heat topic, I am a little worried about the hot water for showers in the bathroom. Right now the water is solar heated, so it is nice while it lasts, but there isn't usually enough for a full shower. I am concerned about how that will play out when it is winter! Hmm...I'll keep you updated! :)