Ni Hao!
We are in Chengdu after 27 hours of traveling and staying awake. We followed the sun so it was almost always daytime too. We were wiped out!
Here is a picture from our window.
There are a couple of unique things about Chengdu. First, the city (11 million people) sits at the base of the Himalayas. This means that there is a lot of cloud cover and not a lot of wind. This makes the place a big sauna in the summer. Go to your bathroom, turn the shower on to the hottest setting. Sit in the bathroom for awhile and voila! Chengdu! Men here cope by pulling their shirts up and exposing their bellies.
Next, children can go clothing-optional. At least that is what I was able to tell from the boy with no pants in a store or the other boy "watering" the tree on the sidewalk.
They are feeding us very well. Both lunch and dinner were enormous. There were about 15 dishes of food for everyone to eat. I even knew what a few of them were! There is nothing like getting a fish dish and seeing the fish head look back up at you. Shell is being a good sport about the food. There are a lot of sauces and things are cooked in oil frequently and she likes neither. It is, overall, still healthier than a Big Mac, but it takes some getting used to. We are working on the etiquette part of dining. With this and the language, it is very much like being a child again because one must rely on others to get by. Luckily, everyone is very kind and understanding.
Finally, there are not pedestrian rights here. Crossing the street is like playing Frogger. You have to be crafty and nimble.
Life is hectic, but good. We are in training for most of the days. Today we went through the first of several health lectures, received our medical kits and got photos for our "foreign expert" cards that we will receive soon.
I will post again soon with more pictures. Right now my bed is calling. Jet lag is bad news...
7 Comments:
Mr. Ross playing "real life" frogger makes me laugh. I just like to imagine Marissa in that city....
It sounds like you're having a really awesome time already. While you're funnin' it up in China with all the naked children, I'm stuck in Nampa furious becuase they want to remove books from the library while Nick is rafting somewhere for a week...
Oh! And I got a job! At Arctic Circle! I pay taxes now!! Maybe Greg and I will send care packages of American fast food...?
-Sarah R.
Mr. Ross, just out of curiousity....what is the time difference between ID and China? Sounds like you are having quite the experience!!!! HA...I think Marissa would be perfect in China. That's a good one. Anyway, I'm sitting here bored out of my mind watching a thunderstorm outside. We've been having quite a few of those this weekend... Well, have a great rest of the week and watch out for those Chinese speed demons!
Christina
oh yeah and i forgot to mention....now you really ARE ross in china.com..... get it??? ahh.. i'm bored.
Sarah: Congrats on the job! You can now compete with Greg in a "Cold (Treats) War!" Get it? I heard about the library story right before I left. I'm curious to see what they'll do there.
Christina: Let's see. It is 7:20 am here on July 4th and it is 5:20 pm on July 3rd right now. How many hours is that? Has anyone told Marissa about your theory?
Thad, So I wanted to wish you a happy 4th of July. Im not sure if they celebrate there or not, but we will her tomorrow. I will catch some shrubs on fire - just for you!
Sis
Sarah's frogger talk is putting even more stress on my unusually taxed mind. I saw you in a frog costume running through the streets of a large city while the Pacman theme song played in the background.
12:34? 1 2 3 4
That is amazing
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