Humidity and Friends

So we're hanging out at the Peace Corps China HQ after helping teach the new volunteers. We've been in the hot, sticky humidity of Chengdu again. We thought our site was humid with all of the rain we've been getting, but after spending several days back in Chengdu, we know what humidity really is. There's nothing like walking a few blocks and being covered in a film of sweat.

Every summer, the Peace Corps China volunteers must participate in a "summer project," where all of the volunteers gather together to train teachers from various Chinese schools in the province. In Sichuan, the volunteers have all gathered in Chengdu for their summer project, so we've been able to spend time with our far-flung friends. It has been great to see Laura, Sarah, Nate, Phil, Nick, Aaron, Natalae, Brent and others while we're here. When you're this far away from home, the other volunteers become your family and each time you have a big get-together, it is like a reunion. So, we ate some American food at Pete's Tex-Mex restaurant (Eating their enchiladas is a dream come true,) played some poker, and spent time together.

In a few hours we'll be boarding another train to head north again, with our ultimate destination being Jiuquan for our own summer project, where we'll have another reunion with different volunteers and, hopefully, have some fun as well.

Michelle is waiting on me because she is hungry. So we're outta here. Next stop, Jiuquan!

Later!

Fresh Prince of Jiuquan

He who would travel happily must travel light.
---Antoine de Saint Exupéry

We are preparing to take another long work trip/vacation around China. One of the things I will definitely take back to the U.S. is the value in packing lightly. I never really overpacked before, but after lugging our stuff all around Asia, I have learned how to trim the excess fat off of my packing list. I'm a lean, mean, traveling machine now!

In about 2 hours we'll hop on a 3-hour bus ride to the Tianshui train station where we'll hop on a 17-hour overnight train to Chengdu. The new Peace Corps volunteers are in town. Shell and I are going to give a lesson on teaching Chinese students. I created one of my patented PowerPoint presentations and a small activity. I am anxious to meet the new volunteers. It'll be great to see kindred spirits here and I am also a little curious to see how they are getting along. I'd also get a better view of how I was when I first arrived. It was pretty intense during training for us, so it should be interesting to see.

After that, we'll hop on another 34-hour (Blah! Yuck! Nooooo!) train ride up to the northern Gansu city of Jiuquan (once translated it means "Wine Spring.") There we will meet up with the rest of the volunteers from Gansu to show Chinese teachers how to create effective English lesson plans. We each have a couple topics that we have been assigned to teach. My two topics are "Getting Students to Speak," which I will teach with my good friend, Ben; I will also cover a current events lesson with my buddy John. John is a fellow government teacher who enjoys debating politics with me, so it'll be good to teach this particular lesson with him.

After two weeks in Jiuquan, we'll hop on another 8-hour train ride south to Gansu's capital, Lanzhou. There we'll wash our laundry and fly out to Beijing. Michelle's folks are flying in and we'll meet up with them for some fun, touristy stuff. I gotta admit I am a bit jealous that she gets to see her family because I won't be able to see mine for another year. I was lucky to see Stew though, and a few other friends are planning trips as well. So it'll be okay. We'll see the Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, and a few other sites around Beijing. Chairman Mao's museum (complete with his preserved body) is under construction, so we won't have a chance to see it. I was bummed about missing that.

From there we will take another train south to the city of Shanghai, the financial capital of China. Think of it as China's New York City. We'll scout out the good places in the city and have some fun there and then we're off on a flight back to Chengdu to see pandas, buddhas, and the Sichuan Opera (oh my!) I've seen these things before, but the in-laws haven't and they are pretty interesting, so I don't mind going again. We also might take them to see Peace Corps China headquarters to see what it looks like.

After a few days in "the 'Du" we'll take a 17-hour train ride back up to Tianshui so that Shell's folks can see where we live and what our daily life is like here in Chengxian (and wash the clothes again!)

From there it is on to Xi'an for more sightseeing and fun. Here we'll go see the Terracotta Warriors again, shop for souvenirs in the Muslim market and perhaps check out the Xi'an city walls.

From Xi'an we'll say goodbye to Milon and Joyce (J-Dog to those sons-in-law who love her) as they'll fly home and we'll return back to Chengxian and back to work here.

I will have internet access throughout my time away from home and I will hopefully find time to update the ol' blog and check email. So write me! Perhaps I'll email a beautiful color photo to you!

I hope your summer will be as action-packed and exciting as mine. Happy trails!

Equidistant

One year ago, July 1, 2006, late in the night, we stepped off a plane from Beijing into a moist Chengdu night. Jetlagged, disoriented, sweaty, and a little scared, we made our way to our hotel and the beginning of a time that will leave a permanent imprint upon our lives and, hopefully, the lives of others as well.

At this point I am tempted to write about my perceptions of this place and its people.

I’d tell you about all of the amazing historic, natural, and cultural sights that I have seen in China. Also, I could delight you with stories of delicious and exotic food that I have experienced as well as meals that took some mental gymnastics and an iron stomach to finish. I wouldn’t forget to let you know about learning a new language as well, with the frustrations, difficulties, joys and accomplishments included in such a big undertaking.

I am tempted to tell you about how it feels to go from being part of the majority to being part of a super-minority. I want to explain how it feels to be treated differently because of what I look like, in both good ways and bad. Also, I could say how it feels to be looked at as a representative of over 300 million people (if not all Westerners,) rather than just as representative of myself alone, and all of the caution that goes along with such a responsibility.

I want to tell you about the good, honest, and kind-hearted people that I have met along the way, be they Chinese, American, or those from other places on this suddenly-smaller planet we all inhabit. I could tell you about new friendships I have formed which will last a lifetime, and I’d regale you with stories of help given to me at times when I was quite needy. I’d recount to you the humorous times, such as delicately trying to explain the meanings of curse words and the fun times, like teaching students how to throw a frisbee. I’d also be able to tell you about the universal feeling of missing your family when you're far from home, and trying to console someone else as they tearfully agonize through missing their own loved ones, half a world away on a Christmas morning.

I’d let you know how it feels to wear gloves and a winter coat indoors on a routine winter’s day and how my dependence upon driving has been reduced to zero out of necessity. I’d like to tell you about how my perceptions of home have changed as a result of my time here due to the outpouring of kind emails, calls, and packages that were sent halfway around the world because someone was thinking of me and wanted me to be a little happier.

I could tell you all of these things and more….

…but I won’t…

…because I have been here only a year and I know that there is so much more to do and learn before it is all done and it will change me even more. We have embraced our lives here and are working hard to use this time as best as we can and we look forward to the day when we can tell our stories to you in person.

Thanks for your love and support.

One year down, one year to go…