One Last Trip
Michelle and I went up to Xi'an to get a few things before we head back to Chengdu, and then the States.
As always it was an educational and humbling experience.
We had standing room only tickets on the train, which isn't the most comfortable way to ride as the cars are usually jammed with people in the same situation. To make matters worse there was no air conditioning, so we were packed like sardines, sweating all over the place. But hey, its China, and that is how it goes sometimes.
On the way home it was worse as the train car was WAY over the 118 capacity sign mentioned in the car. Michelle met some Kazakh students on their way home after studying Chinese for a year and they had an interesting, but halting conversation as both of them were using their second language to communicate.
Meanwhile, I was standing further down the car sweating profusely and trying to read a book in the aisle while people passed by every 15 seconds or so. Difficult to say the least. One of the conductors came up to me and said, "Are you tired?" I told him that I was a little tired. He said "Come with me."
He told me to grab Shell too and he took us to his official conductor seat and told us to rest. He wanted to chat so I told him about where we were from, the earthquake and how we'd go home soon. He was from Xinjiang province, near Urumqi and heard about the quake but didn't feel it. He was a nice guy.
I'm always amazed at how baffling this place can be, even after two years. One moment we are sweating and standing for a four hour journey, the next someone gives up their seat so that we can be a little more comfortable. I'm not so sure that would happen in the U.S.
We leave for Chengdu tonight to get our medical checkups and do some administrative stuff with the country director before we leave. Then we're gone later this week.
I've been running nonstop since we found out our fate, so I haven't really had time to process much of what has happened. It will come with time though.
Right now it is all business I'm afraid.
As always it was an educational and humbling experience.
We had standing room only tickets on the train, which isn't the most comfortable way to ride as the cars are usually jammed with people in the same situation. To make matters worse there was no air conditioning, so we were packed like sardines, sweating all over the place. But hey, its China, and that is how it goes sometimes.
On the way home it was worse as the train car was WAY over the 118 capacity sign mentioned in the car. Michelle met some Kazakh students on their way home after studying Chinese for a year and they had an interesting, but halting conversation as both of them were using their second language to communicate.
Meanwhile, I was standing further down the car sweating profusely and trying to read a book in the aisle while people passed by every 15 seconds or so. Difficult to say the least. One of the conductors came up to me and said, "Are you tired?" I told him that I was a little tired. He said "Come with me."
He told me to grab Shell too and he took us to his official conductor seat and told us to rest. He wanted to chat so I told him about where we were from, the earthquake and how we'd go home soon. He was from Xinjiang province, near Urumqi and heard about the quake but didn't feel it. He was a nice guy.
I'm always amazed at how baffling this place can be, even after two years. One moment we are sweating and standing for a four hour journey, the next someone gives up their seat so that we can be a little more comfortable. I'm not so sure that would happen in the U.S.
We leave for Chengdu tonight to get our medical checkups and do some administrative stuff with the country director before we leave. Then we're gone later this week.
I've been running nonstop since we found out our fate, so I haven't really had time to process much of what has happened. It will come with time though.
Right now it is all business I'm afraid.
posted by Thad at 10:34 PM
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