School's in session!

We started school this past Thursday. I for one was very excited that it was a very short week. It gave me time this weekend to regroup and reassess my plans for the year. We were told that there would be many English as a second language students in our classes, but now I have a little better feel for how things will be now that I've met them! I hope I will be able to learn how to best meet their needs while also pushing the class at a high level. Unlike Alan, I didn't get my masters in ESL! Our classes are incredibly diverse and it will be great teaching classes like World Geography and Comparative Politics in this uber-international context. It will be an adjustment teaching kids who are so motivated and well behaved ;-)

Today I went with some girls to a double birthday party at a KTV. This is a Karaoke place. We had fun singing and dancing to the songs (yes they were in English). For those of you who are unfamiliar with Asian-style Karaoke (they have it in the US, in case you want to go) you rent a private room and are only in there with your friends. They supply the mics, a loud speaker system, a large screen with the words and accompanying video, and even a tambourine! I didn't bring a camera but I know some pics and possibly even some video was taken. Ok, I admit I was jumping on the furniture during a few songs, but it was just sooo fun!

Oh, update on having a house helper. IT IS AMAZING!!!! We come home from school and dinner is ready for us. The dishes are clean, laundry washed, ironed, and folded, floors are spotless, and even our bedside tables are organized. We are really grateful for all her hard work. It really gives us freedoom to spend more time on our school work and adjusting to our new lives in China!

Blue skies smiling at me!

Rachel's random musings with photos!!!!

After days of heavy rain (video from the balcony at our home), today the sky was clear in Chengdu! I took some pictures off the roof of our school. You can also see some pics of my classroom. Things aren't quite set up yet, but my co-teacher was really great in getting the desks all ready. I'll get a pic of Alan's room once it is more set up. He currently has some plants, but may be getting a class pet (rabbit) soon. Please comment and let us know if this is a good idea!

(Above: This is the colorful Chinese school across the way!)

(Above: This our white and grey school...lacking in color but we love it)

(Above: Rachel's classroom not quite ready for Thursday)

So weren't the opening ceremonies spectacular? It was so cool to see! We got to see it live and WITHOUT commercial interruption! It is fun to see how excited everyone here is about the Olympics. We've been watching some of the events and trying to decipher anything we can from the Chinese commentary. We've heard them use the Chinese term for beautiful to refer to anything from gymnastics, to basketball, to shooting, to diving, to weightlifting. I guess it is just fun to understand something! Go China! They seem to be rocking in the medal count thus far.

Tomorrow our house helper will come to work for us. I know it sounds weird, but it is going to be a huge help for us. We are each teaching 5 different classes and don't really have the time to take care of our house. Right now she's slated to come 3 days a week to clean, cook, shop, etc. It will be somewhat strange because we will rarely cross paths. We will come home and have dinner ready without being able to truly show our appreciation. We will have to work on our Chinese to write notes or just take the easy way out and type her notes (it is much easier to type!)

In other news, we rode our scooters for a second week to fellowship without problems. It is so strange for me to ride a scooter because I was so scared of motorcycles in the US, but it's fun! They only go 25 mph at top speed and are pretty easy to maneuver. One crazy thing from this Sunday was this baby kitten (think the size of a guinea pig) that was scampering across the road. We all stopped our scooters because we didn't want to hit it and it climbed under Alan's wheel and then under our friend Katie's wheels. Soon it started to run into fast moving traffic. We were freaking out because it was just so sad but there was nothing we could do! We had to ride on. I hope you're ok kitty!

One last thing, I'm attaching a picture of McDonald's taken off the roof of our school. Yes, it is that close. I reluctantly admit we've been there twice already (for the convenience) but I also reluctantly admit it tasted really good. Of course McDonald's has the yummy fries, but the sandwiches here in China are different and somewhat tailored to local tastes. It was strange to eat something so familiar with a unique twist. Ok ok I'll stop praising my former employer and hope that we don't start "lovin' it" too much!

(Above: The oh so convenient temptation)

Next.....

We got our physicals done today. We were reluctant at first because we already went through the whole process in the US, but it was wonderfully efficient. We zipped through the lines getting our EKG, chest X-ray, blood drawn (by sticking our arm through a window), and the always lovely urine sample.

Afterwards, we went to Pete's Tex Mex (yes, it exists in Chengdu) to feed our western bellies! I had burritos and Alan got Philly Cheesesteak. Here are some pics...we should have internet too and will post more!

One week in

It's been a week since we first arrived here, but it seems like we have been here much much longer. It's not home, but it is getting there. A clean apartment and new curtains help.

But internet access at home would make things even better.

We went into school to help cleanup today. Things were a mess (and still are). After spending all our mental energies working on getting our house in order and learning, it is daunting to think that school begins in little over a week. I'm not ready for this!

First thoughts on food

I've been warned and warned about the food in Chengdu. Hot and spicy, la and ma, etc. etc. I would say this is surely true, but by no means has it been too much to handle. I actually think my digestive system will take longer to adapt to eating so much oil (which everything is cooked in!). We've been eating out a lot, so we have been able to get a decent range of the local cuisine. So far, so good...This is us eating beef noodles at the "bulk market" - an expansive market where we bough fabric to make sheets and curtains.

Our new apartment

Here are some pictures of out apartment - these were taken when we first got here, so keep in mind that there are already differences as we rearrange and decorate....





We also did a video tour that may show things a little better:

A cash-only society

It's only been 5 days, but it feels like we have been here forever. I admit we have been on a bit of a spending spree in the last few days - but when you move halfway across the globe with only books and clothes, you need to replace some things.

Speaking of buying things, it is amazing how much I have gotten used to the cashless society that America has become. Here, I have only had success using a credit card at Ikea - and I do not think it is only because I am a foreigner. Here is an example: On Wednesday, we traveled to B&Q, which is the Chinese equivalent of Home Depot, to look for a ceiling fan. After a good deal of explaining what a ceiling fan and some time cajoling the employees to take boxes off the high shelves for us, we finally approached the checkout with around $300 USD in merchandise to purchase. After being told that they did accept credit cards, the cashier called her manager to help with the transaction. The manager came by, whisked our Mastercard from Rachel's hand, and disappeared to the service desk. There, she spent a good 20 minutes on the phone (with whom, I'll never know) as she leafed through a powerpoint printout relating to processing credit card transactions. In the end, it was a fruitless endeavor and we had to pay cash. The only explanation we were given is that we could have used Visa. I feel like there is a commercial idea in there somewhere...

So imagine life where you can only pay cash, yet the largest bill available is only worth $15. Think of the wad of cash you need to buy a sofa, a TV, a car, a plane ticket...

On the other hand, I appreciate that this society does NOT promote consumer debt as a fact of life...