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Published: October 29th 2008
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Jo's Notes: So far, a great time with just minor rough patches. My apartment, delightful (see pictures). Heat-up cooking mostly. Serious meals at campus "canteens" close by. Food hot and tasty. To date, no tummy problems (knock on rice bowl!). Days: 80's and muggy; nights: 60's and muggy. I'm starting to study Chinese, and find the speaking of it not too difficult. Minor problems: One day of mild indigestion, nothing bad. Allergies -- mildewed mattress -- resolved Monday with replacement of less-used. Trip to city added more congestion. Am much recovered. Face mask will help. Air pollution not bad on campus. Thanks to everyone who has replied to my first entry. I love hearing from you.
Full Story: I'm having a great time with the ONLY problem a minor flare-up of allergies and bronchitis. My apartment is delightful, located in a section of 8 apartment units, all for university instructors. It has a very large living dining room, two good-sized bedrooms, one of which is furnished with desk, bookshelves, file cabinets, etc. Tiny kitchen and bath complete the inner rooms. Overall, about 700 sq.ft. (See pictures.) I also have a cute balcony, complete with plants, along with clothes wires for
drying clothes. The apartment is well equipped with appliances, all of which work. Microwave, enclosed hot plate, washing machine (Little Swan brand -- cute, fast and effective!), fridge with freezer, great water cooler with its own boiling water dispenser, combination wall air conditioners/heaters/fans in each room. Several electric outlets in each room, with current 24/7. The television is good, but no English stations. I enjoy surfing, looking for news shows since they speak relatively slowly.
The weather feels pretty much like Florida -- up to the high 80's and muggy during the day, really tropical, then down to low 60's and still somewhat muggy at night. No rain yet, but it's predicted for the weekend.
Food has been better than expected, and easier to manage. There are 4 campus canteens spread all over, with Canteen #2 a couple doors from me. They serve 3 meals every day, with lunch and dinner being the same type of food -- rice or noodles, with a variety of many cooked vegetable dishes, and small portions of protein (chicken, fish, organ meats, scrambled egg, tofu, etc.). Fresh salad items are available, but not on my list given that Penn Travel advised against eating ANY
raw vegetables. So far I had only one day of slight digestive problems, so plan to continue being careful. There is also a campus supermarket close by where I can buy milk, juice, soft drinks, soups, crackers, AND also most of the housekeeping items I need -- soap, towels, kleenex and toilet paper, plastic trash bags, chopsticks and flatware, laundry detergent, and on and on. No paper towels or napkins since these are not part of the culture.
The bathroom is its own story. Dear Reader -- Skip to next paragraph to avoid details. A room approx. 3' by 8', there is no room for a shower stall, so it hangs on the wall. The water gets nice and hot, and then meant to run into a drain near the toilet. Using it results in water-soaked floor and walls. Mold heaven! I've rigged up a large plastic basin in which I stand to shower and wash my hair. This catches most of the water, which I then empty into the sink. The sewer system functions well, and can handle t.p. Western toilet (relieved it's not a squatter) has two flush choices, one for reduced water. Kitchen and bath sinks have
only cold water, but I've worked up a system to heat water in my hot-water pot for dishwashing. Works fine.
My only problem of any note has been the bronchitis triggered by allergens and air pollution. My mattress was very moldy, but I couldn't communicate the issue to Lora, so she was not concerned. Then, Sat. night, after having spent the day in dusty, polluted downtown Shaoguan City, I ended up going to the campus clinic having what felt like an asthma attack (in remission since 2002). A nice lady doctor listened to my lungs and determined no asthma, but wanted to treat me for a cold, which I knew I did not have. My buddy Kim (fellow teacher), who went with me and is fluent in Chinese, called Lora and asked her to explain to the doctor that I did not need any treatment for a cold (not uncommon to be hooked up to an IV for even minor ailments, which I did not want). We thanked the doctor and left. I closed up the windows, turned on the AC, and slept on the couch. Felt much better Sunday. Monday, Lora called offering to replace the mattress, which has
helped a lot. I've stayed on campus, which is much less polluted than the city, since we're on the outskirts and surrounded by forests. I try to walk a couple miles every day which also helps.
I'm eager to learn the language, and have been picking up a smattering -- Hello, Good-bye, Thanks, etc. To accelerate my learning, I've enrolled in an on-line Chinese language course called chinesepod.com It's great!! You get 7 days free, so if you're interested, I suggest you check it out. More on this in a future entry.
In addition to the above, my days have been taken up with getting to know my fellow teachers and the staff at the university. Everyone friendly and welcoming. I met Monday morning with Mr. Yen, assistant dean of the Economics Dept. He's very nice -- excited about my coming since he spent 2 months last year on an academic exchange in England. We worked up my schedule (a challenge for him since I'm starting mid-term). I'll be teaching 2 sections of Money & Banking to sophomores, and 2 sections of International Investments to juniors. Also, I'll take part in the English Corner for a couple hours every Thursday
night. I start on the 3rd. Since the students are taking the same courses in Chinese, my classes are meant to simply expose them to Western terminology and concepts. Mr. Yen emphasized that I will have to go very slowly. Sounds good to me, especially since the textbooks won't arrive for a couple more weeks. I'm developing the first few class sessions from memory and what I can get on-line (which actually is a lot).
Time for breakfast. The day will be busy prepping for classes, more government paperwork, etc. Thanks to everyone who has replied to my first entry. I love hearing from you.
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Cathy B
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Your Dorm
Hi Joanne, I am so glad to hear how your adventure is going. It reminds me of of the adventure (In English of course iat Cannon Trust School -- but not the shower!! I thought you would be teaching English not Money and Banking. Good for you. Aren't you glad you are not helping investors right now with this crazy market. Boy - did you have the best timing or what!! We are heading for the cold days. We had so much rain yesterday and the high was about 45 degrees. You probably know this but tonight the Phillies are on and have to go and watch some so I do not miss anything. I do not know how much you like baseball. I do not like it a whole lot but like the fact that we may have a true winner in Philadelphia! Take care and stay healthly. I am glad to hear about your walks. Keep on writing. I am enjoying learning about China! Cathy