I finally made it to Chongqing!

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It feels good to finally be at my (current) destination. Yesterday I flew from Narita, Japan to Dalian, China. I then flew from Dalian to Taiyuan to Chongqing. It was a long day of flying. After arriving in CQ I had an almost 2 hour drive to the Yongchuan district, which is where my new school is located. It was very late and dark out so I couldn't see much. Yongchuan district is most famous for its bamboo forest and tea mountain. In terms of China, however, its not that famous.

I got dropped off at my apartment and was told to be at my school at 8:30 the next morning. I had NO idea where the school or how long it would take me to get there. I originally thought that my apartment would be on campus but it isn't. It is apparently a 30 minute walk to campus. I had to get the secretary of the school write down the name of the school in Chinese so I could find a cab to take me there the next morning!

The apartment is really nice. It has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a decent sized kitchen and a big living room and dining area. It also has air conditioning! I am on the 25th floor so I have a great view of the city. One major problem is the kitchen. Its really nice but I have nothing to use in it. I don't want to go out and buy pots, pans, utensils, plates, etc. since I am leaving again in 3 weeks to another school.

The cab ride only cost 5RMB (less than a dollar) - not bad! I spent the whole day meeting the other teachers and preparing for our classes that start August 3rd. I will be teaching 6 classes a day, 6 days a week. I am the only foreign teacher currently at the school so its been quite challenging.

I feel like I never have any idea what is going on. I think I should get used to this feeling - it will probably stick around for a while.

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Photos

Yongchuan
View from my apartment - 25th floor

Yongchuan
View from my apartment - 25th floor

Yongchuan
View from my apartment - 25th floor

Apartment
Living Room

Apartment
Kitchen

Apartment
Bedroom

Apartment
Spare