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Published: July 26th 2009
Wall
Outter wall of a bank courtyardHello people out there,
An entire month has past since I arrived in China. I really can't believe it, I feel like I got off the ferry from Hong Kong yesterday. I met a backpacker just passing through China and he kept asking all these wide eyed questions and I realize I'm becoming the experienced veteran now, very wierd. Well it is starting to sound cliche but I had a crazy week! I experienced my first Typhoon, saw a once in a lifetime eclipse, and went city hopping down to Zhuhai again. I keep getting busier and teaching is in full swing so I've barely had time to take any decent pictures so I apologize now.
The day the typhoon rolled in I had no idea it was coming.. I was outside and suddenly it got extremely windy and VERY dark. Soon the sky opened up and it rained like I have never seen before. I was taking a bath in a matter of seconds. The rain was like a heavy wet curtain that blurred your vision and penetrated absolutely everything. Surprizingly (or not) the Chinese didn't seem to take too much notice. They dawned their raincoats and went
Fish
fish market blood and guts about their business like it was any other day. I didn't even know it was a typhoon untill later that evening when I saw a typhoon warning on the TV. Zhongshan (my city) didn't take a direct hit, it skirted to our east so it wasn't bad for long. The next day after the worst of it palm branches and other debris littered the streets. Typhoon number one, in the books.
The next 3 days or so we had even more rainstorms. The past week we had rain on all but 2 days. I feel like I'm in some parrallel world where a rain soaked exsistence is the norm and clear days are an odd treasure. I am always amazed at how quickly the Chinese can whip out their rain jackets and umbrellas. I'll see sunshine and tshirts down one block then turn the corner to see dark sky and hundreds of people already in full rain gear. They get lots of practice.
The eclipse you saw on tv.. I saw in person!! (ha sorry). I had class during part of the eclipse and almost missed it, but the whole sky getting dark bit gave it away. I
Produce Stands
they have oversized grapes that are excellent went downstairs and our school had prepared super thick dark lenses we could use to look directly at the eclipse. Stunningly we didn't have a cloud in the sky that entire morning. SO LUCKY. Where I live we didn't have the completely full eclipse but it was astonishing none the less. The sun drifted behind the moon and no one panicked, people just stood outside and watched in awe. I couldn't take my eyes of the thing but some people just worked right through it.... I'll never understand that.
I want to talk briefly about my first hair cut. I had been putting off getting a hair cut out of fear for a couple of weeks now. My colleagues at work were beginning to notice "wow your hair is so long". I had to cut it. I have seen a few... "spectacular" chinese hair cuts, so I was pretty nervous. I walked into a hair salon place near my apartment with a ruler in hand. I went to the clerk lady and made cutting movements with my fingers and pointed at the 2 1'2 centimeter mark on the ruler. She said in english "do you want a wash". I
We Recycle (sorta)
These sorting bins are all over the city, but I feel like I'm the only one who uses them properly laughed out loud in the store, she spoke some english! I figured why not get a wash. This was one of the best decisions I've ever made. For the next 45 minutes I had my hair "washed" in an uber comfortable chair/bed thing. I had the most glorified hair washing of my life. She massaged my head, rubbed my neck, and even massaged my ears. I had my hair shampoed once and then conditioned and rinsed 3 times. I was so happy. Following the wash they cut my hair and did a really good job. And guess what.. after the cut.. they washed my hair AGAIN!! The entire ordeal only cost me 30 kwai (5 bucks). I know this sounds strange, but if you are ever in China, get a haircut.
Lastly I went down to Zhuhai to get my residency permit. The residency permit extends my Visa for an entire year. The school obviously knows what they are doing and had me in and out of 3 different government buildings in about an hour. They will have all the paperwork finalized next week. I will then have this special Chinese passport permit that lets me in and out
Late night
Scene from a late night produce stand/resturant/bar. Late into the night people drink beer and eat "hotpots" outside in pastic chairs and makeshift tables. of the country as much as I please. I'm very excited to do a little exploring around the region.
I really wanted to finish a video project I've been working on but I've just been too busy. Teaching and lesson planning has eaten up a lot of my time. The next two weeks will be my busiest in regards to school. After two weeks I'll have more free time. I put up a dorky little clip in place of video project. Maybe next week. Thanks so much for listening. Have a great week everyone. Zai Jian!
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Xixi
non-member comment
Thank you for sharing your life experience there. YEP! That's my country! Totally miss it! Hope you enjoy your time there.