The First Few Days

8.26.10    

    So far the people that I've met are a wide variety.  Bob is also an American and a crazy old man. He doesn’t care what you think of him he will do what he wants. Helen is Scottish and teaching at the primary school. She is quite the talker, but very sweet. There are also two Dutch people at the secondary school, Femke and Sven. Last night I went to dinner with Helen, Femke and Sven. There really isn’t a dull moment when they are around and I laughed the whole evening. I wish I had gone to sleep a little earlier, but we did meet a group of Americans living in Zhongshan. Abby lives down the hall from me and he is from India. He seems very nice and is also a Christian.

     Today all three campuses went to lunch together at the King Hotel. It was a little boring because everything was in Chinese. But there were a few priceless moments. CHES was given an award from the Department of Education and when he handed the award to Mrs. Chio the intro music from Star Wars played. I could help but let out a small giggle and the Chinese lady next to me asked what was so funny, but she hadn’t see Star Wars and didn’t understand. A few minutes later this music begins that is very dramatic and then on a lout part of the music the doors to the room fly open and a parade of waiters come out all carrying roasted piglets. It was epic! I have never seen the start of a meal so dramatically introduced. The best part was that the piglets had red flashing light hearts safety pinned to where the eyes should have been. So not only were the piglets given a grand entrance, but they were decorated with the cheesiest thing made in China. Once these piglets make it to the table one of the waitresses begins dismantling the piglet with a pair of scissors that you would expect someone to be trimming bushes with. She cut everything up into bite size piece except the head.  I later found out that the piglets are good luck to have at an event.

     Something that has baffled me a little is where the “rubbish” goes. China doesn’t seem to be going green at all, but what I can’t figure out is where the landfill is. This makes me a little nervous, because that trash has to go somewhere.

     Going back to the hierarchy thing again. It is interesting to see some of the jobs that people here are willing to do. But the conclusion I have come to is that those people sweeping the roads and planting flowers are happy to be doing those things, because it is a job regardless of what they are doing. There are so many people that these jobs where just made up so there would be enough work for everyone.

     I also had a moment when I felt like I was in a spy movie. We are walking down the stairs of the hotel after our all school lunch and C comes up next to me and starts talking. It was very loud in the stairwell so it was the perfect place to chat about church. She said she would let me sleep this Sunday, but if next Sunday I was ready she knew of a few options and said she would be in touch. It was crazy and like she was passing off information to me just like in a spy movie, because as soon as we got out of the stairwell she was gone and the Chinese lady who was making sure I made it to and from the Kindergarten was right there showing me which bus we were suppose to be getting on.