Ni hao

I only have time for a very quick update right now: I am on someone else's computer in the office in the school. I have been keeping detailed accounts of each day, but they are on my computer which does not get along well with the Chinese internet connection. I'll burn them to a CD or buy a flash drive to get them on the blog asap. I have written way, way too much.

But for now, just the most important things: I was placed in Anyang, which only has two volunteers from Orbis. Me, obviously, and another kid, Rob, who is Irish. Today was my first day of teaching and I teach 7-13 year olds. They have basically no English, so there is a translator in the classroom. The translator is one of the normal English teachers in the school, but to be honest her English is pretty awful. Oh well. Still better than having no translator.

I'm a bit bummed our kids don't know more English because there is only so much I can do with beginners. Most of the time Bonnie, the translator, has to spend time explaining things in Chinese, so I am not teaching as much. On the one hand, it's easier, but on the other hand, I wanted a bit more of a challenge and I wanted to be able to bond with my students, which will not happen. Then again, cute children worshipping you is not so horrible, either.

I am still making native friends. Helen attends Zhengzhou University, but was hired by Orbis for the summer to be our translator and Regional Coordinator. She's from Anyang originally and she's marvelous -- more about her in the entries I will upload. I am getting along very well with her. I also like another English teacher in the school, Fanny, who is 26. She dreams of going to Australia or Canada because she thinks it is quiet, clean, and "very beautiful."

I showed them both pictures of Ann Arbor and New York and they were amazed at how much open space there was and how clean it was. Those were the first two things that they thought of.

Right now Rob, Helen, and I are living in a hotel because the facilities at the school are not up to the standard that Orbis agreed to in the contract. Group showers? A room with holes in the ground to poop and pee in? No thank you. I actually wouldn't mind *that* much (hey, it's part of the experience), but Rob is being more of a sissy about it than I am. It's refreshing, and that way I don't have to be the picky one, for a change.

The corruption here is out of control. More in the other entries I will add, as well.

So far, this has been a really eye-opening experience. I'm enjoying it because it is only a month, so this is not ever going to become my personal lifestyle and it is not permanent, but if I were here for years, then I might have some more problems... Chinese culture is so different. Well, inland Chinese culture is really different. Henan province has the most people out of all the prvinces--100 million--and the sky is gray everyday from pollution.

Lunch time.