Oreos and Dr. Pepper?! I don't think I'm in Mali anymore...
This is hotpot. It's very famous in the Sichuan region.
The panda and me
Wen (my host sister) and me at the Panda place
My friend Becca (she was in Ethiopia) and me
Mom, me, Dad after our white water adventure (no paddles!)
I apologize for not updating sooner. Facebook and blogspot have been blocked, so I’ve had a few obstacles to jump through.
I, unfortunately, cannot be as open with my opinions. I refuse to sugarcoat anything, but some things may be omitted.
Let me back up….
America was WONDERFUL! I had so much fun! I put on 14 lbs in 3 weeks. I didn’t weigh myself week 4 because I really didn’t want to know. I saw a few friends, talked to all of my friends in the states on the phone, visited my brother and my sister-in-law, and ate way too much! My Dad had some surgery, so it wasn’t all play. I was chauffeur and personal assistant for a few weeks.
I sat beside a young professional looking guy at the airport in Dallas. After he pulled out his Peace Corps notebook, I asked him where he was going. Turns out, we were on the same flight to SF together. I prearranged a bus to take me to the hotel. It was a wonderful hotel! I wish we stayed there for a few nights.
The flight wasn’t bad at all. I requested a window seat. I sat beside a Native American who was on her way to study in China for a few weeks. I didn’t realize that there were 2 flights from Beijing to Chengdu, and I ended up missing the flight because I was in the bathroom, changing to “business casual”. I was a bit concerned about getting my bag, but TIC, and I had no problems.
The hotel was nice enough. My roommate is great. Her name is Denise and this is her second time doing PC. She was a volunteer in the 70s in Thailand. She brought her group picture. It’s absolutely priceless. The first week or so was a lot of protocol. Apparently (unapparent to me), appropriate shoes in Mali are not appropriate in China.
My home stay family is incredible! I had language classes in Chengdu University, but lived off campus. My Chinese mom and dad gave me their master bedroom because it had the western style toilet. I keep on putting myself in their situation and am continually in awe of their hospitality. My sister is going to LSU this November, and I am hoping that she will go to South Carolina and spend Christmas with the Cannons.
I will be teaching at the Sichuan College of Education in Chengdu. I really thought I would be leaving the city so I was quite surprised at my placement. When I went there for site visit, I was highly impressed with the staff there. The staff was professional, friendly, and helpful.
I also stayed in my apartment during site visit. While my apartment has accommodations such as a washing machine, refrigerator, hot water in the kitchen, tv, dvd, etc., there are aspects of my Malian apartment that I miss. I miss my wonderful porch, rooftop, and my Malian neighbors.
I begin teaching in September. Business Oral English and Writing are the 2 subjects. I will also be giving a lecture every other Monday on culture. If anybody has suggestions for appropriate culture based themes, leave a comment on the blog! I have this semester outlined for the cultural Mondays, but any suggestions for next semester would be appreciated.
Today we moved out of our homestay family and are staying in a swanky hotel! I'm pretty sure it's a 4 star. The beds are absolutely incredible! I am going to buy new sheets for my apartment!
More pictures tomorrow (En shallah! It's so funny because random French and Bambara words come out when I attempt to speak Mandarin.)
