Changsha

Ni Hao! We are a third of the way through our summer and we have arrived safely in Changsha. The weather here is quite warm--much like being in the south--but the food is very spicy. Here's a sample menu...breakfast--steamed bread, noodles, rice porridge, hot milk, and maybe hard boiled eggs...lunch--duck (and you know it's duck because the head is in the bowl, beak and all), very bony fish served with glass noodles (very very spicy), the greens from sweet potatoes (i didn't know they were edible but turns out they are quite tasty), eggplant and greens beans, carrots and pork, tofu (dried and then mixed in with peppers and sauce), and then rice (mei fahn) is served at the end of the meal. They also serve hot water (kai shui) and sometimes tea. We have also ordered bottles of pepsi or sprite, as hot water isn't always the most appetizing thing to wash down the meal. Dinners are similar to lunches with perhaps a few more dishes and maybe fried banana puffs for dessert. I have lost weight since we have been here--one, because I don't do spicy--two, I have been eating mostly veggies--three, I haven't been snacking! Occasionally we have Chinese oreos and other random Chinese snacks, but mostly I am guzzling bottled water and eating light every meal--a rather costly weight-loss program if you ask me...lol.

Anyway, our living accomodations are adequate. We have a dorm room with a desk, a fridge, a closet, a TV (not that it matters because I can't understand it), and then our bathroom is out through the sliding doors. The sink is in one room, and then the shower and toilet are in another--if you so desire, you can sit on the toilet and shower at the same time...very european :) There is a washing machine at the end of the hall, but the buttons are labeled in Chinese--we will tackle that one tonight :) We saw our classrooms yesterday--chalkboard, tables and chairs, TV, and stand-alone AC unit (PTL!)--our lecture hall does not have AC so send some cool thoughts our way :) We start teaching tomorrow after an opening ceremony--we are both very excited to begin. We visited a House this morning--I cannot wait to share all of the cool things like this we have been able to do since we have been here. Our brothers and sisters are vibrant and growing and so much more is happening than is visible to our western world. Our adventure yesterday to a village that was built during the MIng Dynasty (1300s) was very illuminating--the nuances and subtleties of this culture are many...and people are still living in this village and have been since it was built. We saw the smiles of young children and heard many observing us, even though they spoke in Chinese (some things are universally communicated), we shared a meal there and tasted what they have been tasting for hundreds of years, we saw people who, although they live differently than we do, lived in community and looked after one another. A grandfather with a deformed hand was carrying around his granddaughter--and he carried her all during our lunch and afterwards. Everyone was busy doing something...lots of chickens and dogs and vegetables and mushrooms drying in the sunshine. We drove past vast rice paddies on our way to this village--and towns, where in between the houses (perhaps 15 feet) would be a garden or a rice paddi, or a cow...my pictures help convey this further. So many juxtapositions here--old, new, modern, archaic, poor, extravagant, abundance, dearth...all on top of one another, competing, cooperating...many times I have said to T "I am seeing this but I don't know what I am seeing..."...so I need to run now :) Meeting time with our team. Blessings to all of you!