[Emergency Exit, by webel]

Back in Cincinnati, my school is adding on a huge Fine Arts wing this summer. In the process, they had to close off one of the former exits … but they haven’t yet removed the sign. The result? A hilarious photo (taken by Julie Dietrich)!

So tonight I had my first really spicy Hunan food (from Western Hunan, to be precise) … it was “mild” according to local standards, but after trying quite a few peppers (yes, they were flaming), my tummy is starting to rumble a bit. Oh, and I also ate frog, chicken feet, catfish, and 100-year-old egg. The first three were fabulous, the last was absolutely disgusting (but very “tasty”). We’ll see how everything goes tonight!!!

Interestingly, the WorldTeach Field Director, Daniel, started telling me about a restaurant near my parents’ home called House of Hunan. Apparantly the guy who runs it is actually from the Hunan Province, and he can do up some real authentic Hunan food if you want to try it! Just don’t ask Michael Hrubik about the place …

My time on the computer and at the Internet Cafe are quite limited during staff training here in Changsha, so unfortunately I can’t quite check email or spend a lot of time telling juicy stories. Nevertheless (triple compound word!), I’d like to start giving some glimpses into daily life out here.

The Hotel
WorldTeach is really taking care of us on this one … the Hunan Hotel, where we are staying as a group, is quite nice. Our room is air-conditioned, seems quite safe, has two single beds, a television, and a large bathroom. Shower curtains don’t exist in China, so when I shower it’s like I’m in an 8′x15′ shower (extra roomy!). I’m rooming with a guy from Virginia named Hayes … he’s a fantastic fella who stands 7′7″ and shares a lot of common interests with me (adventure sports, photography, apple stuff, etc). We’ve also been eating many of our meals there, which brings us to …

The Food
Before I came, I heard that Hunan food was good … and spicy. Both are true. We’ve gone to several restaurants already, where we sit at a big round table and are brought plate after plate of food to try. Almost everything is fantastic (except tofu … ech). We eat with chopsticks and a small bowl … and it’s kinda nice because you can try just one piece of something before committing. Most people drink hot water and tea all the time (I’ve heard that they think it makes them sweat more, and that’s the “best way to cool down”) … but I haven’t quite partaken in that part of the eating culture yet. Instead, I drink oodles of water.

The Group
As I mentioned before, there are volunteers from all over the country … 30 different states (and London) I believe. And it seems that personalities are just as varied as well. I love observing them and doing new things with them … and I can tell that some will become fast friends. Over the course of the year, I’ll be fairly isolated at my school (2 hours by train from the nearest volunteers), so I hope to be able to make some weekend visits and such.

The Weather
It’s totally hot and muggy here. Humidity is near 100%, so you kinda feel like you’re walking through a cloud of mist all the time. Which isn’t too bad for me … it’s like a hot summer day in Ohio, and I’ve been living in a tent in the woods for the last two months. But it’s still a little crazy. And from what I hear, it’s actually quite temperate right now because of the hurricanes and flooding that have taken place in recent weeks in Hunan.

Ok, time’s up … a large group of us are going to get massages!

After a relatively smooth 14 hour flight, I’m finally here in Changsha! As we flew further and further west, we fought the clock, going “back in time” through the time zones until we reached Wednesday. Then we crossed the international date line and 12am and abruptly jumped all the way to Friday! It’s like time travel … pretty sweet if you ask me.

Because of many circumstances (mostly because of my unpreparedness), I ended up sleeping very little the last few days. At first, I wasn’t sure long my body would hold out … but now I think that it’s actually going to help me adjust to China. Jet lag is a little irrelevant at this point, and I should be able to time it just right so I can start sleeping on their schedule instead of on EST’s. As long as I can make it to bedtime tonight …

I had quite an interesting experience changing money at the Hunan Bank of China a couple of minutes ago … apparently my signature is pretty hard to replicate, so I had to re-sign my traveler’s checks 3 or 4 times until the branch manager was satisfied that it was really me. It was a little scary … they even walked into the back room with my passport and everything … but it work out ok. Molly, another WT volunteer, is still there trying to get her passport and money back from the bank.

Yeah, and each moment is providing more and more glimpses of just how unique this year is going to be. The language still sounds like … well … Chinese, the food has been quite strange, and the feel in the air is, for lack of a better word, foreign. I’m horribly naive … and quite rude, even by American standards. At least, from what I’ve heard, this is a very accommodating and generous culture … otherwise I’m quite sure that I’d be walking the plank tomorrow!

I’m especially enjoying meeting the other WorldTeach volunteers … there are 40 of us altogether, from literally all over the world. In fact, I think I’m going to start a frappr map so we can all see exactly where we’re from. As you can probably imagine, the group is made up of some amazing individuals … selfless and generous folks, personable and likable personalities, downright fascinating stories, ambitious and brilliant minds … I can tell already that I’m going to like these guys. And by nature of our situation, I’m sure that we’ll become quite close as we navigate this place.

It’s a little strange meeting all the other volunteers, though. Perhaps it’s because I’m older, or because of my teaching experience, or maybe they can just sense that I’m a loose cannon that’s ready to snap at any moment and tear someone’s face off with my bare hands. Or maybe I just haven’t met so many new people at the same time in a long while. Whatever it is, it’s surprising me and making me wonder about my role here (in a good way). Hopefully I can not only serve the nationals, but also foster some sweet relationships with my fellow volunteers.

Welp, I’ve gotta go … my time here at the Internet Cafe (with hundreds of young, smoking, gaming Chinese men) is running short, and I still have to turn in a couple papers for grad class. FYI, my internet access over the next month will be very periodical … but stay tuned for more!

I just posted a PDF of my address in China. For those of you who are cool enough to want to send me something, all you have to do now is print the label out, fill out your return address, and send it via the U.S. Postal Service. Because this label uses the Chinese address, it’ll speed up delivery (which typically takes from 1-2 weeks).

I would love to receive a letter or package … and I promise to send you something Chinese in return. C’mon … you know you want something Chinese! [wink wink nudge nudge]

I think I’ll go to China today.