Chengdu Week 1 - Midweek update

Aug. 31, 2014

    Today began easily enough, I had some fruit for breakfast. We were then shepherded to a hotel where we had our official orientation. It was fun, Kong one of the USAC students is a strange duck. He just says whatever and sometimes forgets that Wentao is speaking to a room full of students and not to him. It’s funny to watch though, and he’s good natured about the ribbing he receives. During the one of the breaks Tong invited us to his hometown after we got settled. Us meaning, myself, Brennan, Cassidy and Jose. It’s freaking awesome, and should be an epic adventure. After orientation we went to lunch, our last paid for lunch for a while. I now have my class schedule, and will be starting 9 am tomorrow morning with Chinese.
    The rest of the day kinda of sucked, Ikea turned out to be insane and waaay over priced. Too many people and not enough sleep ended up being a recipe for misery. I’ll lie though, I think I am just tired from all the traveling. That’s the only complaint I really have is that I haven’t really had time to sleep in or enjoy myself. Classes start tomorrow, but I get the feeling they will be fairly relaxed, I only have language tomorrow and then the rest of the day to sleep and just have a moment for myself. So begins my study part of my China adventure.

Sept. 1, 2014

    First day of class, we started at 9 so before class we went down and got some boazi. They were very yummy and incredibly reminiscent of Taiwan. It was delicious. Class itself was intense, it’s is perhaps a little above my level but that’s ok. I hope I can catch up and keep up. It think I will be alright. After class we went hunting for lunch which ended up being a Sichuan classic of spicy beef noodles. Burned my mouth off, but it was totally worth it. I then spent some time relaxing (Woo!) and studying with Brennan. We then headed off to Taichi. Turns out our teacher is a master of the art, but doesn’t speak a lick of English. It was a fun game trying to figure out what was going on. I think the teacher likes me and Brennan, which makes it all the more fun. It’s a good excuse though to practice mandarin in any case. Dinner turned out to be hot pot, which is famous in this area. They cook the food right in front of you. On our way home we explored the area checking out the different restaurants. We need some wandering time to explore our area. Slowly but surely I will figure it out. Now some homework and bed.

Sept. 2, 2014

    Today was a bit slower, but I think I needed it. It’s been go go go since we got here so having a simple day was nice. I went to class which ended up being mildly exciting when an Asian hornet decided to visit class. Google one if you haven’t seen one, they are scary. Laoshi called a break while it was flying around and we all bailed as fast as we could. Class resumed when it was gone and the windows were closed. I then went and took a nap, 3 hours of pure Chinese is rough particularly in the morning. I really like my class though, and I feel like I am learning. I then spent some of the day just kicking around the internet and studying Chinese. I talked to Wentao about locating a shop to find a shaving razor. I ended up on a bus with her and Jiajing going to a totally different part of the city. I can’t wait to take everyone there once they feel better (Both Brennan and Cassidy are miserably sick). I hen managed to find my way home on my own and navigate ordering food for myself and Cassidy. I then spent the rest of he night with Cassidy, swapping stories and discussing our expectations for China. It’s just the beginning but both of us have high hopes for this place. Well off to bed, tomorrow morning is no school so it will be laundry time and studying. I then have my first non-language class, Ancient Chinese History. see you tomorrow.

Sunset from my window