plastic trees and all

Three red plastic palm trees adorn the entryway to the Jianzhong Hotel, where we’ve been staying since we arrived in Chengdu. As you might have guessed, one glance at those trees led to wistful thoughts of Hawaii. Surely, I thought, these next two years will be long ones.

But already, these past several days have flown by. Although free time is rare, I’ve been able to explore enough of Chengdu to fall in love with it. I am crazy about the food, the people, the dynamic interactions that take place on the streets, etc., etc. Heck, I’m even starting to like the things I was initially appalled by, such as the hard beds, the hot weather and the fake trees outside of the hotel! There’s something about this city that is just so charming.

I sure didn’t expect to feel this happy and confident that coming here was the right choice. I realized this as I went on an afternoon walk, which I took in order to remember how crazy I am about China. Why would I need to remind myself that I love it here? The few of you who are familiar with a certain project I did for a class may guess that I am quietly grieving over the violence in Urumqi and that I may be questioning my role here. But a simple walk through the city was enough for me to feel at peace with loving and despising different aspects of the same thing. Whatever these mixed emotions may be, they amount to nothing less than a true appreciation for how lucky I feel to be right here, right now.


Sorry, I’ve got to go study Mandarin with Xiao Xiao, so I’ll cut this entry short and just list some random highlights from this week:

- Got a cell phone
- Gave Xiao Xiao, my Chinese friend who helped me my buy the phone, the English name Tiffany
- Visited the American Consulate and was briefed on Chinese history by State Dept. officers
- Ate traditional Sichuan food (boiled duck and veggies in a spicy broth)
- Attended an hour-long session on diarrhea Yea! Haha
- Got some very helpful teaching advice and a whole bunch of ideas for classroom activities
- Found out my host family enjoys calligraphy and has a 17-year-old daughter ☺
- Received many priceless looks from random people after they realized I don’t speak Chinese
because I’m not Chinese
- Ate LOTS of great, spicy food!