August 24, 2006

Arrival in China...
I'm sitting in my new living room, on the verge of sweating from the heat and smog, about to head out on an orientation of Baoding (保定), the city where I'll be working until I leave China. I've got a lot to write about (donkeys carts on the street, crazy toilets, my trough/sink), but I really have no idea where to start because I'm dead tired. I didn't know how to work the AC/fan, so I sweated in bed all night, swatting away a really annoying mosquito that I never managed to kill, and never finding a comfortable position on one of my two beds that are harder than rocks. Yes, I have two beds (a twin and a double), although I'm not allowed guests. Why do I have two beds then? It's beyond me.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you arrived safely. Like to know what you had for supper.

Stephen said...

Wish I knew what I had for my first supper in China! There was some sort of fish (you spit the bones on the floor or onto the table), some beef parts in a bowl of broth, unknown meat and fungus with carrots (my 2nd favourite), another hot pot of something (small bird eggs, tofu, and white meat), a red porridge (bland, with white bits), and 'bing' which is a potato and onion pancake (my favourite). There wasn't any rice though :)

Anonymous said...

fungus? i hope that translates mushrooms.

Anonymous said...

any way to send photos?

Stephen said...

Yah, I'll be posting up some photos of the school soon (today hopefully). I think it was some sort of mushroom. It tasted good in any case and I'm not sick yet.

Anonymous said...

Stephen, we have three beds, one pull-out couch and the rule that you cannot stay more than 8 months in one consecutive year chez moi...in other words, consider yourself invited to South China whenever you'd like!

addie