I may have summer job of sorts coming my way when I'm done moving around and stressing about cleaning up (it's the cleaning and keys more than packing that worries me. I honestly don't need to pack all that much stuff and I didn't come with a lot to begin with). I'm hoping it comes through, it's the only real lead I have right now and the extra money would be nice. The flight's the biggest part, I know how to save when I get here. But then I'll probably go nuts with cheese and things that I haven't had in forever. I could use some brie, a burrito, bigger dessert options (instead of a handful of chocolate bars, dried fruits, cookies, and green and red bean ice creams), pasta, sourdough bread, and something that doesn't make me burn when I go to the bathroom the next morning. To be fair, the thinking here is that since it's so humid you should eat lots of spicy food to make yourself sweat and it does regularly clear out my sinuses. The cold noodles served with peanuts, cilantro, vinegar, chili paste, and pickled veggies are pretty good for humid days too. I had to get a macchiato milk tea afterwards and though the taste was fine and it cooled me off, the idea is still twisting my brain a little. Think of caramel, coffee, milk, and a milk tea aftertaste rolled into one cold drink. I don't know that I can speak to my Italian friends about this strange concoction. I'll miss the street life while I'm away for sure, but it'll be nice to walk down the street without a bunch of scooters rolling over the sidewalk and having to dodge them all the time. So here are some parting photos, along the wisdom I found in various signs in Shennong City when I finally walked all around the lake during the zhongkao.
Until the end of August anyway. Since last night was a horrible thunderstorm (I've never heard it so close before) and it's still pretty bad and grey outside, I'll just post a few of the pictures I took on a good day this past week. I'm nervous about getting everything cleaned up and doing everything I need to properly (leaving the keys, leaving a gift for my liaison, washing all bed sheets, taking out the trash, I cleaned and unplugged the fridge though they didn't say anything about doing that, I washed the dishes, I've been sweeping and mopping whenever possible...) and especially worried about how to get to the Changsha airport. I said no to the offer for a ride initially, and when my liaison asked again if I had a lot of things and needed a ride I told her I didn't have that much stuff so she said "You'll be fine on your own. You can get a bus from Zhuzhou to the airport but you'll have to leave early because it only leaves when it has enough people to make a trip. Otherwise, it will just wait there.". I paid for a 6AM train from Zhuzhou to Changsa and somehow too I'm supposed to leave the key with the other foreign teacher here so she can give it to my liaison who will hold onto it for the school. Either I hope she's up at 5 (but she's sick) or I give it to her the night before (she tends to go to bed early, so probably no later than 7pm) and lock myself in and not go anywhere. I still have to do laundry too. I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time even as a part of me asks if I've said my goodbyes and wrapped things up well enough for now. I traded QQ information with a few people and I'm probably going to post pictures of California for my kids while I'm there because they always ask for photos and things about America. I'm thinking of looking for small things I can use as prizes for class activities too. Students like postcards and I think they'd love anything Apple related like stickers they could put on their pencil cases or bags. I'll be in the right place for Apple things, I might go to visit the Apple campus and see what they've got. San Francisco stuff is probably popular too now that the students are studying America and Big Hero 6 related products are everywhere. Baymax has really made it big here. A student gifted me a pencil case with a mirror with Baymax wearing a Mickey Mouse hat and holding a balloon. He also gave me a Baymax cushion filled with water. The school stationary shop has rubber Baymax toys and the stationary shop next to the school has Baymax pens and pencils and cards. I think another good gift is music CDs, though those can be kind of pricey so I may want to keep that for a bigger prize. I'm still kind of in disbelief that I'm done and that I'm actually going to Kyoto. Once I get on that plane, I'm sure I'll relax. I signed up for a cooking class first thing in the morning on my first full day in Kyoto and it's very close to where I'm staying near the train station for the first two nights. I get to make and eat my lunch. It'll be great. I can't wait to explore each neighborhood and district. I'm trying to plan things a little so that I can take advantage of the different places I'm staying and what will be close to me. I'm sure it'll be fun, and so different from China from what I've heard. I read Pico Iyer's The Lady and the Monk since it's about Kyoto but there are certain things in his observations that feel familiar to me after being here for a year. It was really good, I've really come to like his thoughtful observation and his way of pointing out the fantasies that Asians have of Westerners and vice versa. I may have summer job of sorts coming my way when I'm done moving around and stressing about cleaning up (it's the cleaning and keys more than packing that worries me. I honestly don't need to pack all that much stuff and I didn't come with a lot to begin with). I'm hoping it comes through, it's the only real lead I have right now and the extra money would be nice. The flight's the biggest part, I know how to save when I get here. But then I'll probably go nuts with cheese and things that I haven't had in forever. I could use some brie, a burrito, bigger dessert options (instead of a handful of chocolate bars, dried fruits, cookies, and green and red bean ice creams), pasta, sourdough bread, and something that doesn't make me burn when I go to the bathroom the next morning. To be fair, the thinking here is that since it's so humid you should eat lots of spicy food to make yourself sweat and it does regularly clear out my sinuses. The cold noodles served with peanuts, cilantro, vinegar, chili paste, and pickled veggies are pretty good for humid days too. I had to get a macchiato milk tea afterwards and though the taste was fine and it cooled me off, the idea is still twisting my brain a little. Think of caramel, coffee, milk, and a milk tea aftertaste rolled into one cold drink. I don't know that I can speak to my Italian friends about this strange concoction. I'll miss the street life while I'm away for sure, but it'll be nice to walk down the street without a bunch of scooters rolling over the sidewalk and having to dodge them all the time. So here are some parting photos, along the wisdom I found in various signs in Shennong City when I finally walked all around the lake during the zhongkao. I will miss Zhuzhou sorely. It's like Raz says. This place builds a space in your heart that's a little hard to explain to others. You know the air isn't great, stuff is done at the last minute, people stare at you and your school may parade you around a lot to attract more families and show off their international connections, but there are a lot of good days too. Teaching is rough when your kids are young and don't get a lot of freedom to do things that aren't studying
1 Comment
Laurie Gee
9/1/2015 01:47:17 am
too bad they were closed for remodel
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