FYI

Skype is up and running.

Username: jdubbs2

Let's set up some appointments, yes? :)

Tomorrow I'm talking to Nathan at 9am my time. I usually wake up around 7am and go to bed at about 9:30-10pm. Thirteen hour time difference from Texas, twelve from the East Coast.

Mai dongshi.

Today Jennifer and I went back down to walking street to get some dvds and pick up necessities. After dvd shopping (I picked up Ugly Betty, Xena, Kung Fu Panda, and a few others) it began to rain so we ducked into another shop where Jennifer used to buy her candles. They were out of candles but I managed to buy myself a Hello Kitty keyboard (very much needed since the one I had was disgusting) and a cool painting of a black and white tree I plan to put up in my room.
We also went to New York pizza again for lunch. I had the BBQ chicken pizza which was delicious and I got a large vegetable pizza to go so I could munch on it later.
The rain storm was pretty good. Lots of lightening. Chinese people hate rain. I guess this is understandable since I'm pretty sure it must be acid rain. I hope my face doesn't melt off later.

When we got back to the apartments we dropped off our stuff then went to the little store on campus. I needed another bucket for my underoos and some water.
I tried out my dvds when I got back to the house, but alas, my dvd player doesn't work. This is typical. Tomorrow I will get a new one from the school.

I keep waking up at the ungodly hour of 7am. This is not natural.

Nathan should be here next weekend. I doubt we'll get to see each other, as it's a pain in the wutang to get to his school from here. We'll probably have to wait until the following weekend.

They're doing a special here on CCTv on the special olympics. This is good. China rarely embraces the mentally and physically handicapped, instead throwing them into the streets to live as beggars or into the orphanages. I hope this raises awareness.

I noticed a lot of wedding dresses while walking around downtown. I guess western weddings really are getting more popular. This has potential business written all over it. I need to keep practicing my Chinese before that happens. I asked about getting a tutor, but Jennifer says they are awful at teaching their own language. I guess I'll just keep doing what I've been doing, going out amongst the people.

Oh! I got money out of the atm today. I'm an idiot and was pressing the wrong button, it seems. At any rate, I figured it out.

After talking to Jennifer about class sizes, it seems Hamlin got his seventeen mixed up and meant to say seventy. This happens often, as I found out shopping with him.
I've already mapped out our first day of class which will involve everyone introducing themselves. Classes are two hours and I'm thinking this will probably take up the entire class period. Sweet.

I'm getting sleepy. A slice of pizza, then bed.

P.S. I ate Blueberry flavored Lays the other day. Ew.
See more pictures here!

I'm sleepy.

Sigh. Jiujiang is really small. I've pretty much seen everything there is to see now.

Today Jennifer and I went shopping. I have a hairdryer now and some razors. More things to cross off the list. It was good to see the stores. I even found spaghetti and sauce! Hen haochi. (Very delicious)

We also had lunch at New York Pizza. I had chicken curry spaghetti but now I wish I had tried the pizza. In any case, the curry was good.

Hamlin sent me a couple text messages while we were out. He's incredibly worried about my safety and I keep finding myself having to fight the urge to tell him that he needs to let it go. Jiujiang is definitely one of the last places I would worry about my safety, especially when I'm with Jennifer the entire time.

I made spaghetti for dinner. First I had to boil the water in the kettle then I put it in the wok on the hot plate where I let it boil then put in the spaghetti. I refuse to get sick from the water.

I was feeling a little under the weather earlier, but now I think it was from all the pijiu we had last night when we ganbei-ed.

I've found a few favorite shows over here. One is a Korean soap opera translated into Chinese. It's really dramatic but I can understand some of it, so it's not too bad to watch.
Right now there is some musical/play show going on. There's a British man on it who is a total tool. I have to say, I don't think much of many of the expats I've seen in China. Which isn't nice, but eh, it's the truth.
I've decided to become a Chinese soap opera star.

The newest teacher arrives next week. A Canadian by the name of Cary. He's closer to Jennifer's age according to Hamlin (she's 36... which I have a hard time believing). Should be interesting. He's going to be my neighbor, so I hope he's not loud.

For those of you who want my address:
1005 No. 96 Qingnian Rd
Jiujiang 332000 P.R. China

Please send:
cereal, granola bars, mac and cheese, velveeta, disposable razors

Oh my gawrsh... China has their own version of Justin Timberlake. The songs even sound similar. Bizarre


I've run into what could be a big problem at some point. My bank of america card doesn't work at the local China Construction Bank. Jennifer thinks it's because it's a local branch and it will probably work in town. I don't want to have to hunt down another China Construction Bank. Blah. Ideas? My guess is that I'll have to get Hamlin to help me out with this. I'll probably be just fine with the money I have left if I change the rest of my American dollars into RMB. However, it would be much more convenient to be able to go to the bank which is right down the street.
Hrmm... Bank of China is right there too. I'll probably be able to use that, just have to pay some fees. Might be worth checking out. Then I can yell at Bank of America later and get them to replace the fees. I'll keep you posted.

I'm pretty exhausted. Bed for me.

Xingqi Si (Thursday)

Today I did nothing for the first half of the day. Seriously.
I woke up around 8am though. I spent a lot of time farting around on the internet and watching tv.
Only one thing of significance really happened this morning worth talking about. I discovered my shower. Yes, I knew it was new, but, man, this shower kicks mucho butt-o. It has a steamer, two sets of lights, a radio, a mirror, a mini bath tub, and you have the option of having sprays from the side of the tub, through a foot massager, or raining down from the ceiling. It is amazing. I am in love.
Anyways, Mr. Wang came to pick me up around 3:30pm. We bought a new cell charger and hooked me up with a cell plan. My cell number is 13576215031 in case you ever need to reach me in a way other than skype. Oh, yes, skype, I'm working on getting that set up. Tangent.
Well, we got that taken care of and then he asked if I needed anything else. Erm. Well I did have that rather expansive shopping list which needed to be taken care of. We hit up the little shop on the campus and this is what I came away with:
1. Forty hangers
2. Two buckets
3. Bread, chips, and raisins
4. Three small towels
All of which the school kindly paid for.
After we dropped off the stuff in my apartment we went to meet the head of my department and the head of the school. I have discovered that the more important you are, the bigger your desk. They were both nice men who asked the same questions. Where are you from? What is your name? What was your major? What do you think of Jiujiang? Etc.
Post meeting my new bosses, Hamlin (aka Mr. Wang) dropped me at my apartment so I could 'rest' before dinner with those important men I had just met. Instead of resting I unpacked and decorated a touch. Pictures will be up when I'm finished decorating which will be soon-ish.
Hamlin came back and hour later to get me for dinner, then we waited for Jennifer, the other foreign teacher. She is awesome.
Dinner involved much in the way of ganbei (bottoms up) and strange foods, more of which are now in my fridge. I practiced my Chinese a touch. Between Jennifer and I, we can communicate for the most part. I met some more men during dinner, but I did not catch their names. One had a cousin who lived in Houston. He spoke English quite well. We all spoke chinglish and it was really a grand time.
The men dropped Jennifer and I back at our apartments so we could drop off our food. Then she and I hit the town. Well... we walked around town and she showed me all the shops. We also met some of her friends who I hope will become my friends too.
Tomorrow we are planning a shopping trip and more sight seeing. It's finally feeling real. My Chinese is coming back to me quite quickly and I think I'll be communicating pretty well by the time I leave here.
Something else to know... classes here are more like culture classes than anything else. I'm very excited about that!
Oh... and when I tried to charge my cell phone this afternoon I blew all the fuses in my apartment. I know where the fusebox is now!
Goodnight!

P.S. Classes start September 8th. Which means I'm on vacation until then. Sweet.

I have arrived.

A list of things which have happened since I left American soil.

1. I landed in Beijing and was amazed by the airport. It's super nice now that it's been renovated and far less confusing. I found my way around for the most part with great ease.
2. The Chinese must have something against soap. As I was going through security to get to my Nanchang flight they took my shampoo, body wash, hand sanitizer, and conditioner, but left everything else.
3. I found a nice cafe in which to have a lu cha (green tea). It cost me 25 yuan. Pricey.
4. While in the cafe I pulled out my laptop to see if I could get internet access. Don't you know, that laptop did the darndest thing. It BLUE MUTHER FRIGGIN' SCREENED OF DEATH! So, yeah, the laptop is dead. Mom, if you could send me the windows software which should be in my room somewhere on the floor, I would appreciate it.
I may be buying a mac with my next paycheck.
5. I read Eat, Pray, Love during my 6 hour layover in Beijing. It's very good and I recommend it to everyone.
6. Upon arrival in Nanchang I was picked up by Mr. Wang... who did not have a sign with my name on it like he was supposed to. We found each other anyway.
7. It took 2 hours to get to Jiujiang from Nanchang. We passed by Nanchang Institute of Technology. I think that's where Nathan is teaching. It's in the middle of nowhere, but only about an hour from where I am.
8. My apartment is pretty swank. I'll post pictures in a minute. Mr. Wang bought me a couple sets of posh bedding.
9. My kitchen is the size of a shoebox. However, I have a nice new shower.
10. Mr. Wang and I had dinner. This consisted of a whole fish, a chopped up chicken, tofu, mushroom soup. I have the leftovers in my fridge. I saw a chicken foot and a spine when she was putting the chicken pieces in the box. I will not be eating the leftovers.
11. There are no other foreigners in Jiujiang except for myself and another teacher. There are three foreign teachers here total. I am one of them. Another arrives next week.
12. I will only have classes of 16, not 40. This is a relief. I do not know if I will be teaching Business English or Oral English.
13. Everyone calls me 'Waiguo'.
14. I miss everyone a lot. This still doesn't feel very real. Maybe once I get my schedule on Friday.
15. On every flight I was on there was an empty seat next to me. I pretended that Aaron was sitting there. It made the 27 hours of travel time much more pleasant.
16. I have made a list of things I need to buy tomorrow. It is as follows:
a.) trash can for the bathroom
b.) toilet paper
c.) bowls
d.) hair dryer
e.) hair straightener
f.) hangers
g.) plastic bins
h.) rugs
i.) iron
j.) drying rack
k.) razors
l.) laundry basket
m.) face wash
17.) After dinner Mr. Wang took me shopping to replace my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Now I can get clean.
18. My washing machine is on wheels and attaches to my bathroom faucet. It is bizarre. The buttons are in Chinese and I don't know what they say.
19. I am watching Chinese talent show on tv right now and a girl is doing silks. This makes me think I may be able to get ahold of some or a trapeze much easier than previously thought.
20. I have used a lot of my Chinese today in little ways.
21. Tomorrow Mr. Wang and I are going to get my Chinese cell phone up and running.
22. I am hoping that I get to meet the other foreign teacher tomorrow also. And that she will take me shopping.
23. My clothes closet is in the front hallway because that is the only place with hangers and a pole by which to hang them.
24. The things in my kitchen: a hot plate, a sink, a microwave, a rice maker, four plates, a butcher knife, a kettle, some steak knives, counters, and cabinets. (I.e. no stove)
25. Nathan really needs to get here. Like now.
26. Kids here are getting fat. Looks like obesity in kids isn't just America's problem now. Thanks, McDonalds.
27. I do not have a couch. Instead I have four chairs. Two are nice, cushioned chairs. Two are hard wooden chairs. This does not make sense to me.
28. I won free toothpaste at the grocery store. It was on my list, so that was pretty lucky, otherwise I wouldn't have any because I forgot about it completely.
29. I miss my cat.
30. I have a doorbell.
31. I can't find the mini usb drive I bought before I left. Mom... do you know where it's packed?
32. Find all Jiujiang pictures here. They have descriptions with them.

Twelve Days

Well, I haven't been practicing my Chinese much.... er... at all. I really should get on top of that.

What have I been doing?
1. Cleaning my room.
It's taking far too long, because I don't want to get rid of anything and yet I want to get rid of it all. At least I have a deadline (Saturday) by which time it must all be sorted through so that we can garage sale it.

2. Shopping.
I have lots of things to get before I head to the Zhongguo. That may be a lie that I'm telling myself to justify the ridiculous amount of clothing I bought the other day along with FIVE hand sanitizers, and a bottle of lotion. Plus, three pairs of shoes. So unnecessary.

3. Spending time with Nathan.
Until a couple days ago we weren't sure how long we would be apart after he left Texas. Now we know it's probably just a couple weeks! We've been shopping, visited Gruene, eaten at Jack in the Box, Whataburger, Thundercloud, Super Buffet, Taco Bell, Dans, and Sonic, and been camping.

4. Visiting Nana and Aunt Melissa.
Nathan and I decided to head up to Ft. Worth to see Nana and Aunt Melissa for a few days. It was great fun, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Good food, good company, good times. Oh, and lots of shopping, of course.




Nathan has headed off to Maryland and the surrounding states to visit with his family. It appears he will be spending the year in Nanchang (1.5 hours from Jiujiang!), teaching at a university there. Isn't it great how things work out sometimes?





I've been thinking that since I have a 6 hour layover in Beijing, it might be fun to do a bit of exploring. I'm not sure of how near the airport is to the Olympic village, but if it's close, you know I'm there.


Also, the Olympics... AMAZING! I can't lie, I've been rooting for the Chinese for most of it. Can you believe that opening ceremony? What a truly proud moment for the Chinese (minus that whole lip-synching thing).



Time to go clean that room some more. It really is a bit of a nightmare.

Plane tickets cost too darn much.

I bought my one-way plane ticket the other day. It set me back $924, not to mention I'm going to have to pay to check my bags. I realize now that I should have bought my ticket way back when, but you live, you learn. I'm heading out on August 25th. The trip should be a total of 27 hours travel time, not to mention the 1.5 hours it will take to get from Nanchang to Jiujiang.

Having sent off for my visa a few weeks ago, it has now been returned to me via UPS. I'm thrilled because all the pieces I need to leave the good ol' USA and enter China are now in my possession.

I've also bought presents for the headmaster of the school and Lisa, my contact. Some nice watermelon taffy and Texas pecans.

So now, the countdown truly begins. I have only to pack up everything I have acquired, get rid of everything which currently clutters my bedroom, and head out.




Did everyone catch the opening of the Olympics? Pretty impressive. China is most definitely using this experience to show off the majesty of it's country. They definitely wowed me. I almost wish I was in Beijing at the moment, but the thought of all those tourists and the amazing masses of people, makes me realize I'm better off waiting until they're over.

The swimming competition is on at the moment, so I'm off to watch that.