Pictures!

It's been quite a week. There's been the bittersweet of my first Christmas away from home with new faces. There's been the triumph of managing to do a little shopping without a chaperone and of learning to navigate the city, the little treats of new words and their rewarding uses. There has been the mystery of my first visit to the state church and complexities of each new thing I learn about my host country, and the challenges of meeting more students and working through my training.

Most exciting for the you though, my friends, is that I've got pictures to share.

Above is Frank the rabbit checking out the view from my room.

This is the view inside the apartment complex. Notice all the little gardens people have put out on the roofs and all the different types of metal?

Everyone hangs laundry out to dry- notice all the clothes on the balconies?

Below is my room, looking back toward the living room. My clothes rack is actually a ladder- the standard type around here. The hinges are simply a single 8d nail. :/

The shot to the left is our tiny tiny kitchen. We got an oven for Christmas (toaster oven sized) so we can bake now too!

This is the intersection I can see from my room, at a fairly quiet moment of the day. It's always busy!
One really nice treat recently was getting to hear a song from one of the staff members from Tibet. I have no idea what the lyrics are, but it was quite impressive! I managed to catch most of it on video:

My Life as a Deaf Mute

This is China. That's what I seem to tell myself at least every hour. It's all I knew it would be, and nothing like I thought it would be.
Traffic has a new meaning. Take an open air mall and mix in a flea market and a farmer's market. Stack eight floors of apartments on top of that, add a street festival, a motorbike and scooter rally to that, and allow the normal auto traffic too, then send all the police home, take down the street signs, and you've got a pretty good idea of the street life here. Cars, people, and bikes mingle freely all over the streets and both sidewalks. Someone once painted lines on the streets, but no one pays them any heed. Intersections are indescribable. Except where a policeman is personally directing traffic, the lights are regarded merely as decorations. The rule is "go and don't get hit"
Food is good, cheap, and diverse. I like Chinese, and even if I didn't there is a KFC, McDonald's, McDonald's knock off, a steak house in walking distance. It's citrus season in the homeland of the genus right now, and the oranges are truly wonderful. The more pressing problem is communicating what it is I want. I learned today that "moaw bao" means "take out"- "doggy bag" really, and that "lao dow" will get the attention of the manager. Other than that and "please" and "thank you" I'm still a deaf mute in this land.
It's strange, and humbling to have to rely on someone for absolutely everything, but it's also quite surprising how far you can get with pointing, pictures, and symbols. I'm beginning to understand how an illiterate person could survive. Overall, everyone I've met has been at least polite, and most are very willing to help. There are not many forigners here, so you do get noticed, but not to the level of being obnoxious.

How to Pack a Suitcase

This is a retrospective now, but I've been through six airports, two trips, and two continents in the last week, so here's what I have to say about the art of luggage.
Clothing: I was told not to worry about being fashionable- that the Chinese were more practical minded about that kind of thing. Yeah right. I've never seen so many cute boutiques, or walking advertisements for them. But the general rules still apply- aim for easy care and maximum options. Jeans that can be dressed up or down. Tops that don't wrinkle and can go lots of places. A minimal number of versatile shoes, a good dressy coat, a couple of sweaters.
Also, take a little as possible. You can rearrange a few well chosen items in a surprising number of ways.
Blanket/ wrap: I don't go anywhere without a paero in the bottom of my bag. It's a scarf, skirt, blanket, towel, sheet, laundry bag, privacy screen, table cloth or wall decoration depending on the need.
Makeup: on a long trip, I find that there is a real psychological benefit to having whatever you need to feel pretty every now and then.
Other basics: Journal- I don't keep one at home, but it's such a great way to remember things.
Something to munch, because airport food is always expensive.
All your paperwork, and a spare copy in every bag, just in case.
Your money, also spread between at least two locations.
flashlight
empty water bottle to fill once you get through security
reading material
some strong cord


Your carry on should have everything you really need to survive- a change of clothes, papers, money, and any valuables, since it's the least likely to be lost or raided. A plastic bag or two is also handy, to quarantine dirty clothes as they are worn, and maybe a big one to cover the bag with if you are going to spend time outdoors.

The art in a nutshell: Pack everything you need. Look for versatility. Pack no more than you need. Travel light, be happy.

Around my computer lies a mess of paperwork, all indicating that I'm leaving Thursday. I've got a visa in hand at last, and a ticket to go with it.
My next job will be to get a return ticket- I do want to come home, ya know, and deal with all the bits of business of being gone.

I've been told that the ideal way to travel is with an open return ticket- a ticket which will allow me to come home any time within a 6 month or 1 year window. Generally, these are only available through travel agents, which I haven't bothered with up to this point. Second best, and less expensive, is a simple one- way ticket for the latest date I'd possibly use from an airline with low or no fees for changing tickets. Also, I could just wait and buy a ticket when I'm ready to come home, but there is a certain comfort level to having a guarantee of passage home.

Number two on the list is the good old IRS. I'll be gone through April. I've learned, though, that you can get an automatic extension for 6 months if you are out of the country by filing this.

Customs is going to be fun too. I want to take a few lettuce seeds- it would be a taste of home to have a wee little garden in my window in faraway China, but for none of the travel websites cover that. :( Maybe a gardening website?