October 17, 2007 UPDATE
I began this on 17 October, when I post it, no one knows.
These last couples of weeks have not been boring, but slow. Since the trip to the ancient villages, I have gone nowhere else. Next week, the week starting October 22 is what they call sports week. That means we get three days off, with pay. I will teach one class that week. Now it is time to figure out what to do with all that time. I am thinking of traveling to Shanghai.
The trip to Shanghai will be like going to Memphis from Chicago by train. I do not know what to expect and will have to do some on-line research to figure out what to do and see. I do know one thing I will seek.
I have concluded (I was told this many times by other foreign teachers) that the students in my class are well off and spoiled. They do not think the rules apply to them and, I am not sure that the administration really tells the students what the rules are and that they have to follow them. Enough of that.
The weather has finally changed it is now fall. One week it was in the 90’s the next week it is in the low 60’s. Mind you, that is what I think the temperature range was, I have not had instant access to the internet to know everyday and, frankly, I do not care. I cannot change it so I live with whatever the temperature is that day.
From what I am told, I do not expect the leaves to change colors. Some change and fall off but most just stay the way they are, unless there is a frost then I think they fall off without changing color. Frost is 0 degrees centigrade and it does not hit that temperature here often.
Crime has struck the western teachers. Chrystal had $100.00 U.S. stolen from her new apartment then, someone opened a window in her old apartment and left it blocked. I do not know what is up but it seems crime is everywhere.
Attached to this Blog are pictures of students, mostly female, standing in the woods practicing their English before class. There is a picture of what they call a lake; I think it is more pond size. Notice the green color. Because of the sewage, it does not get enough oxygen and turns this color.
I took a long bike ride, well not long, only 10 kilometers but it was into the northern portion of Nan Chang. To get to the village I had to cross part of a river, the bridge that spans this portion of the river has a rail line down the middle. There is one lane for traffic on each side of the bridge; the lanes cannot be more than 15 feet wide. Large trucks, not semis, use this road. At one point, I pictured being struck from behind and the headline would have read; Stupid Lowaii uses Rail Bridge to cross River Guo and Dies. If I had been knocked over the rail I would have fallen in front of the many improperly and unbalanced barges that travel this water below.
I wound up on a village situated between two forks in the river Guo. It has dirt roads and many small commercial businesses. Because of the rapid growth here, shops that cater to tradesmen are everywhere. They run the gamut, compressors to conduit to roofing materials.
This village has poultry running through the streets, cats and dogs scavenging for food and many restaurants. At first, I did not see the commerce in this area, but it exists. I stopped and purchased water and smoked cigarettes with the locals. We did not understand each other but I think they appreciated that I was on a bike and stopped in their village to hang out with them.
The other pictures are of the campus and some students. The guy is my student helper, Oscar, he has a real good looking girlfriend, she tries to control him but he has at least two others in his back pocket. Guys are the same everywhere.
Well that is an update of what is becoming a typical week in my China.
TTYL Terry
