Xi'an Day 1 Retrospective

Xiaogan Reflections -- Xi'an Beginnings

When we arrived in Xiaogan nine or ten days ago, the team was excited: blue skies and a hotel very near the university. In fact, the hotel was just across the street from the  college. We quickly got into our rooms and then a few of us joined Dorothy and the Teaching Abroad team for an English Corner session.

Okay, so I promised to talk more about English Corner. I guess this time is as good a time as any. English Corner is where students and community members  spend time chatting, interacting, and just simply practicing English. The Team China team really likes English Corner because it is more relaxed and the people who are there really want to practice their English. In some of the classes, students are not excited about learning English, some are forced into the major rather than choosing it for themselves.

That night, the team met with Dorothy, J., Joanna, and Julie to discuss the nine-day stay in Xiaogan. I wasn’t feeling well: exhausted, and my tummy was a little grumbly -- so I stayed in my hotel room and napped. The team came back energized from meeting the teachers. Dorothy had a written schedule and a plan for the team. They liked the structure and what they were going to be doing with the students: a performance, power point presentations, chatting at English Corner.

The week progressed nicely. Team China was getting to know students, their age, from Hubei Polytechnic Institute and loving the connections. The students went with us to lunch and dinner. We got to know the street food vendors that had the best food (and used fresh oil… if you don’t want to know about some of the food practices here… don’t research about the practice of reusing oil… it will scare the pants off you).

Street food – an overview:

Breakfast Burritos: Fried Egg on a dough-tortilla with onions, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and “special sauce.”

Fry Bread: Just what it sounds like – oily and oh so yummy.

Boiled Eggs: One Q.

Fresh Fruit: Bananas, Oranges, Apples and other yummy interesting fruits I can’t name.

Fried Rice/Noodles: Egg, spice and “veggie” blend, noodles or rice, spice or not.

Tea: From the little place called: Family of Bear or Three Bear – green, plumb, or black  -- hot or cold

The first few days were filled with food, talking, getting to know the teachers and the students, and did I mention, food? Walking, honking, buses, taxis… Did I mention the honking? I must say, we are all getting VERY good at crossing the roads here.

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Then the weekend arrived, and with it, Homestays. Students started getting nervous early on Friday morning. And, I didn’t blame them – they were going to be separated from the group, from inside information and easy conversation. They were going away from Xiaogan, some travelling as far as 5 hours away. What kind of food would they encounter? Would they offend their hosts? Sleeping? Showering? Squatty Potties… all of those questions.

But they left. I tried to see each one off as their host students ushered them to busses or trains for travel. Some team members had multiple students join them… Aleaha had a fifteen student entourage; Nick was led around Xiaogan by three young women (his girls he called them). Others were hosted by just one student. Off they went… coming back on Sunday.

And, the verdict? Was it worth it? All the stress beforehand, the exhaustion during? Was it worth the work for the payoff? YES! The students had amazing times. Some visited working farms with rice-paddies, water buffalo, gardens. Others made dumplings; some were fed chicken feet and hundred-year-old eggs (pidan). Others had funny shower stories. Not knowing how to utilize the bucket of water in the “bathroom,” some climbed in the bucket, other poured it over themselves. All were stretched and loved it. They feel so privileged to get to be a part of “real” China.

Sunday night we quickly shared stories then worshiped with the Teaching Abroad team of teachers. It was a loud and lovely time. Then back to work on Monday and Tuesday. We had movie night both nights, all of us sitting around and talking about the movie: 500 Days of Summer… a lovely experience: American culture in China. Something fun and unique about the experience.

Wednesday we left for Xi’an. Taking the sleeper train from Xioagan, we almost didn’t get on the train. Things are very changeable and unpredictable in China, and confusing. You have to sense your way through the system, not entirely trusting time tables, or signs. You ask people, watch people, ask some more, observe, and figure it out. Fortunately, we caught our train and got settled for the night. Personally, I like sleeping on trains. I read from my current novel: The Paris Wife, and slipped into sleep. I woke up around 4 AM. We got off the train around 5:45…

And now… here we are, in Xi’an. After a confused taxi ride, lots of honking, we are settled into a foreign student hostel. I am sitting in the common area and loving it. There is an American couple across the way, and I am sitting next to a Russian couple to my left. We are all foreigners here, and I love to see us and how different we look – even though we all look the “same”: Eastern and Western European, American… we will see a lot more foreigners here because Xi’an is a must see destination spot.

The students are napping upstairs… we will be meeting Chinese students for lunch and then off to the museum, purportedly one of the best museums in China. Tomorrow, we will visit the Terracotta Warriors and then partake in English Corner. Saturday is wide open… perhaps biking the wall that surrounds the city… and Sunday we are off to Beijing.

Students don’t know what to think about this trip. But the historian side of me is jumping with joy inside. Right now, I am going to order a second Americano and do some more research on the sites here in Xi’an.

Hopefully another update soon. Missing home; Missing you. But having a great time.