Week Five...

Week five has come and gone, it flew by so fast. I taught, got massages and visited with friends I have made since being in Dalian. I am going to miss it. I had a sneak peak into what it would be like to actually live in China and not just be a tourist. There are many things to love about being here. Life moves more slowly, things are more affordable and everything is a new experience. And there are things I am not going to miss, like the dirtiness, not being able to understand 90% or more of everything around me and my perceived rudeness in peoples actions from time to time. I hope that this experience has changed me for the better, it certainly has been challenging in moments. Dalian is a beautiful city and I have come to love many parts of it.

This week I said goodbye to my students. This teaching gig has been hard. I think it might have been a lot more pleasant if it had only lasted two weeks. I had a lot of hard working students that I really enjoyed but there were a handful of them who clearly did not want to be there and it was frustrating trying to give my best to the ones who wanted to learn and not be overcome by the annoyance of the ones that didn't. There were logistical things about the job that were really disappointing for me. In the end though I was moved by the kind words of the main woman over the program for the University who said that I was the most responsible of all the teachers and she appreciated all of my hard work. This recognition really helped shape my feelings about my teaching experience in a much more positive way!

I spent the past two days on a train from Dalian to Guilin. This time I had a hard sleeper and it was so much better than my trip from Beijing to Chengdu! Spending a combined total of 39 hours on a train is taxing. The first leg of my trip was from Dalian to Zhengzhou and it took about 20 hours. I was really fortunate towards the end of the trip to meet two women on the train who spoke English. One was a woman named Carol who was from Zhengzhou and had just graduated from Law School in Dalian and the other was a woman named Liz who has been in school now for over five years studying Chinese Medicine! I had a great conversation with them both. Carol was getting off in Zhengzhou as well and was so kind to have her father drive me to a Korean restaurant in the central square of Zhengzhou so that I would have something to do for the 7 hour layover I had in Zhengzhou.

After I left the restaurant I was trying to find a taxi and I met this young couple who both have Chinese names that I cannot remember but who were the sweetest people I think I have ever met. They walked me and my luggage to the train station and then insisted on buying me lunch and waiting with me in the restaurant so that I wouldn't have to go to the train station too early. I really enjoyed spending time with them and we managed to have a good conversation with my very limited Chinese and their broken English. I will include a picture of them soon. I then spent another 19 hours on the train and met a mother and young boy who were very cute and it was just nice sharing a bunk area with them.

I am now at my hostel in Guilin and I have showered and eaten. I feel like a brand new man. I may walk around and explore a bit this evening but for the most part I am just going to take it easy and relax. I am looking forward to exploring Guilin and floating on the Li River. It is nice to be a tourist again. The people in China I have met so far have been so kind and generous. More to come soon!