Settling In

I have now experienced the first couple of days here in Nanning. Once I arrived, I was greeted by two members of the school where I am teaching: the principle and one of the English teachers. The English teacher speaks pretty good English, which is both good and bad for me. I will be able to communicate when in need of something, but I will also be tempted to speak more English. My living quarters are spacious and private, but the conditions are much poorer than in the US. The floor is all concrete, the bathroom does not have a toilet and I am sharing the space without about 50 bugs.

The lack of AC in such a hot and muggy climate is not comfortable, but cold showers and many fans certainly help. The bed is a bit hard, but I have been so exhausted that sleeping has not been difficult. On the first day, I met many of the teachers and got the low down on my teaching schedule. I also ate lunch with the girls at the school for the first time, which was enjoyable. They are very shy about using English. I try to speak as much English with them as possible to allow them to practice but oftentimes we must use Chinese or else the conversation stagnates. All of the students are from the same province (and some have never been outside of the province). The school is funded by a non-profit and does not require its students to pay tuition or living expenses. All of the students are very poor, often coming from families that farm for a living. There is much greater attention to every yuan (1/6 of a dollar) than I have ever experienced. I think nothing of buying something for several yuan, but they often weigh the merits of every purchase.  

Several other notes. Speaking Chinese has been much harder than I imagined. Maybe because they speak a slightly accented form of Mandarin or maybe because I am not accustomed to the fast-pace, “real life” Mandarin, my comprehension of more complicated topics is limited unless they speak slowly. I am sure this will improve over time, but I expected it would be easier off the bat. Also, there are two dogs which hangout next to the stairs of the building where I live. They are both HUGE. One is on a leash but the other is not. On the second night here, I was by myself and the dog without a leash seemed to be guarding the stairway. It was about a thirty minute showdown before I realized this dog was actually completely tame. I have grown to like him. However, today, the other dog which seems much more intimidating (but is on a leash) broke free from his leash just as I exited the stairs and started chasing me. Naturally, I started to run away from him and ran into the cafeteria for shelter, to the amusement of many students eating at the time. Breathlessly, I tried to explain to them what happened in Mandarin but struggled in my frenzied state. They must have thought I was crazy. I am still pretty scared of that dog. Oh well, we shall see how it shakes out in the days to come.