Summer Saga: Guizhou, Part I

So, remember how I was going to try to blog more with all the free time I have? You know, because I'm unemployed and bored and have nothing to do? Well, it turns out I was wrong. Not only have I been busy with general life things, but I also got a JOB!! It's still in the baby stages, so I'm not going to write too much about it now - but I can say it is in Wilmington (at UNCW) and it is all thanks to my girl Elizabeth (Liz) - the very same one who helped me get the position at Hangzhou Normal!

Today was my first day back in Wilmington, filling out paperwork and orienting myself to the job. As a result, I am all kinds of hyped up, so I figured, what better way to release this energy than with a blog post?! And write a blog post I shall.

Because I recently uploaded some photos on Facebook, I figured I'd write a post to explain them a little more. Let's get started!

It all began in April when two of my students, Michele and Sharon, approached me after class to see if I was interested in traveling with them during summer vacation. Of course, my response was "heck yes!" - I didn't even consider where we'd be going.

Two months later, after giving and grading final exams, submitting all that d*** paperwork, and saying goodbye to all my beloved students (which was heartbreaking, by the way), I packed up and hit the road with Michele and Sharon to a little province out west called Guizhou.

See the red one? That's Guizhou. I guess it's not really that little after all...

Guizhou is not really known for much in China - in fact, it's pretty poor. It even has the lowest per capita GDP of all the Chinese provinces; it's the province that Peace Corps volunteers are sent to, to give you a better idea. However, what Guizhou lacks in economics, it certainly makes up for in culture, natural scenery and some of the friendliest people I've met in China!

Like this baby who waved hello to everyone who passed by

Our trip began on June 30th. I met Michele and Sharon at the Hangzhou train station to catch our - wait for it - 24-hour train ride from Hangzhou to Kaili (a small-ish city in Guizhou). Fortunately, we were able to buy sleeper tickets (this means we had a "bed" instead of just a seat), so our ride wasn't too uncomfortable. We passed the time by chatting, playing cards, and eating snacks - lots of snacks.

Sharon, Michele, and our plethora of Chinese goodies

Traveling with Michele and Sharon allowed me a totally different experience than I'd ever had, mostly because they did all the planning. And their idea of planning was a lot different from mine. When I go on a trip, I book almost everything in advance - hostels, trains, planes, etc. I leave my days open and free for whatever activities may arise, but I always know where I'm staying and how I'm getting there. With Sharon and Michele, this was not the case.

For example, we arrived in Kaili with no definite plans - we just knew we wanted to visit one of the surrounding minority villages (Ethnic minorities in China are the non-Han Chinese population in the People's Republic of China - read more about them here). So, we wandered around Kaili until we found another young traveler also headed to a minority village (called XiJiang, a Miao minority village), and then all got a private car together to save some cash. And that was that.

This is Xijiang - it doesn't even look real!

Then, when we arrived in the small city of Xijiang, we had no place to stay. When I asked Michele about this, she simply said, "Don't worry about it - we'll walk around and find the best deal!" And that we did. We wandered through the adorable streets of Xijiang, occasionally snacking on street food and sweets, until we found a place with an open room for three. And it was so cheap! I couldn't believe it.

Michele, our fearless leader, on the hunt for a place to stay

After settling in our room, we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening wandering around the village, hiking through the rice paddies and eating some delicious food (who knew something called "Hot and Sour Fish Soup" would be so tasty?).

"A Strong Nanny," as Michele called them

At one point, this river was full of people bathing, washing clothes, and even fishing

So of course we had to play in the river too!

Hot and Sour Fish Soup - it literally blew my mind

This was also my first experience with Chinese "Glamour Shots," which consisted of throwing on a traditional minority costume and posing for about 20 different pictures. It was so, so cheesy, but so worth it!

One of these things is not like the other...

Obviously, my first day traveling with Michele and Sharon was a success. It was also a nice taste of the week we had ahead of us; however, I know if I write about all that now, this blog post will never end. And so I'm going to leave off here, until the next post and the next adventures.

Until then, ZaiJian everyone!