Discovering Wu-Mei and Ordering Chinese Food

Ni Hao Everybody!! And xie xie (thank you) for visiting my blog once again. It is the night of September 5^th here and, let me tell you, I have had a long past few days! I’ve been spending my time navigating the streets of Hangzhou (never venturing too far from campus though – I’m not ready to get completely lost yet!), buying various necessities for my apartment & figuring out what to eat and how to order it. During this time, I have learned a few basic “rules” about living in China. I’d like to share them with you:

1.       Being stared at shamelessly is perfectly normal. Get used to it.
2.       Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way.
3.       Even after you make it clear that you do not speak Chinese, people will continue to loudly talk at you as if your hearing were the problem. Which it is not.
4.       Potato chips come in any & every flavor. So far I’ve seen blueberry, cucumber, hot & sour shrimp soup, numb & spicy hot pot soup, & stir-fried shrimp flavors.
5.       There is no Chinese word for “excuse me” (& even if there is, I sure haven’t heard it). To get where you need to go, all you need is a little pushing & shoving.

I’m sure I could continue, but that would make this entry entirely too long. Instead, I will tell you of my adventures at Wu Mei, the so-called Chinese Wal-Mart. Wu Mei is a giant building about 15 minutes (walking) away from my apartment. It has at least six floors, each filled with all sorts of stuff – everything you could imagine. The ground floor is dedicated to mopeds, bicycles & the like. The first floor is comprised of various clothing, shoe & jewelry shops. The second floor is a giant grocery store (with some of the strangest foods I have ever seen). The third floor is all things considered “home goods,” plus toiletries, cleaning supplies, electronics & more. I haven’t even ventured to the fourth floor – I find myself scared to see what more a store could carry. If this place doesn’t sound overwhelming enough, then picture it COMPLETELY FULL OF PEOPLE.  I first went on Saturday, where I was so flabbergasted that I couldn’t even bring myself to buy anything – I had to get out of that maze! On Sunday, I had better luck. I was able to buy toilet paper (finally!!) and other living necessities. And it didn’t take me 30 minutes to find the exit this time. I found myself there again today (even after I had decided that two days in a row was more than enough) to purchase just a few more things I had added to my list. Hopefully, that’s the last time for the rest of the week. However, if you come to China for one reason, then it should be to see this outrageous store. I have never seen anything like it. It truly has been an adventure each time I’ve gone.

When I’m not wandering around Wu Mei like a mouse in a maze, I have been preparing for my classes (I begin teaching on Thursday!) and organizing my apartment. I also reached another important milestone today – I ordered food (in Chinese) in a restaurant! Up ‘til now, I have either had someone else order for me or I have just eaten food from the convenience store. And boy, the “Eggplant that Smells Like Fish” sure was delicious!! (It doesn’t really smell like fish – in fact, it smells like butter & heaven all in one. And it melts on one’s tongue like nothing I’ve ever tasted). Hopefully by the end of next week, I will have expanded my meal repertoire so that I’m able to order a wider variety of dishes. Yum!

So, like I’ve said – I have managed to finally get my apartment in order,  and I’d like to share it with you. Here are some pictures of where I live:

If you’d like to see more, then just send me an e-mail! I hope everyone is doing fine & dandy, I can’t wait to hear from you.

Zaijian,

Olivia

I Made It!

For those of you who don’t know already – I successfully made it to Hangzhou!! The 26 hours of hauling luggage, flying on planes & navigating through terminals was worth it. I can’t even describe the relief I felt when I finally landed at the Hangzhou airport.

A senior from HNU (Hangzhou Normal University) met me at the airport to help me with my bags and make sure I got to my apartment safely. His English name was Noah (When Chinese students learn English, they choose English names). He was very friendly and super helpful. During the ride home, he told me all about what there is to do in Hangzhou (from movies to shopping, eating and more!). He also told me, in his opinion, the most important Chinese phrase: “Tai Gui” which means “too expensive.” I found this hilarious, especially since he was completely serious. He informed me that most prices in China are not fixed, and the Chinese will always try to charge the foreigners extra - definitely a valuable piece of advice.

We finally arrived to my apartment building where I was informed that I will live on the sixth floor. Great, right? Except for there are no elevators. As if I’m not tired enough already, Noah and I lug my two HUGE suitcases all the way up to the sixth floor into my apartment. Phew! However, the hard work was worth it – my apartment is much better than I thought it would be! I have a living room, equipped with couch, coffee table, television & DVD player. A small dining set, a kitchen with a fridge, microwave & stove (not to mention, a rice cooker). PLUS I get two bedrooms, each with a bed, desk & closet!! Overall, the apartment has definitely been a pleasant surprise.

I haven’t really had a chance to explore the rest of the city (it’s huge, by the way) but what I have seen so far is really cool! There are huge posters and signs all in Chinese, which just looks so pretty to me – it’s like art. Everybody who I have interacted with so far has been incredibly helpful, even those who don’t speak English. So, even though I am mostly lost at this point, I feel very welcome. It’s a truly great feeling to have in a country so far from home.

Tomorrow (Saturday), I am going to a meeting with all the other foreign English teachers to discuss classroom expectations, goals, etc. After that, Angela (the Chinese woman who offered me this job initially) is taking me to buy a cell phone & other necessities (i.e. toilet paper!!). And, I begin teaching classes on Tuesday.

So, now I am off to bed (it is currently 11:30pm here)! And remember, I can’t read comments you leave on the blog, so if you’d like to message me just e-mail me at either one of the following: oec7146@hotmail.com or oecunningham2010@gmail.com. I can’t wait to hear from you, and I love everyone’s support. Xie xie!! (thank you)

Zai Jian,

Olivia

P.S. Today, I bought three bottles of water and a bottle of Sprite for 6 Yuan… which slightly less than one US dollar. I am loving this currency!!

Not so Good News...

Quick Update:

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, both my flights have been cancelled and subsequently rescheduled. Perfect. Fortunately, it did not affect the price of either one(thank goodness). Here is my updated itinerary:

Wednesday, August 31st:
6:00am - 7:45am - Fly from RDU to JFK airport in NYC
10:30am - 11:30am on Sept. 1st (that's including a time change!) - Fly from JFK to Beijing, China (PEK)

Thursday, September 1st:
11:30am - Arrive in Beijing airport (PEK)
1:00pm - 3:00pm - Fly from Beijing to Hangzhou!

And I'll finally be there!! (only two days late...)

So, let's all hope that no other natural disasters decide to get in my way.

Zaijian!

Less than a Week!

I am leaving in five days... count 'em: FIVE. My stomach is playing host to a butterfly family reunion and I can't fall asleep at night. But, oh man, I am excited!!
 I just found out that I'll be living in an apartment complex with other foreign teachers of HNU. The apartments are located in downtown Hangzhou, right in the center of everything. I also have my first staff meeting on the 31st (yes, that is the day I arrive) and classes start on the first of September. However, if I am only assigned to teach freshmen classes, that means that I won't start teaching until September 19. This is because all Chinese first-year college students must partake in mandatory two-week military training at the beginning of the semester. So, fingers crossed I get some fun and interesting classes to teach!
Now, I must get back to my mountain of laundry (I'm hoping everything fits!) and start putting clothes into the suitcases. Woo!
Zaijian everyone!

Good News!

So, for those of you who didn't know: It is now officially official!! I received my Chinese visa in the mail on Wednesday and have purchased my ticket to Hangzhou.

I leave on Monday, August 29th at 10:15 am from RDU to New York. From there, I fly to Beijing and finally to Hangzhou. I arrive at 12:10 am on August 31st (Hangzhou time - 12 hours ahead of NC time). Total travel time? Approximately 25 hours. I won't deny it, it's going to be a long day. But it sure will be worth it!!

Of course, as it approaches, I am trying to be more and more appreciative of those who support me and show them how much I'll miss them. In fact, I've been doing research and it looks like I will be able to use my MagicJack in Hangzhou. This means that I will have a phone with a US phone number connected to my computer - it can call anywhere in the US without all the crazy international fees. So, if you're interested in getting this phone number, just shoot me an e-mail! (oecunningham2010@gmail.com). I will also have my Skype set up (my skype name is: olivia.cunningham615) - go ahead and download it, it's free!!

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on my plans. But now, it's cleaning time.

ZaiJian!

Olivia