Weekend with More Family

Okay, it's been a little while since I've last written, so I will do my best to give an accurate recap of what has been taking place. 

My family continues to treat me wonderfully.  They discovered that my bedroom fan wasn't working (I just thought all fans were bad in China and so I sucked up the 95 degree heat silently), and the minute they discovered this, they took me to get a new one.  My head Lao Shi (PC woman in charge of making sure we're taken care of) came for a house visit the other day and played as a translator between my family and me to discuss our concerns.  My family, thankfully, had none and expressed their love of having me.  My only concern was (and this was too clever for my own good) that I would live up to the second tone of my name and become morbidly obese (fei fei, if said in the wrong tone, means morbidly obese in Chinese) from all the food.  The family thought this was hilarious and I think they told everyone they know how clever their meigoren is because I've had people come over for dinner and make reference to the joke whenever I say I am too full for another bite ("Fei Fei doesn't want to become FEI fei!") haha. But really, they make me eat a lot.  A sign of one's hospitality here is to give the guests excessive amounts of food, and that is exactly what happens here . . . . I am still considered a guest in the home, and they do their best to make sure I'm well fed . . . even after a meal when I have expressed that I am way too full to open my mouth, I will sit on the couch and then a tray of peaches or pears will be brought out and handed to me.  Oey vey!

During the week, I tend to find myself the most homesick or feeling the loneliest.  This isn't because I don't love China, it's simply because the training here is so rigorous that it's hard to take time for oneself.  Let me give you details of a typical Monday-Friday:

1)       Wake up at 5:45 am (this is because my family doesn't wake up until 6:30 and this allows me 45 minutes of "me time" . . . usually it is the only "me time" I have throughout the day) and check my email or just lay around in my room doing nothing but thinking or meditating.  Outside my window I hear constant car horns (cars honk their horns every 30 seconds . . . there is no driving order here), stray dogs barking, and, as the morning progresses, a lot of yelling by children, parents, couples, etc.

2)       Get dressed, do my hair, and eat breakfast with the fam by 7:15 am. This usually consists of Chinese ramen noodles, Chinese doughnut/pastry things, dumplings, fried eggs, fried wheat cakes, or something along these lines, along with a big glass of warm, bagged milk.

3)       Walk 5 minutes to the nearest bus stop, where I'm greeted by Terrie, and we take the 15 minute bus ride to our campus.  The busses are old, beaten down, have poor interior, but usually have 2 flat screened TVs….it's an absurdity I have yet to get used to.

4)       Join 5 other trainees (Dave, Claire, Andrew, Dustin, and Melanie) for language class.  This session lasts for 2 hours.

5)       Join all trainees for some sort of culture class that lasts 2 hour (i.e. Women in China, Who are You in China, etc.).  Usually around this time I go to the bathroom, which involves squatting over a dirty (emphasis on dirty) porcelain hole in the ground, no toilet paper, no light, and no soap.  These are the campus bathrooms, and they are the nicest public restrooms in the area because they at least are cleaned once p/week and have running water.

6)       Lunch break for 1.5 hours, where I join other trainees and we try to find a new restaurant in our area.  I always order either tofu or eggplant in spicy tomato/pepper sauce, as those are my two favorite (and safe) dishes here.  At lunch, I am usually able to drink either water or tea, which is only because I'm at a restaurant.  Usually, Chinese people do not drink with their meals.

7)       Return to campus and participate in some sort of technical training for 2 hour (i.e. Lesson Planning in China, Classroom Management in China, etc.)

8)       Resume back to my class of 5 trainees and continue language training for another 2 hours.

9)       Get on the bus at 5:45, make it home by 6.

10)   6:30 eat dinner with the fam.  This usually consists of at least 4 dishes in oil with rice or with rice in water.  The dishes are generally fairly vegetarian, because my family is rockstar.

11)   Take a walk (slow walk) around the neighborhood with the fam, watch a bit of dancing by the older women at the public square, and then jaunt home.

12)   Watch TV with the fam (either some movie on Chinese patriotism or, if none are on, we watch CCTV 9, the culture channel which is spoken in English)

13)   Take a 5 minute shower at about 9 (and watch the black dirt just flood all over the white porcelain tub), sit with the family in my PJs for a little while, and then fall asleep by 10

As you can see, there is little to no time for myself, aside from the 5 minute shower and my self-provided 45 minutes in the early morning.  It makes the day hard and so there have definitely been times where I've wondered "why am I here?"  Because of those times, however, I have managed to sneak away after dinner a few times, where I ride the bus to campus and meet up with other trainees and go out for drinks and just vent.  That is always welcomed and I always feel refreshed and ready to greet the next day.  I also bought a cell phone in order to keep myself a little bit more connected (if you want the phone number, just ask!!!)

Weekends in China are another story.  Weekends in China are the reason I am here and they completely rejuvenate me!  While there is still little to no "me time," I at least am doing the things I love: submerging myself in the culture, meeting Chinese people, learning about Chinese customs, politics, and lifestyles, etc.  Both weekends I have spent unconditionally with the family, and they have been, without a doubt, the best moments in China. 

Yesterday my family took me to meet Li Xiao's brother and his wife (Hao Hao's parents) for lunch.  They took us to this extraordinary restaurant that was fancy beyond belief! We were given a private room, a waiter who was always on guard to meet our needs, and it was the most delicious oil-festered food I've ever had in my life! Literally. I even ate fish from the bone (head in tact, although I wouldn't touch that part of it) and loved it! The only thing that was a bit sketchy were these roles of battered meat that turned out to be the inner palm of a chicken's foot . . . . I only had a small bite and managed to pass it up for the rest of the meal and just eat the veggies and tofu.

LX's family is AMAZING!  They are very sophisticated and educated.  He is a software engineer and she works with eye medicine of some sorts.  The sister-in-law and I got along wonderfully.  She, too, is a traveler, and has backpacked most of China, Thailand, and Cambodia.  After lunch we all went back to their house, where she and I sat down and looked through hundreds of pictures of her journeys on her computer and then I shared stories of my travels.  It was so cool to be able to do this, not only because I know an abundant amount of places I want to visit while here (she likes the same kind of traveling I do—rural—and wrote down the names of all the places I really liked), but also because it was so rewarding to be able to communicate so much already!  It struck me, in that moment, just how much I have learned of Mandarin in only two weeks.  While the language can be frustrating and extraordinarily difficult at times, I've realized that I have learned more Chinese in two weeks than any other language has taught me in an entire semester.  I can get around town, I can order food, express my wants/desires, likes/dislikes, I can barter like there is no tomorrow (god I love bartering!!) and even have a broken conversation on our passion for travel and share travel stories.  It was a greatly rewarding experience. :)

Anyways, we ended up spending the entire day at their house so they provided us with dinner, too (which was also delicious).  After dinner we took our regular walk in their neighborhood, which was scenic and there were trees and flowers everywhere, which was refreshing.  It's nice to see these things and be reminded that they do exist, even in a big city like Chengdu. 

I have designated today to studying, relaxing, and spending some time by myself . . . maybe even doing a little bit of yoga (I'd love to do taibo but I think that might cause a bit too much shake in the house).  I think, as today is the two week marker, I feel comfortable enough telling my family that I need to spend some time in my room without hurting their feelings or coming off as ungrateful. 

Oh! Bit of news: next week I begin teaching Model School, which is where I will be given a classroom of students who volunteered to learn over summer break, and I will teach them oral English.  My class will be about 20 students whose age and ability level varies from junior high—college level and maybe even a few parents will be strewn in.  This is my chance to try out teaching in China, find out what works, what doesn't work, and to get feedback from Peace Corps professionals after my lessons to provide me with insight.  Kind of like student teaching all over again . . .China style.  I'm pumped about it, especially because I am teamed up with two girls who I really like and so this will provide us the opportunity to spend more time together. :)

Now I am off to relax.  As always, I send my unconditional love across the globe! Wo ai nimen (I love all of you)!!