So this is what it's like in China!

I have now been in Yumen for two weeks. I like it here and I am starting to settle into the town. I am still amazed by how excited the people here are to see white people. This is especially true in towns like Yumen, which have no tourist attractions, no notable businesses, and essentially no draw for anyone not from Yumen. There are three other volunteers in Yumen. Nina and Susi are both from Germany while Jennifer is from Switzerland. I am teaching at a Senior High school

called Yi Zhong. Susi and Nina are both teaching at a middle school called San Zhong, which is beside Yi Zhong, while Jennifer is teaching in a middle school called Er Zhong, which is across town. I am actually living in an apartment building in San Zhong along with Susi and Nina. In a few months I should be moving to another building in Yi Zhong, but for now I am really glad to be living in a building with the other volunteers. I walk a lot here. It's really strange when I compare it to home. At home I walked from my room to the kitchen, then from the kitchen to the car. When I was at school I also walked to class on occasion. Here, I think that I probably walk a minimum of 10 miles a day. My apartment in San Zhong is really not very far away from my office but the schools are surrounded by fences, so I have to walk half a mile to get to and from my school. I usually make that walk to and from at least 3 times a day, and I have to walk into town for lunch and dinner and to go grocery shopping. Basically, it is a lot of walking.

The food here is seriously amazing. I'm invited either to eat out or to eat at someone's home at least a few times every week. One of the key differences between eating here and eating at home is that in China, everything is shared. There is no personal space or individual plates. If you go out with three other people you get three or four dishes to share. If you eat at someone’s home you do not get a plate, you simply pick each bite up separately from one of the several dishes that have been prepared. In America people would tend to think that

this is unsanitary, but here it is an entirely common practice.

Ruhong, a woman from the Amity Foundation, told me that during the SARS influx a few years ago the Chinese people were encouraged to stop sharing meals. In response many people said that they would rather die of SARS than do something so contradictory to their traditions and culture. I think that this really shows a sense of community that is

excellent, though life threatening at times.

*Just a reminder! There was a very long time in which I did not post anything on my blog because of internet restrictions. As a result, there is a delay between when I write these blog posts and when they are posted. For instance, this post was written about a week ago. In a few weeks I hope to have gotten rid of this delay, but for now just bear with me!*