Confusion, disturbance, desperation, escape from reality(..)
I finally have internet (woohoo!) but it can't be configured on my laptop (meh), so I have to use a computer provided by the generous Jingbian Highschool. It obviously doesn't have Russian keyboard, thus me writing in English.
....
We left Yangshuo on Wednesday and caught a plane to Xi'an (ancient capital, where the famous Terracotta warriors are located (tomb of Qin Shihuandi))
We spent a night there (in a hotel, not in the tomb), and in the morning everyone with a nasty hangover went off to their schools. Mine was 6 hours away from Xi'an (and I had to go with a bus - gosh, that was horrible). The only good thing during the ride was that they showed us some Chinese stand-up comedy. Even though I barely understood half of it, it still was kinda funny.
Arriving to Jingbian was like arriving to a totally new dimension of China. Everyone kept staring at me like I was some freak from the circus. The person who was supposed to meet me at the station was late (that bastard) and I just stood there for 20 minutes, surrounded by the Chinese, asking me the same questions over and over again: "Where do you want to go? What hotel are you staying in? blahblahblahblah... " I nearly started crying. By the way, have to look up, what's "Leave me alone!" in chinese.
James (my Foreign Affairs Officer) took me to my apartment, which is... ehm...nice. Except, the washing machine doesn't work, the TV doesn't work, the microwave is broken, the stove is so old it must remember the Boxer Rebellion and ... the most important thing... INTERNET doesn't work.
Naturally, the first thing I asked James was "When is somebody fixing the net?" And he was like:" Yeah, yeah, I'll do it tomorrow." No need to mention, that he DIDN'T. So I had to fix the bloody thing myself, and as I mentioned before, I still can't connect my laptop.
My next objective is to repair the washing machine. I've got a funny feeling that I'm on that show called "The Survivor"...
Anyway, yesterday I went to meet all the English teachers. Got drunk again (they didn't serve any other drinks but beer and baiju, and the food was spicy).
Teachers seemed to be O.K. They were just a tad disappointed that I was younger than they expected. Well, so sorry for not being a 40-year old balding man with a beer gut.
The worst thing so far has been going to the supermarket to buy some food. I was prepared to the staring and to the laughing... But those people are completely shameless. They literally follow me around. In packs.
It's a little bit nerve-wrecking to be observed while choosing a shampoo.
I start teaching tomorrow (three periods), and I'm a little bit nervous. Not about the lesson but about the fact that I won't be able to find the school or, even if I find the school, I won't find the right room...
....
We left Yangshuo on Wednesday and caught a plane to Xi'an (ancient capital, where the famous Terracotta warriors are located (tomb of Qin Shihuandi))
We spent a night there (in a hotel, not in the tomb), and in the morning everyone with a nasty hangover went off to their schools. Mine was 6 hours away from Xi'an (and I had to go with a bus - gosh, that was horrible). The only good thing during the ride was that they showed us some Chinese stand-up comedy. Even though I barely understood half of it, it still was kinda funny.
Arriving to Jingbian was like arriving to a totally new dimension of China. Everyone kept staring at me like I was some freak from the circus. The person who was supposed to meet me at the station was late (that bastard) and I just stood there for 20 minutes, surrounded by the Chinese, asking me the same questions over and over again: "Where do you want to go? What hotel are you staying in? blahblahblahblah... " I nearly started crying. By the way, have to look up, what's "Leave me alone!" in chinese.
James (my Foreign Affairs Officer) took me to my apartment, which is... ehm...nice. Except, the washing machine doesn't work, the TV doesn't work, the microwave is broken, the stove is so old it must remember the Boxer Rebellion and ... the most important thing... INTERNET doesn't work.
Naturally, the first thing I asked James was "When is somebody fixing the net?" And he was like:" Yeah, yeah, I'll do it tomorrow." No need to mention, that he DIDN'T. So I had to fix the bloody thing myself, and as I mentioned before, I still can't connect my laptop.
My next objective is to repair the washing machine. I've got a funny feeling that I'm on that show called "The Survivor"...
Anyway, yesterday I went to meet all the English teachers. Got drunk again (they didn't serve any other drinks but beer and baiju, and the food was spicy).
Teachers seemed to be O.K. They were just a tad disappointed that I was younger than they expected. Well, so sorry for not being a 40-year old balding man with a beer gut.
The worst thing so far has been going to the supermarket to buy some food. I was prepared to the staring and to the laughing... But those people are completely shameless. They literally follow me around. In packs.
It's a little bit nerve-wrecking to be observed while choosing a shampoo.
I start teaching tomorrow (three periods), and I'm a little bit nervous. Not about the lesson but about the fact that I won't be able to find the school or, even if I find the school, I won't find the right room...
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19.09.2011 в 09:38-
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19.09.2011 в 10:02-
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19.09.2011 в 11:24-
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19.09.2011 в 16:34