Saturday, December 31, 2011
A Trip to Penang, Malaysia
Friday, December 9, 2011
Clear skies, Running & Smiles
The last few days here have been beautiful. At least if you are a Minnesotan living in a Sub-tropical climate. Strong winds have carried away virtually all of the air pollution and the skies are a bright and vibrant blue. With these wind has come cooler, dare I even say cold, temperatures in the upper 40s low 50s.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Hong Kong - Where East Meets West
A few weekends ago Nikolai and I decided to take a weekend trip into Hong Kong. Since we are only a 2.5hour (plus customs) trip away I did not anticipate Hong Kong being all that much different than here in the Greater Guangzhou area. I was in for a little reverse culture shock.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Finding Betty
Friday, November 4, 2011
Bixi - breath
Monday, October 10, 2011
Negotiating Foshan's Traffic: A Few Observations and Tips
So here they are...
1. Traffic lights are suggestions, and weak ones at that.
http://www.china-mike.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/chinese-traffic-chaos-small.jpg
3. “Look both ways” is good advice when crossing ONE WAY streets.
4. Traffic lights out? No problem – one of Foshan’s friendly, committed traffic guards will be on hand to offer help.*
5. When operating a motor vehicle, engage the horn no less than 65% of the time.
6. Drive on the right side of the road, unless you feel like driving on the left side.
7. If you drive on the left side of the road, alert other travelers by honking your horn frequently. You should also do this when traveling on the right side of the road.
8. If you choose to drive a motorcycle or scooter, that’s great! You have access to another lane
of traffic – the sidewalk.
9. A typical Chinese motorcycle can comfortably seat8 passengers and/or 3 passengers and the carcass of a hog. For visual evidence, see the link in #13.
10. To secure your motorcycle/scooter load (bricks, slabs of granite, propane tanks, live or dead animals, a quantity of styrofoamlarge enough to fill a small barge, etc.), 2-3 feet of string will generally suffice. If you have a passenger, the string is not necessary.
11. If you don’t own a car, no problem! Build your own! A boat motor mounted on a lawnmower chassis is recommended.
12. A ride on a motorcycle/scooter can be a great way for a child to explore the world and gain kinesthetic awareness:
http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspxq=1279112589738&id=6172bf5a2d0ecdbe8ad215ac7b1f7360
13. Faith in a higher being/the afterlife is suggested.
*Until it rains and/or they get bored/distracted
Friday, September 23, 2011
Traveling to Yangshuo
One of the documentaries that I watched was a BBC series called Wild China. Being a nature girl at heart, the images that were cast upon my computer screen were very pleasing to the eye. Vast open landscapes, clean, clear waters & roaming forest animals allowed me to realize that there was more to China than the steel, concrete and polluted haze that we often hear about on the news.
One place that captivated me the most was an area in Guangxi province called, Yangshuo. I knew from the DVD that this place was unlike any I had ever laid eyes on or set foot in. Its vast karst peaks were draped in green bamboo and hardwood forests. Its valleys were flooded with wildlife that lived along the rivers that meandered through its valleys. The local people who live there seemed to work with the land as their ancestors had for over 1,000 years. I had to go see this place.
This last week I finally got to go.
Our trip took us to first to Guilin, which we flew to from Guangzhou, on a 50min airplane ride.
Even though Yangshuo is very close to where we are, the roads and public transportation make what should be about a 4-hour drive into 8 hours... much of which is sitting in traffic on Chinese highways and freeways. We elected to fly.
Once we got to Guilin, we had to make our way to the city center to find the public bus station.
Mind you this “small town” is a village of 1.3 million people. Here, we had to use our limited Chinese language skills and our very good charades skills to get 2 tickets for the 12:10pm bus to Yangshuo. After about 10min of animated talking to a few different people, we had our tickets and just had to wait for our bus. (Side note: If you are planning on traveling in China, go
to the bathroom BEFORE you get to a bus station. Squatter toilets, no doors, no toilet paper, no flushing …I think you get the picture).
Once on the bus I was able to start to see the beautiful landscape that I was in. I could hardly wait to start biking and climbing. We got dropped off on West Street in Yangshuo (named for all the westerners you see on it) and hailed a taxi to our guesthouse that was 5k out of town. Nikolai and I again used our almost nonexistent Chinese language and bartering skills to get a good price on a taxi (since out there they do not have meters) and made our way towards Half Moon Village.
Once at our final destination we stepped out of the car and set foot into the beautiful pomelo grove that was in front of the guesthouse. It seemed almost instantly the sweat that was on my skin ceased pooling as the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. “Welcome” said a warm voice with the familiar staccato sound of a Chinese accent, “You must be Nikolai and Jennifer.” We were given fresh fruit, which we ate ravenously, and then led to our room in the renovated barn in the back of the house. It was quiet. It was cool. It was perfect.
Over the next five days we spent our time hiking, biking, swimming and rafting through the Yangshuo countryside. We spent almost every evening on the rooftop deck of our guesthouse overlooking the lush green valleys and hills that
surrounded the little village. We indulged on authentic Italian and Chinese cuisine and had our first taste of good wine in months. (Side note #2: The Chinese are just starting to figure out what wine is. Most of it here is pretty lousy.)
One night, as Nikolai and I sat on the rooftop deck sipping Argentinean wine and eating Chinese ravioli (jiaozi or dumplings). I looked around and realized what an absolutely beautiful place I was in. I
guess China really is more than steel, concrete and pollution. It is beautiful.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Land of Fruit
Ask people in Minnesota what their favorite season is and
many of them will reply, “Fall.” For some, it is the cooler temperatures and the brilliant colors of leaves; for
others it is the start of a new school year or the excitement of football
season. For me, Fall means the start of apple
season.
It pained me a little to think that I was going to be
leaving Minnesota just before my favorite time of year. I would, sadly, miss all of the Braeburns,
Firesides and Honeycrisps, the apple crisps and cider. Hoping I could find an alternative, my first
week in China I went to a market and (even though every travel book tells you
not to) bought an apple. When I got home,
I quickly peeled the “Grown in New Zealand” sticker off and, as I bit in, realized
immediately that it was not the same. As
the soft, pinkish, skin gave way to the pale inside, I quickly knew that the
apple lacked anything resembling the complex sweet, tart and sour tastes of the
apples back home.
I was bummed…
That is, until a few weeks back, when a group of coworkers
went on a bike trip north and east of Guangzhou. I fell behind the group because, as usual, I
was taking pictures. As I biked up to
them I noticed that they were picking things out of a tree hanging over the
trail. I asked my coworker, Sarah, what
they were she said, “here” and pulled a branch down for me to pick some.
I turned the strange, berry-like fruit over in my hand. It had an outer shell that felt like smooth
bark. “Can you eat these?” I
asked. “Sure”, she said. “Look.
Even the goats over there are.”
Sure enough, there was a group of goats that munching on the fruit about
10 feet off the trail.
“How?” I asked,
furrowing my brow and curling my lip with the thought of having to eat
something that looked and felt like bark.
“Here, let me show you,” she said.
I watched as she gently squeezed the “bark berry” until it
popped open. Inside, it resembled
something of a peeled grape. She popped
it in her mouth and then handed me one to try.
Once I opened it, I carefully placed it in my mouth. WOW!
The texture was like a grape but the taste was like nothing I had ever
eaten before. It was a combination of
grape, coconut and…apple. I quickly
reached up and grabbed a few more. “They
are called longyan, or dragon’s eye fruit,” another teacher told me.
After this experience, I was thrilled to find that the
market behind my school sells these.
People go out into the country and collect them and then bring them into
the city to sell, along with many other fruits, including dragon fruit,
pomegranates & pomelos.
Though longyan are nothing like the Minnesota apples I love,
they will be a great substitute while I am gone.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Peanuts & Chopsticks
utensils.
I quickly found that my skill in chopsticks had been honed in use of noodles and I did not have the necessary expertise to transfer my skills to foods of odd shapes, sizes and textures. There have been many times where my Chinese acquaintances have laughed or giggled at me as I clumsily moved a steamed dumpling from the center of our table to my plate or mouth. I would say my success rate with dumplings is now up to about 90%! That means 1 in 10 dumplings I attempt to eat end up on the table, floor or someone else’s lap.
One of biggest challenges with chopstick has been peanuts. It is common for many of the
restaurants here in china to serve you roasted and salted peanuts as an appetizer before your meal. The first time I saw them I was SO excited! In my excitement I reached for the bowl and poured some into my hands and onto my plate. Yes, I thought, a food I can eat with my hands!
As I sat there eating one peanut after another with my fingers I began to notice the other people at the table (mostly Chinese or people who had been in China for more than a month) grab their chopsticks and take the peanuts one at a time. WHAT! I thought very loudly in my head. This cannot be!
Hoping that no one had seen me take half of the bowl by dumping it on my plate, I reached for my chopsticks. I carefully examined my grip, making sure I placed them high enough in my hands to obtain ultimate dexterity. Then I watched. I figured, perhaps this was something I could
learn by just watching.
After a good 4 minutes of observation I figured I was set. It seemed simple…go only for one peanut at a time, reach for the middle narrow part of the peanut and grip firmly. I checked my grip one more time and waited for the bowl to come my way on the turntable. As I eyed its arrival I had to time it perfectly as to not miss my opportunity. I might only have 10 seconds before the table would get moved again and my precious peanuts would be out of reach.
With a steady hand I reached in the bowl gripped firmly onto a peanut and pulled it out of the pile. Success! I began to move my chopsticks away, eyeing my prize as I watched in horror as I began to feel it slipping away. No, I thought, I have to make it to my plate. It seemed that the
next moment went on in slow motion as my hand tried to contort itself to keep a grip on its precious cargo. With fingers slowly twitching I tried with all of my might to hold on.
It dropped to the table.
To me it seemed like a very loud noise, but everyone else kept on eating and talking. I reached for the peanut with my hand and quickly put it in my mouth. No big deal, I thought, no one was watching. I would just try again.
The second trial was just as awkward except this peanut I grabbed seemed to be slipperier as it did not last as long on my chopsticks and the peanut landed next to the bowl. The third, fourth and fifth tries I came up empty handed as the peanut fell out before I could even lift it up. Ugh! I thought I was never going to get it.
And then IT happened.
A moment I will never forget. I watched our friend Lucien reach into the bowl and slowly pull out his “prize”. The whole half of the table seemed to stop for a moment and gaze at what Lucien had done. There, sitting on the end of his chopsticks sat 3 peanuts, side by side, securely between his grip.
Lucien grinned from ear to ear as I and others gazed on in amazement. He placed the peanuts in his mouth and gave me a nod.
Perhaps someday I too will learn how to get three peanuts at once. Until then, I just want to learn
to get them to my plate.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A Typical Morning
School has been in session here for about 2 weeks and I have found myself enjoying getting into my daily rituals. From greeting familiar faces on the city bus or the bakery to passing by the same pond every day, it is these daily activities that transform me from a tourist to a resident of this new country.
6:45 am – Our alarm goes off. This is quite the change from the 5:30 am wakeup call that we had back in St. Paul. Some days, we even get to sleep in until about 7:30, depending on when our first class starts.
7:15ish – We head out the door. Making our way slowly towards the elevator we usually stand in morning silence until the elevator car arrives. Once we get out the building we meander our way through our complex’s gardens. I love how there is not a straight path to any of the main entry points. Instead it was almost designed to slow you down and allow you to wake up slowly.
7:20 – We walk past butt-slappers. Yes, you read that right, butt-slappers. Sometimes they are shoulder-slappers, other times upper thigh-slappers, but often they are butt-slappers. Perhaps it is due to some belief or understanding that this increases circulation. Or, perhaps it is just to help wake them up and transition into their day. Whatever it is, everyday I see people inflicting this pain upon themselves. From young men in their 20’s to grandmothers in their 80’s, they all do this with a large smile and a ni hao!
7:25 – We leave our complex’s gates. As we step out onto the sidewalk we are usually greeted one of the many friendly security guards. They know little to no English, which is fine since I no little to no Chinese, so we great each other with a smile. If Nikolai and I are lucky, they will even hold the gate open for us as we usually struggle to find our key cards every morning.
7:30 – We get breakfast at the bakery. The first time I saw this place my eyes lit up! From cakes to muffins to egg custard tarts I thought I was in heaven. I got a mini muffin ignoring other ex-pats warnings of “the cake always looks better than it tastes.” To my disappointment, the first bite was followed by a wrinkle of the nose and choking down of something that tasted like straight corn syrup with a few blueberries in it. I have, however, learned to enjoy pastries filled with a red bean paste as well as blueberry buns.
7:35 – We walk to the bus stop. This is by far the most dangerous part of the morning as we have to cross a large parking area/walking area (yes, they are the same here in China) and a 6-lane road. I know I will have more posts about traffic control (or lack thereof) here in China but it is important to point out that this is a big part of my morning. Crossing the street here in China is a BIG event, one that has rules, that no one really follows, and a lot of loud horns. I think my favorite road crossing experience has been when a person on a moped honked at Nikolai and I to get out of the way when we were in the crosswalk (with the right of way sign on) and they were driving down the wrong side of the road, in the bikes only lane. When their horn blared I jumped back onto the curb and had to laugh. Only in China!
7:45 – We get on the bus. Back in the US, I am used to driving my car wherever and whenever I like. We (myself included) tend to think of owning a car as having freedom. Over the short time that I have been here, I have enjoyed taking the bus. Yes, you have to add on a few minutes to your commute, and yes, you have to deal with getting stared at by all the locals who cannot stop looking at your big eyes and bigger feet and how tall you are compared to them, but it sure beats trying to drive in Chinese traffic. J
7:50 – We get off at our bus stop. Yes, a 5min bus ride in which we go about 2.5 miles. I suppose when the weather is not 90 degrees before 8am, I might actually walk this, but for now I will take the bus.
7:55 – We get to the office and start the day. Sometimes, rituals like these can seem mundane. However, they can often bring comfort when life shifts drastically.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
First Impressions of Our New Home
As I sit here writing this, I have been in China almost 2 weeks. In that time we have really begun to settle into our new home and a routine in Foshan, China. It is hard to sit down and write about the whirlwind that has been our life these past weeks as Nik and I
have had many new experiences and seen many new things as we explored this new place.
I have never…
…Been stared at so
much. First of all, I stand a good 6-inches over the height of the average woman and 3-inches over the average man here. Yet my blue eyes and blonde hair seem to be what really catch their eyes. I have had several people look like they were going to crash their bikes or mopeds as they careen their necks trying to get a closer look at “the foreigner”.
…Been poked and prodded somuch in a foot massage. Our friend Lucien, who has been here fora year already, invited us to join him at the HUGE massage place in ourapartment complex. It was a very fancy (and legitimate) place where you get rooms with 4 or 5 reclining chairs, a nice flat screen TV and food and drink to go with your massage. As the masseuse came in who was going to attempt to soften and relax my gnarled runners feet, I realized that she was fascinated by Nikolai and my features. Luckily Lucien and our other friend James both can
speak a little Mandarin and were able to help translate her furry of questions
and comments.
“Why is your hair Blonde? You have big feet. Why are you to tall? What is this
feather in your hair? How do you get your eyes to be blue? Do you put mascara
on? Why is your husband so hairy? Would your legs be as hairy as his if you let
your hair grow?”
It was a hilarious exchange of cultures as we tried to give our answers through our
“translators”. Most of the masseuses, waiters and cab drivers we come into
contact with are from parts of rural china, you know places with small towns
over only 1 or 2 million, and have never seen a real person with blonde hair
and blue eyes.
…Had so much good food. I know my first vocabulary words and phrases will revolve around how to order the great food that you can get here everyday. My favorite thus far is Cha Siu Bao
which are these sweet buns with a small amount of pork in a sweet sauce on the inside. They are everywhere! I can even get them at the seven-eleven in our complex. I know I will have many posts later about food. So I will keep this one short.
…Been thanked so much by my students. We have only had 4 official days of class with students, but already I am amazed at their excitement to learn. It is a residential school
where many of the students live there during the week and then go home on the weekends. Because of this, many students moved in a day or two before classes started and were in the classrooms catching up on their lessons with their peers. Once classes started I realized how grateful these students are to learn. “Thank you for the lessons you have taught me today, Mrs. Johansen.” Says a student each day as he leaves my class. “You are so very welcome.” I
reply knowing very well that they will be teaching me just as much in the upcoming
years.
…Been asked to be an economics teacher. I found out the day before classes started that I would be needed to fill in for the economics teacher for the first few weeks due increased demand for the class and a need to hire a new teacher to fill this spot. “Welcome to teaching I China” I heard a few teachers tell me as they offered their help and told me of their own similar experiences at some point in time. As I began to dive into the curriculum I viewed it through my
scientists lenses. Simple. I thought all economics is is ecology with money!
…Lived in a luxury high-rise apartment complex. We were lucky enough to find a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Lucien’s complex the day we arrived in China. The complex consists of about 2 dozen buildings, each 30 stories high with 4 to 6 apartments on each floor.
You can do the math…there are a lot of apartments. However, in these new complexes only about half of the apartments are full as the Chinese are experiencing the biggest urban migration of their history and perhaps of human history.
Living in a suburb of 6-million people I was ecstatic to be living in a complex where there are
beautiful gardens, a lake, ponds and walking/running paths everywhere. I have posted pictures here as well of our complex.
…done a yoga class in Chinese. Nikolai and I joined a gym that has a VERY western feel to it. There are aerobics, spinning and yoga classes. When I went to my first yoga class I was about the 3rd student in the room. Before class started I went through my typical warm-up that I would do in my vinyasa classes at home. The other Chinese women who were in class were also warming up in a similar fashion.
When the teacher came in, she greeted the class and then turned to me and said in broken English, “do you just speak English?” I said “Yes, but I am also a very good observer”, pointing
to my eyes. She nodded and began.
The yoga started out more like Tai Chi with its methodical movements and hand gestures. Yet, as the class went on there were more poses that I recognized. Despite my recognition of the poses, my head felt like it was on a swivel as I tried to move with the class rather then a step behind because I did not know the words. During the class I was deeply impressed with the instructor as her hand on adjustments and guidance. They were just what I need as I struggled with understanding what she was saying.
…been to McDonald’s, Starbucks and Walmart in one day until moving to Foshan. Anyone who knows me well know that getting me into one of these places is quite the feat. Enough said.
…been the minority. Living in the US we forget that when a person walks down the street it can be difficult to know weather they are from the US or not until they speak to you or tell you. Here, however, people walking on the other side of the street a mile away know Nikolai and I are not from here. Sometimes the obviousness of our foreignness can be nice as people are VERY willing to try to speak English to us right from the start. Usually this eagerness to speak English with us is accompanied by an apology of “I sorry, I poor English.” I usually reply back.
“Do not worry, my Mandarin is MUCH worse.” This response usually gets a smile.
If you
have made it through this far of the post…I want to say thank you! I will try
to keep posting on here weekly or as my spare time allows.
Flickr Link --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferjohansenphotography/sets/72157627269270079/
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Nerves and a Trip to Chi-town
We are now days from our departure and the nerves and excitement are getting to me. Tonight we had dinner with some great friends whom Nikolai and I have known since college and now we won’t see them until next June. Saying goodbye to people and places that I know I will not see for almost a year has proven difficult, but what has been most difficult is explaining to people how I am feeling about the move.
Don’t get me wrong, I am giddy with excitement as I think about the students I get to teach and the amazing travels I get to take and it is hard for me not to smile as I think about all of the amazing food and sights I am going to experience over the next two years. There is so much ‘newness’ that is about to happen.
But with this ‘newness’ comes nerves. Nerves about silly things such as: will I know how to order a meal at a restaurant so that I know I am not eating sheep’s brain or pig intestine on my first meal? How long will it take me to get used to the 11hour time difference? Will I ever be able to understand Mandarin or Cantonese enough to get around on my own? Will I ever be able to run outside in China? Will the air make me sick? Will I ever get lost on the city streets? Will my visa go through? The list goes on and on.
This week, Nikolai and I had to face the last question, about our visas, head on. We found out last minute that there was mistake found on my work permit that had to be fixed. With that being said, my Chinese Work Permit did not arrive in the US until this Monday. This left us less then a week to get a temporary work visa to get us into China before we could apply for our final long term work visa. What this delay meant for us is an impromptu trip to Chicago to visit the Chinese Consulate. We booked airline tickets, a hotel and read up on how the “El” worked so we could get around on our 24hr whirlwind tour of the Windy City.
The first thing I noted about this trip was the ease of transportation in Chicago. There was NO need for us to even think about renting a car there (at least for our purposes). UNREAL! I began to realize that living in China I would have access to the same type of transportation and great bike system as well. Living without a car for the next 2 years might not be that bad.
Once we found the Chinese Consulate, we had to go through stacks of visa papers, which fit the type of employment visa we were looking for. This was harder than I had anticipated as all of the papers were in Mandarin with only a few of them translated into English. As Nikolai and I were busy filling out passport numbers and dates of entry, Nikolai leaned over towards me and said, “Look who is over there.” I looked at him perplexed as I tried to figure out who I would know sitting in the Chinese Consulate in downtown Chicago. As my eyes scanned the crowd I immediately found a face I recognized…Pin! Pin was a Chinese native who was a student at the school that I used to teach at in Minnesota. I went over to say hello to him and realized that he was just as shocked to see me as I was him. It was great to see him and make some small talk as we waited for our numbers to get called. Funny thing is, it turns out that the town we are going to teach in (Foshan, Guangdong) is about an hour from where he used to live. What a small world!
After about 30min of waiting, our number was called and we had an awkward discussion with the service lady behind the glass window. But, after several trips to the copy machine and handing over our passports we were told to return at 2pm to get our visas. We took that time to go eat some great deep-dish pizza at Pizzeria Due and visit the Apple and Nike stores on the "Magnificent Mile"…we were in that part of Chicago anyway, so why not? We came back promptly at 2pm and after another line and a hefty credit card charge we had our visas!
We checked into our hotel and then crashed on the plush beds. It felt good to just be still!
That night we went up to the North Loop off of Belmont and ate at a GREAT Mexican restaurant (on the recommendation of some adult TLC campers that come every year from Chicago). We also took a walk towards Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan. We were then treated to a Blue Man Group performance by one of the same campers. After a day of hectic traveling, applying and waiting it really was what I needed to relax and laugh.
We returned to Minneapolis today…just in time to start packing for China.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
You Are Going Where?
Since our trip last summer to Scandinavia, Nikolai and I have bee looking at living and teaching abroad. We had our eye on Europe, but became interested in China when a UEA graduate school friend of Nikolai’s (Lucien) started to email and instant message us about his recent move to Foshan. We started the application process in October, interviews in November and December and got the final word we both were accepted in early January. Since then, we have spent much of our time preparing for the move and telling close friends, family, coworkers and casual acquaintances about our new adventure.
I guess I really didn’t know what to expect to get as a reaction from people, but I have become increasingly more aware at how differently people have responded to the news. The vast majority of people have been very supportive and expressed their own interest in traveling and living abroad. Many people we have talked to have even told us of their own time living in a different culture and how much of an impact it had on their lives. There have been, however, a few people, mostly casual acquaintances, who have expressed a genuine fear for our safety while in China.
In one particular instance, I was talking with a young TLC camper who had come to camp several times and I have gotten to know a little over the years. When in the conversation another camper asked me about my move to China this camper stated, “Why would you want to go to that country?” I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts and responded, “Why not?”
The conversation evolved into one where he expressed his underlying fear of the country, its policies and its less then stellar humanitarian record. Taking on a more of a teacher role than a tennis instructor role I began to question, or should I say prod, his statements. Being that he was going to be a senior in High School I knew he could handle the discussion.
“I mean, they are communist.” he said.
“ Yeah, they are.” I replied.
“Doesn’t that scare you?”
“Not really. I mean, look at their current policies on business. Some might say they are becoming more capitalists then we are. Hong Kong is a perfect example of them trying it out.”
The conversation went on and on with the topics ranging from what they eat (yes, eating dog did come up in the conversation and yes, we will be in a region where that is a perfectly acceptable part of the culture) the one child law to the difficulty of both the Mandarin and Cantonese languages. Throughout the whole discussion I was amazed at how many questions/fears he actually had. “You know, Jen, I couldn’t do it, but I will pray for you when you are there.” He stated at the end. I simply replied back, “Thanks, you have know idea how much that means to me.”
I know I will have many things in China that will make me uncomfortable, homesick, confused and maybe even angry but I know there will be some incredible positive aspects to our living abroad. A part of me is excited to go as a representative of our American culture. I know that I will now be a part of a minority group and just like here in the US, people tend to judge entire groups based on the actions of a few or even one. Hopefully, Nikolai and I can use this to our advantage and help spread a positive vibe about our country and its people.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
The Big Move
As many of you may know, Nikolai (my husband) and I are in for some big changes. On July 24th we will be moving to Foshan China to teach at Nanhai International Education Center (NIEC). It was a difficult and exciting decision to make to move completely to the other side of the world and immerse ourselves into a new and very foreign culture. We are keeping this blog in hopes of keeping people informed of what we are up to as well as to keep a personal record of our experiences while living abroad. Who knows if we will even have access to it while we are over there!
Our home in China will be Foshan, Guangdong. It is in the far southeast corner of the country and located about 1.5 - 2 hours by train to Hong Kong and a bit over an hour to Macau. Foshan is a "smaller" suburb of 6 million inhabitants that is located out side of a larger more well known city of Guangzhou (formerly know as Canton) which has a population of about 10 million.
We will be keeping those interested posted as we get closer to our travels!