Ohmygodijustmovedtochinawhat?!

At the point of leaving the airport, I still had not really grasped at all what my trip was going to be like.  It dawned on me soon after that I had just moved.  To China.  Whoah.

The craziness that I witnessed merely on the car ride from the airport to Xuchang is nigh indescribable (although I will certainly make an effort in future posts).  3-wheeled cars, chickens running around, shopfronts with two tons of corn piled outside.  And people everywhere.  That's really the most striking feature so far: everywhere you look, no matter where you are, there are Chinese people everywhere.


For the first day-and-a-half or so, I didn't see a single other foreigner, and my sort-of boss (who spoke some rusty english) was gone for a few days.  Which meant I was on my own as far as figuring out how to eat, which at about 6am on the first, rainy morning (I was still on US time) became a very critical need.  Unfortunately, I had essentially no idea how to get food, and couldn't yet get it on campus.  So, fueled by starvation, I set off from my apartment in a random (wrong) direction, hoping /someone/ was awake to help me out.

I soon found myself in a small, crammed, muddy rural neighborhood, barraged by unfamiliar sights, sounds, and most of all, people.  Although I am glad I did not have my camera with me (I was getting enough stares as it was), I wish that I could somehow express the experience, but alas I am not sure even how to begin.  Perhaps I shall return one day with a camera, or a journal, and document this strange and wonderful place to share.  Eventually, though, I managed to find a woman with a large pot of soup in front of her house, which I managed to get in a plastic bag (not what I wanted, but I took what I could get) for 1 kuai (about 15 cents).  I was so proud =).

Luckily, everything became a bit easier after this experience, and I am slowly adjusting to my surroundings.