It’s hot as the gates of hell over here. Plus 75% humidity. And minus the hellhounds.
Thankfully our apartments have functioning air conditioning. In order to fix a small leak in the AC in our room, a 20 something repairman with whom I was able to use my minimal Chinese came over a few hours ago. In response to our farewell “Xie Xie”s, he responded, “No, thank you”, which is a literal translation of what the Chinese say in response to thanks. It was kind of adorable.
Today we spent most of the time at the Primary school where we’ll be teaching. We got to visit the almost garishly colorful classrooms we’ll be using and meet the normal teachers at the school. The 4-6 year olds I’ll be teaching go to our ILP English classes in the morning and their normal classes in the afternoon. It’s a long day for the Little Emperors of Zhongshan.
Yesterday I received my first white girl paparazzi photo from a middle aged taxi scooter driver immediately after stepping off the bus. The novelty of my pasty white skin and flowing blonde locks just aren’t appreciated in America.
About half the vehicles on the street here are a mix between a motorcycle and a scooter, which can be used as either taxis or transportation for your entire family. It’s a common sight to see a father driving the monster, a mother in the back, and a hapless child sandwiched in the middle. I just want to slap a helmet on the lot of them. Safety concerns aside, it’s a practical mode of transportation and I’m heavily anticipating my first taxi ride out in the open air.
Tomorrow we finish training and explore the zany city of Xiaolan.
