Adventures in Guangzhou!

In addition, they are used by all of the new applicants at the interview stage to entice and recruit them for the posts. Though it took almost two hours, I actually enjoyed the process of filling mine out. It necessarily forced me to look back and reflect on my experience thus far. What were my first impressions? What was tough about the transition? What do I think about my environment? Not that I've forgotten already, but I did enjoy going back to read some of my first entries on this very website.

I must say that I think I gave the place a glowing review. I know that PiA has had mixed experiences here in the past few years, but I'm all about it. Sure, Guangzhou is hardly a mecca of culture, but my day to day existence is pretty amazing. I wake up late. I teach incredible students. I eat great food that costs next to nothing. I play sports with my fellow teachers. I take amazing trips to see different parts of China. I have an awesome apartment that I have truly made into home. All in all, not too shabby.

There is one section of the report that asks about what you can't find, a.k.a. what do you crave from home. Though it may be expensive, there are a number of international-food markets that have almost anything you could ever want from the U.S. or Europe. The only thing I could come up with? Kosher-style dill pickles. Baby dills, ideally, but I'd settle for almost anything. Back in the states (and my former housemates can attest to this), I used to snack on pickles daily. I'd walk into the kitchen, look in my pantry, walk to the fridge, poke around for a minute, and then inevitably settle on eating a couple baby dills. Once I discovered the "zingers," the baby dills pickled with hot peppers, I was truly sold. So yeah--that's the only thing I've been craving.

Truth be told, I have barely had any of the western food that is available to me. There are a couple expat bars where you can get burgers and other such delicacies, but I have yet to spring for it. There is also a pizza hut, KFC, or McDonalds around every corner, but I have yet to set foot inside any of them. I could definitely go for pizza, but I hear that it's overpriced and just not the same. Count me out. I'd rather spend 5 kuai and have an enormous bowl of steaming noodles any night.

Coinciding with the due date of the 3 month report was a visit by non other than Anastasia Vrachnos, Executive Director of PiA and one of the coolest people I've ever met. Though the visit was short, it was sweet indeed. Unfortunately I had to tutor for a few hours when she was around, but I managed to meet everyone just in time at a restaurant for a properly lavish dinner. One of the vice principals was there along with the two main heads of the English department and another random bigwig from the school. We had a great time laughing and eating, while chatting about how things were going.

I was complimented yet again for my prowess on the track and subsequently challenged to a drink-off of sorts with one of the head guys. Having never run away from competition, I was all about it. We switched from wine to beer and were off. I think everyone around conceded victory without much of a fight but that was fine with me--I didn't really feel like going toe to toe for 8 enormous bottles. I was informed though that it is considered an honor when someone fills your glass up to the very brim with beer. I'll have to keep that one in mind. As we continued to drink, it became more and more clear that the school sees Steven and I in the simplest of terms, the most convenient definitions: Steven is the intellectual and I am the jock. I find this pretty funny and have no intention of trying to correct them that Steven actually goes for runs most days of the week and that I also read and study in my spare time. I like the idea that they see me as an athlete and probably have lower expectations for my teaching and language skills. I can only pleasantly surprise them!

Anastasia also reminded me that I had to make a decision on next year in the near future. Oy. There's no part of me that wants to contemplate next year when I am enjoying the here and now so much. Basically I can stay right here in Guangzhou, move to somewhere else in China to teach, move to somewhere else in China to work at an N.G.O., move to a post in a completely different country (hmmm-Thailand?), or end my Asia experience and head back to the states. I am nowhere close to making a decision, but I know that the date will creep up on me before I know it. I must admit though--just the thought of readjusting back to the U.S. is overwhelming right now.

On a completely separate note, I received a couple of belated birthday presents which has been very fun. It can be my birthday for the rest of the year! I got some taco and burrito spices which I plan to put to very good use in the near future. I got a couple recent New Yorkers. I got a couple CD's. However, I got a package that absolutely trumps everything else I've received up to this point- an enormous package of Murdick's Fudge straight from Edgartown, MA. Vineyard fudge! Okay, so the stain stick from my mom was a heckuva lot more important in the grand scheme of things, but chocolate of this magnitude is hard to deny. It also made me nostalgic for summer, Long Point beach, goblers from Humphries, talls at the Newes, and singing--everything I love about the island. No matter where I am in the world, I think the vineyard will always be on my mind on some level. There's just something about that place...