National Holiday Vacation!

Holiday season has come and gone this semester in China.  Unlike the wonderful Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, this was the big holiday until the semester ends.  Myself and my two friends decided it was time to see some of the country side - so we packed our little bags and headed to Bijie to visit my friend Scottie.  A small city with a lot to offer; the people do not have foreigners very often and we found ourselves at meals watching as our friend was toasted for being the foreign teacher.  It was really a wonderful change from the big city of Guiyang, and seeing true appreciation at its finest always warms the heart and reminds us of what we're doing here. 

Most importantly, to top off the wonderful change of scenery, we found ourselves in the midst of a photography exhibit in the center square of Bijie for... wait for it... baby photos.  Now, this may sound silly, but I happen to love babies. My besties from home can vouch for me on my love for them - and it just so happens I found a true friend in Scott, because, low and behold, he happens to share the same love of funny baby photos as I do. Some one knew we were coming because this baby photo exhibit was quite possibly the best part of our visit, and gave us a few ideas for our Halloween costumes. Double bonus. 

As far as teaching and such is going - the students are alert and inquisitive.  They ask questions and have become comfortable enough to speak up in class.  For those that have taught in China before, this is a huge improvement and most importantly a triumph in the classroom for any teacher.  My Dean has told me the students speak well of me and enjoy coming to class, which of course is always a wonderful compliment.  I'll be doing class photos next week so you all can see the aspiring English speakers. 

Attached are a few photos from the trip - and most importantly, the best baby photo from the lot!

Sorry for the delay in updates - hope all is well in the States or wherever you may be!

WM

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps PCV 16

Guiyang, China

wwm013@gmail.com

And So It Begins... For Real This Time

I've been saying "And so it begins" after every time something different has occurred within my PC experience. But for real this time, I can say, "and so it begins" because this past week was the first time for me to walk in a classroom as a teacher. The life I will have for the next two years began last Monday - head first, no training wheels (even though I do love training wheels), with no warning. It's amazing to stand in front of 50+ students looking at you with eyes wide open, ready to learn. A few things that I have learned about myself since that first time is 1) I was never a person that "sweat" really badly, but this experience has shown me, yes, I do sweat. I sometimes fear that it will never stop and even in the death of winter, my sweating will still mimic 90 degree weather 2) I know more than I thought I did and 3) I will always know more than my students because I am from the United States... as terrible as it sounds, that's always one to fall back on. Toooo honest? I don't think so - but don't perceive this to be a bad thing.

Birthday celebrations were wonderful - my first birthday in the great land of the People's Republic of China included my favorite things here thus far - my favorite people, my favorite, terrible Chinese beer, and of course a night of wandering the streets of Guiyang, which always supplies a never ending scene of entertainment. To round it all out nicely, I received the best care package EVER known to man.  I'm not one to ask for many things to be sent to me from home when I am away - but in this circumstance, I was missing the staples that I rarely eat in the States, but for some reason always want while I am abroad. The list follows: Cheese-its, Sour Apple Sour Straws, Smart Food White Cheddar Popcorn, and regular movie popcorn. And if it were possible, an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese, but I'll take what I can get. I haven't smiled so much opening a box in my entire life; okay maybe when I was young and it was Christmas Day, but besides that this was heaven. And even though it was enough food to feed an army of PC volunteers, my friends near and far will enjoy these yummy treats just as much as I will.

If anyone has ideas of ways to incorporate fun activities into the realm of Tourism, let me know! And if you have great photos of places in the United States send them my way - visual effects are always a nice addition to the classroom! 

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps PCV 16

Guiyang, China

wwm013@gmail.com

Swearing In Ceremony

Me and some of my favorites after we were sworn in as PCVs!

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps

Chengdu, China

wwm013@gmail.com

Home!

Yesterday marked the first day of me being a Peace Corps volunteer! Our swearing in ceremony, luncheon, and goodbyes all took place within 4 hours and now I find myself... 18 hours later in Guiyang, my new home!

The good news is that the apartment was "cleaned". Enough that I didn't suffer a panic attack as I walked in the door... but there are still a few things to clean. It's a bizarre feeling to know that I don't have to talk to a host family member so the silent awkward moments are avoided - I don't have a curfew, and I finally get to act like a big girl! This is the beginning of the next two years for me. Monday the school year starts and for the first time, pretty much ever, I am walking in as the teacher! There will be more to talk about soon, but a quick hello to every one out there that it's going well (for now) and after this week I should be a bit more settled into my new home.

Pictures will follow of the apt./campus/city and the swearing in ceremony.

WM

More Site Visit Photos

My host mom (one of the best cooks and cutest women ever!), a mural painting in the old village (300 yrs old) that I visited in the country, and the special dish in Guiyang called "Sour Hotpot" - you put fresh vegetables, tofu, fish,  whatever you like, let it cook within the boiling broth and then eat... it's wonderful!!

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps

Chengdu, China

wwm013@gmail.com

Site Visit Photos

These photos are from my morning hike in one of Guiyang's parks about 15 minutes by bus from my home. The others are taken from a trip to the country side with my host family as well as on my 18 hr non air-conditioned train ride back to Chengdu from Guiyang.

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps

Chengdu, China

wwm013@gmail.com

Site Visit

A letter to the past tenants of my soon to be new home...
Dear past PCVs,
Thank you for everything. Thank you for your millions of used, dusty, scratched, and perhaps completely damaged dvd collection. Thank you for the dirty dishes left in the sink, next to the every growing piles of dust located in every nook and cranny of the apartment. Thank you for the two closets filled with every possession y'all decided was not worthy of making the trip back to the United States and/or a friend nearby. Thank you ever so much for the wonderful smell wafting from the unplugged refrigerator that has left the entire apartment smelling something similar to vomit and soy sauce. And most importantly, thank you for the left over shoes, dirty sheets, bed linens, and left over taco seasoning packs that should have been thrown away three years ago. All gifts stated above are treasures that I will truly enjoy throwing into the garbage as soon as I arrive back in Guiyang.
Best,
The incredibly overwhelmed, P.O'd PCV.

As for everything else, the city is really wonderful. There are tons of parks to go hiking in, the city is surrounded by rounded mountains, there is a beautiful river that flows through the entire city, waterfalls to explore and the special hotpot dish served in the city is delicious. The people I met at my university were lovely and very helpful... although I still have many questions, I'm sure they will all be answered in due time. Until then, bleach, rubber gloves and shoes, lysol, as well as fabreze will all be used in large amounts until I have cleaned the apartment to the best of my ability.

2 more weeks of training and then it's off to Guiyang for good!

WM