Monday, October 11, 2010

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

Monday, September 6, 2010

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

Saturday, August 28, 2010

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

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

Sunday, August 15, 2010

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

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

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

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Guiyang, Guizhou

 Thursday has come and gone, and since then everything has just been so chaotic and busy! But I finally got my site announcement and as of right now I am thrilled with the result.  I am moving to Guiyang (approximately 3 million people...small city for China), which is the capital of Guizhou province. I will be working at Guizhou Normal University in the tourism department as their first international Native-English instructor (yikes!). My apartment is right in the middle of downtown, which is great and not so great for many reasons - but every one in the boonies seems to like the fact that I am located there. This coming week I am living with a host family - from what I've been told, because the sheet is written in Chinese characters, my host sister graduated from the University I will be teaching at, with a degree in English. She now works at another nearby school as an assistant to the Waiban office.  Waiban is the word for a government official who is in charge of all international faculty, so the good news is my host sister for the week speaks great English! 

Big day ahead for me and my 21 other Guizhou-ers... we've got about 13 hrs on an overnight train ride into the Guiyang.  And for those that have traveled in China by train before, this will certainly be an interesting experience... especially with all the luggage we've got. Wish me luck! Pictures and such will be posted when I get back next week.  

WM
--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps
Chengdu, China

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The End of Model School

 The end of Model School was this past Friday. It was definitely a relief for many of us to have this come to an end, however, the break is only for a few short weeks until we have moved to our new sites and start our new jobs as English instructors.  It is still a mystery as to where I am moving, but come Thursday we will all find out where our next adventure will take place. Myself as well as pretty much every one else in the PC China 16 group is very excited.  On another note, the past few days have been the hottest days of the summer - without air conditioning it has been a test of strength in many circumstances.  Finding the bus station downtown with a partner on a sweltering Saturday morning is the last thing many of us would want to be doing (especially on public transportation). However, the task was simple enough and compared to other people, it looks as though my sense of direction is still intact to some degree - if not then we obviously just asked a random person for help.  Attached are a couple photos of my classroom as well as the school building that I taught in during Model School. 

Next week I travel to my new home so look out for updates soon!! 

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
U.S Peace Corps (PCT 16)
Chengdu, China

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Lilly Pad Farm and Feast

Just a sample of the Lilly Pad farm as well as the Spaghetti lunch we made for our families

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
wwm013@gmail.com
U.S Peace Corps
Chengdu, China

IKEA?

There is a first for everything... and who knew that the first time I'd ever go to an IKEA would be in China?? Not me. It was like walking into a little piece of Swedish heaven, and had I a home to outfit I would have gone bonkers in that store. The best part of it all... everything is made in China. No shipping costs added, no taxes... it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Now, unfortunately, when I go home and happen to walk into an IKEA, the chair that was RMB $69 (approximately USD $10), is probably going to be USD $30. How unfortunate.

This excursion started due to the gift a friend of mine and myself are doing for our families today - making them spaghetti for lunch. We went to the biggest supermarket I have even seen - and for those that know me well, I get incredibly overwhelmed with menus and supermarkets. Too many choices, and in this circumstance, an absurd amount of people. Not to mention the little illiteracy problem I have here in this country. We were also with my friends host brother, his wife, and their one year old son, Niu Niu (meaning... cow. they give ugly endearing nicknames to their children... it's a thing here. I dunno). So while my friend and I wanted to take off, find the things we needed, they absolutely would NOT let us out of their sites... therefore, when we thought we had lost them to cover ground, finding the foods we needed for this soon to be feast, there they were, baby and cart in tow. Again, I am a "baby panda" - and even the slightest errand to do, like buying groceries, is indeed something I cannot do, because.... wait for it... I am not Chinese. Never mind I am 23 almost 24 years old. Never mind I am training to work for the US Government in China... never mind that I am, as some would consider, an adult.

It's funny putting these tiny details into perspective. Because if I were to introduce the topic of conversation, all those things - my age, my job, my education - would be reason for me to be married right now with a baby on the way. And if they didn't feel uncomfortable saying it to me, they would probably have already brought over potential suitors to fix the "problem" of no boyfriend. My students have already tried, and thank goodness I was able to put a stop to it - but I have never been in a place where me being single and 23 is such an issue. I've tackled the food issue in the house... now having to maneuver this topic is just nearly impossible. However, there is one thing I can tell my students, my host family, and any other random person who appears to be worried about the lack of "romance" in my life. I don't have to lie about it which makes it all the better... simply put... My father told me I was not allowed to come home married. Thanks for that rule Dad - it came in handy more than I thought it would.

Aside from the IKEA excursion as well as the scary supermarket, I was able to go to an unbelievable large Lilly pad farm... they have boardwalks all around the park so you are weaving in and out of the lilly pads - it was about 5 minutes from our home, but the families assured us it was "Chinese country-side". Beautiful none-the-less.

5 days until I have my interview for potential sites... 2 weeks until I receive my site announcement. Am I ready to move to my new home and get this going? Absolutely... let's just hope it works out.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Some of my favs!

Tuohy and I at the last American meal I will have for two years

Me and the girls at Leora's Birthday celebration - Expat styleeee
  What better way than to spend your 24th with English rugby and soccer teams??

--
Whitney Morgan
SIT Graduate Institute '12
wwm013@gmail.com
(314) 265-3492

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Spam

So before I moved to China I always thought that my Uncle Cole was the only person alive that I knew of who enjoyed Spam... my mom told me what Spam was one day growing up and I always thought how disgusting the thought of eating it would be. I then responded with "Whoooo would eat such a thing?!" Well little did I know, that according to my mom, her brother did indeed enjoy a fried piece of spam back in the day. Therefore, forever and a day, I always, unintentionally, associated Spam with my Uncle Cole (if you're reading this Uncle Cole, very sorry... obviously I have great love and respect for you even though you were known to eat Spam). SO you may be reading this thinking why is Whitney talking about Spam?? Good question and one I wish I did not have to 1) write about or 2) dignify with an answer.

My family tried to serve me SPAM. YUP. With all the things in the world to eat, as well as their guidelines of my diet requirements in terms of meat, they thought Spam would be ok? To make them happy I took a bite of the spam and that was about as far as I could go. It was something I never wish upon anyone, so if you happen to have to eat it in your future remember to stay strong. I asked my family in Chinese (slowly but surely I am learning Chinese)... "Is this meat?" since they know to only serve me chicken... and they, I kid you not, look at each other, look at me, and both at the same time, start insisting in Chinese that it's chicken. Please remember that insisting sometimes appears to be yelling with enthusiasm so it wasn't a quiet moment at the dinner table... it was a lot of pushing plates, scooping large amounts into my own bowl, and a lot of nodding and "Ok!".

Now I accept the fact my family here looks at me like a baby panda - I have embraced it and through all the annoyances that have or will come, I keep reminding myself "Baby Panda.. I am a baby panda", but this was not a moment in which I would allow the rationalization to over come. Sometimes you just have to say "NO!". So with a million thank you's and "no really I will just eat the cucumber salad and lentil soup" they finally gave up and realized the wool would not be pulled over my eyes. I am happy to say that Spam will not be making a return appearance on our dinner table. A small triumph, but these days, with so much happening out of my control, I'll take what I can get.

Whitney 1 - Spam 0

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Home-stay

I believe that when traveling one has to be ready for pretty much anything... that means incredibly awkward moments, a lot of sign language/charades, unidentifiable foods, as well as many other things. It is the moments that you are not prepared for that really make a long-lasting memory, and in most cases a terrific story. From my experience, home-stay experiences have provided more than enough material for a great joke, story, or unforgettable memory. And sure enough, Day 1 of the home-stay experience has done just that for me. I probably would have preferred a little more time, but hey, the sooner the better I suppose - at least the really awkward feelings have subsided and now it's all about nodding yes, smiling, saying 'ok' and praying you won't end up with a rabbit head on your dinner table that night.

There's always a first for everything - last night was definitely a first for me in just a couple ways. It was the first time a host mother has decided to walk in on me in the shower mid-shampoo to make sure my water was hot - luckily I was able to throw a towel on before I actually realized what she was trying to do. And last night was the first time a leisurely evening stroll became a half marathon with two other trainees in my group and their families. One other trainee I was with decided that if a walk that long existed, then this country was just entirely too big. A solid observation. My thought was that they would walk us around the entire campus and side streets to make us so tired that when we came home they wouldn't have to deal with us anymore... which I believe they succeeded in. The three of us were so exhausted we couldn't even bring ourselves to talk by the end of our "evening stroll".

I'm sure their intentions were good and the walk was lovely, until the mosquitos came out. But my family is nice - a young couple with no children who rent out a room to some one else. The apartment is very nice, very clean, and my room has a nice bed, as well as internet access. Pretty much everything you never expect in a PC home-stay. However, if I've learned anything, it's that the PC is not what most people assume it to be.

Today is the beginning of our official training to become a TEFL instructor as well as continuing with our Chinese language classes. This is the time where I'm told they separate the "big boys" from the "toddlers". As Denzel put it so eloquently in one of my favorite movies, "Remember the Titans", "If you survive camp, you're on the team... If you survive".

Game face time.


WM

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Chicken Legs

Day 1:
How many people does it take to order a Chinese dinner on your first day of training? 8
How many people does it take to order a Chinese dinner in which you have zero clue if what you ordered will actually come out? 8
How many of us knew we were ordering fried chicken legs? 0....

Day 2:
How many people does it take to go buy a cell phone? 2
How many people does it take to realize the minimart in which you're buying your phone won't accept your credit card because they don't "accept" the card? 15

Least to say it's been an incredibly interesting two days that I have enjoyed... I have regressed to age 5 due to my recent illiteracy, but hey... it's ok. I'm in China. No big deal.

We move in with our families on Monday and I'm sure that's when the real adventure will commence. Until then...

WM

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Peace Out CubScout

This is my first attempt ever at a blog, so while I hope to be entertaining as well as descriptive of my Asian encounters over the next couple years, bear with me, for I fear my thoughts won't be as great once "published".

It's been a long endeavor getting to this point, but after making it here, I've got a great feeling it will be worth all the efforts made.

Now, as most of you know, my other travel excursions usually consisted of me and a backpack. Not this time. When they tell you to bring something that reminds you of home, well I did just that. And while I don't regret the bags I brought, as I looked around, I found myself realizing I was "that girl".... who brought a lot... almost too much in some peoples minds. I'll tell you this though! My sleeping bag, as well as a few other comfy and warm possessions will come in handy... so I embrace the difficulties of carrying my belongings. Guess what United Airlines, I will pay the overweight fee, because I'm moving to China.... DEAL WITH IT bohemian hippies with their one suitcase and flippie floppies. This time, I'm rollin' in styleeeee.

Well it's been an incredibly long day already, with only more information being given to us, however, through all the exhaustion, heavy lifting of bags, registration and orientation, I am FINALLY off to the city of smog, China!

I'll do my best to update as much as possible and please keep in touch with me as I am away.

Miss you all.

xoxo

WM