When Marco Polo left Italy for China in the year 1271 with his father and uncle he had no idea what he was in store for.
Along a similar vein, two weeks ago every Peace Corps Trainee received their site placement for the next two years. It is the place where they will teach and eat and live. It is the next step on each of our journeys and it represents the end of our time together as Trainees. It was a big event where each one of us read out our new city and the university where we will be teaching. Honestly, I felt a little like Marco as I read off my site placement. Nervous, but excited. But also really, really nervous.
New ventures mean new questions and new possibilities. It was no different for ancient wanderers than it is for us today. What will happen? Will there be WiFi? Is it possible to eat pig feet AND goat bladder all in the same lunch?! For me, new ventures also mean slightly new intestinal problems.
Taking a Train
This last week we spread all throughout south-central China to see what awaits us and to visit those who will become our new community of colleagues and friends. Our site was chosen for us by our Provincial Manager, who is a Chinese national employed by the Peace Corps to manage the volunteers in one of the four provinces. They made this decision based on observations they had been making of us throughout PST and anticipating where our best fit would be.
I travelled north from Chengdu to the beautiful province of Gansu. Mr. Polo himself passed through here more than 750 years ago along the Silk Road (which still stands) as he made his way to what is now Beijing on the eastern coast of China. He could never have known that his name would be forever memorialised as a summertime pool game for kids because of this.
To get to my new home I needed to board a train for seventeen hours. It was the first time I have ever taken one. I honestly felt like I was boarding the Hogwarts Express and heading to a strange, new world. Anything could happen. At first I was channelling Harry Potter, but it turned out to be more like Lord of the Rings.
I travelled with two of my fellow trainees who will be living in roughly the same area of rural Gansu as me. They will be in Tianshui, a small city of one million people. Where I am from in Minnesota, a small rural city is something like 5,000 people in population size.
It was nice to pass the time by playing cards, talking about life and anxiously preparing for the next moving squat toilet surprise. The struggle is real, but it can feel even realer when your bed is twelve inches from the ceiling.
Hustling to get our dress clothes on in the dark, we got off the train in Tianshui together at 4:07 in the morning. I was feeling nervous about making a first impression and we were all quiet. Next thing I knew I was being whisked away by the Waiban (read: Foreign Affairs Office) Assistant of my school to a hotel where I would sleep for another couple of hours before heading to my city.
Chengxian – Pop. 10,000
I will be living in a town another two and a half hours south of Tianshui. It is called Chengxian (chung – she – in) and is very, very rural. There is no airport and no train station. The county I will live in has a population of 250,000 people. The city where I will work has a population of 10,000 people. My college is called Longnan Teacher’s University and it has around 6,000 students.
I was told that this is the smallest site in Peace Corps China. I am nervous about this, but also excited about the possibilities it means for intensive cultural immersion. It will be vastly different from my current life in the large city of Chengdu.
I am stoked about the close proximity of the mountains! I cannot wait to see what it means for hiking and trail running later on. Word has it that there are ancient monasteries and temples out there on the side of some of these mountains!
Chengxian has beautiful mountains, but it’s people are what really make it beautiful. I was treated enormously well by the folks there during my two day visit. From fresh cut, homemade beef noodle bowls to being the VIP at a professional Gansu basketball game, I felt very welcomed.
– On the Road to Chengxian
Good – I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your website. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related information ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, website theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Nice task.
As soon as I noticed this web site I went on reddit to share some of the love with them.
great post.Never knew this, thankyou for letting me know.
I admire your work, thankyou for all the great articles.
I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks a lot
Today, I went to the beach front with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your web site in internet explorer, would check this… IE still is the market leader and a big portion of people will miss your magnificent writing due to this problem.
Woh I like your content, saved to favorites! .
Spot on with this write-up, I truly suppose this web site needs far more consideration. I’ll in all probability be once more to read much more, thanks for that info.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I in finding It really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to offer one thing again and help others such as you helped me.
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
he blog was how do i say it… relevant, finally something that helped me. Thanks
You made some good points there. I looked on the internet for the subject matter and found most individuals will agree with your blog.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks
Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your web site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and simply couldn’t come across. What a great website.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually know what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Kindly also visit my web site =). We could have a link exchange agreement between us!
Hey, you used to write fantastic, but the last few posts have been kinda boring?K I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!
Very nice article and right to the point. I don’t know if this is actually the best place to ask but do you guys have any thoughts on where to get some professional writers? Thank you 🙂
Excellent blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any tips? Cheers!
You really make it appear really easy together with your presentation but I to find this matter to be really one thing which I feel I would never understand. It sort of feels too complicated and extremely vast for me. I’m looking ahead on your next put up, I’ll attempt to get the grasp of it!
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I am quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
I believe you have noted some very interesting details, appreciate it for the post.
I enjoy your work, regards for all the good articles.
you may have a great weblog right here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was searching for!
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I’m quite sure I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually know what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my site =). We could have a link exchange arrangement between us!
I think you have noted some very interesting points, appreciate it for the post.
It is in reality a great and useful piece of information. I am satisfied that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Greetings from Colorado! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the information you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, fantastic blog!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable info to paintings on. You have performed an impressive job and our whole group can be thankful to you.
Wonderful paintings! That is the type of information that are meant to be shared across the internet. Shame on Google for now not positioning this submit upper! Come on over and discuss with my website . Thanks =)
Hi would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a hard time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique. P.S Apologies for being off-topic but I had to ask!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable information to work on. You’ve done an impressive activity and our entire community will likely be thankful to you.
Am J Med 119 1 71 where to buy cialis cheap Monitor Closely 1 choline magnesium trisalicylate and ginkgo biloba both increase anticoagulation
whoah this blog is excellent i like studying your articles. Stay up the great work! You understand, a lot of persons are looking round for this information, you can aid them greatly.
I’d have to examine with you here. Which is not one thing I usually do! I take pleasure in reading a post that may make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!
You have mentioned very interesting details ! ps nice web site.
As a Newbie, I am always browsing online for articles that can benefit me. Thank you
I don’t even understand how I finished up here, but I thought this publish used to be great. I don’t know who you might be however certainly you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
I carry on listening to the newscast lecture about receiving free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the top site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i find some?
I genuinely enjoy looking at on this site, it has excellent blog posts. “Beware lest in your anxiety to avoid war you obtain a master.” by Demosthenes.
Hi, i believe that i saw you visited my site thus i came to “go back the choose”.I’m trying to to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its good enough to make use of a few of your ideas!!
I just like the valuable info you supply in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and take a look at once more here regularly. I am fairly certain I will learn many new stuff right right here! Best of luck for the following!
I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
Nice post. I study something more challenging on totally different blogs everyday. It is going to at all times be stimulating to learn content material from different writers and apply a little something from their store. I’d favor to use some with the content material on my weblog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll offer you a hyperlink on your net blog. Thanks for sharing.
hello!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I need an expert on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
You can definitely see your skills in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
of course like your web site but you have to test the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to inform the reality then again I will surely come back again.
Wonderful paintings! This is the kind of information that are supposed to be shared around the internet. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and discuss with my website . Thank you =)
I have read several just right stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much effort you set to create the sort of great informative web site.
Hi there, You have done an incredible job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m sure they will be benefited from this site.
Yay google is my world beater assisted me to find this outstanding website ! .