Happy Chinese New Year or Xin Nian Kuai Le

It is 9 pm and you would think bombs were going off in Nanjing to celebrate the year of the rabbit.

Dinner was great with my colleagues.  I took the metro and bus back to my apartment.  Although I still had to walk three blocks, the entire way I dodged fireworks.  Just imagine you are in New York City, only four times the size and every 3rd store, someone is out front lighting fireworks, roman candles and any thing that goes boom, buzz, whiz, and bang!  I was running around them, put my hat on, didn’t know if they would blow up over my head.  The amount of red paper trash and ash is unbelievable.  Andy, Casey,  Randy, Sam where are you, we could go shoot  bottle rockets off the roof of my apartment?  It’s legal!

I did get a Chinese text today from the government to be careful and not start a fire with fireworks.  My neighbor read it to me!  This is the best fire works show ever.  It is non-stop.  Everywhere I look there are fireworks.  This is better than any fireworks show CCCCD ever had!  One gigantic roman candle just exploded right out my bed room window.  I was like all over it, hanging out my balcony window.

Now it is 12:30 and it is still going.  At midnight it was like a war!  My apartment complex set off  those giant exploding dandelion-like balls in the courtyard which shot up to my 28th floor and exploded only ten feet from my glass enclosed balcony.  The sound was deafening, the smell like an arsenal went off and the entire building shook.  I loved it!  Now the town is filled with smoke, car alarms are going off, I hear an ambulance  and I just saw a fire truck rush by.  This was the best Chinese New Year’s ever.

World Traveler

August 26, 2010
I’m here!  I am ok, jet lag was not too bad.  up early thou….. it is 7:20 am and I think it is 6:20 pm in Houston.

The motel is nice, some quirky things, no clock….! and toilet paper is minimal.  I’m on the second tiny roll.  Had to have our driver pull over from airport, had the runs!  Went to a public pot, hovered over a trench!  Ha that was interesting! Do have internet… not YouTube or Facebook at all.  Skype is up.   Send your Skype addresses to me.  Really glad to have the internet back.  This is such a treat.  No Starbucks, bummer.  Did see a Tea/Coffee bar a couple blocks.  The town is gray, square and dank.  But lots of tall interesting looking trees. Motel room has 2 twin hard as a rock beds, nice shower, but no refrig or cook-stove!  TV is all in Chinese– same type of stuff like in the US.  Looks like 1950 in places around the university.

People are nice, many do not speak English but are somewhat friendly.  I have met an IB Physics teacher from the DC area moved here 5 days ago with wife and kiddo, they are nice. Hope to pal around with them some.

Food is ok, not great.  Like I said I already have travelers poop!   Weather is foggy or smoggy, can’t really tell.  Huge skyscrapers, and lots of them.  2 million plus in the city.   Flying in the landscape is beautiful in the suburbs, with square homes-kinda minimal European looking,  very quaint.  I am in town, large and like downtown Mexico city. Lots of action, accidentally bumped into a parked motorcycle walking down the street and set off an alarm!  Lots of bikes and mopeds and no one watches for pedestrians.  Will need to be real careful walking.  Streets in town are 4-6 lanes and a huge mess navigating. Vendors selling cool looking food.  Ate at the Canteen on campus, the Nanshan Motel is on the University campus.  Lots of college kids, refreshing!  Had tofu/green beans, cabbage, and eggs with something green like spinach, but not!  All tasted rather the same and greasy, rice sucks!  Tea is good, drinking it now.  Had to boil my water for it.  Hope that helps (boiled twice!– no more poop!)  ate with chop sticks alot…. need to invest in a fork.

No specific smells yet….  I remember Mexico city smelt like chicken and bus diesel.  Haven’t smelt that yet.  The flight was long!  I am thinking with layovers and all about 28 hours. Hong Kong airport was sheik, wish I had bought a hair dryer and iron there.  Now I need to go find one today.

Laundry is interesting, kinda like yours, Sarah in Sacramento–except the washers are strange, small and old.  It is on campus too.

Tomorrow I will be taken to the health doctor for a check up for my “Expert Certificate”  —  And in-service is tomorrow.  Wish me luck.

Next thing is the bus system…. oh my that should be fun!