Empty Nanchang

So... It's been a week now since I've started this and I've been busy working to upload as many pictures as I can so that you can all see what I've been doing with my time here in Nanchang. This week has been pretty crazy though. I'm still getting over my sickness and I have basically had an asthma attack every night for the last 4 nights while trying to recover from coughing. But besides the random sickness, things have been going pretty well. Last week, I had a few friends from Changchun down for a visit. It was great to catch up with them and talk about our very different experiences while being in China. I love hearing about their students and listening to their stories from the freezing cold North. I could not even imagine living in a place that is 30 below and where your snot freezes when you walk outside. Not my idea of good weather, so I'm not going to complain anymore about Nanchang weather. On Friday morning, they left for Bangkok and we will all meet up again in a week or so in Chaing Mai, Thailand.

But this has been a week of entertaining friends because on Friday evening, my good friend Danielle flew into Nanchang to stay with me for a week. She spent her last month in India working and will be returning back to the States this Friday. It is really nice to have a familiar face from home here and be able to hang out without the use of Skype or a computer. It still freaks me out that she is sitting beside me right now, but I am so grateful to have a friend here. I have formed a family here, but it's always great to see people from home even though I am so far from there. I keep telling her that it's crazy when she is sitting in my apartment because I'm used to seeing her through my computer.

We have been having a pretty good time so far though. Although there is not much to do in Nanchang because it is not a very modern city, I have tried to show her as much of the city as I can. She was also able to participate in the culture a bit by making dumplings with us and our Foreign Affairs Officer for Spring Festival/Chinese New Year. Now me saying it in this way makes you think that it was that, just making dumplings. However this was not the case. When we were told that we would be preparing some dumplings in order to celebrate the holiday, we thought just that, a group of us would help a few school officials make dumplings. But when the group showed up, there were no school officials, but about 25 reporters and cameras and people filling up the apartment. I have never worn a traditional Chinese dress before, but we were handed a dress, but Chinese are tiny little people and I didn't fit in my outfit. But I tried. We ended up having to perform a song for the reporters and make dumplings for the cameras. It was a very interesting day that I'm glad that Danielle got to exerience. I'm not sure how much people believe the random things that happen in China, but now I have a witness to the craziness. I think that I need to just coin the phrase, "Did that seriously just happen?" This basically sums up my time in China. We have an idea of what should happen and the next thing we know, we are in front of a group of reporters singing a song in Chinese wearing traditional Chinese clothing that doesn't fit.

I finally posted all of my pictures up until this point. I hope that you all enjoy them. I will add pictures from the month of January and from Thailand when I get back. I leave for Chaing Mai on Sunday after Danielle leaves and I will be at a conference there until Feburary 5th. Then back to teaching on the 9th.