I have finally arrived in Zhangzhou! The weather is humid, but not too unpleasant at 28-30 degrees.
My Dad and his wife June met me at Xiamen airport at about 1:30pm this afternoon. They also brought along one of June's students and she helped guide us through the busy streets of the city of Xiamen. The journey from Xiamen to Zhangzhou was pleasant enough, although I've now seen first hand just how crazy the roads are over here. The drivers in China (cars, trucks, motorbikes, bikes) have no regard for what few road rules there are and for the entire hour car ride I only saw three or four sets of lights.
The apartment that the college has provided me with is very basic, but quite large. It has a tiny kitchen and bathroom, but the bedroom, living room and balcony are all quite substantial. All the floors here are marble, with helps to cool building in the heat. Thankfully I have air conditioning! The bed in my little apartment is ROCK hard, so I've got to pile it with soft doonas and pillows because I don't want to damage my back. It should suffice for the next three and a half months anyway.
After having something to eat, an ice cold Chinese beer or two and a bit of a rest, Dad June and I drove into town and walked around looking at the shops. It's incredible how many people just called out 'hello' or 'Nee How' to us. (in a city of 4.5 million you don't expect strangers to bound up to you and say "HELLO!")The people here are so friendly.
We had dinner in a chain restaurant. Curried chicken with rice, dumplings and spring rolls. So delicious. After dinner we went to the markets and the supermarket. I must say I've never seen a supermarket with live eels, fish, muscles and pipi's out like fruit for you to pick and take to the checkout with all your other groceries. The market was closing when we got there, so I have yet to witness the archaic slaughter of a pig seconds before it's sold to a customer.
So far, China is full of incredible extremes, delicious fresh food and very friendly people. I can't wait to experience more of it. :)
