Home Sweet Home . . . At Least for the Next Ten Months

  So, here I sit, beside my window that looks out over Changzhou, China from the fifteenth story. I have just finished cooking rice in the rice cooker tonight and the end result tells me that I still need to perfect the ratio of water and rice as well as the minutes I let it cook. I am at somewhat of a loss of what to talk about, which is part of the reason I have not posted sooner. My brain would best be described as being in overload. So many things are the same yet they are so different. So I decided just write down a some ramblings.
  If at this very moment you asked what it is like to live in China the best answer I have it this: Imagine you live in a word where when you shop you must rely on the actual object or if it is in a box the pictures on the packaging to know what the item is or what it does. The cleaning supplies that you need to keep your living space presentable such as dish soap or toilet bowl cleaner you must heavily rely on picture for you do not want to mix up what is what nor can you rely on brands that you are familiar with. You want to ask a question about where an item is located, well tough luck for you better be very good at charades for I would have no idea how to go about making hand gestures for the toilet bowl cleaner, if you have a good one for that please let me know. The very appliances in your home such as your washer you have no idea what the settings are because you cannot tell the risens settings from the delicate setting. The schooling that you may have hated has given you the ability to read everything from the directions on your laundry soap to what you are ordering on a menu (ya, I have to go to restaurants that have pictures or I must cross my fingers and hope that I get something that I would find appetizing). Without a doubt you can survive but your ability to read saves much time and many trials by error. 
  Earlier today I walked to a huge mall, and by huge I mean the largest mall area that I have ever seen, about five blocks away to buy a few more needed items. I walked there, then came back to drop off my items, then went back to find a pastry shop that I was shown on Thursday. This took about three hours to do, in which I failed to find the pastry shop and also saw many, many people. In these many, many faces I did not find one face that was not Asian in its appearance. I did not realize when you leave the major cities the ethnic diversity that I am used to in the United States just disappears. Throughout this walk I was stared at by many. This feeling can get disconcerting rather quickly and I found myself quite frequently glancing in the reflecting store windows to make sure my appearance was okay. If you feel like no one notices you in life, you just get passed by without a second glance, then come to China.

  I have so many others thoughts going through my mind but I will try to get them a little more organized before I write down more. Tomorrow I start my first day of teaching so I am rather nervous. I will post more later.