August 30, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

I have arrived! So my little bubble in
Changsha has burst. I am no longer surrounded by 29 other Americans where our
field directors hold our hands. Life in Nanyue is pleasant and calm. It is my
ideal. I can officially say that country life suits me. So far, Leigh and I wake
up in the morning and walk to find our favorite, and only, steamed dumpling
stand. This morning, mine had seaweed in the middle and by the end of my first
bite, I found that I do not like seaweed. Every moment here is an opportunity to
learn and I definitely learned something this morning.

Everyone here is just as I expected; incredibly sweet. Connie, my liaison, is the
epitome of “better than I could have asked for”. She is my neighbor, and has a very
adorable daughter who actually might be one of my students this year. She looks out
for us, almost in a motherly sense. She is proud to have us here, and will do anything
to make sure we are shown nothing but absolute hospitality, something the Chinese do not
take lightly. Connie will be my saving grace if I need anything at all this year.

Stella, my new friend and neighbor, is
young, vibrant, and has a love for life that is contagious. Last year, Stella
was the liaison for WorldTeach, but this year she will be teaching Senior 3 and
will not have enough time. She is newly married, and her husband works in
Hengyang, the second largest town in Hunan. He comes to Nanyue on the weekends,
and this weekend Stella is going to cook for Leigh and I so we can meet him.
Hopefully, we will pick up a few tips on how to cook using only a wok and rice
cooker, all that consists of our kitchen. I can already tell you that Stella and
I will be great friends.

Lastly, there is Rena. Rena exemplifies
beauty and elegance. She is, as Stella said, “my master”. I am not sure of
Rena’s actual title, considering I am still working on my Chinese, but I know
that I want to stay on her good side. Rena is classically beautiful and carries
herself with the upmost confidence and grace. She has been nothing but kind to
Leigh and I since the first moment we arrived in Nanyue. Our first meal here,
she escorted us to a beautiful hotel, and made sure that we wanted for nothing.
She even had the “mei nu” (waitress) bring out a knife, fork, and spoon. I
hadn’t seen one of those in such a long time, but I resisted my Western ways,
and stuck to my chopsticks.

These three women will be my foundation
while I am living at the bottom of this beautiful and holy mountain. They have
already provided me with safety, comfort, laughter, and kindness. I will forever
be in their debt, and do not know how I shall ever thank them for what they have
done.

Nanyue is an absolutely breathtaking town.
I cannot wait to explore and hike once I get my residency visa and am allowed to
enter all the parks and temples for free. Right now, I am just exploring the
streets of this quaint and idyllic town. Some of my favorite places thus far
include at the school gates where a little three or four year old boy and his
sister, who run up and scream “Hello!” and then run away laughing. They approach
us every time we pass by, and every time I laugh uncontrollably. 

Next, there are the old narrow stone
streets of Nanyue. Along these streets are different vendors that range from
selling different nuts all the way to elaborate golden Buddha’s that come up to
my waist. While you walk along these streets looking at all the different items
up for sale, the smells of incense and peppers fill your nose. Sometimes the
smell of the peppers that are cooking in the back kitchens will actually burn
your throat and eyes. It can be intense so I have learned “Bu la da” meaning “no
spicy”. For my survival, this one line has been more crucial than “Where is the
bathroom”.

While continuing along these streets you
will see the old woman who has made the journey to this mountain every August
for her entire life. She will climb the mountain with the incense she has just
purchased along that street, and light it in the temple at the top of the
mountain. There she will pray for her family and that they will remain healthy
for the upcoming year. After she feels that her prayers have been heard, she
will climb down the mountain to continue on with life, only to return to the
Hengshan Mountain next August.

Every day, I am learning more and more
about this ancient city and mountain. The stories and myths that erupted from
this place completely mesmerize me. Connie told me of the myth of the dragon and
I felt like a child again. I listened so intently to all the details of this
beast that has lived in the mountain watching over Nanyue. I look forward to
hearing more and more about the myths and legends that are the foundation of this
great culture.

Now, I don’t want you all to think there
has been little to no culture shock for me. Like I said earlier, my bubble has
burst and no one is holding my hand any longer. Becky and Geoff are far away in
Changsha and my family is even further away in America. I no longer live in my
father’s guest house and work at the same job where I know Tony would always
look out for me. I am finally realizing that I am an adult and it is time for me
to stand on my own two feet. My parents might still only be a phone call away,
but there is a 12 hour time difference so it’s not always that easy to get in
touch with them. I knew sooner or later that it would be time for me to take off
the training wheels and where better to do it than in China.  

Now I think this was most present yesterday
that I was on my own in my first faculty meeting. Now remember, my Chinese is
virtually nonexistent when it comes to anything outside of numbers and asking
for not spicy food, so I am pretty much an illiterate. At the end of the hour
long meeting, the principal introduced Leigh and I. Now let me explain, I was
slightly disoriented because of the heat and sitting in a non air conditioned
auditorium filled with cigarette smoke, so when the principal said “Lao Shi
Eileen” meaning “teacher Eileen”, I missed my cue. I stumbled up with sweat
pouring down me to the point my dress is soaked, looked out into the crowd of
teachers, and panic set in. I realized in that moment, “oh my God, do I bow or
not bow?” I had seen another teacher bow when he took the stage to give awards
or something, but what about me? So in typical American fashion, I did a half
bow that somehow turned into a full on curtsey. So now, I believe I am the
stupid American. I love living up to stereotypes. Needless to say, I came home
and googled “customary Chinese greetings”. 

Now another thing that I know that I
will not be able to call anyone to help me with is something I have been
incredibly lucky to have not encountered yet while in Nanyue, but I know it is
coming. This major problem is known over here as cockroaches. I have had one run
in with a cockroach on steroids in my hotel room, but luckily Becky came and
fought it off with my rather large shoe. My size 13 shoe beat out the
beefy roach and it died a gruesome death. Now, Leigh and everyone else have had
to deal with these God-awful pests so far, but I know my time is coming. When it
does come, I will not be able to call Terminex or my father or brother to come
and fix this problem. I will have to woman up on my own, arm myself with my
weapon of choice, and head into battle. 

Be it cockroaches or to bow or not to bow, from this trip, I hope to gain independence; independence from my dependence
on my family and friends. Even though right now my biggest problems are
cockroaches and whether to bow or not to bow, I am figuring it out on my own.
I am not calling my parents to ask their advice, because lets be real, they wouldn’t
know either. I am not calling my brother squealing in the middle of the night because
a mammoth sized alien, is running around my bathroom. Right now, it is just me,
myself and I, and I am finding that I like it.

I always prided myself on being independent
because I wasn’t afraid to go to the movies alone, or eat at a restaurant alone,
but the truth of the matter is, I have never been truly independent. I still
have urges to call Momma and Daddy when little things like this pop up, but I am
learning that I can handle this.

Now, I think it also shows a sign of
strength to know when you do need help. When you need help, it is ok to ask, but
you can’t use it as a crutch. I have also done this. You can’t take advantage of
the kindness that people will bestow upon you, because one day, they won’t stick
around to help you anymore. I myself have taken advantage of people’s kindness
and lost them because of that. I have also walked away from others who took
advantage of my kindness. I won’t let this happen anymore. 

I think true independence is knowing what
you are capable of and what you are not capable of. You need to know your own
strengths and weaknesses and I am finding that I can kill a cockroach or google
when to bow, but I might be weak when it comes to other issues. I still need my
parents for that. I still need my friends to hold my hand through tough times.
True independence is not being afraid of asking for someone’s help. True
independence stems from the confidence in knowing who you are. I strive to one
day be that confident in who I am, but right now I am enjoying the ride in
finding it out. 

Love,
Eileen