We Made It

Nimen Hao or hello!

We made it. With minimal hassle and discomfort we made it to Chengdu. I will say though that flying around the globe is not good for one’s sleep schedule. I realize that this is obvious, but if you haven’t experienced the 13 hour time difference after a 24 hour trip, you really can’t imagine what it can do to you. Last night was the first night that I slept all night. Que Rico!!

We started our training Thursday and we have been going strong the last few days. We and the other members of China 15 (75 in all) will spend the next 9 weeks learning Mandarin, culture, TEFL techniques, about safety and security, and all we need to be happy and successful Peace Corps Volunteers. One difference, we found out that we will be living together during training. We have decided this is good and bad, but in the spirit of flexibility we can roll with it.

Our overall first impression of China is that it is an amazing and dynamic country. The people seem to go out of their way to talk to you and help you get around. We have already been lost on two occasions and had people walk us around. We were invited to play Ping Pong by a student who saw us watching from afar. All in all it has been a great first impression. Sure we have not seen the sun come out yet, but the people and the organization of Peace Corps has made up for it thus far.

We look forward to updating you all when we can, but I have a feeling that in a few days we are going to get very busy and may not be able to post as often. We hope that you will bear with us and check in to see what is new from time to time. Like always we appreciate comments.

We hope everyone is well.

k&m

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