Welcome! (欢迎!)

I gotta say, it's pretty amazing what a good night of sleep can do. Yesterday was a full day of meeting people, opening a Chinese bank account and phone plan, and continuing the settling-in process. By the end of the day I was exhausted! But after a solid 8 hours of sleep, I'm feeling pretty rested this morning. The cup of coffee sitting next to me definitely helps. ^_^

Speaking of which, my apartment is pretty cool. It definitely has a unique and fashionable Chinese flair to it! My room overlooks some trees and a couple of outdoor exercise machines (which is a thing in China, btw). I have loved waking up to the sounds of people starting their days and greeting each other in Chinese. My room looks pretty put together, now that I have unpacked everything and have put a few decorations out. I didn't bring much, just a few things to remind me of home.

admiring the new neighborhood

I am very fortunate to have a LOT already in my apartment. I have inherited countless appliances (helloooo coffee maker!), books, shelving units, school supplies, and kitchen utensils from two of the other American teachers who will be leaving Yinchuan to head back to the United States very soon. I'm sad to see them go, as they are my strongest "lifelines" here, but I am very grateful for all the immense help they have already provided!

One thing in particular which Anna and Becky have been helping me with is simply knowing what to call things. The community in which I live is called Jintai Huayuan, located along Kangping Lu (Lu means "road"). Last night they took me to a cheap restaurant nearby and were of immense help with the menu. I really have to figure out my favorites quickly so that I will have at least one thing I can say when ordering...!

noodles, beef, and greens...can't go wrong!

On the topic of knowing what to say... You know that G0d REALLY has something in store for you when you are given a roommate who does not speak English. Ha! I didn't know what to expect, but Yang Yang is very nice and has a good attitude about our situation. All I can say is thank goodness for technology and translation apps! Here is what one of our conversations looked like on our first night together:

Me: I am going to bed now.
Yang Yang: [Chinese phrase] Ah... *pulls out phone* *types* *shows me phone*
Me: "I teach you Chinese." Oh! That sounds great. And I teach you English!
Yang Yang: Yes...but first I learn you Chinese.
Me: It's that bad, huh.

As I mentioned, yesterday was my first day of going out into town. My boss drove me around when we were going to the bank and the phone store, so I was able to get an idea of how the city looks. It really is pretty small, despite being the host of some 2 million people. There are a few main roads by which people can orient themselves, and a lovely view of some mountains to the northwest. Right now I am most concerned with making sure I enter the correct apartment, let alone the correct apartment building, but I am confident I will eventually be able to use natural roadmarkers to make my way around town.

I'm still on my "you just arrived in China and are probably crazy tired and confused" break, but tomorrow I will be going into school to shadow some of the morning classes. I will be shadowing for a little while (perhaps a week?) but then will get around to teaching my own classes. I don't really know what to expect, but time will tell.

As for today, I'm going to do a bit of guided exploring with Anna and Becky. We will incidentally be making our way past the brand spanking new Starbucks, so I might have to check it out...you know, for research. Will report back later! :) Until then, here is a good summary of some information about Ningxia, the region in which Yinchuan is located, for those of you looking for some basic facts about my home for the next ten months (taken from this website)!

Ningxia is one of the five autonomous regions in China. It is the only provincial-level ethnic Hui region and the best place to experience the country's Muslim culture. The capital, Yinchuan, is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of the region, but also a famous historical and cultural city.
◆ Geography
Ningxia is located on the northwest Loess highlands pierced by the Yellow River. The Great Wall runs along its northeastern boundary.
Ningxia borders Gansu Province to the south, Shaanxi to the east and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north.
It is a relatively arid region, including the Tengger desert in Shapotou, but the ancient Yellow River irrigational system ensures the northern part is well watered – earning it the nickname of the ‘land of fish and rice’ in the North.
◆ Administrative Divisions
Covering an area of 66,400 square kilometers (about 25,600 square miles), Ningxia is divided into 5 prefecture-level cities (Yinchuan, Shizuishan, Wuzhong, Guyuan, Zhongwei).
◆ Economy
Ningxia has one of biggest pastures in the country. It boasts rich mineral resources, such as sodium, magnesium, ammonia, lime nitrogen, tantalum and niobium. The Shan Gan Ning Natural Gas Field is one of the largest in the world.
Its GDP in 2009 was 133.46 billion yuan (US$19.5 billion), with a per capita GDP of 21,475 yuan (US$3,143). Ningxia is the principal region of China where wolfberries are grown.
◆ Diversity
Ningxia is home to Hui people who make up about 36 percent of the regional population of 6 million and Hui people mostly live in Tongxin, Guyuan, Xiji, Haiyuan and Jingyuan counties as well as Wuzhong City and Lingwu County irrigated with water diverted from the Yellow River. There are also many other ethnic minority groups in the region.
◆ Climate
Ningxia has a temperate continental climate of long, cold winters and short, hot summers; temperature is lowest in January, averaging from -10 to -7 degrees Celsius and highest in July, averaging from 17 to 24 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall averages from 190-700 millimeters.

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Mandarin Word of the Day: adapt 
Chinese characters: 适应 (适 = to suit, comfortable; 应 = to accept, to respond)
Pinying pronunciation: shìyìng