Home Again (8-30)

When I arrived in Jishou from Fenghuang, I had to wait a few hours for the train.

Train ride one was uneventful. At Huai Hua, I had an hour between trains that turned into two hours. Getting onto the next train to Chengdu was an experience. People were getting onto the cars at both ends. Since my seat was a lower number, I went to the farther end because the lower numbers started at that end on the previous train. Mistake. On this train, the higher numbers were at the far end; so I had to walk back through two-thirds of the car. This was while others were heading my direction because they had higher seat numbers and got on at the other entrance. The narrow aisle had room for only one person; so there was a lot of pushing as people—and their luggage—made their way to their seats. It took twenty minutes to get to my seat. When I found my seat, a man was there, but he got up when I showed him my ticket. A French man was behind me, and he put my larger bag on the rack. I was just glad to be in my seat.

The journey to Chengdu was twelve hours, starting at 11:15 PM. I had a seat, not a sleeper, because that’s all that was available when I bought the ticket. At least it was a soft seat, even though it curved in such a way that it wasn’t really comfortable. And, fortunately, I had a window seat; so I could lean against the side with my neck pillow and rest a bit. The seat was for two people, but a third person used the edge to sit. There were three people across from us. People were standing and sitting in the aisle. It was noisy with chatting people for a few hours, and the lights never went off. So I was awake most of the night. I did manage to sleep for half an hour four times during the trip. Many people got off in Chongqing in the morning, and the car wasn’t so crowded after that. No one was standing and it felt much better.

I arrived in Chengdu at 11:15 AM. Then I took the metro to the bus station (40 minutes), then the bus to Wenjiang (40 minutes with the wait), and then the bus to the university (30 minutes). Finally, I walked the 15 minutes to the apartment building, arriving home 24 hours after I left the hotel. It was a long day. I thought about how it took about the same time it takes to fly to the U.S. and I slept less than I do on planes.

As always, it was good to be home again even though the holiday was wonderful.

Now I’ve been home for a week. As I often do, I spent the first two days relaxing in my apartment without going out. This was possible because Katy and Megan had left me some instant soup. In fact, I spent most of the week in my apartment, venturing out a few times to go to the market and to go swimming.

Dale, the new PCV arrived on Thursday. He’s younger, but at 40 not young. He has taught in Japan, Korea, Belguim, and Poland. He has a PhD in criminology and has worked in criminology with the Miami police for the last few years. So he has a lot of experience. I think his education and experience and the fact that he is a strong personality are why he was sent here instead of paired with a young volunteer. I won’t be intimidated by him, as a younger, less experienced person might be. He’s a good person and we’ll get along well.

Friday I went to the PC office to pick up meds and a bicycle helmet. I found a more efficient way to get there, so it only took two hours and two buses, which I was pleased about. After stopping at the office, I went to the River View Park along the river nearby. It’s a really nice park. 

Part of it has cultural relics: a pagoda and several pavilions. 

Part of it honors a female poet from the Qing dynasty (1800’s). 

Another part is an open area where there are a few tea houses and lots of tables where people were playing mahjong. Since I needed something to eat, I stopped to purchase a snack. Then I saw a bottle of tea and decided I should get that. When I told the man I wanted tea, he got out three baskets with little packets of tea for brewing. I decided that hot tea would be OK and sat down. The cup of tea came with a thermos of hot water; so I had many cups while I relaxed and read for an hour. 

On the way out, I enjoyed the bamboo part of the park. There are several types of bamboo trees, which I enjoyed a lot. In one building, there are bamboo carvings that are exquisite. 

After arriving back in Wenjiang, I walked through the river park that I enjoy and hadn’t been to since I returned. Being there made me feel at home again