Apr 2, 2007, 06:14
...goes my shout out into the great wide web. As opposed to Jules' move, mine wasn't an april fool's joke, and now I am here in Hefei, in my new appartment. I have blisters on my fingers from cleaning, and the place still looks like a mess compared to anywhere I have lived before. That's because this whole campus is brand new, and we still live in the middle of huge constructions sites from where the dust spreads and creeps into every last corner and gap.
The kitchen utensils granted in the contract are no where to find, except for a rice cooker and a microwave there was nothing. The microwave was dirty beyond any rescue, I tried for a while to clean it but decided I didn't want to use it... so last night there was rice and canned chinese fried fish for lunch and dinner.
I didn't really have anything to do today but it turned out a busy day anyway just organizing things. I went into town to buy some stuff, but also to try the bus connection. it takes around 40-50 minutes to the centre, which is ok for a city, but further than I was used to go in our little "village" of Huainan.
For the phone at my appartment I had to buy my personal phonecard with credit and a PIN. I managed to get it in the post office at the old campus of this university, nearer the city center, even though it was quite a hassle to even find the place. I also had to buy a new sim for the mobile, because with the one bought in Huainan I 1was charged was charged tremedous fees and my credit was used up from just the couple of phonecalls I must have made yesterday (sort of defeating the purpose of MOBILE phones I thought, I am only 150 km away from where I bought the previous card, and the new one was bought from the same provider.) there was also a 30% service charge on the purchase of the new sim card, which I hadn't had to pay in Huainan. I mentioned it and was told that well, this was Hefei. I think things will be slighty more expensive here anyway, even though as not always a 30% rip off.
In the busses there are no assistants like in Huainan, as everywhere in the west you drop your coin in a machine and enter the bus. the huge advantage of the assistants was that they always announced the stops and made sure you got off where you wanted to, even if you had fallen asleep, and especially if you were a foreigner.
In reality there is no need to go anywhere for basic shopping, there is a row of small shops just outside the campus that offer all daily necessities. Only the luxury of the farmers' markets so ubiqitous in Huainan I think I will have to do without here. I asked on of the shop keepers where she goes to buy veggies and she pointed to somewhere behind the row of shops. I had to come back and ask her again because I couldn't find anything and she walked with me to point me to a sort of enclosed court of tiny barracks, in one of which a couple was selling some pretty sad looking vegetables and bits of meat I decided to stay away from. They said they would have fresh stuff in the morning, but I might have to find a different place and settle for weekly stock shopping or something...
The washing machine provided is one of the flimsy chinese kind, I doubt your things will ever get clean in there - leave alone nice clothes, which you don't even want to put in there. mine is even worse, as the water feed is leaking, it doesn't get water and thus doesn't do anything. I will have to get them to fix it so it can be used, so I don't end up having to hand wash all my clothes, which is what many if not most Chinese do. But at least they came and gave me a small portable gas stove today and I bought a little pan, so tonight I am having my own dofu-veggy stirr fry. It's 8 pm, time for a movie and some couch relaxing, but here there is only chinese TV, very bad broadcast quality on top of mostly useless soaps and talkshows. I try the radio even just to have some music....
I haven't taken my cam out yet, I was too busy and had things to carry today. I have a feeling Hefei will not be enchanting in terms of shooting as Huainan, as it is a much more civilized, western city, somewhat normal to us. But there must be interesting parts of it to find.
I hope I can start teaching soon and get in touch with more people. And I hope I am made for this life with the washing machine, and the "Duschklo" (there is no shower tub or screen, the shower is just one small room containing the toilet as well).... Wish me luck!
Uli
The kitchen utensils granted in the contract are no where to find, except for a rice cooker and a microwave there was nothing. The microwave was dirty beyond any rescue, I tried for a while to clean it but decided I didn't want to use it... so last night there was rice and canned chinese fried fish for lunch and dinner.
I didn't really have anything to do today but it turned out a busy day anyway just organizing things. I went into town to buy some stuff, but also to try the bus connection. it takes around 40-50 minutes to the centre, which is ok for a city, but further than I was used to go in our little "village" of Huainan.
For the phone at my appartment I had to buy my personal phonecard with credit and a PIN. I managed to get it in the post office at the old campus of this university, nearer the city center, even though it was quite a hassle to even find the place. I also had to buy a new sim for the mobile, because with the one bought in Huainan I 1was charged was charged tremedous fees and my credit was used up from just the couple of phonecalls I must have made yesterday (sort of defeating the purpose of MOBILE phones I thought, I am only 150 km away from where I bought the previous card, and the new one was bought from the same provider.) there was also a 30% service charge on the purchase of the new sim card, which I hadn't had to pay in Huainan. I mentioned it and was told that well, this was Hefei. I think things will be slighty more expensive here anyway, even though as not always a 30% rip off.
In the busses there are no assistants like in Huainan, as everywhere in the west you drop your coin in a machine and enter the bus. the huge advantage of the assistants was that they always announced the stops and made sure you got off where you wanted to, even if you had fallen asleep, and especially if you were a foreigner.
In reality there is no need to go anywhere for basic shopping, there is a row of small shops just outside the campus that offer all daily necessities. Only the luxury of the farmers' markets so ubiqitous in Huainan I think I will have to do without here. I asked on of the shop keepers where she goes to buy veggies and she pointed to somewhere behind the row of shops. I had to come back and ask her again because I couldn't find anything and she walked with me to point me to a sort of enclosed court of tiny barracks, in one of which a couple was selling some pretty sad looking vegetables and bits of meat I decided to stay away from. They said they would have fresh stuff in the morning, but I might have to find a different place and settle for weekly stock shopping or something...
The washing machine provided is one of the flimsy chinese kind, I doubt your things will ever get clean in there - leave alone nice clothes, which you don't even want to put in there. mine is even worse, as the water feed is leaking, it doesn't get water and thus doesn't do anything. I will have to get them to fix it so it can be used, so I don't end up having to hand wash all my clothes, which is what many if not most Chinese do. But at least they came and gave me a small portable gas stove today and I bought a little pan, so tonight I am having my own dofu-veggy stirr fry. It's 8 pm, time for a movie and some couch relaxing, but here there is only chinese TV, very bad broadcast quality on top of mostly useless soaps and talkshows. I try the radio even just to have some music....
I haven't taken my cam out yet, I was too busy and had things to carry today. I have a feeling Hefei will not be enchanting in terms of shooting as Huainan, as it is a much more civilized, western city, somewhat normal to us. But there must be interesting parts of it to find.
I hope I can start teaching soon and get in touch with more people. And I hope I am made for this life with the washing machine, and the "Duschklo" (there is no shower tub or screen, the shower is just one small room containing the toilet as well).... Wish me luck!
Uli
lol 
![[Image: piers-070327_3277327-web.jpg]](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y275/robertsonphoto/piers-070327_3277327-web.jpg)
