Hi Everyone,
Welcome to my blog.  I'm starting this off with a video tour of my crazy apartment.  I got in on Wednesday night after a mad dash to Chicago to pick up my visa on Monday afternoon.  I had somehow mixed up the days, and thought I didn't leave until Wednesday!  Luckily, everything came together in time, and after having a few days with Mom, Rose, and friends in Michigan, I got on the plane in Kalamazoo.  The flight from Detroit to Hong Kong was uneventful, and arrived around 7PM on Wednesday.  I met one of my fellow teachers who had been on the same flight, and we got through customs and were picked up by a local driver.  We cleared immigration from Hong Kong coming into China proper, and took a long ride in to Dongguan.  After dropping off the other teacher, we reached my apartment building, where I was greeted by the school's director and about 8 of the local support staff.  They insisted on carrying my luggage, and handed me a huge bouquet.  We took an elevator up to the 6th floor, and stepped into apartment 6D, where I was given a tour much like the one in the following video.





So, I have a nice place to hang my hat, and it's starting to feel comfortable, rather than just weird.

Dongguan as a city is strange.  There are so many people everywhere you go here that it can be overwhelming sometimes just to go to the store. There's a shopping center on every block, filled with tiny stores that sell what seems to me to be random things (there's one place that just had sandals and umbrellas).  There are lots of western stores and restaurants: McDonald's is right outside of my apartment complex, as is a Starbucks, and there are two Walmarts within walking distance.

It took me a few days to get oriented and start figuring out where I am, what direction I'm walking in, etc.  It didn't help that I was without internet for two whole days.  That made me feel like I was in the dark, so on Friday I took advantage of the fact that I can't seem to sleep past 4am and devoted a couple of hours to figuring our how to get my computer online with the f'd up modem in the apartment.  It was a great relief to finally get online and feel connected again.  I've Skyped with a college friend and both parents; very nice to see familiar faces and hear familiar voices.  Also, I've been working on figuring out where I am in Dongguan by trying to place things I know on Google maps.  This and my morning runs around the neighborhood are giving me a sense of familiarity, at least with my immediate surroundings.  Once the Chinese guy at the phone store figures out how to get my 3G and GPS working, I'll be navigating and tagging like a champ.

It' s Monday morning as I write this (still having trouble sleeping past 4am).  We've got a busy week of planning at school ahead of us.  I just got the calculator order in, and we'll be getting our new Macbooks today or tomorrow (the school is very free with their money, and seems happy to provide us with just about anything we ask for).  Sometime this morning, a few of us have to go and present ourselves at the local police station (just showing up to prove we actually exist), which should be the final step in getting a long-term visa that allows me multiple entries.  I'm going to get out and jog, and try to ignore all of the new smells and breathe the soupy air while dodging cars, dead rats, and piles of disturbing garbage.