Whud up, Wuhan?!

Yeh... I'm dumb.

After making it to Wuhan yesterday, we drove to the office (which was a pretty long drive). I am happy that the airport was so far away because it gave me the chance to see a lot of the city. We drove across the Yangtze River and passed the Yellow Crane Tower. I also spotted some "Western-ish" looking places along the way. It did not take me long to notice there is not the same circulation of money here as there is in Beijing. The majority of the cars are not BMWs and Mercedes. Instead I saw some more familiar models, such as, Honda, Toyota, and even a never-before-seen, Shanghai GM. The buildings are much older. There are of course new high rises and many city lights, but I love the tranquility of the worn-apartments and broken streets. The driving in Beijing has really yet to frighten me, but here in Wuhan I basically pray for my life while in a taxi. The streets are crowded with cars, bicycles, people, animals, road work, and basically any thing else that can get in your way of driving safely. It does not seem that people stick religiously to crosswalks and there is not a little green man that lets you know it is safe to run across. Instead, I prefer to close my eyes and sprint. At least that way I won't see death coming.

I taught my first class at the Wuhan center this morning. It was obviously a babies class. Since I am a baby-machine (In the class sense, not the "making" sense). It was a lot different teaching here than in Beijing. The class was mostly members with a few previews but I still found myself having to be super precise in my explanations and having to re-explain several times. Instead of mothers, the adults were mostly grandmothers. They were very social with each other and I on many occasions had to raise my voice over the adults in order to be heard. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I need work on projecting my voice anyways... and it is good for the adults to get some social interaction. The babies were adorable, as babies always are. There really isn't a difference in baby cuteness around the world. These babies drooled heavily... and maybe that wasn't so cute. Not that I don't love getting slobbered on. The adults in class were very friendly. I was very comfortable talking with them and they were comfortable talking with me. It is always interesting to hold a conversation when neither of you can speak a common language. But it does somehow work out. Usually...

Last night, Megan and I ventured out into the great Home of White Clouds and Yellow Crane. We did what two white girls in a big city can do best... went shopping! We took a taxi out to Hankou and made it to an H&M. I bought two new outfits and have wishes of buying a few more. I finally bought a pair of shorts and a skirt. These will be necessary here in the furnace of China. I also chugged down an Iced Vanilla Latte at Starbucks and went to dinner at Pizza Hut. I am glad that some of America decided to bless us with its presence here in Wuhan. Pizza Hut was actually delicious. I ate lasagna and fries, an excellent combination by the way. I am happy to know that I will be able to head out to that district once a week while I am here and enjoy coffee, shopping, and good food.

Megan also showed me around the area that we live in. We walked through the market/grocery store so I knew where it was and what they had. She also taught me how to get to work... which is super close to the apartment. It's nice having someone here with me for a few days. I am thinking the time will go by quickly here, but I will really enjoy myself.

I will of course post pictures of the apartment when I get the chance. It is really nice (other than the squat toilet issue). I think we are going to the river and snack street tonight. I am marking many things off my bucket list already! I will have to save some things for a later day!

Mandarin lesson:
Duìbùqǐ 对不起 (excuse me)