A morning in Jinjiang

A snip-it from a typical morning here in Jinjiang college:

Every morning I wake up at about 7:15, give or take a few minutes depending on how much work is left before class at 8:50 (which is 3 days of the week).  On clear days this involves a sunrise out the window; on days like this morning it just involves a grey glowing sky.  Contacts in, turn on the hot water heater in the water dispenser (the one with the jug on top like you see in doctor waiting rooms- you can't drink the tap water here), and awaken the Chinese Windows operating system PC from slumber, and then sip instant coffee and read news for half an hour and finish powerpoint slides for class.  Its funny to read the news in the morning- everything happened while you were asleep.  This only adds to the feeling of complete disconnect from foreign events.  

Finally, before classes, I almost always go to the student dining hall for breakfast.  I think Luke and I are the only teachers, both foreign and local, who eat there in the morning.  Almost every morning involves a few baotzi (steamed buns filled with pork and cabbage) and a differing combination of: pita-ish bread with pork inside that's fried in scrambled egg (delicious), baked sesame paste pastry, fried sesame paste pastry, bean paste steamed bun, hard boiled egg, or fried piece of bread that is delicious dipping into your hot soy milk (I discovered this this morning).  And every morning we have a cup of hot soy milk.  Its a good breakfast and really cheap- about 4 RMB each morning (75 cents USD). 

My laugh always seems to echo throughout the dining hall and create a hushed silence as if I just broke a plate.  Absent are the days of ruckus Jewett Dining Hall shenanigans.  If I threw a grape in THIS dining hall, I think I might be expelled.  Even outside of the classroom and with friends, the students have a quiet composure.  I think they are becoming more accustomed to us being there- maybe one day they'll start sitting with us.

Happy Halloween!