TIC: This Is China

So this will likely be a much longer entry than I've been doing.  I've been trying to keep them short and largely just funny anecdotes but quite a lot has happened since my last entry so brace yourselves!
On Monday I met the 2 other "singles" who are just starting teaching.  I call them that because the three of us are the only non-couples who were hired starting new.  There were other singles but most seem to no longer be that way.
The 2 others are a few years younger than me, a guy and a girl, both American.  We had a good time together and spent the night in Beijing after the school official bought us all the first of many awesome meals.  This time we had the famous Beijing Kao Ya or roast duck which is pretty much just eating the skin.

Next day we headed to Weifang on the fast train.  Apparently it used to be the really fast train but after that huge accident that was all over the news they have slowed it down a bit.  To get to the station we put our luggage in a car then walked.  We went with one official while the other drove the car.  My first real experience of TIC came when we got to the station but the car was nowhere to be found so the guy with us called the other, spoke in fast Mandarin for awhile then said we had to go to the other side of the building going through security again.  This happened 3 times going back and forth until they figured out where each other were.
I have one big backpack and one fairly heavy suitcase.  The guy had 2 suitcases and the girl had a HUGE suitcase (70 lbs) and another large one plus a few personal bags.  This was much to the amusement of us 2 guys as we tried to imagine what could possibly take up so much space.  We discovered she did have 10 pairs of footwear as well as about 4 coats.  Guess she didn't believe that she could find stuff here much cheaper than the $200 extra it cost to take it on the plane.
When we got off the train in Weifang we had to go down some stairs with our luggage.  There was a smooth section in the middle so we were told to slide them down.  It was semi-successful.

After somehow managing to get all of us and all our stuff in a van we went to our hotel for the night but not before of course having another huge meal which featured an entire chicken cooked in sauce.  No one ate the head but the feet were eaten.  I wanted to try one but both were taken before I had the chance.
The next day we explored the school a bit and were introduced to the other foreign teachers in Weifang. They were quite a bit older than us but you wouldn't really know it as the guys wanted to go out for a big "BBQ" and more after.

The BBQ was basically various meats on a stick,  there was 8 of us eating, it was awesome, we had about 10L of Tsingdao beer and there was lots leftover and the whole thing cost about $65.  The next morning we had to go get a physical done in order to get our resident papers so the official with us kept reminding us that we couldn't eat or drink after midnight.  None of us were sure why this mattered for bloodwork but he insisted so he was a bit freaked when Seth (the other single guy and I) went with the 2 other guys out to the bar.  It was a pretty fun night although since it was a Tuesday there weren't a lot of people out.  We managed to get back to our hotel by 230 and up by 8am for our physical.
Part of the physical included a heart test where they put these weird suction cups all over us and clamps on our hands and feet.  It didn't hurt at all but all I could picture was the girl shining a light in my face and demanding to know who I worked for.
We then headed to Dongying in another bout of insane driving.  I will write more about this and other crazy observations in a later post.  Possibly tomorrow.  The drive to Dongying is almost 2 hrs and apparently a 4 hr bus ride from Weifang.

In Dongying there will be 6 of us foreign teachers: 1 guy who is getting married to a Chinese girl and has been here 3 years, and 2 American couples who taught together in Korea last year.
When I got to Dongying I met the guy and one couple, the other has not arrived yet.  It was apparent quite quickly that this crowd is far different from the Weifang teachers.  The guy said he rarely goes out anymore other than for meals and it was clear the couple likely would not do the bar or "KTV" (basically karaoke).  I'm staying right at the school but the three I met today are all staying at their own places so there will just be 3 of us here although the others are not incredibly far away.

I did find out that the couple went to University for biblical studies and, along with the other couple who have not yet arrived, hope to be able to have some form of a house church since none of us are too proficient at Mandarin.
This is clearly a VERY different outcome from what it would have been in Weifang.  It's too early to tell if this is a good thing, a bad thing, or just a thing.
Well, I have to be ready for training tomorrow at 8am so I will go to bed.  That's my update, leave a message or send an email if you want to say hi!  I have a couple more pics online but have not taken many in the last few days.
Wiseguy1