I initially planned to stay in Nanjing and just indulge, but I realized I should make use of these five days off. No one would help me move my belongings to my new school until after the holiday anyway. So, I booked a train ticket to Chongqing. Then, in my infinite wisdom, I thought it might be a good idea to reserve my return train to Nanjing. The bosses want to send me back on February 5th, but every train for that date was sold out. So, I ended up booking a train for February 7, which will get me into Nanjing on February 8. If they have an issue with it, they can just deal with it. This led me to hurry and pack everything, as I had no clue what the cleaning staff would do on February 5. I informed my boss that my bags were packed in my room, except for some laundry I did on the day I left (another mistake). I still haven’t heard back from her about that.
Anyway, the train ride was pleasant, apart from a woman who brought two children but only purchased two beds for the three of them. When I saw them entering my compartment, I was like, no way. I requested a change of bunks. Later, around midnight, we were passing through Hubei province and saw fireworks lighting up the sky as we went by. Upon arriving in Chongqing, I checked into my hostel around 3 p.m. I should have opted for a proper hotel instead of a hostel, but maybe I’ll learn someday. When I entered the room, a Russian woman had her belongings sprawled across the floor. I told her to just let me know, as I really needed a shower, and she replied, “It’s not going to take long, is it? Because I need one too…” So, I took what I thought was a lengthy shower to annoy her, but when I finished, SHE STILL HADN'T FINISHED packing her things. I couldn’t understand why she was so concerned about my shower when her stuff was everywhere. Then she started grilling me about my job in Nanjing, and I really wasn't in the mood to complain again. Every time I answered, it seemed like she couldn’t fathom how bad it was. “Your school is in a field?” Yes, it’s in a field. “There aren’t any shops around?” No, no shops. “There must be some stores.” No, there are really no shops. Just trust me, it’s a terrible school. She got on my nerves... I quickly got dressed and went to see the Huguang Guild Hall. It was a large house meant for people from the countryside immigrating to Chongqing, but I think it was only for those from Hubei, Hunan, or Guangdong.
We spent two weeks in Changde. It rained nearly every day, which limited our exploration more than we had hoped. We enjoyed playing at arcades, engaged in Township (a game on our phones and tablets), and went go-karting three times. The go-karts were fully electric and located inside a mall. Logan and Lizzy have been playing Township for over three years and taught Jenny how to play during a two-day stretch of continuous rain. She enjoys the game because it allows her to garden digitally while we travel. They also introduced Lutao to the game, so now the entire family plays Township together.
One thing that surprised me about Chengdu was how similar it felt to Beijing and other major Chinese cities we had explored. While we experienced some interesting nightlife spots, the city overall seemed quite generic. I initially thought this might be due to my limited Western viewpoint, but Mei Ling concurred that Chengdu didn't truly embody Sichuanese culture. We resolved to venture beyond the city borders during our remaining days in Chengdu.
I was very let down by my location once more this semester. It took me 2.5 hours to reach the train station on the teacher bus and then 3 hours to return from the train station on the light rail. Not to mention the 1 km walk back to my apartment from the train station. It's just as bad as it was last semester, if not worse, because there are no longer any trees or stray cats. It's simply a vast dusty campus on flat ground, with a lot of wind and currently, the sun is quite uncomfortably hot.
I'm still trying out my knee, so I visited Zhou "garden" (which isn't really a garden) and Wenfeng pagoda. It was impressive but tough for me to climb.
This month, I've been extremely lazy due to my knee not feeling completely right and the inconvenient location I reside in. Traveling to the south end of the city requires me to take two light rail trains, which takes at least 1.5 hours. I live in Gaochun, south of the airport, so I first take the local rail to the airport, then switch to the airport train to finally reach the south end of the city. My tourist card now only has destinations on the north end of the city left, and I lack the motivation to visit more than one each weekend. Without further delay, here are the photos I took during the weekends in December.
16.11.2024 - 16.11.2024 20 degrees Celsius
I was initially planning to stay in Nanjing and gain some weight, but I figured I should take advantage of my five days off. Since no one would help me transport my belongings to my new school until after the holiday, I decided to book a train to Chongqing. Then, in a stroke of brilliance, I thought I should probably arrange my return train to Nanjing. The management wants to send my things on February 5, but can you believe every train is fully booked for that day? So, I ended up booking a train for February 7, arriving in Nanjing on February 8. If they have an issue with it, they can just deal with it, I suppose. This meant I had to hurry and pack everything since I had no idea what the cleaning crew would do on February 5. I informed my boss that the bags were packed in my room, except for some laundry I did on the day I left (another mistake). I still haven't heard back from her about that.