Day 6

Impressions along my daily walk to S'bucks for coffee & internet connection...it is assaultingly hot here in the tropics, and it will take me some time to get used to alternating between bathed in sweat and chilled in air conditioned buildings. On the 7 minute walk here, there are shade trees lining most of the way, reliably 5 beggars seated on the sidewalks with deformed limbs who call out cheerfully and hopefully as people pass by, hardly any garbage, men and women carrying umbrellas against the heat, and a mix of apartment buildings, banks, shops, parks, and restaurants. My building is 8 floors tall; those nearby are similarly scaled, but a few more blocks in any direction reveal much taller office and apartment towers. We are both an expat center and a small red-light district, with pocket-sized bars scattered around with names like Lovers, FUBAR, and Cherry Foam. The action seems to take place mostly within these discreet little spots, though I have seen small groups of women sitting out on the sidewalk in the early evening hours playing cards to pass the time.

This has been such a lazy Sunday, arising late and watching a program about China's first emperor on the Discovery channel. I think I'm still tired from sunburning yesterday on a staff trip to a beach about an hour from Shekou. The water was warm, no waves, with unidentifiable bits of stuff floating in the water and a net stretched across the shallow bay to keep out sharks. I swam for a little while but mostly sat under an umbrella, feeling mindless.

Next week we have 3 days of meetings and preparation, then a half day of school on Thursday and a full day on Friday. This school is huge, with over 750 students, 100 teachers and support personnel, and 3 different buildings. It is amazing to watch all the pieces starting to more or less fall together, and a little overwhelming at moments to feel like one of those little pieces.