Crossing the Yangtse for the first time

Today is my first full day here in Wuhan.  This morning I headed downtown to get my medical exam for my work visa.  Basically, it is an onerous formality that requires that I be human, breathing and have money to pay for the exam.

The clinic I went to has a number of stations that visa seekers must go to.  At the ECG station, the doctor politely asked me to take my T Shirt off, when in fact I had no T Shirt on.  Basically, I was too hairy to do the ECG.  Rather than shave me or have me come back when she could do the test, she passed me and noted that the ECG diodes attached poorly to my skin.  I suppose it is easy for Chinese to mistake a western man's body hair for clothing because Chinese have very little body hair.

As I write this post, I am sitting in the office of the school.  I am teaching at the Wuhan Experimental Foreign Languages School, which is a public school.  I am told that the headmistress is a very high ranking party member and that she is involved with the national education committee or governing body that administers to schools. This means that the school has plenty of funding.

The campus is nice.  It is rather large. There are dormitories for both faculty and students.  Most of the students are boarders.

Unlike in the US, students start boarding at a much younger age.  There are primary school age kids who sleep at the school.  Students all go home on weekends.  I cannot imagine being at a boarding school at such a young age, although I recall that there are equivalents in the US and England where very young kids board.

My accommodations are decent.  I have a one bedroom with living room and bathroom.  The kitchen is shared with several other foreign teachers.

The hosts have been quite gracious and accommodating.  One fellow has been particularly nice and we have spoken a bit.  His english is very good.  He suggested I let him know if he can put me in touch with a relative of his who is a businessman because I am a lawyer and he said his friend might be able to help me get a job.  This would be in addition to teaching. You can be sure that you will hear more about this if indeed it comes to pass.

There is a dining hall for students and another seperate one for the faculty.  The food is actually pretty damn good for a cafeteria style place.

I like it and am optimistic.  I am looking forward to teaching once I get my visa processed.