Welcome to Houjing!

      I wake up early to depart to Qionglai City. I say my goodbyes to John and Nelson; wish them good luck and go on my way. I grab my luggage and walk out to the front of the hotel. I am greeted by a young man with glasses. He introduces himself as Elory. We throw my luggage into the trunk of the car and the driver takes us on our way. Elory is only 22 years old and has just started with the company a week before I arrived. So he is as new to the scene as I am. We make small talk and after at least an hour we arrive in Qionglai City. We pull into a school and take a quick bathroom break. I was thinking that this would be the school that I would be teaching at, but that’s where I would be mistaken. I don’t know what the driver and the security guard were talking about, but if I’m not mistaken it seems he was getting directions. We once again pile back into the car and head on our way. This time we are driving out into the middle of the mountains. The scenery quickly changes from urban area to a rural country side. The roads weren’t properly maintained. It indeed was a bumpy ride. At least another hour goes by and we are still in the middle of the mountains. As the narrow roads twist and turn I enjoy the serene quality of the atmosphere. There were plenty of bamboo groves, rivers, and fields. It was a sight to behold. We finally arrive to Houjing Town. So small that if you blinked you would miss it…… I’m not exaggerating. It is indeed that small. Near the entrance of the town there is a sign that shows plans of “The Houjing of Tomorrow.” We pull into the primary school where I meet Fi Fi and Kai Kai. They are teachers, husband and wife, and proud parents. With them they have their son who is only 4 years old. Fi Fi is an English teacher at Houjing Middle School, and Kai Kai is a math teacher at Houjing Primary School; the school where I will be teaching. They give me a tour around Houjing Primary school and introduce me to the school headmaster, and some of the other teachers. After showing me the school Elory and I head towards the local police station. Good thing we had someone driving us because if we had to walk it would at least take an hour to get there. At the police station we have to fill out a form for registration of a new tenant, or something like that. It basically shows where I live and if something was to happen they know where I live. We ran into a problem when they were having problems with their computers so we had to wait for over an hour. After an hour Elory talks with one of the officers and tells him that we need a copy of my passport. So we had to walk down the road to scan a copy of my passport, then return. It was such a nice day that the driver fell asleep in his car so we didn’t bother him about driving us down the road. We returned to the station, but still we had to wait. After some time we finally finish the paperwork and were permitted to leave. Before leaving one of the officers, Mr. Zhou gives me his number and tells me that if I ever need help to call him.  We arrive to the complex and carry my luggage up to the second floor. We walk into a fully furnished apartment. They show me around the apartment and show me how a few things work. Afterwards they ask what I might need for the apartment so that they may retrieve it for me. After listing a few things I would need, such as a trash can some cooking essentials, and a surge protector; Fi Fi and Kai Kai offered to show me around the town. Elory says his goodbyes and we exchange phone numbers. Elory is my go to man from the company if I need something fixed or need help with something. Fi Fi and Kai show me around town. They show me the local restaurants and supermarket. After some walking we decide it’s time to get something to eat. We go to one of the restaurants and order food. We sit out back in an open outdoor patio. One of the workers served us tea while we are waiting for our food. It started with just the four of us but our number quickly grew. Word got around quick that their little town now has a foreign teacher. I learned quickly that in this town they have never seen a foreigner. Other teachers from the school join us as well as some random people that live in town. Not only were they surprised to meet a foreigner I think they were more surprised by the fact that I am black. Out of all the people that sat at the table only maybe 4 people spoke English not including me. Food arrives and we drink beer and talk while we eat. By this time it is late and they show me home and head on their way. As soon as I close the door, it hits me. I am living in a foreign country…….Alone. I look around the apartment and start unpacking my luggage. It’s quiet. I can hear everything going on around me, the wind blowing, people walking upstairs to their apartments, the sound of the refrigerator whirring, and even the moth that was flying around the room. I had to break the silence so I play my ps3 till I was on the verge of passing out, then I stumble to my bedroom and go to sleep. The last thought going through my head is, “Well here I am…..”