...and then there was cold, coLD, COLD

Oh yes, winter descended. And it came upon us with a bitter fury. Like a scorned woman. Like a witch's titty in a brass bra (sorry descent readers...forgive the trashy slang, but it's TRUE).

Here's the problem with Wuhan: located in Central China, it does not enjoy the mild winters of the South, nor does it receive the government-regulated central heating standards of the North. So, while our winters are just as cold as Beijing (well....on some days it's as cold, at least), we are left to suffer it with only our basic wall units in a few rooms.

So this is the situation: I live in a massively big apartment. It's big and spacious and therefore DRAFTY! I have two wall heating/cooling units--one in my bedroom and one in the office. These manage to keep those two rooms warmish---i still have to wear up to 4 layers while I'm in them...but they suffice. I also have an electric heating pad for my bed which keeps me toasty at night.

My Nashvillian roommates could be rolling their eyes right now--in Nashville I complained all winter about how low they'd set the thermostat until they bought me a small space heater to carry around with me. So to them I will say--my bedroom BARELY gets as warm as the coldest you'd set the heat in Nashville.

So--ok--I now live my life confined to my bedroom and huddled in front of the space heater in my office. The rest of the apartment is LITERALLY freezing. AS in--I don't have to put food in the refrigerator. That's right--I can just leave it out on the counter and it will even freeze overnight. When I shower, I have to make sure that the hot water has warmed up the floor of the tub before I step on it--b/c otherwise the cold porcelain will freeze-burn my feet. One morning when I was especially tired and went to wash my face, I screamed and pulled back my hand after I put it under the running water--it was so cold that I wasn't sure if I'd been burned or frozen for a second!

But I'm actually one of the 'lucky' ones in Wuhan. None of the buildings on campus are heated--and that includes the dorm rooms. We all wear our coats during class and in restaurants and everywhere else. I still don't know what the students do in their dorms. They all just say the same thing, "Ohh...it is very cold in Wuhan. You should drink hot water and wear more clothes"

FYI--drinking hot water and wearing more clothes is the cure-all prescription for any ailment. You can be dressed in so many layers that you have an added 17 pounds on you, with not one bit of flesh showing other than your nose perhaps, and they'll tell you to wear more clothes. And the hot water is due to their fear that cold liquids are "unhealthy"...just like cushioned chairs...just like sitting on cold benches....just like soft mattresses...just like ....anything not available in China is pretty much called "unhealthy."

One of my favorite students in my freshmen pronunciation classes (yeah--i have favorites--it can't be helped) likes to joke with me about all the reasons she doesn't feel like participating in class: "Ohhh, Mees Lucy...it is just too cold for me to pronounce. We should wait to do the pronouncing when we are warmer!" "Ohhhh, Mees Lucy, I am tooo tired to pronounce!" "Mees Lucy, we can not pronounce when it is raining like this!"

She cracks me up--I always just laugh and say "I agree! No pronouncing for anyone! Drinks all around!" ...after which we all get back to the lesson. But honestly, some days I see her point--It IS too cold to pronounce!

Anyway, the semester is almost over this week--the students are all taking their exams and then heading home in time for Spring Festival...aka...Chinese New Year. It will take place this year on February 8. Next semester will not begin until around Feb 25.

So, with my free time--I am ESCAPING THE COLD and backpacking through Southeast Asia for 3-4 weeks! My travel buddies Justin and Rachel Bronson and Jenn Shott and I are hitting the road (or...train tracks) on Wednesday and heading South. We will spend a while in Vietnam, hitting 5 major cities there (3 of which are ON THE BEACH), then we'll move on to Cambodia, where our main destination is Ankor Wat...the ancient jungle temple that was only discovered about 30 years ago (apparently part of one of the Tomb Raider movies was filmed there). From Cambodia cross the border into Thailand---eating authentic Thai food and exploring Bankok and possibly some more beaches (though we've heard that Thailand is much more 'touristy' so we may not be there for long). Finally, we'll head back up north towards China and probably go through Laos on our way back! The weather is supposed to be in the mid-70s to 80s and the beaches are supposed to be INCREDIBLE and cheap! I should be able to afford it all on my Chinese salary--which I am very grateful for!

Sooo...unless I get in a bloggin mood in the next few days--the next time you hear from me will likely be from the balmy climate of SOUTHEAST ASIA! Love to you all!