I have been in Korla for one month. My first English lesson will take place next week, so for the last 30 days I have wandered through town, for all intents and purposes, as a deaf-mute.
This has its advantages. Be honest now: In this last month of the Presidential campaign, haven't you secretly wished you didn't understand English? Lucky George!
Still, the inability to verbally communicate does pose some logistical hurdles. Food comes to mind, for example, and the times when the food in my mind has failed to materialize as food in my stomach.
The compound I live in has a number of restaurants, and several of them are buffets. This is eating at its easiest, strolling down the line and selecting whatever looks appealing. There is always rice and always soup. A variety of vegetable dishes, some with meat and some without. Usually noodles, often bread, and always fruit. It's a piece of cake (without the cake).
Ah, but sometimes the meat misleads me. More than once I have bit into flesh, thinking it was something else, and found myself chewing liver. Those inscrutable chinese meats!
There is also a Uighur restaurant in the compound, and numerous more outside the gates. At first I kept pictures of the dishes I liked on my digital camera, to present the restaurant worker with a visual display of my desires. Now, I have a few Uighur words with which to order.
There are also many small eateries and sidewalk stands where I can employ the point-and-chew method.
I wrote earlier that this location is farther from an ocean than anywhere else. Maybe it's also the furthest city from a Taco Bell. There is however, a KFC, which has lured me in twice so far. There is no sign of McDonalds, nor of its icon, 'Uncle Ronald,' as he is known to the Chinese.
At times I even cook for myself, though admittedly it's been limited to stirfry and instant noodles.
The first time I went to a friend's home for dinner, I was served a big bowl of chicken's feet and chiles. Last week, dining with a couple of friends, they graciously put the fish head in my bowl...
Although I have been here only a short time, several holidays have already served me well. The first was Teacher's Day, when all the school staff had a half day off and were given 500 yuan in cash. In Western terms (certainly when compared with 700 billion dollars) 500 yuan is not much. But when an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet costs two yuan, 500 of those guys go a long way. Teacher's Day was also recognized by numerous businesses in town, in the form of free gifts and discounts. And many students arrived bearing flowers and small gifts.
A few days later came the Mid-Autumn Festival. We were given a three-day weekend for this event, and a 300 yuan credit in the compound's stores. The park across the river from my apartment was brightly lit every night, along with the bridge, and hosted outdoor movies, vendors and cultural exhibits. The school also sponsored a one-day trip to the edge of the Taklamaken Desert.
And, coming up this week, is National Day (the anniversary of the People's Republic of China). Three days vacation for this event, and they are convening school on Saturday and Sunday so we will have seven consecutive days off. And, a cash bonus of 800 yuan. I'm planning to take those days and catch a sleeper train to Kashgar. It should be an experience.
May the bears and bulls of your market be kind, and may the bears and bulls of my market be non-existent (it's tricky enough to deal with the chickens and fish).
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