My First Visit to Sister Nat and Rural China

I recently took a trip out to the middle of China to visit sister Natalie in the capital of Hunan Province—Changsha. Nat is currently living there and working as Assistant Field Director of World Teach. As most of you know, she was a teacher this past year in a rural part of Hunan in a beautiful area known as Wulingyuan. As part of my visit I saw her current location in Changsha and we also took a trip to visit her old digs in Wulingyuan. It was very eye opening to get out of Shanghai and see more of the “real China.” Doing so allowed me to understand how unique Shanghai really is…for example in Shanghai babies have pants with diapers (mostly) instead of chaps, and do not use a combination of newspaper and the sidewalk as a toilet. This is only one of the many differences between Shanghai and other Chinese cities. In addition, it is nearly impossible to get around unless you speak the language.

Changsha – I flew into the Changsha airport after about an hour flight and a very exciting snack pack on the plane, which included a relish packet, 3 small cherry tomatoes, and some short of pound cake. Once I found a cab, I got Nat on the phone so she could speak to the cabby in Mandarin. After what seemed like much negotiation we settled on a place and price. As we approached the city I was sure to text Nat every street we passed in case I was kidnapped and she needed to retrace my electronic footsteps. Everything worked out fine and I was dropped off in front of Nat’s school. Hunan was hotter than hell!! I was quickly escorted into her air conditioned office where I met Steve (Field Director) and Rick (current status unknown). We eventually made our way back to Nat’s apartment which was very nice, well let me say, now I think is very nice after seeing her digs from last year. The highlights of my stay in Changsha included a walk to the Subway (yes the restaurant), a visit to Walmart (there are two in Changsha), and eating hot pot. I am excited for Nat as Changsha is a good place to be and it is easy to visit Shanghai from there. It is a pretty average Chinese city and I doubt many tourists or Chinese for that matter will find their way there but that is part of the fun…being one of the few foreigners and totally immersing. The food was also really delicious but very spicy.

Wulingyuan – I really wanted to see where Nat had lived the whole last year as I heard so many stories and video chatted a number of times. The trek out there (which Nat did many a time) was no easy feat. We had to take a 4 hour bus, 45 minute mini bus, and then cab ride. I cannot believe she did this each time she traveled outside of her village! Needless to say it was well worth trip as it was unbelievable to think I finally got to be in the complete middle of nowhere in China and to think my sister, little sister, lived her by herself. The town is tiny and very simple. Most live in very basic makeshift houses with dogs and cows roaming around. Most of the children are naked or wearing their chaps, yes pants with no crotch to easily relieve themselves…these are more rare in Shanghai nowadays. After a tour round the dirt roads in town, where I felt like the mayor on parade as everyone came out of their homes to stare, we found a great little hole in the wall to eat in…now granted, they were all hole-in-the-walls but Nat assured me that she had eaten here before and I would not get sick. The food was actually great and helped to further the “not getting ill” streak. I am sticking to the advice that a beer with each meal keeps you well.

The next morning we headed to the big national park at the center of this recent NY Times article. Nat had seen this place many times and during all seasons. What she hadn’t seen was Wulingyuan National Park during tourist seasons. Between the Koreans and Chinese tourists we definitely got a taste of what Beijing ’08 will probably look like—massive lines to do just about anything. Now these are not just lines, they are Chinese lines, which in itself is actually an oxymoron. A line, as defined in China, is a group of people who group together in order to all push each other forward in the hopes that despite having no where to go and the gates being closed, they will somehow magically get through. There is no mercy in these lines. Even grandma gets shoved to the side because as Nat says, she can’t fight back as easily. Please check out video of us in line here. The heat, unbearable tourists, and our tight timeline meant we had only a brief view of these beautiful mountains and valleys. Nat was so lucky to be able to see these throughout the various seasons as it is a truly magnificent park. There are a few pictures here. After we found our way back down the mountain (through yet more lines) we, after less than 24 hours in Wulingyuan, began our trek back. Although the time was short, I am glad we went and I think that was about all I needed to experience. The family envoy to Nat’s remote town had completed its mission.

As stated previously, it was great to see other parts of China to put Shanghai into perspective. When I returned home to my apartment here, I truly felt like I had entered back into a little paradise where once again I had access to any and everything in this city. First thing I did, ordered a ruben from Sherpas.com, the food delivery service here in Shanghai. Tasty!