Drum Roll Please

Jet Lag.

They say it takes a day to recover from jet lag for every hour you change into a different time zone. I think it did take me about 9 days to recover, after returning to Kuwait from Christmas break in Nebraska, and then a bit more to adjust to getting up at 4 am again. And now, just 26 days after arriving back in K-town, Q8 (Kw8) I have headed back to America. This time the time difference is only 8 hours, since I've landed in Boston.

The Athens of America.

I'm at a large international job fair, in Boston. As I not so subtly hinted in my previous post, I've been job hunting. I'm also planning a little sight seeing as this is my first time in the Athens of America. So, just performed a google search for nicknames of Boston and...

Here are just a few:
Beantown-- which refers to the regional dish of baked beans. I want to eat some Boston Baked Beans while I'm here.
America's Walking City-- it has the seventh-highest percentage of pedestrian commuters of any city in the United States, while neighboring Cambridge is the highest. (I'm actually staying in Cambridge.)
The Olde Towne-- which comes from the fact that Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States. 

The Athens of America-- because of Boston's great cultural and intellectual influence.

The Real Reveal.

Drum roll please... I'm not sure, yet, if my new blog title will be A Nebraskan in China, but I will be a Nebraskan in China, next year. I have made a 2 year commitment to teaching elementary ESL (English as a Second Language) at an international school in Xiamen, China.






Xiamen, The City.

Xiamen is suppose to have clean air and lots of walking paths, parks and greenery. Part of the city is an island connected by large bridges. The population is over 3 million. It's been ranked as China's second (no idea what the first was) "most suitable city for living", as well as China's "most romantic leisure city" on some list, at some point. Lots of nationals go there for vacation because of its beauty and nice subtropical climate. July is usually the hottest month with a, 24-hour, average of 82°F, the coolest is typically February, averaging 54°F; the annual mean is 68°F. See, third graders you do need to know what mean, means. In one place it said that the per-capita GDP is 9,000 USD.

What others are saying:

"It is not Taipei or Hong Kong (which are the nearest big cities, an hour plane ride or so away), but compared to most other cities in the region, Xiamen is definitely a very vibrant, affluent and modern place."

"Xiamen has consistently been voted as one of the most livable cities in China..."

"Deemed as China’s “cleanest city,” Xiamen is an ancient island community in the Fujian province that continues to top vacation destination lists. It exudes the vibrancy of a major city while still maintaining the alluring charisma of a beach resort." 

(Life in Xiamen, from the school website.)

Notable

Other things I thought notable, though I may or may not have gotten everything right. (It's amusing to go back to my research of Kuwait before arrival):

-It's on a bullet train line which, I think, goes to Shanghai in 8 hours for 50 USD.
-It has an island, that I read, is home to 20,000 people but allows no vehicles.
-It's on China's list of National Scenic spots, says Wikipedia.
-It can be quite humid.
-They don't speak a lot of English.
-Seems like they have Wal-Mart and Starbucks, but I'm not sure what other western stores/ brands will be available.



The School in Xiamen- Notable.

Again, from what I understand at this point, here are a couple things that I feel are notable about the International school I'll be working at.

-The student body is comprised of students from 29 different countries.
-There are two classes of every grade, which makes it a third of the size of the American school in Kuwait, I'm currently working at.
-The school has the highly sought IB (International Baccalaureate) program accreditation I was hoping to get experience in.
-The teachers, at the school, are from the United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and China.
-Each elementary class has a, local, assistant teacher.
-There are not required school uniforms for students.

I'm ready to stretch my worldview even wider.