Introduction to Guiyang

after a good night's rest, we hit the ground running. well walking is more like it. . . and we walked all over this city! we began with a quick orientation at our apt, then we headed out. our first stop was bank of china to get some cash so we can get around. bus fare is typically 1 yuan, or about 70 cents. then it was on to the police station to register our stay. they were quite pleasant, but it did take about an hour.

all of this made us hungry, and as our tummies are still for the most part on volunteer time, stopping for lunch was a good call. we ate at a japanese ramen place. fancy by most people's standards. food was delicious and the bill came to about 22 yuan a piece or about $3 each. crazy.

digestion + 12 hour time difference = jetlag "hitting the wall" remedied only by getting up and out and hitting the streets for our first planned activity. but first: a little coffee-pick-me-up. we went to a cute little shop where the cashier was excited to use her english. so we invited her to a picnic we are having in the park tomorrow. she seemed excited about the invitiation!

rebecca, amy and alfreda, our "company guides," split us into teams to hit the streets "thinking" specifically for the people and city in general. walking the streets helps us be more creative in the things we think about.

our team encountered the guiyang art museum and we decided to stop in and see how much it cost to go in. interestingly, there is an exhibit beginning on friday and will only last three days. it has some very cool olympic artifacts, and we were told the exhibit was coming from shanghai. only 2 yuan per person to go, so this little unscheduled sidetrack will result in a new activity for us!
in the midst of this very modern city of 3.5 million people (tiny by chinese standards) is a constant juxtaposition of old and new. this is the monument denoting the western gate of the city. it's backdrop is a sea of modern skyscrapers. it was beautiful and such a reminder that we are not in new york or atlanta or chicago, but china. it still seems a bit overwhelming to think that we are here.