Hefei, no way!

I have spent this last week in Hefei (pronounced chuh-FAY, with a hard ch like Chanukah) doing my TEFL certification. By now, I have actually spent more time in Hefei than in Nanjing! Even though I can guarantee you have never heard of Hefei, it's a city of one million. However, they have absolutely no attractions or tourist pull. In the Lonely Planet guide to China, Hefei has about two sentences, one of which is something along the lines of, "there is nothing to do in Hefei."

Even if I was in a tourist-y city, I still would not have time to see anything anyway. The day is spent at the university with 25 other English teachers, learning how to teach in China. We are teaching all over China, but there are a few people from Nanjing or a surrounding city. For the most part, the information I am learning is redundant or unnecessary, but I have learned a couple good strategies and techniques that will greatly help me in the classroom. This evening, I am teaching a demonstration lesson for the class. I chose English slang as my topic, like "what's up" or "cool" or "no way!"

Although Hefei isn't a place known for food or nightlife, a bunch of people in their early twenties were bound to find some nightlife. It was nice to meet some other people in this country: my phone book now has more than two contacts! I am looking forward to starting my life in Nanjing, right now just feels like a vacation. A vacation with an exam and grades. Oh, and a vacation with cockroaches in the hotel. Classic China, apparently. So Hefei is really not the best kind of vacation... more on my adventures in Hefei later. China Doll, away!