Crazier than a movie

Today has been a bizarre day so far. The weather is pretty cool and overcast, which is a very nice change. At 7:30 a.m. we headed into downtown to get our resident cards at the security bureau. That was pretty uneventful and actually only took an hour. Then our driver took us to the new campus for us to each teach a Saturday class.

We saw so many accidents on the 30 minute trip to the new campus. In China there are technically laws and rules of the road, but nobody follows them. Mopeds, vans, tractors, bicycles, cars, and huge trucks drive in every direction on all sides of the road. And they all barrel along the road at a million miles per hour. I've been so surprised that we had not seen an accident or been in an accident yet. But today we did and I feel so sad. There was an awful lot of traffic today because next week is the October holiday. Everybody has somewhere to go right now.

For one accident we saw, there was a commotion on the road in front of our van. Our driver slowed down to a stop and yelled out the window. Right next to our door was a moped accident. Two mopeds were smashed to pieces and a couple men had gathered around another lifeless man. We sat and watched as they tried to pick up the man in his crumpled blue suit. They couldn't lift him though and he kept falling back onto his briefcase. He was dead. And all the crazy traffic continued to drive around him.

That was the last thing I wanted or expected to see early on a Saturday morning. Our driver shook his head sadly for a moment and then we went on. I just stared at the road and started crying. I thought mostly of his family who probably loved him and depended on him and now he was gone.

So when we finally got to class, I wasn't in the best mood. I had a freshmen English class that I really enjoy, though. They are super good kids. I was in the middle of teaching my lesson, when "BAM!" A student flew through the door from the hallway and landed at my feet by the chalkboard-- he was also lifeless. I was in disbelief. What on earth??

My class also was in disbelief and just sat there in their seats. Two other students immediately rushed in from the hallway and peeled him off the floor. They were saying to me, "Sorry, sorry." I followed them out into the hallway as they tried to revive him. He finally came to and he staggered back into a different classroom. When I looked back again at my students they acted like nothing strange had happened. Maybe they didn't want that unconscious kid to lose face? I don't understand Chinese, so I have no clue what had happened to him. I've learned not to ask questions in China...

I actually have some free time right now so I'm not sure what to do with myself. I washed some laundry and hung it out to dry. My roommate, Rachael, and I just walked a mile around the school track right outside our apartment building. Everything we do outside is under the watchful and curious eyes of dozens of people, sometimes hundreds. Just walking around the track falls under that category. The track wasn't that crowded, but by the time we left there were students playing badminton and basketball on the track as we navigated around them. There were also some very fit Chinese men doing handstands and pushups. Well, now it is time to go find another meal.