Chongqing Bound

In August of 2008, Bethany and I decided to apply to teach in Asia with English Language Institute China (ELIC). After several weeks of forms, references, and interviews, we were accepted into the university program. ELIC is an organization that sends English speaking teachers to Asia. We have committed 2 years to the organization but are open to staying longer. As in most cultures, the need for college students to build healthy, meaningful relationships is great. It's no different in Asia.

ELIC has decided to place us in Chongqing, China. I had never heard of Chongqing until our ELIC coordinator, Erin, told us of our placement. This city has the largest metropolitan population in the world! There are 31 million people who live in Chongqing. That's not a city. That's a country! It's also a very mountainous city that's known as one of the three furnaces of China. It only sees lows of 40 degrees fahrenheit in the winter but has highs of 110 degrees fahrenheit in the summer. That may not sound that bad, but the humidity can make it unbearable.

Bethany and I will be teaching at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The university has 20,000 students and is set on 3,800 acres. From what I can tell, it's a beautiful campus, and Bethany and I will will have an apartment there.

We're both very excited to go on this adventure. Although, I have to admit that we are very sad to leave our wonderful friends and family for such an extended period. Speaking of leaving, we depart for China on July 28. Between now and then, we will be very busy. We're finishing up fundraising, looking for a renter for our house, preparing to go to France for a few weeks (more on that later), and trying to spend as much quality time as we can with the ones we love.

"Living with Chopsticks" is just our way of saying that Asia will demand whole lot of adjusting on our part. It could be funny; it could be frustrating; it will probably be both. And we want to share it with you.

Russell