I'm going to be living and working in Chongqing, an large (by American standards) city in the middle of the country - about 6.5 million residents in the city proper, and 28.5 in the municipality. The city features prominently in this New York Times article about the massive urbanization process underway in China right now.
Here's another article chronicling the growth in Chongqing specifically. The stories of people living through this transition are endlessly fascinating and moving, and I'm very excited to be there to experience the development.
Of course, learning about people is a challenge when you don't speak the language. I've been trying, slowly, to learn the Mandarin basics. I doubt I'll gain fluency by the summer's end, but hopefully some level of competence, or at least the ability to order a beer off a menu.
The other exciting thing about Chongqing is the local cuisine. Situated near Sichuan, the food is known for being spicy. The city is known particularly for it's hotpot, and lucky me! An article from today, discussing the dish and recommending the best places in Chongqing to go. I'll have to watch out for "tummy upsets" -- perhaps the most adorable way of describing indigestion I've ever heard. (And also blood pudding. I will have to watch out for blood pudding.)
Until next time,
CR.
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