Typhoon!! Part Two!!

Hello Landlubbers,

Yep, we encountered another typhoon here in the Middle Kingdom. This one was a Level 15! We were under the impression that 10 was the highest it could get, so we're not really sure what the "ratings" really mean. For all we know, it could be 15 out of 100. Either way, this one was a real doozy. Gusts of up to 90mph and up, and lots of rain. We had heard about it the day before, and that evening we were informed that classes would be canceled the next day. We were advised to stay indoors all day and not go near any doors or windows. This advice was promptly ignored, but still appreciated.

Since we knew the storm was coming, we ran to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. We had heard that the city would be shut down Wednesday, so we needed enough food to last us a day or two. Apparently the other 5 million residents of Zhanjiang also had the same thought. The grocery store was INSANE. John and Russel went to the store on campus and stood in the check-out line for an HOUR waiting to pay. David and I went to one store, and then we split up and I covered another store. There were hundreds and hundreds of people running around, grabbing everything in sight and throwing it into carts. If I was smart I would have bought some stock in instant noodles the day before. All the vegetables were gone, bags of rice were being loaded up, and the entire bakery had been completely wiped out. I stood in line for twenty minutes waiting for a loaf of bread, being pushed and shoved each time the bakery door would open. Finally I got my hard earned loaf of bread, only to have snatched out of my hand by some old lady. I opened my mouth to yell at her, but she started screaming and cursing at me in Cantonese and I just threw my hands up in the air, said, "I'm done," and walked away. Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and this was not one I was going to win.

I was woken up repeatedly Wednesday starting around 5am, and slept restlessly the rest of the morning. The wind and rain were really, really loud, and occasionally a long bang could be heard, usually a palm branch hitting the ground. At one point we were all standing outside on the balcony watching the storm and a big gust caught the dome off of a streetlamp and smashed it to the ground. We saw one branch come down and hit a student who was foolishly running around. We asked if he was okay, and he shouted out "I O.K.!!" and then scurried off to safety. (It sounds terrible, but it was actually quite humorous.) We spend most of the day indoors, but when things got really nasty we'd run outside to watch. Seems a bit counter-intuitive, but then again, we are men.

Since we were quarantined for most of the day, I decided to do a little housecleaning. Actually, I did a lot of housecleaning. I spent the entire day scrubbing every nook and cranny of my apartment. I think my toilet is probably cleaner than it has been in years. Ben was about to drink from it, but then I reminded him that it's still Chinese water. Every room has been swept and mopped, and every flat surface dusted. It was "K.P.," "Dust Buster," and "Germ Warfare" all rolled into one! Momma would be proud.

Today classes resumed as people slowly emerged from their storm shelters. There actually was quite a bit of damage to many of the trees on campus, and there was also a lot of debris strewn around. None of the building seemed too damaged, though there was a lot of plaster knocked off of the teaching building I was in.

Other than the worst typhoon to hit Guangdong Province in the last ten years, things have been pretty quiet around here. Everyone is starting to settle into their schedules. Chinese class is taking up more and more of everyone's time, and this week English Corner began. The freshman also completed their military training, and we had our first classes with them this week. You can really tell which students are freshman these days, as their skin is noticeably darker because of all those hours spent marching around in the sun for two weeks. The girls can't be too happy about that.

Even though it's been quiet here lately, things are about to pick up. October 1st is "National Day," aka. the Chinese 4th of July, so we get a week long holiday to celebrate. The guys and I will be heading down to Hainan Island, which for you veteran readers is a familiar location. I visited there during the Spring Festival of '06. I'm excited to be heading back. A whole bunch of Maryknollers are meeting down there, so it should be a good time.

I'll leave you with a few images of my last trip, and wish you all a fond farewell. See you on the flip side...