Only 2 Weeks 2 1/2 Days to Go... So Sad

Hmmm, where to start, where to start??...

Well maybe I'll start with a little interesting fact about one of my teachers over here. Adding to the Asian video-gamer stereotype, he recently informed me that he used to play the video game World of Warcraft at least 10 hours every single day!!! And also, he said that on some days, he would play 20 hours!!! Can you believe that? Is that not incredible?... Of course, he is now a teacher and has given it up because he now realizes that it was a complete waste of time... Anyway, I just thought that was a LOT of hours

A few days ago, I was hanging out with a little six-year-old genius. He is such a funny kid and both of his parents are brilliant and, like a lot of the American kids over here, he can speak both English and Chinese very well. Well, he and I were making paper airplanes and coming up with variations on the airplane that he and his father had invented. As he taught me how to make it, he instructed me on many different parts of real aircrafts, his favorite planes, and numerous usages of words that I did not know existed until I was at least a teenager. After we finished our final version, it was time for him to go home. As he left, he told me he was going to take our prototype back to his house where he would "work on it" and eventually make enough "aircrafts" to become his "super fleet."... He's an absolutely brilliant kid.

After he left, one of my Chinese friends taught me how to make an authentic Chinese paper airplane. It flies really well but its super complicated to make so I'll have to ask him to show me again. He said that when he was a kid, he and his friends would make paper airplanes all the time. I will never lose another airplane flying contest again; thank goodness I don't have to go through that pain anymore.

He said that another thing he grew up doing all the time was skipping rocks over the water. I was at a lake with him one day and we began skipping some rocks. I was undeniably impressed with the incredible amount of times that he somehow managed to get those smooth stones to skip across the lake. It was pretty ridiculous to say the least.

Well, next I want to list 10 things that I've noticed, seen, or found interesting during my time here in China:

#1: The Chinese men (and women) do not simply spit. They somehow manage to cough up every little bit of gunk in their throats and then spit it out on the public sidewalks. Goodness, they're so loud... and disgusting.

#2: I recently had to go across the street to the little make-shift market to buy some apples and lettuce. When I was trying to find the lettuce (which, as it ended up, there was no lettuce there at all), I met a man selling something that ALMOST looked like lettuce... and he looked exactly like a Chinese-version of Ernest T. Bass from Andy Griffith. It was really funny. Its kinda hard to explain, so this might be one of those "you had to be there."

#3: A couple weeks ago, I fell victim to a variation of the infamous Chinese Water Torture. While sitting in the bathroom, the hot water heater continued to drip - drip - drip. Oh it was horrible. Really annoying. I can't imagine how bad it would be to have the actual torture done on you...

#4: One morning, before I woke up, they cut off the electricity to the apartment complex. Unfortunately, they gave us no prior warning. That evening, while Josh and Danielle were gone somewhere, I was left alone in the pitch black with no electricity. I did not have much choice but to simply lay on the couch and wait for 9:00, which is when the power was supposed to come back on... Anyway, it was a long time in the dark

#5: One little treat that I have enjoyed twice while being here is little ice cream bar things sold in a few little stores. The good brand is "Walls" I believe, and they are fantastic. Mmhmm good

#6: Days ago, while riding while Jarred on his dian dong back to the apartments, we passed the little trash house by the street. There was nasty liquid streaming on the sidewalk beside the dumpster thing. That would not have been so disgusting if there had not been two dogs there. One of the dogs had his head on the ground, wiping it in the filthy liquid. I don't know if it was attracted to the hideous odor, or he just couldn't find regular water, but it was pretty nasty regardless.

#7: One of my new favorite Chinese foods is the dan chou fan (fried rice with egg). Oh it's so good. I can order it to go all by myself (I'm pretty excited about being able to do that; sorry). That is really good stuff... dirt cheap too.

#8: Chinese kids do not have great problem-solving skills. I help (or at least I like to think I do) with an English class for Chinese kids. It is every Saturday for an hour (after 5 days of extremely long school days, these kids spend their "free day" going to more classes. Oh how I would hate to be a Chinese kid.

#9: At the shitang (dining hall) at campus, I got something that I thought was meat, even after eating some of it. I was really surprised when I asked one of the guys I was eating with what it was, and he said toufu. Hmmm... wasn't quite as bad as I had thought... still weird, though.

#10: One thing that I really hate is when I am riding my bike and a big truck passes me and I get the horrible feeling that it is raining... really nasty water.

So anyway, last week was a good week. I got to play guitar again with my friend Luke at the youth group; so that was a lot of fun. I finally got to play some soccer; I kicked around with a team as they were warming up for their tournament game, of which I saw a portion; and I also played some pickup on another day with some college guys.

Using a nifty little ipod app, I found out some interesting things about my birthday: On the exact same day (same day; same year), John Lennon's aunt and guardian passed away. Also, December 6 was the same day Santa Claus died (or more specifically, St. Nicholas)...

I just got back from playing Mahjong, a really cool Chinese game that so many people spend hours and hours playing. It's kinda confusing but really interesting. I won the first game but lost every other one. I had a blast and I hope I get to play it again. (And just in case you were wondering, it is NOT the same Mahjong you play on the computer).

Well, I want to end this post with a conversation I had over text messages this past week. It was with a girl I met once while talking with my friend (her boyfriend) at campus. She must have gotten my number from him. I really hope he doesn't round up his friends to beat me up. (Oh and, no, those are no my typos in the following conversation. This is exactly how she wrote them...)

Girl: "Hello ,sir, Im a chinese girl. Iwant to make friends with you. Do you agree?"

Me: "Have I met you before? Or do you know one of my friends?"

Girl: "Yes,I met you in today,When we are having lunch.I know have your phone-number that not get your admit is imprudemt.Im sorry,I only want make frinds with you"

(After I gave her a slight compliment about her "great" english, she responds with:)

Girl: "...you are the first people that say my English is well ,I feel so excited..."

(Here are some more of her texts:)

Girl: "Class is over eventually,so tired. Thanks your praise just now,Please don't angry with Korea, it's me that get your number initiatively"

Girl: "Oh,your home at here?only you or and your family?how long have you in China?"

Girl: "Im sorry I asked you shortly,I remembed that American don't like somebody who asked their personal questions suddenly.I feel sad,please excuse me.Disturb you so long,Im so sorry,Having a talk next time.Thank you, have a good night"

...It was interesting to say the least.

Dali

What a fantastic weekend...

We just got back from a four day retreat/vacation in Dali, China. This beautiful city, lined with busy streets, 3 famous towers, and a beautiful lake, offered a perfect environment to enjoy walking through streets full of vendors, coffee shops, and wonderful restaurants. The weather was beautiful every single day and made it very easy for us to enjoy ourselves.

We did so many fantastic things in that short amount of time: we went on a really long group bike ride to the lake; we ate at some really great restaurants, ranging from regular Chinese dinners to good ol' American cheeseburgers to Italian lasagna and pizza; we spent several hours talking and reading in a great little coffee shop called the Black Dragon Cafe. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip; sitting in the coffee shop, either reading my book or talking about my upcoming years at UNC.

(Side note: while I have been around coffee-drinkers my entire life, I have yet to try a sip. Reason #1: I have seen many coffee addicts who apparently cannot go a day without the stuff and I am in no hurry to become one of them. Reason #2 (more importantly): I have been planning on waiting to drink it for when I start college. I know that there will be many occasions when I will need to be able to stay awake during class. When this happens, I do not want to have built up any immunity to it to where it would have any less of an impact on me than possible. However, after spending so much time sitting with these college graduates, I cannot help but be excited to have my first cup. Anyway, enough of that long, and probably boring, rabbit-trail)

Oh I had so much fun riding there and back in the "party bus," finishing off my book, having great conversations, and playing fun and intellectually-stimulating games. It was a blast.

To tell you the truth, I really did not want to come back. I enjoyed so much all of the time I spent reading in the coffee shop, walking around, and being with the people that I love and care about... Oh well, I'm still here with the same people, just with less free time.

Tomorrow I'm back into the regular routine of going to campus, meeting new people, and having Chinese language class. On Friday, I get to help my friend Luke again playing music for the youth group. I can't wait.

Anyway, that was a little bit of our trip to Dali. At the top of this blog page, there are some pictures from there. Oh, what a great weekend. Now it's time to look forward to my remaining time here, where I can't wait to see all of the surprises that are in store.

Wo De Pengyou / Bike Race / Etc.

Today was very interesting indeed. Having a special day off from class (because my teacher had some kind of interview), I decided to bike to one of the campuses where one of my new friends attends. On the way there, I was biking along, minding my own business, when two guys on a dian dong che (remember, its that electric scooter thing) pulled up beside me. They were obviously going much faster than me because I was peddling and they were speeding along by simply rotating a single wrist. Regardless, as they began to pass, they slowed down until they matched my speed, and the guy on the back smiled and said, "hello". I laughed and responded with the same common greeting; after which, they sped off out of sight.

As I neared the school, I was not positive on which street to take. I could see the school in the near distance but neither road that lay before me was headed straight for it. Realizing that I would eventually have to decide which direction to take, I turned to a guy walking by, pointed to the school, and said, "Qing wen na shi..." Before I finished my question of whether or not that was the college I was looking for, he interrupted with the name of that particular school. I then pointed in both directions and did my best to convey my current predicament. He pointed which way to go and as I began to bike off, I traded a "thank you (xia xia)" for a "you're welcome (meiyou)." Now, don't get the idea that I think that I'm fluent or anything, but I was extremely psyched to be able to have a conversation (no matter how short) with a Chinese-speaking stranger. It was pretty cool.

After reading the title of this particular blog, some of you may be wondering what "wo de pengyou" means and why it is in my title (untranslated). Well, it means "my friend(s)," and I chose this because I spent of a considerable amount of my afternoon at the campus hanging out with three Chinese friends. They met me at the gate and then led me to their sushe (dorm). When we first walked in, one of them asked me if I wanted some water. Wanting to be accepting of the Chinese generosity, I said, "Yes please." Unfortunately for me, I didn't think about that they probably did not have an extra cup. He walked over to his desk and got his personal, used, unwashed, lip-stained, drinking glass. He filled it with about a centimeter of water in order to "wash it out" and then he dumped out the water. I sat in my little chair knowing that my "Yes please" was irreversible at this point. He gave it to me, and to avoid being rude, I took a quick swallow, trying my best to allow minimal contact between my mouth and the glass. Not the best but I'm still alive. While in the dorm, we played guitar for a long time and played many many songs (including the Chinese song that I have been learning for the past couple of days, which I was very excited to play for Chinese ears).

After our little guitar concert, we went outside in the hot hot sun to play a little basketball. We shot around and talked for a long time. We eventually got tired of that so we went to a little juice shop where I drank two glasses of some fantastic grape juice for 4 quai each (like 60 cents maybe). Oh, those were so good. I also went with them to their dining hall when it was time for their early dinner (their meal times are just like our dear ol' elderly folks). And by the way, never ask a Chinese person if a food is spicy or not. They will say it is not even if it will nearly destroy the mouth of an American; and if they say that it IS spicy, even the toughest redneck in the world should proceed with caution. Needless to say, the meal was pretty spicy. Although, it was really a good meal and much better than the cafeteria at my campus. I guess spicy is not so bad...actually it's not bad at all.

Well, it was time to come home. I said my goodbyes and biked off into the sunset towards my host/hostess's humble abode. When I was only a few minutes from my destination, I came upon my favorite stretch of road that I ever get the opportunity to bike on. It is downhill, with little speed bumps and potholes scattered in different places, making it a little more like an obstacle course than a road. With the bike chain on the highest possible gears, I began peddling with much more intensity than before. I picked up speed and inhaled as I felt the wind blow on my face. I was passing dian dongs left and right. Nothing could pass me.... That is, until a little Chinese guy came whizzing by; also on a bike. As he passed, he was grinning from ear to ear and muttering something in his native tongue. Well, naturally, I took that as a challenge. I picked up speed as best I could and just smiled as I went flying by this happy little guy who thought he had gotten the better of me. I got about a 10 meter lead (hooray for the metric system) and continued looking over my shoulder to see if his constant peddling was allowing him to catch up or not. While I had to peddle as hard as I possibly could, he couldn't quite make another pass. Fortunately, I had to turn at the bottom of the hill, bringing our spontaneous race to a sudden end. As I pulled off to the side and pulled gently on my brakes, I turned my head to watch him continue on to his destination to go about his daily business. We both smiled and waved and I couldn't help but just be thankful that the often boring, 25 minute bike ride had suddenly become so memorable and enjoyable. By far, it was the most epic bike race I have ever had. Give it up for my unnamed competitor. Thanks, man

At home, as Danielle prepared our wonderful dinner, Josh and I stayed in the kitchen to have a lengthy, detailed, and helpful discussion between us three about specific concerns that I have been considering about my upcoming life at UNC. It feels so good to be able to talk about these things with people that have been there before and that I completely trust. Josh gave me a book to read that I am excited about reading: "Total Truth." I read the forward and I know that it will be an extremely beneficial read.

I was thinking about something today. I was thinking about how easy it is here to make a complete stranger smile. In America, that could take quite a bit of work, seeing that Americans you pass on the street look at you as just another person they pass. In China, however, where foreigners are few, they look at you differently... very differently. When you smile and say "hello" (in Chinese or English), it is hilarious to watch their countenance instantly change from a completely blank, yet incessant, stare to a smile reaching from ear to ear. It is so cool... That is, unless the person wasn't completely staring at you and then you smile, and then they're not sure if you smiled, and then they resort to the blank stare as they try to decide what you just did. Goodness; it is very interesting to say the least.

Anyway, that was my day. Hope you enjoyed getting to live a little part of it. Later

Happy Easter

Well, it's been a while since I wrote anything on here. Everything is starting to fall into a routine so there is not quite as much to write about. However, I do have an update on my Chinese language learning.

A few days ago, after my 3 hour class, I went to the school cafeteria and sat down with some students and began talking with them. Their English was not bad at all, but many times throughout our conversation, I would say phrases in Chinese when they didn't understand the English or when it just make it clearer. I was very surprised and encouraged with all that I could say. Now, of course, it wasn't really that much. It is only a month's-worth of learning and I know that it is exceedingly minimal in comparison to what I would need to actually carry on complete Chinese conversations and nowhere close to how much Josh, Danielle, and all of my new friends can speak; but still, it got me excited. I really enjoyed that day and was smiling the whole way home on the dian dong che.

Also, I watched "The Passion" at the International youth group on Good Friday. It was really moving and a great way to spend time thinking about that gruesome, yet wonderful, story. After it was over, I went with some of my new friends to shaokao, which is Chinese barbecue. I rode on the back of Luke's (my new good friend) dian dong, which, I got to say, is by far the coolest dian dong I have ever seen. He recently spent a few quai "pimpin' it up". It has hong kong license plates, blue lights lining it, and a double frequency car horn... It is pretty sweet.

Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with him and 5 other friends talking about college and their lives in foreign countries and watching drunk Chinese men almost get in a fight. Very interesting night.

So anyway, I'll write more later. Happy Easter!!!!