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