Loyal followers, fans, and the like,
I'm back after a long blog hiatus. I won't tell you what happened during the intermission, because it stresses me out to think about all the things I could say, but welcome back to my life.
I leave for Yunnan (province in Southern China) on Friday for two weeks with my best friend Rebekah. I am beyond excited. Words cannot express. If you're bored, look up the following places and imagine me in them: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri la, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Yuanyang. We'll be backpacking and taking buses around the province. It's going to be an adventure and I'm sooooooooooooooooooo excited! I have an intense backpack and some sweet waterproof hiking boots, so I'm pretty much set. Rebekah wants to sneak into Laos too, but I'm not sure it's worth it. I want to thoroughly explore Laos and Cambodia on another trip.
I just got a new teaching job which I'll write more about another time, but I'm looking forward to a change when I return to work August 23rd. Life has been good this summer - I had best friends and family come visit, and it was wonderful! It was also really sad to tell them bye, and I'm still recovering.
Another comment about my weight today. My Chinese teacher asked me if she was a little fatter. I said no, of course. Then I felt like it was my turn to ask if I was a little fatter, too. I had several motives behind this question: 1) it was awkward and I felt like I was supposed to ask. 2) I'm actually a little thinner than I was a few months ago, so I was secretly hoping for a complement. And what did I get? Yeah, you're a little fatter then when I first met you. Fail. I'll never be as thin or pretty as she first thought I was. My teacher also recently told me I looked tired. I told her it was because I wasn't wearing makeup, and since my skin is fair I tend to have dark circles under my eyes. She responded by telling me I should wear makeup. She has also told me stories about how the teachers talked about a dress I wore one day and how beautiful it was, and now how I wear shorts and sandals. Can I do anything right???
Then, as I was walking down the street tonight, a Chinese guy says "好瘦" which means "how/so/very skinny." I heard this, processed it, realized he was talking to me, then turned around to look at him and got confirmation. Weird. Make up your mind, China.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Happy Children's Day?
We celebrated Children's Day today at school - yipee. This consisted of the children going outside to watch an hour and a half of stupid peformances put on by the teachers and their mothers. I can't quite explain what this spectacle is like - I've already seen it several times, and it's quite annoying. These adults put on full body costumes and act with pre-recorded skits that are played deafeningly loudly over the speakers. They also talk in the most annoying cutesy Asian voice EVER. Why they like this voice is beyond me, but apparently it's very good.
That was kind of a cynical start to this entry. The performances today were kind of fun because I basically just played with/distracted the kids during the performance. I had my favorite little (and fat) tyke sitting on my lap for awhile at one point. His name is Genre, and he's 3. Then he got too heavy so I had to get up. Also some older kids, about 5 or 6, told me they had never eaten American food. I said really? Have you ever been to McDonald's? KFG? Eaten pizza? They said yes. I said then you've eaten American food! One very cute boy told me - no! This was Chinese food! His Chinese teachers and I set him straight.
During my last class someone came to observe. During the class one of the students told me I was "hen bang" - very good/cool - an obvious ego-booster. After the class the lady told me I was great and all the teachers/administrators liked me a lot, so that was encouraging. I have been a bad influence on the kids this week, I think. I am teaching them fruit, and I ask them how to eat each fruit. We act out how to eat it, and then at the end I throw the imaginary peel behind me. Some of the kids tell me that is not okay and I should put it in the trash. I want to tell them to teach their parents this lesson! Chinese people litter like crazy. But some of them think it's really funny and love to throw their imaginary peel on the ground.
I am going to Yunnan province in August with my friend Rebekah! I am beyond excited. It is in southern China and borders Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Vietnam. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world with mountains, rivers, lakes, flora, fauna, and all kinds of Chinese ethnic minorities, so it's very diverse. I think we are going to backpack for 1.5-2 weeks, so it's going to be a pretty intense trip. I've already been researching and planning for hours.
Tomorrow we are having a Lost finale party at my friend's apartment. Even though the episode aired almost a week ago, we wanted to make the finale special, and it's too hard to meet during the week, so about 6 of us have held off watching until tomorrow. We are each dressing up like a character and bringing food they might have eaten on the island. I am obviously dressing up as Claire, because I am blond and do an amazing "WHO TOOK MY BAYBYYYY?" impression.
And finally... I have really been missing my friends lately! Family, I miss you a little, but I get to skype with you a lot so it's okay. So, friends, save up and come visit me because I miss you! I am just realizing that it's strange leaving college where you are constantly surrounded by people your age who like to do the same things as you, and now I'm in an enormous city and that is not always the case.
Family, I have a special note for you:
1. My birthday is coming up (t minus one week exactly). Whoever sends me a package will be my favorite.
2. Mom is currently winning the prize for best family member, because we talk a lot. Elisabeth and Bobby, you do pretty well too, but Dad and Margaret...
3. Dad if you send me money I will forgive you. (just kiddingggggg)
4. Margaret you are currently winning the award for the worst sibling. You never call me. If I could rank the best siblings in order, you would get 5th - Austin AND Socks would beat you, because I probably talk to them more than you. Actually, you send me music so that bumps you up a few points. You also called me an hour ago accidentally right before school started. I was trying to eavesdrop and listen to what you were saying but I didn't get any juicy info.
5. JK, girl, see you soon!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was kind of a cynical start to this entry. The performances today were kind of fun because I basically just played with/distracted the kids during the performance. I had my favorite little (and fat) tyke sitting on my lap for awhile at one point. His name is Genre, and he's 3. Then he got too heavy so I had to get up. Also some older kids, about 5 or 6, told me they had never eaten American food. I said really? Have you ever been to McDonald's? KFG? Eaten pizza? They said yes. I said then you've eaten American food! One very cute boy told me - no! This was Chinese food! His Chinese teachers and I set him straight.
During my last class someone came to observe. During the class one of the students told me I was "hen bang" - very good/cool - an obvious ego-booster. After the class the lady told me I was great and all the teachers/administrators liked me a lot, so that was encouraging. I have been a bad influence on the kids this week, I think. I am teaching them fruit, and I ask them how to eat each fruit. We act out how to eat it, and then at the end I throw the imaginary peel behind me. Some of the kids tell me that is not okay and I should put it in the trash. I want to tell them to teach their parents this lesson! Chinese people litter like crazy. But some of them think it's really funny and love to throw their imaginary peel on the ground.
I am going to Yunnan province in August with my friend Rebekah! I am beyond excited. It is in southern China and borders Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Vietnam. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world with mountains, rivers, lakes, flora, fauna, and all kinds of Chinese ethnic minorities, so it's very diverse. I think we are going to backpack for 1.5-2 weeks, so it's going to be a pretty intense trip. I've already been researching and planning for hours.
Tomorrow we are having a Lost finale party at my friend's apartment. Even though the episode aired almost a week ago, we wanted to make the finale special, and it's too hard to meet during the week, so about 6 of us have held off watching until tomorrow. We are each dressing up like a character and bringing food they might have eaten on the island. I am obviously dressing up as Claire, because I am blond and do an amazing "WHO TOOK MY BAYBYYYY?" impression.
And finally... I have really been missing my friends lately! Family, I miss you a little, but I get to skype with you a lot so it's okay. So, friends, save up and come visit me because I miss you! I am just realizing that it's strange leaving college where you are constantly surrounded by people your age who like to do the same things as you, and now I'm in an enormous city and that is not always the case.
Family, I have a special note for you:
1. My birthday is coming up (t minus one week exactly). Whoever sends me a package will be my favorite.
2. Mom is currently winning the prize for best family member, because we talk a lot. Elisabeth and Bobby, you do pretty well too, but Dad and Margaret...
3. Dad if you send me money I will forgive you. (just kiddingggggg)
4. Margaret you are currently winning the award for the worst sibling. You never call me. If I could rank the best siblings in order, you would get 5th - Austin AND Socks would beat you, because I probably talk to them more than you. Actually, you send me music so that bumps you up a few points. You also called me an hour ago accidentally right before school started. I was trying to eavesdrop and listen to what you were saying but I didn't get any juicy info.
5. JK, girl, see you soon!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A VERY fun weekend
Greetings from the motherland!
Last weekend was super fun. I planned a fun outing. Well, first I went to the Chinese hospital and my nice doctor gave me a free x-ray of my elbow. It's not fractured! Yipee! But I still have to wear the sling for awhile, and I can't straighten my arm. It feels better and I can move it more, but not totally.
Then, I went farrrrr away to the west side of town to try and find an animal market that I'd read about with birds, insects, reptiles, and other pets. Since my iphone got stolen, my ability to get around the city has relied more on asking people how to get places. So I got off at the subway station and after asking about 50 people, finally found my way to this market. I was so proud and felt very independent. The market wasn't super exciting, but I was glad to go because it had been something I wanted to do. There were the usual pets - birds, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, iguanas, other lizards, snakes, turtles, rabbits, etc... and then there were the Chinese pets: crickets, pigs, some sort of squirrel, and other small animals that I don't know. One bird spoke Chinese to me so I talked to him for awhile.
Then I met up with friends at a park called Beihai Park, it's north of the Forbidden City. We found a spot on the grass in the shade and had wine, brie, grapes, strawberries, and bread. It was so nice and relaxing! It was very Chinese though - we didn't have a knife for the bread or cheese, and we used our water bottles for the wine. Some Chinese kids and their parents came to talk to us because we were a group of foreigners. Every so often an old man would start whipping the air violently loud. TIC: this is China.
Then we went to Wangfujing - a very touristy street. We ate at McDonald's and waited until it got dark. I tried to get everyone to play "would you rather," but when I asked them would you rather have no nose and slits in your face for nostrils, or legs that were one foot long, they didn't want to play. So once it was dark we started walking down this street. The street is full of souvenirs and food. The main reason people go here is for the crazy snacks of bugs and sea creatures. We ate the following: scorpions, grasshoppers, seahorses, and starfish. The scorpions were pretty tasty, but the rest I didn't care for so much. It was SO fun to walk around, eat weird things, and take silly pictures. Then we went to an arcade which was okay but by this time my feet were starting to hurt and my bag was getting super heavy.
THEN, - yes, this day was never-ending, we went to Nanluoguxiang. Nanluoguxiang is a really fun street in an hold hutong (alley) neighborhood that is now full of shops and bars. We sat outside at the Guitar Bar with music and hung out. I got home at 1:30 am. It was a very successful day.
On Sunday I went to a friend's apartment for dinner. There is a chef in Beijing named Chef Wang - he comes to people's apartments every night and cooks for them whatever they want and you pay him - but it's an extremely good price. He is booked a year in advance. It was my first experience with him and it was really fun!
A friend from home, two years younger, Tommy Obenchain, is arriving in Beijing tonight! I'm going to see him on Friday and Saturday and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing someone from home!
Peace out, homies.
Last weekend was super fun. I planned a fun outing. Well, first I went to the Chinese hospital and my nice doctor gave me a free x-ray of my elbow. It's not fractured! Yipee! But I still have to wear the sling for awhile, and I can't straighten my arm. It feels better and I can move it more, but not totally.
Then, I went farrrrr away to the west side of town to try and find an animal market that I'd read about with birds, insects, reptiles, and other pets. Since my iphone got stolen, my ability to get around the city has relied more on asking people how to get places. So I got off at the subway station and after asking about 50 people, finally found my way to this market. I was so proud and felt very independent. The market wasn't super exciting, but I was glad to go because it had been something I wanted to do. There were the usual pets - birds, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, iguanas, other lizards, snakes, turtles, rabbits, etc... and then there were the Chinese pets: crickets, pigs, some sort of squirrel, and other small animals that I don't know. One bird spoke Chinese to me so I talked to him for awhile.
Then I met up with friends at a park called Beihai Park, it's north of the Forbidden City. We found a spot on the grass in the shade and had wine, brie, grapes, strawberries, and bread. It was so nice and relaxing! It was very Chinese though - we didn't have a knife for the bread or cheese, and we used our water bottles for the wine. Some Chinese kids and their parents came to talk to us because we were a group of foreigners. Every so often an old man would start whipping the air violently loud. TIC: this is China.
Then we went to Wangfujing - a very touristy street. We ate at McDonald's and waited until it got dark. I tried to get everyone to play "would you rather," but when I asked them would you rather have no nose and slits in your face for nostrils, or legs that were one foot long, they didn't want to play. So once it was dark we started walking down this street. The street is full of souvenirs and food. The main reason people go here is for the crazy snacks of bugs and sea creatures. We ate the following: scorpions, grasshoppers, seahorses, and starfish. The scorpions were pretty tasty, but the rest I didn't care for so much. It was SO fun to walk around, eat weird things, and take silly pictures. Then we went to an arcade which was okay but by this time my feet were starting to hurt and my bag was getting super heavy.
THEN, - yes, this day was never-ending, we went to Nanluoguxiang. Nanluoguxiang is a really fun street in an hold hutong (alley) neighborhood that is now full of shops and bars. We sat outside at the Guitar Bar with music and hung out. I got home at 1:30 am. It was a very successful day.
On Sunday I went to a friend's apartment for dinner. There is a chef in Beijing named Chef Wang - he comes to people's apartments every night and cooks for them whatever they want and you pay him - but it's an extremely good price. He is booked a year in advance. It was my first experience with him and it was really fun!
A friend from home, two years younger, Tommy Obenchain, is arriving in Beijing tonight! I'm going to see him on Friday and Saturday and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing someone from home!
Peace out, homies.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Things I Love Part I
Things I love about China:
- The other night when I walked out of the subway I heard some music and saw people dancing. When I got closer, I saw that a bunch of old couples had brought a boom box and were all dancing! It was so cute! I couldn't stop smiling all the way home.
- That people are giving up their seats on the subway and bus for me to sit since I'm wearing a sling. It might become my permanent sling when I'm using public transportation.
Things I don't love about China:
- How OBSESSED they are with weight/being skinny/looks. It is not considered rude here to tell someone they are fat, or have gotten fatter. Anyone can ask anyone their age. Looks are important, and I just found out that the reason I rarely see gray hair here is because even the old people dye their hair black! However, most girls don't wear makeup and dress lame (blog about Chinese style on the way...). The reason I don't love this about China is because yesterday, one of the Chinese teachers told me right before my class that I was fatter than when I first started teaching. I responded with "oh..." and a mental note to never eat again.
- The other night when I walked out of the subway I heard some music and saw people dancing. When I got closer, I saw that a bunch of old couples had brought a boom box and were all dancing! It was so cute! I couldn't stop smiling all the way home.
- That people are giving up their seats on the subway and bus for me to sit since I'm wearing a sling. It might become my permanent sling when I'm using public transportation.
Things I don't love about China:
- How OBSESSED they are with weight/being skinny/looks. It is not considered rude here to tell someone they are fat, or have gotten fatter. Anyone can ask anyone their age. Looks are important, and I just found out that the reason I rarely see gray hair here is because even the old people dye their hair black! However, most girls don't wear makeup and dress lame (blog about Chinese style on the way...). The reason I don't love this about China is because yesterday, one of the Chinese teachers told me right before my class that I was fatter than when I first started teaching. I responded with "oh..." and a mental note to never eat again.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Bad/Lazy Helen
I have been a bad blogger this past month - well, really, more than a month. I'm sure a lot has happened, but of course I can't remember it all.
It has finally warmed up some here! We've had some beautiful days where I've actually seen the blue sky! This was the longest winter in Beijing in a really long time, so everyone is really happy that the weather is nicer now. Beijing is actually kind of pretty sometimes - they have planted flowers that make me happy, and all of the cherry blossoms are really beautiful! It's fun to see more people spending time outside - vendors selling fruit, ice cream, flowers, etc.
However, there are some drawbacks to spring in Beijing. Some days there are WILD amounts of pollen flying around the air. It's kind of crazy - I see all of this stuff flying through the air, and I try to swat it away from me but you can't get away from it. I'm sure I've eaten a good amount of it somehow. I know it cannot be good for people with bad allergies, but thankfully I've felt pretty well lately.
I had been running a lot the past month, which felt really great. My dad always told me that running gives you energy, and through all my years of running I never believed him until now. For some reason I've felt great running in Beijing, I've been motivated to do it, and I've run longer than I have in awhile. I feel so capable when I run and just really happy. The runner's high is not a myth. BUT... I haven't been able to run for about 10 days because I injured my elbow. I was wearing new platform wedges - to translate that for the males reading this blog, it means really, really high shoes. I fell, tore ligaments in my elbow, and possibly slightly fractured it. So, it's been in a sling for awhile - and not a good sling, a ghetto sling. Basically just a scarf-type thing. Sadly I haven't been able to run, and it's severely limited what I can do/how easy it is to get around. On the up side, I've learned how to say in Chinese that I injured my elbow because I fell. It's feeling better, but definitely not healed yet.
I will conclude this entry by writing what I wanted to write a few weeks ago but was too lazy to do... This came after a series of events that caused me to feel very strongly. It goes something like this:
Dear China,
Sometimes you/your people are TOO public. I know there are a ton of people who live here, but seriously, get a grip. I have three bones to pick with you:
1. I do not need to see couples fighting in the street. Take it indoors. I don't want to hear a guy and girl SCREAMING at each other as I'm walking past. It makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I don't want to see the girl walking away and the guy chasing her, begging for her to talk to him. I don't want to see the girl and guy hitting each other. I don't think anyone wants to see this. Keep your private lives private.
2. I definitely do not need to see you and your children peeing on the street. In the middle of winter, I don't want to see a (probably drunk) man, in the middle of the night, peeing right onto a street as I'm walking past. If you must forgo the toilet, at least pee in the alley! I don't want to see your child's butt crack through his split pants all over the city, and I also don't want to see your child peeing on the street in the middle of the afternoon as thousands of people walk past. Like I said - please use a toilet, or at least the alley.
3. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not need to see the chef of the restaurant in which I'm eating smoking as he comes in and out of the kitchen, and SPITTING on the floor of the restaurant. This does not encourage me about the sanitary conditions in which my food is being cooked. If you must spit on the floor, don't hock a loogey (sp??) - do it quietly.
Yours truly,
Helen
It has finally warmed up some here! We've had some beautiful days where I've actually seen the blue sky! This was the longest winter in Beijing in a really long time, so everyone is really happy that the weather is nicer now. Beijing is actually kind of pretty sometimes - they have planted flowers that make me happy, and all of the cherry blossoms are really beautiful! It's fun to see more people spending time outside - vendors selling fruit, ice cream, flowers, etc.
However, there are some drawbacks to spring in Beijing. Some days there are WILD amounts of pollen flying around the air. It's kind of crazy - I see all of this stuff flying through the air, and I try to swat it away from me but you can't get away from it. I'm sure I've eaten a good amount of it somehow. I know it cannot be good for people with bad allergies, but thankfully I've felt pretty well lately.
I had been running a lot the past month, which felt really great. My dad always told me that running gives you energy, and through all my years of running I never believed him until now. For some reason I've felt great running in Beijing, I've been motivated to do it, and I've run longer than I have in awhile. I feel so capable when I run and just really happy. The runner's high is not a myth. BUT... I haven't been able to run for about 10 days because I injured my elbow. I was wearing new platform wedges - to translate that for the males reading this blog, it means really, really high shoes. I fell, tore ligaments in my elbow, and possibly slightly fractured it. So, it's been in a sling for awhile - and not a good sling, a ghetto sling. Basically just a scarf-type thing. Sadly I haven't been able to run, and it's severely limited what I can do/how easy it is to get around. On the up side, I've learned how to say in Chinese that I injured my elbow because I fell. It's feeling better, but definitely not healed yet.
I will conclude this entry by writing what I wanted to write a few weeks ago but was too lazy to do... This came after a series of events that caused me to feel very strongly. It goes something like this:
Dear China,
Sometimes you/your people are TOO public. I know there are a ton of people who live here, but seriously, get a grip. I have three bones to pick with you:
1. I do not need to see couples fighting in the street. Take it indoors. I don't want to hear a guy and girl SCREAMING at each other as I'm walking past. It makes me feel quite uncomfortable. I don't want to see the girl walking away and the guy chasing her, begging for her to talk to him. I don't want to see the girl and guy hitting each other. I don't think anyone wants to see this. Keep your private lives private.
2. I definitely do not need to see you and your children peeing on the street. In the middle of winter, I don't want to see a (probably drunk) man, in the middle of the night, peeing right onto a street as I'm walking past. If you must forgo the toilet, at least pee in the alley! I don't want to see your child's butt crack through his split pants all over the city, and I also don't want to see your child peeing on the street in the middle of the afternoon as thousands of people walk past. Like I said - please use a toilet, or at least the alley.
3. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not need to see the chef of the restaurant in which I'm eating smoking as he comes in and out of the kitchen, and SPITTING on the floor of the restaurant. This does not encourage me about the sanitary conditions in which my food is being cooked. If you must spit on the floor, don't hock a loogey (sp??) - do it quietly.
Yours truly,
Helen
Friday, April 9, 2010
Cultural and International Helen
Happy late Easter and Happy late Tomb Sweeping Day! (Almost) everyone had last Monday off for Tomb Sweeping Day. The Chinese are supposed to go to their ancestors' graves, honor them, and burn paper money for their ancestors' after lives. Here's one problem I haven't solved, though - these days almost all Chinese people are cremated because they don't have room to bury them in the city, so do they just go to their urns? I don't know. Anyway, most people were just out and about in the city so everything was CROWDED! Rebekah, her mom, and I went to the Zoo market together to buy clothes. It was FUn, of course. Then we went across the street to the Beijing Zoo. I didn't really expect much, but it was actually still a little disappointing. First of all, the animals have some pretty bad living conditions - tiny dirty cages. The animals actually stared at us, just like the rest of the Chinese population, and we got philosophical and talked about how we are kind of animals in the zoo here in Beijing. I'll post some funny pictures of the zoo later.
Last Friday night I went to dinner with my Chinese class - my French classmate, his Chinese girlfriend, my Chinese teacher, and my Italian classmate who paid for everything (NIIIIIIICE). We got Italian food and drank red wine, it was delightful. My Chinese teacher is always "jianfei" - trying to lose weight, so she doesn't eat dinner. Like EVER. This was the most she'd eaten at dinner in five years. She didn't like the food very much, so I tried to make her feel more comfortable and tell her we didn't care if she ate it or liked it - I always feel pressure from the Chinese so I thought I'd be kind and not return that particular favor. She also hated the wine - she doesn't drink. Nonetheless, we had a great time! We sat at dinner for 4 hours and talked (my teacher and I talked almost totally in Chinese, which was fun). We bonded and she told me about her sort of boyfriend who lives in Chengdu. She told me it was her secret - "zhe shi wo de mimi / 这是我的秘密“, so I told her it was now my secret too.
On Saturday Sheila and I went to a market that has e-v-e-r-y-thing. We did a little decorating for our apartment, which still needs some work, but now has some artwork on the walls. Saturday night I went to KTV (Chinese karoke) with some friends. It was SO fun! I really missed some of my American friends, though, because some of the people I went with weren't into my pop and rap music. They didn't know most of the songs I chose, which was wildly disappointing. I still had a great time and performed quite a bit. I didn't even need to look at the words, no surprise there.
Sunday/Easter was great. It was a beautiful, warm day here! After church and lunch I went on a run - my first run in Beijing! I wore shorts, a t-shirt, and took my ipod, and the Chinese looked at me like I was crazy. I think it was a combination of my shorts, my whiteness/blond hair, and the fact that I was running outside for exercise. It felt good, and I ran again on Tuesday, and I'm running again this afternoon (Friday). Hopefully this is the start of a new habit. Post-run on Sunday I went to a friend's house where a bunch of us ordered some amazing Korean fried chicken, then went to the West side (Wudaokou) for an open mic night at a bar. Some of our friends beat boxed which was really fun! I spent time with a girl on Sunday and Tuesday from Hong Kong who is a senior marketing exec for Disney Asia. She is awesome, and now I have a friend in HK! She told me I could hang out with her when I went back and we talked about meeting up somewhere around China sometime. Plus, she works in TV - my dream. She's going to L.A. in May for a bunch of stuff and will be at the finale for LOST! She gets to handle the stars! AHHH!!!
I wasn't home at night one night this week. Tuesday I went to Rebekah's house for dinner and a movie. Wednesday night I went to the Rwandan Embassy for a memorial for the 16th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide which was really cool, then I had Chinese class. Last night, Thursday, I went to a concert that my good friend and concert pianist, Michelle, was performing at. It has been a fun and busy week, so I'm ready to relax this weekend!
Miss you all!
Last Friday night I went to dinner with my Chinese class - my French classmate, his Chinese girlfriend, my Chinese teacher, and my Italian classmate who paid for everything (NIIIIIIICE). We got Italian food and drank red wine, it was delightful. My Chinese teacher is always "jianfei" - trying to lose weight, so she doesn't eat dinner. Like EVER. This was the most she'd eaten at dinner in five years. She didn't like the food very much, so I tried to make her feel more comfortable and tell her we didn't care if she ate it or liked it - I always feel pressure from the Chinese so I thought I'd be kind and not return that particular favor. She also hated the wine - she doesn't drink. Nonetheless, we had a great time! We sat at dinner for 4 hours and talked (my teacher and I talked almost totally in Chinese, which was fun). We bonded and she told me about her sort of boyfriend who lives in Chengdu. She told me it was her secret - "zhe shi wo de mimi / 这是我的秘密“, so I told her it was now my secret too.
On Saturday Sheila and I went to a market that has e-v-e-r-y-thing. We did a little decorating for our apartment, which still needs some work, but now has some artwork on the walls. Saturday night I went to KTV (Chinese karoke) with some friends. It was SO fun! I really missed some of my American friends, though, because some of the people I went with weren't into my pop and rap music. They didn't know most of the songs I chose, which was wildly disappointing. I still had a great time and performed quite a bit. I didn't even need to look at the words, no surprise there.
Sunday/Easter was great. It was a beautiful, warm day here! After church and lunch I went on a run - my first run in Beijing! I wore shorts, a t-shirt, and took my ipod, and the Chinese looked at me like I was crazy. I think it was a combination of my shorts, my whiteness/blond hair, and the fact that I was running outside for exercise. It felt good, and I ran again on Tuesday, and I'm running again this afternoon (Friday). Hopefully this is the start of a new habit. Post-run on Sunday I went to a friend's house where a bunch of us ordered some amazing Korean fried chicken, then went to the West side (Wudaokou) for an open mic night at a bar. Some of our friends beat boxed which was really fun! I spent time with a girl on Sunday and Tuesday from Hong Kong who is a senior marketing exec for Disney Asia. She is awesome, and now I have a friend in HK! She told me I could hang out with her when I went back and we talked about meeting up somewhere around China sometime. Plus, she works in TV - my dream. She's going to L.A. in May for a bunch of stuff and will be at the finale for LOST! She gets to handle the stars! AHHH!!!
I wasn't home at night one night this week. Tuesday I went to Rebekah's house for dinner and a movie. Wednesday night I went to the Rwandan Embassy for a memorial for the 16th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide which was really cool, then I had Chinese class. Last night, Thursday, I went to a concert that my good friend and concert pianist, Michelle, was performing at. It has been a fun and busy week, so I'm ready to relax this weekend!
Miss you all!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Adventures in Potty Training
Reader beware: Some graphic humor lies in the post below. Be prepared for bodily functions, etc.
Today was just any normal day at school... or so I thought. I taught an older class of 5-6 year olds, then I taught a younger class of 4-5 year olds. The Chinese teacher who sits in the class with me left, and a little girl went to the bathroom. As I'm teaching, a little girl comes out of the bathroom with her pants down. She starts speaking to me in Chinese. I'm not sure what she's saying because I don't often talk about going to the bathroom in Chinese. She starts pointing to her bare butt. I start getting the feeling that she expects me to wipe her butt. Hah, nice try little girl, that is not my job. I start frantically looking around the room for the Chinese teacher who is nowhere to be found. I try to motion to her to go back into the bathroom - the whole class is watching her do this, by the way. She does not listen. I try to tell her, again, to go back into the bathroom - she's exposing herself! Then she turns around, puts her hands on her butt cheeks and spreads them, as if to say - this is where you need to wipe! I lost it at this point. This was an unreal moment. At this point I walk her back into the bathroom and we waited a few seconds for the Chinese teacher. Classic.
I thought my run-ins with little children and going to the bathroom were over after this. It got even better. As I was walking out of school at about 4:20, there were a bunch of different classes playing on the playground. I look over, and one little boy - probably 3 or 4, is letting it ALL hang out. Not only are his pants around his ankles, but he is peeing. He stands there for a solid 20 seconds before the Chinese teachers notice him, and I of course have stopped and am staring and laughing and enjoying myself. He was just wiggling around, peeing, in the middle of the playground with kids running all around. Wonderful.
Today was just any normal day at school... or so I thought. I taught an older class of 5-6 year olds, then I taught a younger class of 4-5 year olds. The Chinese teacher who sits in the class with me left, and a little girl went to the bathroom. As I'm teaching, a little girl comes out of the bathroom with her pants down. She starts speaking to me in Chinese. I'm not sure what she's saying because I don't often talk about going to the bathroom in Chinese. She starts pointing to her bare butt. I start getting the feeling that she expects me to wipe her butt. Hah, nice try little girl, that is not my job. I start frantically looking around the room for the Chinese teacher who is nowhere to be found. I try to motion to her to go back into the bathroom - the whole class is watching her do this, by the way. She does not listen. I try to tell her, again, to go back into the bathroom - she's exposing herself! Then she turns around, puts her hands on her butt cheeks and spreads them, as if to say - this is where you need to wipe! I lost it at this point. This was an unreal moment. At this point I walk her back into the bathroom and we waited a few seconds for the Chinese teacher. Classic.
I thought my run-ins with little children and going to the bathroom were over after this. It got even better. As I was walking out of school at about 4:20, there were a bunch of different classes playing on the playground. I look over, and one little boy - probably 3 or 4, is letting it ALL hang out. Not only are his pants around his ankles, but he is peeing. He stands there for a solid 20 seconds before the Chinese teachers notice him, and I of course have stopped and am staring and laughing and enjoying myself. He was just wiggling around, peeing, in the middle of the playground with kids running all around. Wonderful.
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