Almost 2 Weeks In...

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay of the newest blog entry, I've been too busy living and enjoying life! The computer that I have access to here has been having some technical difficulties as well and likes to shut down by itself without warning. But enough with the excuses, here it goes...

I believe I left off mentioning the Foreigner Olympics so I will carry on from there. Just for a quick refresher, the Olympics are where all of the foreign teachers (about 25 in total) from the various schools across the city come to have fun and compete in different sporting events against each other. Now what great day wouldn't begin with a trip to McDonald's?! Although breakfast was supposed to end at 10am, we arrived at 9:45 to discover that it had already switched over to lunch. It really wasn't worth arguing about so I just ordered my BigMac, some type of spicy chicken sandwich and a mini orange juice. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it tasted identical to the way it does at home. Truth be told, I'm more of a Burger King and Whopper Wednesday kind of guy, but it hit the spot none the less.

From there we headed over to Times Square, which is basically an enormous park with all types of sporting areas including basketball, volleyball, tennis courts, etc. where our Olympics were to be held. There were also 2 enormous television screens in the middle of the park which I was told were used to watch the real Beijing Olympics when they were on. The competition was intense and lasted for about 6 hours or so with the occasional break. Of course no sporting event would be complete without a nice beverage in hand so we ordered some beers to the park. For 48 beers delivered on a bicycle the cost was 90 Yuan (or about $15 Canadian)! And since we all worked up nice healthy appetites we also ordered 15 pizzas to the park as well. Imagine trying to pull that off at home? It just wouldn't happen! Halfway through the day the sky opened up and it began to pour. It didn't slow anyone down though as we continued frolick in the wet and enjoy ourselves. As it began to wind down we decided a quick trip to another local bathhouse was in order to freshen up and look our best for the dinner and awards ceremony that was to follow.

After spending an hour soaking, swimming, and saunaing (I know that's not a real word), we headed over to a new restaurant called Kingsley's which was actually recently opened by one of the teachers. Dinner consisted of more delicious western food including spaghetti, fried chicken, and Greek salad complete with feta cheese (which is very rare to find in Daqing). By the time the feast was done and the Olympic awards were all handed out we were exhausted and thought it was a good idea to call it a night. A great sleep was had by all!

The next day Jeff, Niki and I finally went to get massages. I had been looking forward to this since the day I arrived in China and it was well worth it. It felt like the man was treating my back like a punching bag, but at the same time it was great and well needed. The massage lasted for a good 30-40 minutes but it wasn't over yet. The next step was experiencing the traditional Chinese Cupping Therapy, which I'm sure some of you have seen on TV before. About 20 cups are suctioned onto your back and are supposed to draw out the body’s toxins. Once they are removed however giant welts and bruises are left wherever they were placed. Even now, 5 days after having the cups on me I still have the marks on my back. They don't hurt at all, but definitely aren't the most attractive things. I've been thinking about going for another massage this afternoon, but skipping the cup part seeing how we are going to be on the beaches of Kuala Lumpur pretty soon and I have to be looking my best!

The weather in Daqing hasn't been the greatest. Pretty much everyday I've been here we've had some rain though it usually lightens up and is followed by a bit of sunshine. It's nothing that I'm not used to, but Jeff and Niki said they haven't seen this much wet stuff the entire year they have been living here. I guess it followed me over here from home. There isn't a lot to do here when it's raining so we've been spending a fair amount of time inside. We went bowling the other day which was pretty fun even though I always seem to struggle at it. There was a pair of little Chinese ladies beside us who looked like they could barely lift a ball but ended up scoring 200 almost ever round totally putting us to shame. But what can you do?! That night a small group of us ventured to a dance club called Coco. With the neon lights, bumping techno, and expensive drinks it brought back some familiar memories of home. Just like everywhere else I go here, I was definitely pretty noticeable on the dance floor. I'm pretty sure I blew a couple minds with my awesome dance moves, but that's old news! They actually played some tracks that I recognized from home too (sorry Gordo I can't remember their names as usual) which was pretty cool.

Other than all that, there's been a lot of relaxing, book reading, doodling, video gaming, and just hanging out. I have a few lumps on my head from hitting it on various doorways and street signs. I need to start being a little more careful before I end up with some stiches. Tomorrow Jeff, Niki, myself, and a couple other teachers are going to head down to Harbin for 3 days for a change of scenery and to visit some of their friends. Tuesday the 23rd will be our last day in Daqing as we will be travelling south to Beijing then off to our tropical and hopefully rain-free destinations! I miss everyone at home a lot! Drop me an email, I'd love to hear what you are all up to!

Chow for now,
Kalee

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