MArch 19

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March 19 - Monday

Got up today and it was gray and misting. Put on my heavy coat because I knew it would be cold out. I don’t know if I mentioned it but on March 15 all heating is turned off throughout Beijing, and probably the rest of China for all I know. They announced it in school the other day and said to dress warmly so we don’t catch a cold. I asked Mei about it one night at dinner. She said it was OK, that there was no problem with this government order because Spring was here and it would get warmer, and it also conserved energy which was good for the country. These people are very positive and accepting. They accept everything the gvt. Says in a positive vein and believe if the gvt. says so it must be good for the people. I guess when you have no choice it is easier to just accept such things because otherwise you’d just be pissed off most of the time. Also she confirmed something we had heard on our tour 6 years ago. There is a certain river, whose name I’ve forgotten, that is the boundary line regarding heating during the winter. Above this river you can heat your house; below this river and you cannot heat your house during the winter. I can just see our gvt. saying that from Virginia on down no one could heat their homes, ever. We’d never stand for it but the Chinese not only stand for it, they justify it. I asked Mei what would happen if the temperature dropped after March 15. She said it would take a few days but they would just get used to it. They also wear a type of long underwear, not thermal but something, under their clothes.

Anyway, it was cold today, but actually I think I am getting used to the cold. I don’t even wear a coat most of the time. Just a long sleeved shirt, a sweater, and a hoodie. Because I’m walking everywhere I don’t seem to get cold. There’s so many things to see while walking you forget about the cold. I don’t know what would happen once you got used to seeing everything; maybe you’d just freeze your ass off. But for now, no problem with the cold. I’m scheduled to go to the Great Wall again. I went with the former class before, now it’s the class I’m now in’s turn. If the weather is misting and gray again, I’m going to skip it. No sense freezing my ass of up in the mountains for nothing. If it’s a clear day, I’ll go, even if it’s cold.

The teacher had sent us a copy of her Classroom materials that were Powerpoint presentations. I used that as an opportunity to thank her for that, and for understanding my situation of not learning the characters because of only being here for 4 weeks. She replied back that she’s glad I’m enjoying the class. This is about the 3rd time she and I have talked about my “problem.” Today in class, she started the day off with putting characters up for the class to read as she calls on them. Of course, I’m about the 3rd one she calls on. I told her I didn’t know, so she slowly helped me through interpreting it. What part of - I don’t want to learn the damn characters - doesn’t she understand? Then the teacher for the 2nd class came in and started on characters. Guess who he called on about the 3rd or 4th person - yes - ME! Later during the class while we were working with our seatmate, he came around and I had forgotten whether I had told him about my situation. He said he remembered that I told him. It’s just the Chinese way. They never alter their style. It is very bureaucratic and never changing, regardless of the situation. Oh well, there’s only less than 2 weeks to go.

Mark just stuck his head in and asked if I could help him with some English words. He is filling out a resume and wanted some help deciphering “e.g.” and “i.e.” and asked me what it meant on the form asking for “qualifications.” He calls me “Donard” because that’s how he pronounces Donald. I still haven’t figured out why the Chinese have such a hard time pronouncing “l” and “r”, usually reversing them. They have many words with “L” in them in Chinese and they are pronounced as “L.” Same with “R”. For example the word of the # 6 is Liu, pronounced Leo; with a strong L. They say this “L” with no problem. Also, “R”. the word for (#) 2 is “er”, pronounced “R.” No problem saying that either. But Donald becomes Donard” He just came in again and asked me for some American names beginning with “M” because he feels Mark (his English name) is too common. I could only come up with Michael or Martin, also Maynard. I told him that in The US names don’t really have any meaning - they are just names. I told him I’d think of more.

Back to my “today” experience. In the first class the teacher said we had to team up with other classmates and put on a presentation which involves talking about anything we want to talk about, in Chinese of course, It had to be at least 12 sentences. The Chinese are all about performing in public. They love Karaoke, and they love to have students perform against other students in talent competitions, and now this. My class also has to put together a talent show, and compete against other classes to see who is voted best. Lucky for me that it’s in May and I’ll be gone. Anyway, I decided I wasn’t going to do anything regarding this week’s project. Tough shit. I’m not going to get credits, or a certificate anyway, so why do something stupid. We’ll see.

Finally class was over and we went to lunch, my favorite meal. Got some really good some kind of chicken, some curried beef, and my favorite crunchy green beans. I eat a lot for lunch so I can get the nourishment I need. Of course, depending on the size of the bottles available, I get one or two beers to go along with lunch. It ‘s like a celebration that class is over. After we went grocery shopping, and then looking for earrings. I needed some and so did Kathleen. I didn’t bring any earrings to China because I didn’t know if they would convey any bad meaning over here. But, I’ve seen some younger kids wearing them, and many of the students (foreign to China) wearing them. Plus the holes in my ear were starting to grow closed. We finally found a clothes store that had them and I bought 2 silver balls, like I had at home. They cost 15 Y, $1.50. I soaked them in Purell before wearing them because God only knows what they’re made of; probably lead or something radioactive. Who knows - it’s China. Anyway, they went in pretty easily. It will be funny to see the reaction of the kids and the teachers tomorrow when I show up with 2 earrings. I told Kathleen that I don’t think a guy wearing bifocals should be out shopping for earrings; she just laughed.

Jo finally sent some pictures of the two of us together because Kathleen and Barbara both wanted to see who would put up with me everyday. Kathleen thinks I am a pervert, and Barbara can’t believe the outrageous things I say. She’s German and has no sense of humor, and is just like you’d think Germans are. American humor is different than other countries, and my type of humor is even different than most Americans. They don’t know whether to shoot me, just leave, or just put up with me. So far it’s been just put up with the old guy. What can you do? We still get along pretty good, although Barbara’s starting to piss me off. She’s always tired, always complaining, and never wants to do anything. She wants to go everywhere with us but wants it on her own terms - leave early. Kathleen’s just a good kid. She told us the other day that she was the Captain of her high school basketball team, and of course, she’s a black belt in Tae Kwan Do. She’s 21, in 3rd year of college, and when she graduates is going to come back to China to teach. Her degree will be in Far Eastern Language with a minor in Business Admin. Her father is a lawyer in W. Palm Beach and runs his practice out of his home. Sounds like they have a lot of money.

Walked home after shopping through the seedier section that I go through. It is very interesting though and I love to watch the people, the bike riders and the cars. It is amazing that I haven’t seen one accident. Left turns are made 3 cars abreast. Pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way. But everyone blows their horn from the time they get in the car until they turn it off. It’s just the Chinese way.

The old guy here last night, and today, and for the foreseeable future is Mei’s father. We ate together tonight and he had a gallon, or bigger, plastic jug of some type of rice wine. Mark said it’s the same as we had a week ago but I don’t think it is as strong. Well the father and I sat next to each other, and of course he can’t speak English. Mark translated. It turns out he is a few months younger than I am but looks a lot older, if I do have to say so myself. Like his wife, Mei’s mother, they look like really old people. Life was very tough in China not very many years ago. In the ‘80’s, according to Mark, millions starved to death, and can be seen in the older people’s faces and bodies. It really took toll on them, physically. He was very friendly and we talked. Mark told me I looked much younger than his father-in-law. I said we were like brothers, and called him Didi, Chinese for “younger brother.” Everyone got a big laugh out of that. I invited him to visit us in America, and Mark, in a very serious tone, said it couldn’t happen, that none of them could afford to come to America. In class today, one of the kids said that doctors in China now make about 4,000Y a month, about $500 dollars. There’s no way they could afford foreign travel with that kind of income. That’s why American’s are considered rich - they can travel. I wanted the father to have another drink and Mark said no. Seems like maybe there’s a problem there. I didn’t press the issue. Only one drink for each of us tonight. Mark and I usually have 2 or 3. Of course these are in little plastic cups, the standard drink size in this house, if there is anything to drink at all with meals. If I don’t buy wine, we drink nothing, although I’m starting to bring a bottle of water to the table each meal.

Well I’ve typed since about 7:30 trying to avoid more studying but I’ve got to hit the books until bedtime. We have about 30 new words every couple of days to learn the meaning, spelling, tones, and characters, not including the written homework which takes a lot of time. (3-4 hours a night total is usual.) Not me, regarding the characters, but I can’t even keep up with learning the Chinese spelling, and tones. The teacher told the class today that there’s going to be more words each week from now on. I can’t even imagine it, but I’ll be out of school in another 9 class days. I’m disappointed that I’m not learning what I wanted to but I’m still enjoying the entire experience and would do it again if I could. I’ve got to get Jo to retire so we can come back and live for a while. It’s cheap to live, and the experience is fantastic. Maybe we could both teach English for well over $1,000 a month, each, plus provided housing and food. It would be a blast. Zai jian.

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