Xin Nian Quai Le!

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Safely back in Jiujiang after my travels to Thaiguo. As our plane come down into Shenzhen, I could already see the fireworks starting up to welcome the Year of the Tiger. Luckily, none managed to hit our plane.

After retrieving my luggage, I was approached by a man in a suit who said "Taxi, meter." I said wo xiang qu huo che zhan ("I want to go to the train station") and he replied with a hearty "ok, ok." After a minute in his car, I noticed he had no meter. I asked dou xiao qien qu hou che zhan ? To which he replied si bai wu ("four hundred and fifty"). I scoffed loudly, and told him to let me out right there. I said nide meter zai nar? at which point he turned his radio on and off. I said wo bu shi bendan! and got out of his car, offering him 10 quai for the trip. He said 20 and I consented. Then the wangba dan tried to give me my change in Thai money!

I'm glad I knew enough Chinese to get out of that scammer's car. Would have been a bad situation for a new waijou who didin't know anything. However, after this I had nothing but good, honest interaction with Chinese on my journey back to Jiujiang. On at least two occasions in Shenzhen (at a hotel and an internet establishment) I didin't understand that part of the money I gave the workers was a deposit. They must have known they could have ripped me off, and they didn't. Zhonggou ren shi hao ren. Well, at least most of them.

I'm surpised how happy I am to be back. Of course, Jiujiang U's campus and the adjacent area are nearly deserted. Only one restaurant open in the area. I don't have to work for two weeks, so I have decided to rendevous with ChinaMike is the North and see some more history.

Yesterday I saw a Uighur man downtown selling skewers. There is nothing unusual about this, except for the fact that the guy looked extremely white. Most Uighurs looks more "East Asian" than "white" (of course these terms are fluid) but this guy was a real outlier. Replace his skullcap with a baseball hat and he could walk around anywhere in Maine without notice. Lots of foreigners don't realize how diverse China actually is.

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[momma]

my Brendan Tiger
brave and bold, smart and instinctive,friendly and hopeful a fire tiger who is enthusiastic and expressive a taurus tiger, a balanced and practical adventurer