March 10

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Saturday - March 10

Can’t believe I’ve been here 17 days, already. Every day is exciting, stimulating, frustrating, confusing, and EXCELLENT. Woke up at 7:30 and studied my Pinyin for about 45 minutes before I got out of bed. It’s so frustrating trying to learn the new words because you also have to learn the, usually 2 tones for each word. Without the tones the words mean things you do not wish to mean; just like a different word. I won’t even talk about the characters; they will be impossible to learn in 21 more days, but I will be continually tested on them. At some point the teacher(s), I assume, will just give up trying to get me to remember which character goes with each word, let alone expect me to be able to write them. I’ve learned to recognize some characters, but writing them seems impossible.

Last night was great. Met Sergio, and Kathleen and Barbara, in Waudaoko at 7:30 last night. I took a cab there; just said Waudouko when I got into the cab. It worked. For a while I had no idea where we were while driving. I was wondering if the cab driver even knew what I said. I expected him at any point to stop and basically say here we are. I wouldn’t have any idea of how to tell him this wasn’t the place. I’d probably get out and get another cab (they’re everywhere) and say Waudaoko and hope he’d understand. If not I’d just show him my note telling him my home address and go home. Anyway, it worked and I got to the general area - 11Y. Walked a way to the meeting point, in front of the Tour Les Jours restaurant/pastry shop. All 4 of us got there about the same time.

The city at night is very pretty. Neon lights/signs everywhere. There’s obviously no “sign” laws like we have. These signs are big, gaudy, animated, and some even pipe music outside. A big city, all lit up, has a charm and an atmosphere that I like. It was Friday night and there were people everywhere. Some shopping but most just young people walking to wherever they were going. It’s very common to see two girls holding hands, or walking arm in arm while walking down the street. Guys may even walk arm in arm, or with an arm around the other’s shoulder. There’s nothing sexual in it; it’s just the Chinese way.

We walked around this downtown neighborhood, trying to find a bar or better, bars. We went into one place that had a Budweiser sign outside but it was just a restaurant. Walked some more and found a popular bar, Lush, and went in it was only around 8:00 and there were no seats so we left there. We walked around some more and found a Korean restaurant/bar, and went in and had a drink. The Tsingtao beer was 20Y for a 12 oz bottle. We had one and realized that we were the only non-Koreans in the place. It didn’t look like a college hang-out so we left. Back to the Lush bar. It was about 9:00 now and it was more crowded. I’m the one who usually leads because I just walk in and look around. Others are reluctant to be so bold. Barbara and Kathleen laugh about how I’m not afraid to approach people and ask questions, by gesturing. I usually get a good response, sometimes just a shoulder shrug meaning “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about” you nitwit.” I can do all my shopping, traveling through the city, eat in restaurants with pointing, gesturing, shrugging, laughing embarrassedly; it all works.

When we went in it was very crowded. I walked through the bar looking for an empty table. I heard someone calling to me. It was a guy from the Internet meeting we had last week. He remembered me. Being 6’4 I kind of stand out above the crowd. I walked over to where he was sitting with about 6 friends and said Hi. He introduced me to everyone and I called the other 3 I was with over and introduced them. One of the guys said he was going to be leaving soon and I should take his seat. He then went around and found one more chair and 2 stools for my group. We all sat there and talked and drank beer. I ordered a happy hour special of a bucket of 7 Tsingtao in ice for 65Y for Sergio and me. Barbara didn’t drink, and Kathleen ordered a mixed drink. Everyone was drinking beer and smoking. Also, on the table was a hookah, a Turkish water pipe; could have been a bong for all I know. For 35Y they put tobacco in it and put a glowing charcoal briquette on top. There were 3 of the guys smoking it. The guy who called me over was a Chinese guy from New York City, here to learn “his” language. Another guy was Chinese and from Toronto. It was very interesting talking about their life and mine, and everybody’s; why we were in China, what our immediate goals are. The two guys just mentioned were completely Americans; no accent , except from where they were from. Another guy was from England. He was the most Chinese looking guy you could imagine and when he talked, his British accent was thick and my brain couldn’t process the disconnect from his looks and his accent. He was very interesting and was traveling around the world exploring his roots, and learning the language. A typical college student, but maybe 25-30 yrs. old, looking for his place in life. Great conversation. While we were sitting there another guy came up and said hello to me. It was Tyler, the guy who lived with my family before me, and had come over for dinner with us last Saturday(?) We talked for a while and he went and joined his friends. Everyone is everyone else’s friend. These kids are so lucky to be able to experience so much in their life. When I was 18 I was married, had 2 kids in the next 2 years, and worked up to 3 jobs to be able to live. I wish I had had the opportunities these kids have. Most have been to several different countries for a semester or two, can usually speak 3 languages pretty well, and move around in a foreign society with no difficulty at all. Just my luck to have discovered the world at such a late date. I could easily do what they’ve done but I’m very happy in my home with my sweetie pie who I miss so much it hurts. In a couple of years maybe we can do this type of travel and see everything. The women wanted to go home about 11:30. Barbara always has some physical problem like a cold or sore throat and wants to leave earlier. Kathleen said she better be going too because the subways close at 10:30, at the one she took to get here from her home. Being 20 and naive, I feel a little protective toward her and wanted to make sure she got home safely so we made sure she got in a cab and the driver knew where she was going. She had about a 25 kilometer ride home, quite long. It was going to cost her about 70Y, ($9.00). Sergio walked back to the dormitory he lives in and I took a cab home for 10Y.

Just remembered a very funny event. In the group in the bar the 4 of us were seated among the others already there. Everyone was talking, finding out about each other. The guy from Toronto made a statement in which he called Kathleen who was about 5 people away , my “girlfriend”. Kathleen almost fell out of her chair in embarrassment. She’s 20 and I’m 64. I laughed so hard I almost wet myself. He assumed that we were both from Florida that we were a couple. I told him we were not boyfriend and girlfriend and he was really apologizing. I told him there was no need for any apologies. I was quite honored that someone would think I could have 20 yr. Old girlfriend. He kept apologizing all night. Poor Kathleen was embarrassed thinking someone would think she had such an old boyfriend. She’s so shy and naïve, I don’t think she has a boyfriend, just boy friends in college. He father is 50. I told them this would have to go in the Blog as a highlight of my experiences here. She already calls me a pervert because I look at all the women in their skin tight jeans, and almost knee high boots. I’m only looking to make sure I see as many sights in China as I can. It is purely academic, my looking at them; observing Chinese culture. It has nothing to do with the sexiness of the women in their knee high boots and tight, so very tight, pants. J
I’m waiting for a call from Sergio. There’s supposed to be a Latin Party somewhere tonight for a group of BLCU students from Mexico who are going home soon. A restaurant/bar is setting it up, just don’t know which one yet. If we can’t find out where it is I’ll probably go back to Lush tonight.

It’s 11:00 am and I just finished doing some of my laundry. I have to hang it in their enclosed balcony with a screen door open to let the air in; no dryer. It is cold out today. It’s only 70 inside today. I’m cold most of the time. During the night I woke up though, looked at the clock which also tell the temp. and it was over 75 degrees. I must really suck to not be able to control the temp. of the apt. It’s all set by the mgt. Time to study now.

Well, I fell asleep studying. Mark woke me and said lunch was ready. Had pork and fried potatoes, blood something (I thought it may have been a really dark cranberry something, like a pudding), lotus root, cucumbers, rice and spinach soup (I think). I only ate some lotus root, some rice and some of the pork and potatoes. I got 2 pieces of pork something but didn’t eat them. My worse day yet, eating. Studied for about 45 minutes but stopped to use the Internet.

Sergio called and said the party was at 10:00 pm at a bar that he knew. We met at 9:00 and had a large pizza at Mr. Pizza. It was pretty good, not as much (any) pizza sauce but the toppings were the same on the one we ordered. They have a lot of strange toppings but we didn’t try them. When you walk up to the front door, a Chinese girl dressed very prettily in a long red coat and red hat, formal style, opens the door to you and bows as you enter. Then she gestures to follow her and she leads you to the table. She bows and leaves. The waitress comes up and bows and presents you with the menu like it was the original Bible, very respectfully. In China they usually wait while you make up your mind. Took our order, bowed and left. It looked like a typical restaurant, like Pizza Hut, very clean and bright. The pizza came, she bowed and put it on the table. Bowed and left. I thought bowing was done in Japan; I’ve seen very little bowing anywhere here.

After eating we walked to the party. It was 10:00 when we got there and there were about 30 people in the bar, which was a typical college dive. The girl who was setting the party up is Mexican and was setting it up because a friend who had been here for 1 ½ years studying, was going back to Mexico the next day. Apparently she invited everyone in our class because they kept coming in for the next hour. The girl who set it up showed up with friends at 11:30. There was a DJ playing Latin music and there was dancing. It cost 60 Y , a little more than $7.00, to get in and drink as much as you wanted for the entire night. They had a list of about 8 mixed drinks you could get for free, and beer , of course. Order off the list and you have to pay. The beer came in pint sized glass mugs. I only had 4 the entire night. I could really become a college student again. Life is only a little studying and a lot of fun. The party was still going strong at 2:30 am when I left and took a cab home. When I got to my door, I put the key in but couldn’t unlock the door. I tried and tried but couldn’t. I was thinking - I’m not that drunk. I finally had to either sleep in the cold hall, or ring the doorbell and wake everyone up. I rang the bell. Mei asked if it was me and then let me in. She didn’t look happy. I went right to bed.

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