the world is strange

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I think it's going to rain today. It's much cooler out.

A* and I just went to eat lunch, ended up at yet another Muslim restaurant; I love chuan'r and noodles. Fourth of a watermelon for dessert; I am satiated. We also checked out the hutongs behind the restaurants on Gongti Beilu. Good to know I can get a jiancai for breakfast and buy fruit cheaper than I can from the guy across the street. I have a habit of eating an apple a day here, somtimes two.

The hostel is bustling with men... from India or Pakistan? that is the question. The new pool table that was delivered and assembled yesterday is a good draw. A* has a couch full of Pakistani men talking about her life in Saudi Arabia.

Not feeling really inspired to write at the moment. Think I'm going to join the couchful of travellers and absorb myself into the life of the Mayfairs.

***

an hour later:

The group of about a dozen Pakistani men are emergency room doctors who just got back from volunteering in China's quake zone. They're in Beijing to meet with President Hu Jintao. Who'da thunk it?

Also, two GIANT Asian men just walked in, one with a cowboy hat, both looking for coffee. Clearly speaking only English, no Chinese. Mongolians. The one just arrived back in China from a stint in Texas -hence the cowboy hat.

I met a Mongolian girl, T*, here the other day. She also didn't speak Chinese, but was here waiting for a Canadian visa to visit her sister in Montreal. She is a ballet dancer and a swimmer and was looking to buy some new dance clothes while in the capital.

It's funny to watch the facial expressions of the Chinese when they are presented with A] Asians who don't speak Chinese and B] dark, Muslim, Pakistani men - who they shun... until they realize they just met the President and are all eduacated emergency room doctors who just volunteered their time helping China.

Life is weird.

***

19:00ish.

It is indeed storming outside. I love summer thunderstorms. I have been sharing photos of my home with a Chinese girl who is here waiting for her plane. She's from Qingdao, like the seaside town where the beer of the same name, Tsingtao, comes from. She's been studying French for some years now and is having trouble remembering her English. I assured her that if she spoke in French or Chinese and used limited vocab, I could probably understand. So we've been speaking Frenchese and Chinglish and Franglish ... pretty fluently, I might add!

I love being in a large international city.

***

midnight

This evening, after the rain slowed to a misty drizzle, I found myself sitting here in the hostel, wondering what I was doing for the evening. I just kind of felt like hanging on my own. Took the bus to NanLouGuXiang and went to Pass By Bar. The bar is in an old hutong courtyand in a restored area near-ish to the lakes. I ordered a small pizza and a beer and found a book on the shelf called "The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing," which is a story about growing up. I sat there for nearly 3 hours, slowly eating my "gypsy" pizza of ham, avocado, and button mushrooms, and sipping a single beer. I read half the book.

When I left the night was foggy and kind of still drizzling. I decided to walk back. It was nice. Had my ipod and was listening to my "hott chill" playlist. Hands in my pockets, just strolling. Thinking. Realizing that I really like Beijing. I pulled out a kuai and kind of paused at the bus stations on the walk back, but always decided I'd just walk to the next one. And the next one. It took me over an hour to walk back. And by walk, I mean meander. I was walking and just thinking, this is my city. But not in a possessive way, just like... it makes sense. This feels like home more than anyplace in the world besides the Lake.

And then I returned and checked my email. And this email excerpt was waiting for me from mytitan:

"and i'm so happy that life in beijing is improving the quality of life for you. you're nuts if you think this isn't the place you're meant to be. it's huge and it will always need your interest and enthusiasm and commitment and intelligence. you're meant to be a beijing badass."

And that made my heart smile.

g'night, world.

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