The Week in Review

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Alright, I'm a bit behind.
So here's a rough outline of some of the crazier things that have happened this week. And I do mean crazy. Buckle your seat belt.

Sunday I met Bart at Starbucks around 12:30. I was then informed that his new Chinese girlfriend, Lydia, was on her way but lost. She arrives, I decide that she's lovely, we all head to subway in Lydia's car.
After lunch, we head out shopping. Lydia's friend is having a birthday party and we're all going. I'm told by Bart that we should probalby help chip in for the gift since we're going to the party. Makes sense, especially since we're not paying for dinner.
So we head into this store, Q'ggle, which has the ugliest jewelry ever. It's like Happy Bunny, but in silver and gold, doing stupid things and costing a fortune. It looks like something one would give to a 12 year old, not someone in their late 20s. Lydia happily, after MUCH debating, selects a necklace, earrings, and one other thing. Over Y300. Oh, boy.

We head to Starbucks again, because she has a coffee craving and didn't have any earlier. We're almost there, when her phone rings. She turn, looks very anxious, and says, "I have to go!!" Okaaaay...
Turns out it was her very pregnant and due any minute sister wanting a ride to the hospital. Bart has never met her sister. Quite a way to meet her!
We fly across town at top speed to Yantain, which is on the east side of the city. Lydia tells us that her sister wants Bart to give the child an English name. After some disbelief, I help him select Kylie and Evan as the choices. They place a bet on whether she'll have a boy or a girl, with me as referee. Loser cooks the other dinner.
As we are speeding up a cloverleaf, Lydia's phone rings. She answers on the handsfree (like they do on TV commercials, talking into the cd player area). It turns out it's her son, and he and her ex-husband just passed us on the cloverleaf and he wanted to say hi. Meanwhile, the sister is on the phone with her husband, who's in Zhuhai. Now Bart is worried he's going to meet the WHOLE family.
We pick up her sister, whos rubbing her belly but looks fine, and drive back to about where we were 30 mn ago. Next thing I know, Bart is carrying 2 bags and we're in the maternity ward of a Chinese hospital. This is quite possibly the last place I ever expected to end up during my time here. While we are waiting for her sister to get checked out, double doors suddenly open as a new mother and her new (and still somewhat bloody) baby are pushed down the hall. Are we really alllowed to see that? The new dad (who met them on our side) looks thrilled.
Turns out to be a false alarm and we drive her home. She ended up giving birth on Monday night and it'sa boy. Bart cooked Lydia grilled cheese with chips and salsa. She loved it.

Enroute heading back to get Lydia her coffee, she tells him that he should invite his male friends to the party as well, since there will be 14 women there. So Bart calls his friends and tells him he has this horrible problem, he's invited to a party with 14 beautiful Chinese women, can you help him out?
After coffee, we meet up with 3 other guys from our group, and head to the party. The food was good, but I spoke the least Chinese of everyone. Most of the women spoke English, but really, they weren't intersted in me.
After we ate our fill, we all headed to karoke.
I got home around 2am.

Monday was spent in recovery (I was both physically and emotionally exhuasted). Roy pointed out over dinner that one reason I tire more easily is because everything takes more energy. Everything is more exhausting. Nothing is easy. Want milk and bread? Grab your re-usable bag, walk to the store, find the items if you can, stand in line, walk home and up 5 flights of stairs. Don't buy more than you can carry. Stopping at the grocery chain store on the way home from work in my car was much easier.

Tuesday I met with my tutor for the first time. She speaks excellent English. I think this will work well. She's nice, smart, and really friendly.
As we were getting up to leave, I noticed her bag. It was black with yellow.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing. "Oh, my friend got this for me when she studied there. "Yeah, it's a Hawkeye. My mom went there."
I think it's fate.

Which brings me to Wednesday. I went to Dongmen after class with a friend. The objective was to find wall hangings or the like because my room really needs some personality. We found what felt like miles of 80s women's fashion. I was also trying to figure out my Halloween costume with nothing striking me. (I have since figured it out, and it's as punny as usual. No, I'm not telling, you'll have to wait for the pictures.) We did find a nice man with handmade incense burners and Tibetan incense. The one I got reminds me a lot of one I bought from a nun before I left. It's wooden with "gold" inlay. This one has moons and stars, and the top is ornate. I like watching the smoke move out of one set of holes, then the next, then the next, etc, as the incense inside burns.
Now my room smells like home.

That brings us to Thursday and Friday, Sports Days.


And that brings us to.....

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Comments

[photoman]

That is a busy week
That is a busy weekThat is a busy weekThat is a busy week