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Published: August 23rd 2009
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Wang Jian
So very nice...more to follow in the next few days This was by all intent to be a low key, do little day. Between the long flight, the jet lag and perhaps a little uncertainty that despite all of the e-mail, phone calls and Internet video chat, maybe we needed a little time to get to know each other.
I think that the first hour in the Beijing airport calmed most of our fears about each other so this low key day was more for just resting. But today I was asked to deliver on my promise...
I knew many months ago that my gray hair was problematic because when I saw pictures of her mother and of her father, there wasn't a single gray hair. I explained to her that for most men in America, this is normal but it was obvious to me that in China, most men color their hair, not just women. I actually discussed this with my stylist a few days before I left but I decided that Lisa should see my hair as it is and if she thought I should color it, I would do it for her. After all, hair will grow out and become gray again before long. So I
Sichuan fish
Dude was swimming just a few short minutes ago witnessed the influence of Wang Jian over Lisa first hand because Wang Jian decided that I must color my hair because I have a young looking face and I would look 10-15 years younger if I colored it. So after a delicious lunch, several beers, I became a dark chestnut brown. Much darker than my natural color and maybe we should have chosen a lighter color but it is what it is. Thankfully, I do not often look in mirrors because when I did, it was quite a shock.
This was a very slow day and we were able to talk about many things. I think this is like English immersion for Lisa and we used her hand held translator a few times for a few words, mostly clinical things. For example, she was complaining that her tummy was hurting so I was trying to figure out if my Tums or Immodium would be useful to her (Tums). Her English is very good but when she woke up in the middle of the night to tell me that she was cold, she had to struggle through the haze of sleep to speak this in English. Since we do not have Internet access, her hand held translator is the only option and she doesn't know how to use it very well but I can use it to go from English to Chinese fairly easily.
I am learning much about Chinese etiquette. How and where you tap when someone pours you tea or beer, lights your cigarette, clinks glasses for a toast...everything has a prescribed way. I also knew that where you lay your chopsticks mattered and like stupid American, I had to be taught (not on dirty table but only across top of bowl or plate. Pour the women's drinks first, then the older. When you clink glasses, older is higher and younger is lower. One cannot be careless about these things for fear of insulting someone. In America, my etiquette is good but I am sure that I will unknowingly offend someone at some point in China.
Wang Jian shows up at lunch time and once again, I am asked if I am willing to eat in dirty restaurant and of course I am. I think because Wang Jian has seen clean restaurants in America (I know she has been to America at least one time) that she worries what I am thinking but again I tell her that I will eat anywhere or anything she is willing to eat so she should not worry about these things.
Lunch was extremely good...I was glad to eat something other than hot pot. This was a restaurant that specialized in fish. I had little warning so I did not have my camera with me. We got a table sat down and then a minute later, Wang Jian grabbed me by the hand and had me follow her to the very dark back room. There was a pond where a few fish were swimming and this guy followed us and I did not notice and he quickly grabbed a net and fished out what looked like a red snapper, put it on the floor, clubbed it once and put it on a hook to weigh it. In the space of 45 seconds, I understood what was for lunch...and it was great. It seemed to be cooked in a broth with a long noodle type bean curd and obviously Sichuan red peppers. We also had some roasted pork with Sichuan dried peppers and some bun things that were fried but all were incredibly tasty. I could eat this again without a problem. Lunch with large beers for the 3 of us was 80 yuan (about $13) and most of the cost was the fish (I think the fish was 56 yuan). I am sure that I will not see sweet and sour chicken my entire time in China ;-)
I guess if you are reading this, you probably want to know something about my impressions of Lisa. Nothing has changed in my mind...I would marry her in a minute and I am sure that we would be very happy together. Is she prettier in person than her pictures? Yes. Her skin is very soft, her figure is perfect, her smile makes me happy. If I were to change one thing, it would be hair permanent but it is of little consequence. One thing that I found very surprising is that I always assumed Chinese women to have a certain amount of delicateness and subtlety so I am continually surprised that she will moderately slap my face for attention, drop her entire weight on me when she leans against me or just drop her leg onto my legs where my experiences before an American woman would do these things much more gently. I think this is her way to her affection but I also think she is not very practiced at these things either. I could get used to this difference easily. I think that we are extremely comfortable with each other.
I am however very out of shape for Chinese life because they do not think anything of walking a few miles or walking up 5 flights of stairs. She has told me that she will walk with me every day when she comes to America and I have promised her that when I return to America, I will walk for an hour every day. I think she now knows about lazy Americans. The humidity is hard on me and my legs have been tired and I have gotten them to slow the pace a little but we are walking and I am getting through it.
OK, I did a very poor job of taking photos this day, but I have more than made up for this in the following days.
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griff
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good to hear from you
We were worried for nothing! Glad you are on track... look forward to each entry. Stay safe, Griff