Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Randomized News

So let me think, what’s new...

Only just this month, I abandoned the hotel’s meal plan and have begun collecting my per-deim. Because I need to find new, more creative modes of eating than walking to the downstairs resteraunt, I stepped out on a limb went shopping for groceries last week. I’ve had cerial or granola for breakfast and, if I feel like staying in during the evening, a peanut butter sandwhich or eating-out-leftovers for dinner. Yesterday, I ran out of milk and bread, so I had to get creative. Before going to bed I fixed myself a bowl of dry shredded wheat cerial topped with peanut butter and jelly. Bachelors have to eat something, you know. Gross, you say? The taste wasn’t half bad - don’t hate until you try it yourself!

I went for a long bike ride this Sunday. Left at three, got back at eight. I struck out east, rode clear out of Beijing and into Tongzuo – the next town over. Tongzuo was a really nice place, it reminded me of the suburbs back home. Everything was a little bit cleaner, and the people were dressed a little bit nicer than the average Joe in the big city. There was very very little English there. I saw no other white people the whole day, which meant I did get to practice my Chinese. I got quite a few stares too, which I am used to by now. The pace of life seemed less frantic than in Beijing, I will probably visit again soon. There is also a villiage of “starving artists” in that area who left Beijing’s reckless atmosphere to be in the countryside and do artsey things together. They sound like cool people, and I do have a penchant for paintings.

So I have decided that Chinese people are really cool. The stories that I heard about Chinese people treating foriegners with respect and genorosity are true when you get away from the areas where foriegners live. Maybe there are just too many ugly Amerians and pushy Europeans in this city with too much money, and the locals have gotten too used to exploiting us. In Tonzuo, I enjoyed being stared at and being treated otherwise as a novelty. One older woman just went crazy when I said “Nie Hao” (Hello.) “Your Chinese is SOOO good!” she gushed (in Chinese, of course.) “Yea right,” I thought to myself, but just smiled and “xie xie nie”d her, at which I got another bubbly outpour of excited exclaimations at my “perfect” Chinese, which was encouraging. There are still those Chinese on the street, though, who stare blankly when I try communicating with them. For some reason they just don’t recognize their native tongue. They must think that I am just speaking to them in very bad English or Russian or something.

What else is new... I’ve been doing a little office work recently. It’s kinda wierd having work both in the field and in the office. It’s like you never really know what is going on in either, but you do know more about both than the other guys. I like it though, I get to meet new people and do new things. Wish I didn’t have to be so vague, because I really like my work, though I would like to spend more time doing other things besides work while I am in China.

The days are getting colder and the days shorter. I am wearing long sleeves every day now, but no freezing temperatures yet. It gets dark about 5:15 now. I am still riding my bike to and from work in the cold. Some of my friends are beginning to think I am crazy - maybe I'm just stubborn!

Peace,
Nathan

2 Comments:

At 11:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You must be quite a novelty riding around China. I bet you get quite a few looks.
We used to have that language problem with the Germans, too. We'd say something with the accent not quite right, and they couldn't understand us, they'd look at us blankly, then pronouce it correctly themselves, and we'd think, yeah that's what I just said! But, I guess I had the same problem when my neighbor asked me where to go to wote. I didn't understand her, and she just had one consonant mispronounced! (w instead of v)
Love,
Mom

 
At 8:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hope you are getting enough to eat on your new program to sustain you on your long bike rides.
Hang in there--help is on the way. Read that WalMart is negotiating to buy out some Chinese markets.
Tried to post this comment days ago and in the process lost your blog address but luckily had saved an email you sent and it was on there.
Love
Gramma

 

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