Hangzhou,
China
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
I think in yesterdays update i forgot to mention the internet place we found here... rather interesting. It is a huge club looking space, dark and smokey, they serve drinks and such, and its all these crazy teenage gamers playing diablo, everquest, halo, starcraft... its a bit strange. Me & Beth checking e-mail and 200 chinese boys playing crazy online games. Today it is pouring rain... which is rather unfortunate, but i can't complain. We have been so lucky with the rain thing, especially considering its monsoon season. So we've postponed plans to walk around the 5 miles around the lake, and are instead chillin' in the weird gaming internet place... and at 2-ish will head to Zhejiang University to teach 3 of John & Beryl's classes; and then we'll dine with them in their hotel on campus afterward. We headed to a spot next door to our hotel for beth to get breakfast, there was of course mis-communication and confusion and weird things brought to the table that werent ordered and bla bla etc... So it goes. But on a possitive note, ive now doubled my mandarin repetoir. It is also looking like our excursion to Putoshan will not happen... there is a typhoon that has moved along the coast, and ferry's to islands seem a rather unnecessary risk... see mom, safety first. So we'll spend an extra day here (tommorow), and head back to Shanghai the following afternoon in time to make our 7pm train departure (overnight sleeper train) from Shanghai to Beijing. We've got 1 week left... wow.
I can't wait to see my family; and friends; my dogs; and drink things with ice, and not worry about eating things with peels/without peels; not feel like a moron at all times because im not a native mandarin speaker; wait on lines without thousands of people bum-rushing the front; enjoy personal space; have my own seat without some crazy lady scootching in on it; wear something beside these 4 shirts, 3 shorts and 1 skirt i brought with me; use shampoo & conditioner; use more lotion than is humanly possible; eat steak and green chille, and coffee... oh sweet coffee; a real shower; a bath!!!; and dressing up... yes, i think i will wear high heels and skirts for the rest of my life now; I CANT WAIT!!! I miss you all and love you!!!
Oh, and Beth and i have dubbed ourselves.... "Team Youth-In-Asia". haha.
