Thus begins the last week of class. Thankfully, this week we are studying a movie. What does that mean for me? Classes this week are extremely easy (bordering on the obscene), and that studying has been kept to a minimal. The teachers seem to have calmed down after the exchange of directors, and most of the teachers have been in good spirits this week, a nice change for us students.
Spring continues to erupt around me. I am a little horrified to go outside, as I know that vehicles covered in pollen, green grass (which I saw for the first time today), and blooming flowers only means allergies to me. Surprisingly, I have been saved from the worst of reactions to this invasive pollen. It seems that everyday flowers on different species of trees are blooming, and today the stage was set for little pink flowers on short, ornamental trees are in full bloom. The Chinese plum trees (which do not, to my knowledge, produce any plums) are also in full bloom, showering the sidewalks with a layer of pink petals.
More and more people are taking to the streets during the day, no longer afraid of the cold. I can see people rollerblading, playing soccer, kicking the jianzi, playing badminton, or just walking around all over the city, throughout the entire day. But the evenings are the best time to see people out and about. Chinese people tend to eat earlier than their Western counterparts, and are done by 6:00 or 6:30. And after dinner, everyone takes to the streets – playing with babies, getting caught up on the latest gossip, hanging out, and doing any number of strange excerise (like Rou Li Ball). Rou Li Ball is where one has two paddles covered stretchy layer of amorphous plastic, taking these paddles and rolling the ball around, while turning around and dancing slowly.
I witnessed all of these things while I walked to lunch; I was bound for the dumpling shack again. I read a women’s health magazine while I waited. For one, it was the only thing at hand to read, and secondly, I could actually read the articles. As I read up on the state of Xiao Mis (Home-wreckers, third wheels, literally translated into “little sugar”) in China, Luke rode up on his rickshaw. He was trying to peddle off some of the many things that he had acquired in China, a giant basket and a beer crate. He sold the beer crate for 15 Yuan to a restaurant nearby, and then he ate some dumplings with me.
He wanted to travel to the wholesale market not far from the dorm, and I did not mind getting out. We set a date for 3:30 that afternoon, and I went over to Bally to ride. We met at the dorm a little after the appointed time, and we were off.
We rode east and north, passing massage parlors, sex shops, hair salons, hot pot restaurants, traditional medicine clinics, factory camping gear outlets, hotels, elementary school with their yellow-hatted children, colleges, government buildings, and all of the other things that I have come to expect riding the streets of Beijing. The wholesale market was much the same as the last time that I visited it, and we wondered through the aisles, perusing the myriad of goods, and trying our best not to get scammed by the bloodthirsty shopkeepers. Luke made a purchase of some ping-pong gear, and I bought a set of shai zi! We’ll have to play when I get home.
After that, Luke and I rode back to the MinZu campus in the crisp Beijing evening air. It cools quickly in the city. I came back to the dorm and played guitar for a little while before getting some supper at a Chengdu restaurant by the West Gate. I ate roof food, and then loitered around a vendor selling BBQ kabobs in the street. I chatted with a youngish-looking guy who was working for the owner of the street side BBQ vendor while I snacked on spicy roast lamb kabobs. He was from Harbin and was enjoying the comparative heat of Beijing. He was a little unnerved to be talking with a foreigner, I could tell, and after a little while, I rode back to the dorm in the night.
Then it was time to study. I watched a depressing movie called Farewell My Concubine, while I studied the corresponding vocabulary. By the time it is all said and done, we will have learned every vocabulary word in it, discussed every little emotion, and hypothesized about every facet of the movie.
I slept fitfully in the growing heat of the room. Yuki took a call around 12:30 in the room, and then I woke up at 2:00 with a parched throat. I wobbled downstairs to fill the water bottle to find a contingent of ACC students hanging out there and taking advantage of the teacher absence to speak English. Oh ACC!
I’ll write soon (although not for much longer)!
Love,
Jamey
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