As would be imagined, I was not refreshed in the morning. I broke fast with a chocolate muffin, yogurt, a banana and an apple. It was delicious, as only food bought from Carrefour can be. After my meal, I went to class. Our lesson for today was the first half of an article that talked about the social norms of Mainland and Taiwanese people. The article was unbelievable not only regarding the ignorance of the writer, but also his blatant condescension of anyone not born into the Mainland Club. And while I won’t expound on the full absurdity that was the article – since the government would probably shut down my Internet more than they do already. Be prepared for a secret journal in the future!
I had the last one-on-one class, and that meant that I had a 2-½ hour break after 11 AM. So, I walked over to Bally, ran, and did my thing. Then, I stopped by Ma Lan to get some lunch. When I got there and was waiting in line, I found one of the teachers in front of me. It turned out that we had ordered almost the exact same meal. We sat and talked for about a half-hour, and it was very cool. We both hated on the article, and she, even being from the Mainland, though that the author was insensitive about the whole issue. While we talked, there was not a single awkward moment. The difference in when I’m talking to teachers in and out of class is astounding. I enjoy the Chinese language so much more when it is not being forced by the constraints of the classroom. However, I recognize the necessity of the classroom instruction; I just like being out of class more!
I came back to campus, and walked over to my individual lesson for the day. All went well, but I must say that my Chinese will still need some work to be that of a native speaker. I then trapsied back up to the room, where I read an article that my thesis advisor sent to me about Chinese investment in Africa. I enjoyed it a lot, and the article prepared me for my next interview, which was today at 4. The interview went well, and although my interviewee did not have any experience in the field per se, he did possess useful insight. He gave me some new perspectives for looking at this topic, which I find to be more helpful, in some ways, than a lot of hard facts.
Then I retired to my room, so that I might revitalize my brain after a day of stretching it to speak Chinese. I sang and loosened up my vocal chords, which have been a little “stiff” since I got sick before coming here.
Then Lee, Shazeda, and I all walked over to the YunNan restaurant – the one where I ate on the first night of the program. The food was a little on the pricy side, and there were not as many choices as the usual Chinese restaurants, probably because this place was an ethnically focused dining establishment. Despite these obstacles, we braved ourselves against the forces of inflation and lack of choices, and we ordered fried bananas, fried peppers, spicy chicken, and pineapple rice. The pineapple rice may be the most memorable part of the meal, but I have very ambiguous feelings about this dish. It is good, but incredibly sweet. I would have liked it as a child…
After the meal, the three of us all went back to my room, where we studied for the next day’s class. I finished reading the egregiously racist article about Taiwanese students. I tried to push the article out of my mind after I’d read it, and in that respect, I think that I succeeded. We all finished at a decent hour, and by 10:30 we were all done with our preparations. I decided to end the night again, but alas my roommate was jabbering again! He has been angry at his mother all day, and at one point, I could resist my inner urges no longer. When I am back in the States, I will post a video of him talking excitedly to his mother, and maybe you can understand what my room life has been like for the last couple of days. He has also been typing on his computer, and I was awakened between 12:30 and 1 this morning by his angry tappings on the keyboard. I slept horribly again, and I knew even as I tried to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, I would not be fit for killing in the morn.
Sleep.
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