"Engalish" Corner
A couple weeks ago I went with my communist friend Joe (I refer to his party membership as a term of endearment) to an "English Corner" held every week in a park next to West Lake. Joe joked that I would be mobbed when I got there. I laughed in disbelief and and did my best to be as inconspicuous as possible. However, within a few minutes, it was true: I had a good 20-30 people scrambling to get some conversation in with me. I tell you, if you have low self-esteem, low confidence, loneliness, or public speaking issues, go to a Chinese city with a sizeable English Corner. You will be cured.
I think I answered the question "Where are you from?" like a million times, whenever someone new injected themselves into the ongoing conversation. Few seemed confident where Houston was - until I said the magical word "Yao Ming."
I even got a chance to put a few plugs in for my faith. The question was asked what university I attended. In turn, one impressively well-read Chinese student asked (with a slight unsuspecting smirk) if I "lived around the Mormons." He was a bit surprised but excited when I happily declared "I am a Mormon!" Besides his questions of polygamy (which weren't too tough to handle, after all, the Chinese legally accepted it one time, right?), he opened the door to me providing answers about eternal marriage and family unity. When it was discovered how large my family was, a lot of shoutouts went to my parents. It was great to be able to publicly but appropriately bear my testimony in a country where proselyting is forbidden. (Some younger students even said they knew of some Mormons in the city.)
Questions went all over the board - one "Counterstrike"-fanatic went off on guns and shoot-em-up games and asked that deep, profound question that no doubt everyone else around me was anxious to ask but just didn't know how, you know, if I had ever held an AK-47 before.
After an hour and a half, I made my dramatic exit. I realized in horror that I was going to be late for my afternoon class if I didn't hurry.
Iron Chef in Training
I'm totally converted to the wok. Such a brilliant, universal shape and construction. I use it for everything. One day I will convert the Western world.
Yes, I've started putting the kitchen area of my commune to use. Michael and I made some suprisingly authentic tasting chili using Chinese ingredients, and my friend Lydia helped me shop for and make sweet and sour pork (I did a lot better the second day on my own though). I'm eating out less and less - especially since I've discovered microwavable baozi (steamed bread, usually with some meaty goodness inside) and dirt cheap frozen dumplings. When things start to settle down, Michael and I are going to throw a party for our company and cook them "American" food. While my introduction to the exclusive circle of Iron Chefs may still be a few months away, I think our meal will turn out great.
Observations
On Christmas decorations. A few stores still have their "Happy Christmas" banners up. I have been told that Christmas is a very popular (perhaps even "trendy"?) holiday to celebrate, although I suspect its really just an excuse to party; I'm not sure if give-exchanging or other identifying conventions occur (Michael tells me the younger generation will sometimes exchange cards). For the Chinese, the real holiday season revolves around Spring Festival and the Chinese New Year (which regrettably I barely missed).
On feeling at home. I don't know if anyone else can relate to this, but I think I adjust to new places fairly quickly, and when I say adjust, I mean I have a very one-track mind, so the sphere that gets designated as "home" is very fluid, and once a new definition is made, I get so focused and wrapped up with the present surrounding, I'm quick to "forget" previous places I've lived (which is why I'm generally pretty horrible at keeping in touch with people). In the mission field, I never got homesick for home (that life seemed like a dream, a past life) or even earlier areas (while they didn't lose significance, they certainly lost relevance). I'm not saying this is good, its probably a bad thing, and I'm probably making it sound much more exaggerated than it really is.
All this absurd explanation is to preface my realization as Michael and I were biking around the West Lake: I have moments where living here in China feels so natural, its almost as if I've always lived here - and that not being able to communicate with 99.9% of the population is a normal part of life. If I didn't have this laptop and the internet, I'd probably forget my first name. (Also like the mish, I'm back to "Richard" - its easier for my employer and students to say, and now I'm used to answering to it.)
Listening - A delectable assortment of Guster songs