well
I've finally managed to carve out some time
while I am uploading photos
to write a more lengthy update.
let me begin by saying
how utterly amazing Xi'an is
a vibrant city of roughly 7 million people
which seems poised for explosive development and growth
I walk down the street and see endless opportunity
The people here have been incredibly welcoming
and while I've had to adjust in many ways
my natural grace for such things
has only been augmented by the kind and unassuming way
in which they instruct me
I have been remarkably impressed by the students
which I have had in my classes
their grasp of english is superb
in fact I have come to believe that their
primary lack is one of confidence rather than ability
The students break into enthusiastic applause
when I enter the room, beaming with smiles
for many of them it is the first chance they have had to speak to a foreigner
and combining that with the promise of an easy and fun class
compared to what I've noticed is a quite vigorous program of study
I was a welcome sight
I spoke with them on a variety of subjects
asking them questions about their lives
and although I realize I probably shouldnt have been
I was still surprised by how similar they were to american teenagers
when I asked them what they liked to do for fun
among the answers were:
play basketball
go shopping
play computer games/surf the net
read
draw
talk with friends
Singing and performing is a common way of extending friendship
so I was on many occasions sung to or asked to sing by my students
I was asked if I liked to dance
and when I said I did
they insisted (by applause) that I dance for them
so I shift gears and held an impromptu swing lesson
for about ten minutes teaching them the basics
word got around and this soon became a fixture of my classes
between answering questions about my opinion of the one China policy
or the war on Iraq.
the food here is delicious and varied
so far my favorite are a type of dumpling
eating them is nearly a game in itself
it reminds me of the ritual process of doing tequila shooters in the states
inside the dumplings is a small chunk of meat
and about a teaspoon of broth
when you sit down you get a bowl
while I am not entirely sure what is in it
I am fairly confident that it is a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar
to which you add chili paste to taste
for a nice spicy kick
you use both a chinese style spoon
and chopsticks to eat them
first you pick up the dumpling
and place it on your spoon
then you poke a hole in it
and carefully lift it to drain the broth onto your spoon
then you dip it in the bowl with the soy/vinegar/chili mixture
and pop it in your mouth
sipping the broth while you chew
entirely delicious and quite fun to eat
I spent much of the weekend
hanging out with a friend of mine who is from Xi'an
but currently goes to university in Canada
his father, who recently retired from his position
as the chief of police
provided an official car
which was a nice touch
the clubs or discos as the call them
are in many ways similar to the states
except that you purchase liquor by the bottle
[if you do not finish the bottle]
[they will store it for you for a future visit]
[or you can take it home with you]
and beer is sold by the half or full dozen
while by american standards it is cheap
by local standards it is fairly expensive
which serves to keep the youngins out of the bars
[they cant afford it]
as they have no set drinking age in china.
anyways we started out friday night
having dinner at a muslim restaurant
which was fabulous
then being overly stuffed
decided to take a stroll
and while strolling
encountered a massage parlor
[not the sort you are thinking of - perverts]
we went in for a foot massage
and for a cost of about 14$
ended up getting a delightful foot massage
followed by a full body massage
[completely within the limits of propriety of course]
which was fantastic
the massage itself seemed a blend of
chiropratic manipulation, shiatsu and wresting
a bit odd but quite enjoyable
and an hour and a half of massage
for 14 bucks doesnt suck either
*grin*
then we went out and met up with two of his cousins
who then became part of our usual entourage
part for company and part as tour guides
as much had changed in the few years since he lived in Xi'an full time
then we went out to a disco
where I learned the chinese way of counting to ten
on the fingers of one hand
and a number of nifty chinese drinking games
which were quite useful in helping me complete the bottle of bourbon which I purchased
I also took the opportunity to dance
and took advantage of my semi-celebrity status
to dance with a number of lovelies
and hold informal swing dance classes
receiving a few rounds of vigorous applause
for my efforts
before returning to my drinking
for the record, if there happens to be
a swing dance craze in china in the near future
I am officially staking out my claim
and credit as its originator
after a most enjoyable night of
drinking, dancing and conversation
it was time to head home
my friends cousin
a young woman of about 24 who had recently graduated law school
leaned over to inquire if I would like to go home
or if perhaps I would like to get a woman first
I was initially a bit lost by her comment
the blame for which I will place
squarely on the significant amount of bourbon
sloshing around in my belly
but after a moment it dawned on me
she was inquiring if I would like to finish off this delightful evening
with a professional girl to quite literally consummate the evening
I politely demured explaining that I had to get up early in the morning
to work on some documents which I was translating for my host organization
[translating is probably the wrong word]
[more like polishing rewriting the draft translations]
[to improve the grammar and flow of the works]
what struck me about the entire thing
and granted this realization did not occur until the morning
when my head and stomach were significantly clearer
was the matter of fact, normalcy with which she inquired
as if it was normal and expected that after a night of partying
I would want a lil lass to attend my whims
I suppose if my friend had suggested it
I would have been less surprised
but it was clear that not only was this socially acceptable
but nearly expected of her as my host
to offer to assist me in locating such a service
quite a difference from the social stigma
which is attached to prostitution in most countries I have visited
although I have no plans to take advantage of
this particular cultural difference.
saturday morning I awoke
ok I lied
saturday afternoon I awoke
and began working on the translations
finishing them in about five hours
and
did a most marvelous job if I may say so myself
the documents were english translations of the remarks
made by a team of scientists who are working to save the
"Crested Ibis" which is considered a Chinese national treasure
and is on the Endangered Species list.
Reading their stories as I worked
I was amazed and felt quite fortunate to have the opportunity
to assist with such an amazing project
started twenty years ago
they have slowly nursed these birds
from a population of seven birds
to around 400, with 56 new fledglings born this year
the translations I worked on
will be placed side by side the original chinese text
in a photography exhibit to showcase their successes
and to draw public attention and support to help futher their efforts
and will be published in an accompanying coffee table book
which is pretty exciting
as I've never had my work published on such a broad scale before
I've requested a copy of the book
even though I think it is unlikely I will be credited for the work
personally I could care less about the credit
I just think it will be neat to see my words
professionally published and alongside
such amazing photographs
[even if I have only seen a few of them]
today we visited the "Terra Cotta Warriors"
which was pretty spiffy
I met a young woman and her husband
who were from DC and we started chatting
[well her and I chatted]
[her husband seemed a bit shy]
apparently they were both IT consultants
decided they had been slaving away
working too many hours
and didnt really need to
so they quit their jobs
and have spent the last six months
traveling around asia
hmm
that story sounds kind of familiar doesnt it...
on the way back to the van
we were beset upon by people
selling small replicas of the the terra cotta warriors
initially for 120 yuan (roughly 15 dollars)
[the exchange rate is 8 to 1]
with bargaining many of the members of the group
got the price down to 50 yuan
with one particularly savvy guy getting it down to 30
I wasnt intended to purchase a set
and instead merely ignored the vendors
as we neared the street
on lady continued to follow me
lowering and lowering the price
despite my shaking my head
that I was not interested
two dozen feet from the street
she said "5 yuan"
at which point I shrugged
and figured why not
for seventy cents I could find a use for them
pulled out a five and paid the lady
much to the admiration of my companions
who then asked me how I managed to bargain her down so
[they had been busy with their own pestering vendors]
[and did not notice the absence of effort on my part]
now, I'm normally no slouch when it comes to bargaining
having earned my bones in the arab shook of the old city in Jerusalem
but in the particular case I wasnt bargaining in the least
so I just smiled that trademarked smile
and gave a playful shrug
I returned to my hotel a few hours ago
rested a bit before dinner
and then collected my photos for uploading
while I've only roughly sorted them
and many of them require reorientation
you can if you desire browse through them
hereI will of course be posting specific shots
in my journal as I get a chance to do so
I'm thinking either late tomorrow or tuesday afternoon
will likely be the next chance I get.
and while I am sure there is much I am leaving out
I'm beat and going to head to bed
for a much needed nights rest.
my love to you all
and
I hope all is well with you
your king
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