Life in China is different. I am hoping to be able to capture some every day life and maybe make it a bit more real to you. Because let's face it, my major is China and I basically had no concept of actual life. This is a night bus, running from downtown West Lake out into the city's northern districts. When I first came, I wondered why buses often only had one seat on either side and the middle empty. That's weird, I thought. Alas, it is not weird but rather the only way to put 150 people on a bus. In fact, I think it could be reasonably argued that China's tremendous population pressure is the defining characteristic of their society. But on lighter note, a soft eyed nine year old girl recently used all her courage to ask me if, "America had Mai Dan Lao, too?" All I told her was yes, America has McDonald's too.

中秋节快乐！
Happy Mid Autumn Festival!

I am a shiney new Christmas toy in China, the Buzz Light Year of Zhe Jiang Technology University. But this is not a good thing. Because once my shiney blonde exterior wears off people start pushing my different "Talk" buttons, they realize that my memory chip is faulty. And they quickly tire of,

"I am from America, Infinity and Beyond!"

The phrase, "My major is Chinese government" is only good for a few run thoughs too. And then we quickly discover that there is nothing left to say, my Shiney Newness is gone and our so called friendship is not so everlasting as once was. I believe I am about a triple serving friend.

In other news, I am attempting probably the second dumbest thing of my life (the dumbest being riding a motorcycle down a winding sandy mountain road in Costa Rica with a crazy driving) by waiting in this Internet Bar for the Twins playoff game to start. It starts at 1:00am, so let's hope I am not rediculous enough to finish it!

The Twins clinched a playoff spot today:) You probably don't realize how happy this makes a random 21 year old guy in Asia. But I kind of imagine that I am like the Twins. They started this season terrible, but have stormed back to within 2 games of the best record in baseball. I, too, have started less than fabulously. But like Michael Cuddyer, I am going to find my swing as well. But for now I'll celebrate for my wonderful Twins.

Last weekend The Director declared group travel weekend, and the most important thing you can remember about this post is that I am not exaggerating. I think an annotated schedule will do best:)

• 3:30 pm depart school on bus and drive for hours over something like a road.
• 9:00 pm arrive at Rui An International Hotel, go swimming in outdoor pool
• 10:30 pm I had dinner with the Director
• 12:00 pm do my "pre reading" for my Monday morning 1 on 1 class
• 1:00 am go to sleep
• 5:30 am get wake up call from front desk
• 6:00 am stumble into breakfast, eat a bowl of zhou (cooked rice boiled in water) and a bao zi
• 6:40 am depart for coast
• 7:30 am board a terrible boat
• 7:30-9:00 am watch everyone around me throw up
• 9:30-12:00 swim and eat sea food (I felt terrible about picking a crab! :(
• 1:00 back on the boat
• 3:00 start riding bus up a big mountain
• 4:30 mountain road blocked by avalanche
• 4:30-7:30 hike up mountain road to "stairs to daoist temple"
• 8:00-9:00 literally hike up stairs in pitch dark for an hour. Use camera's for light to see
  
• 9:00 eat Monk vegetable dinner
• 10:00 discover Wen Zhou "party club" (observe here) has also hiked up the mountain and is blasting techno, jumping over their bonfire and roasting meat. Weirdest thing I ever saw.
• 10:30 I went to bed
• 8:00 get up
• 9:00 ride in pick up truck down mountain to avalanche
• 10:00 get in new bus, ride to Scenic Region
  
• 12:00 have lunch, hike into scenic area (more steps!)
• 1:00-3:00 go swimming by beautiful waterfalls in really cold water
• 3:00 nearly fall off of rock cliff thing to doom
• 4:00 ride bus to Wenzhou
• 6:00 have dinner and wander around their main street
• 7:30 get back on bus to drive home
• 1:30 am get home
• 8:00 am have my 1 on 1 Chinese government class.... ack!

The pictures are as follows: our sand castle creation of The Great Wall, fishing boats on the same island, the view from the mountain top,
the stairs we hiked in the dark.

Just a disclaimer: it may appear that my life in China is filled with one fabulous experience after another and this may cause you be filled with senseless jealously. I assure you, you can spend that emotion else where :)

Last weekend our Director decreed that this is "individual travel weekend!" So off I went as an individual to the small town of Wu Xie, a resort really, on the edge of a National Scenic Area. I stayed over Friday night and then hiked into Wu Xie Saturday morning. That's not quite true. I more hiked up and down Wu Xie more than anything else, but it was very beautiful. Living in the city in China you occasionaly wonder if the sun does exist (the locals all just claim it's "cloudy").

But in Wu Xie I found some beautiful country. But I also found some peasants and their villages,

as I hiked all they way out of Wu Xie and literally into the middle of no where. But I guess it ended well, because they told me to hike up to the next village, over the mountain (easier said than done) and then 3 kilometers to the bus stop. They also offered me boiled water with hair floating in it, but I turned it down. Thankfully, a random man from Shanghai had also wandered out there and we ended up making the trek together. He wanted to know what villages were like in the US. And so now, 3 hours before our Director decrees "Group Travel Weekend" where we don't return until Sunday midnight, I would kill for a "no homework weekend." But that's just not the way China is.

I hate the phrase "This is China's most famous _____." Unfortunately, this seems to be my roommate's favorite one. Every where we go, he points at things and says, "Do you have this in America? No? This is China's most famous steamed bun making machine." It makes me want to grab him and take him to Cub Foods and ask, "This is Green Giant. Do you know Green Giant? No? Really? This is America's most famous frozen green bean producer." In other news, I have started studying the Chinese Bamboo Flute. My teacher is this Chinese Yoda combo, and when I went for the first time yesterday all he said was,

"You have come to study the di-zi." I am so bad that when I practice I wear ear plugs.

Yesterday after class I had a terrible headache. We have been in class now for over a week, and I no longer respect 8 am orgo students at NU. I'm sorry, but try 8 am class except it's the professor and you. Then teach the class in Chinese. I am terrified of Mondays and Thursdays. In other news, people say that my Chinese is improving, but all I am is one huge ball of frustration. I suppose "slowly, slowly" as everyone except my teachers believes. This weekend I went to Su Zhou with my roommate. We visited two famous gardens, here is a washed out photo of me in the "Humble Administrator's Garden" and a picture of Su Zhou's main street at night.

List of things I have eaten so far

• sheep meat
• jelly fish (a very small quantity!)
• frog legs
• duck tongue (possibly, not really sure)
• mian tang (water from cooking noodles, awful)
• shrimp (ok, not weird but listable anyway)
• weird looking fish

List of health problems so far

• stomach problems
• stomach problems
• 拉肚子 （result of stomach problems)

Perhaps I need to reign in what my Chinese classmates keep ordering. But yesterday I did voyage to the supermarket, buy a frying pan, buns and meat and make some hamburgers. Best hamburger ever made. Flat out :) In other news, I met my penpal in real life today. Six months ago I just randomly clicked on her xanga, now here I am. What a weird world. She is very friendly.

A lot of people would like to lay claim that they have caused a traffic accident just by standing on the corner. But, few would actually be telling the truth when they say that their

dashing good looks (more likely, dashingly different looks)
caused a wreck.

Fortunately, I can not claim this either, but it was awful darn close. Being a White person in Hangzhou is interesting, because there are very few. So everyone stares at you, some come up and speak English to you, I am yet to have a photo request. My transition to life in China continues. I visited 西湖 （West Lake) the last two days. It is extroadinarily beautiful.

I can tell you it doesn't rain like this in Minnesota. I am pretty sure that the internet cafe is going to wash away. I have arrived after 20 hours total flight time (split up into 3) and am now literally living in a Chinese only environment. I am learning a new definition of privacy too. something possibly interesting things:

• Crossing the street here is like playing the most horrible version of frogger ever, except the prize is your life
• There is no line in the cafeteria. You just rush up and tell the lady what you want, hoping she picks you and not one of the 35 others.
• Nothing is easy when your Chinese is 1/2 there
• Accents know no ends

I will try to post some more later, including my very friendly roommate and me. 再见:)

宗科

I have accumulated a big pile of stuff on my bed. All right--that's not quite true. I have a big pile of medicine and a pile of trinkets--proclaiming Minnesota on them--to give to people. I figure that between my Cipro and my Minnesota Twins snowman Christmas tree ornament I am basically set to go. Which is a good thing, because I am on my way to the airport at 4:00 am on Monday morning.

The really important news, however, is that the Twins took over the wildcard lead yesterday!

They beat Chicago for the 6th time in 7 games and it was wonderful. And speaking of other wonderful things, Alice had a great visit to Minnesota. We went tubing, walking, and to the mall where we got a slightly fuzzy picture of us with a shark. I am a very lucky guy. Now, I suppose, it's off to China with me. Which is sort of weird, because it feels like I am falling into the middle of a history book--welcome to the Middle Kingdom!

欢迎中国！

The fact that I am moving to China remains a sort of shimery
image. I can see it, and look at it sparkle, but I cannot grasp it. Fortunately, because I leave in 3 weeks, the fact is becoming slightly more concrete. I have visited numerous doctors and been poked in numerous places. I have registered with the embassay and will soon buy a plane ticket to New York. My penpal in Hangzhou has offered to meet me at the airport (which is amazing). I am reading all my predeparture information. And now I am starting to realize what is happening. And the scary thing is, I'm ok with it.

When I was little, my parents told me "be good or we'll
send you to China!"

Well, I am sending myself to China and I think it will be good. I often wonder how I, as a White person from Minnesota, became basically a China studies major, and I really can't say for sure. Although I think it goes back to me not playing the piano in third grade:) However it happened, I can say that I am almost ready for it to happen. Above is a pagoda in Hangzhou.

Exactly one month from today, nearly down to the hour, I will board a Japan Airlines 747 and fly to Tokyo, then on to Hangzhou.

sure--why not?

The lady at the art store knows me. For those of you that know me, this fact alone may be shocking enough. But what shocked me today was when she asked, "Why do you always look so sad when you're here?" Of all the possible questions, that one cut straight to the heart of this summer. I have discovered recently that I appear to others as if not only my dog had just died, but also my parrot and hamster. In short, the expression that I wear on my face is not neutral or pleasant, as I thought, but actually sad or intense. This is disconcerting to me. It raises some questions. Why do people like to be with me if I am constantly raining on the party? Is it because, perhaps, they're afraid I will eat them if they're not nice to me? How am I going to appear in China? Does Botox work to create a smile? All of this I have pondered, and I have learned a lot about myself. I guess being bored a lot teaches you things, and I am not sure how to assimilate my new information. It's not as rosey as I would like. On a seperate note, have you ever just wandered around an art store? It's wonderful.

There are thousands of colors and hundreds of devices, none of which I can wield, to release their potential.

Dreamy music fills the background, singing about summer and witches and watermelon. And I am there, staring at paint brushes as if they're wilting flowers, while joking with the only art store employee on earth who knows me.

The Chinese must have a different definition of comedy. The last two Chinese movies I watched, which were billed as "tremendously funny" and "hilarious" respectively, ended with a blind girl heading into the city searching for her father and a couple passing out from a gas leak. That is not funny. And that proves worrisome, as it leads to one of two conclusions. First, it is possible that life in China is just so wrenchingly difficult that those movies are actually hilarious in comparison.

The second possibility is that the Chinese have
never actually seen a comedy.

Both of these are troublesome, so I will have to go with secret option C. It's a different culture. And while I currently find it mystifying, I hope that by the time I return I will have a small grip on it. And to be fair, The World was not really described as a comedy, but it did have the adjective "hilarious" on the back. I didn't laugh once. Hopefully, next July, I will laugh more. Above, a particularly comedic scene from the second movie, 世界 (The World).

Penguins really are the best pets. If you don't believe me, please observe this documentary footage obtained from a Chinese news service. Not only does the penguin wear a penguin backpack, but he walks to the fish market and consumes gigantic fish. And, evidentally, can also deliver things for his owners, a lucky Japanese couple. How they got a penguin, I cannot imagine, but I can only wish that I too had a penguin. Most of this is brought on by my recent visit to the Shedd aquarium in Chicago, which has more amazing fish and animals than you can shake a stick at. For example, chameleons! Who knew that chameleons actually change color to reflect their mood (not their environment).

Ideally, I would have a pet penguin that itself had a pet chameleon that would ride around on the penguin.

What say you? In a week attempt to keep this blog China-trip centered, I did recently take an Oral Proficiency Interview over the phone with my good friend, Hao Deng. The most notable feature was that I got the time zones confused and answered the phone having just left the shower, meaning, naked.