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.

Who is in charge of pricing things? Yesterday I bought two seperate items (aluminum foil and a tastey vanila shake from Burger King) that cost exactly $2.06. Why the six cents? Both times I had conveniently emptied my pocket of change, meaning I some how lost six dollars from my wallet and not four. In contrast to annoying prices, somethings just have high prices, which in turn is annoying. I also bought some precooked BBQ ribs yesterday for dinner and they cost me an arm and a leg. That is better, though, than what they cost the pig--which would be half a back. But they were extremely delicious. Alice and I had a picnic.... man she eats a lot--look! (just kidding!) China keeps sneaking up on me. I am currently attempting to obtain proof of insurance and schedule an exam with Language Testing International (which is intent on me leaving messages). The MEIV trip leaves soon. I am excited for you guys! ps--i would also like to note that those are bottles of rootbeer:)

Having revealed my website to the world, I suddenly feel much more pressure to write clever, precise and witty things. Things are generally a lot easier when nobody's watching, I suppose. For example, I am fluent in Chinese and have major league quality stuff (trans: pitches) as long as nobody is around :) In case you are reading this, and have a strong desire to read clever, precise and witty things, please go read Noelle Chun's blog because not only does it feature huge and flaming buildings, but also heart rending sagas. Enough said.

Working at my new "job," I am finding that when you compare most things to janitoring, it doesn't really seem like work. Data entry versus popping gum (four years in row) off desks just doesn't compare. Nor does staying up until 2am doing "rounds" compare to shoveling rocks. And when I get bored here, I can read a book. No need to wonder around aimlessly, pretending to have stuff to do. My job, for clarity's sake, is being an RA for highschoolers here at NU. They are the college prep program, they are 15-17, two are taking orgo, and they're all crazy. But, they're also friendly enough. For your viewing pleasure, I am including a video of the only job I liked when I was a janitor, and my classic task, carpet cleaning.

I saw the movie Cars last Friday night, and it was a most excellent movie. It was the first one that I have been willing to shell out the big bucks at the Evanston theater to see. Mostly about one car learning there is more to life than himself, it is also about taking life slowly enough to enjoy it. And I feel like that has been pretty relevant to me recently, constantly looking into the future, never content to just be in the present. Fortunately, I got a whole lot of practice the last few days, as I took the bus to Minnesota and back. Actually, the megabus is a pretty amazing thing. You can literally buy a round trip ticket for $2.50, and the bus is clean, fast, and friendly. And it was kind of nice to see some of the country I keep just flying over. It's just too bad that I didn't have talking cars to accompany me.

Yesterday I got "surprised" for the first time in my life. And I must admit, getting surprised has always been a secret hope of mine, because my birthday is not conducive to it. Before highschool and now NU started, my birthday now hit's that no-no zone of all highschool friends gone at not at college yet. Anyway.

I went sailing with Barney and he took me to dinner afterwards at Joyees, except Krystle, Rachel and Maggie were all there waiting for me. Perhaps the most special part was the picture they gave me. The picture has all of my best friends here at NU that will be here when I come home in the fall of 2007. It is probably the most thoughtful that has ever been done for me, and it makes me cry everytime I think about it. Thank you, guys.

MEIV is the best thing that I ever become involved with. And when I think about China,

it is not the fact that I am going across
the world to live that scares me most.

What scares me most is the fact that I am leaving my MEIV family, because that is what it has become to me.

I do not have a digital copy of the picture, so I will include one of me, Maggie and Rachel. And on of the boyband sensation, 375 Kelvin.