(Nick)Happy Easter! Today we celebrated Ella's birthday! We met up at a KTV (karaoke) around 10 AM and spent a good 2 hours singing our hearts out. Our voices were less than stellar, however, as it was so early in the morning. It was a fun group - Ella (obviously), Kathleen, Frank, and Rose (the 2007 Exchange group that came to DS), Patrick, a couple classmates of Ella's, and Drew, Emily, Cady, and I. We were all a little burnt out from a busy weekend, but we were entertained by Patrick's amazing dancing skills which made it 100 times better. After KTV, we went to a Japanese noodle restaurant for lunch. It was delicious, and despite being in a city of 6 million, i managed to see a couple classmates eating lunch at a nearby table! Rose (English teacher) paid for the meal despite our protests. After our meal, Rose, Frank, and Kathleen all had to leave because they had school-related things to attend to. We barely ever see Rose since she is always busy, and Kathleen and Frank are of course studying like crazy for the college entrance examination at the end of the year. One thing that we do have to keep in mind here is that although we are about to graduate and our lives are (somewhat) stress free, everyone here is working and studying hard. Last spring, when Ella, Frank, Kathleen, and Rose came to DS, I was experiencing the end of junior year madness and AP exams...and i barely got to see them in DS. We all wish we could've had more time with each other in both DS and in Hangzhou, but school will always interfere with that. It's too bad, but it's a fact of life.
We then went clothes shopping for a solid 3 hours. Patrick is a clothing fanatic so he took us to all the good stores, and a couple of us made some great purchases. I had to refrain from buying anything, however - my bank account is rather small at the moment and I'd prefer to not come home bankrupt. Money sure does go fast here! Hangzhou is very cosmopolitan and fashionable so it is a great city for shopping. Patrick had to leave early because he had sunday classes (considering all grade 3's have classes on saturdays that is technically a 7 day school week for him......torture). We walked to West Lake and enjoyed the scenery, although the Broken Bridge was literally covered with people completely. West Lake in general, though gorgeous, is so crowded that it is sometimes hard to fully enjoy it. The weather was fantastic...probably high 60's and very sunny...sure beats Massachusetts. Emily and Cady were picked up by Emily's host mother, and Ella, Drew, and I took a taxi back to KTV, which is close to Ella's apartment and where Drew's bike was. Ella handed me a 20 yuan bill and gave the taxi driver Jerry's address...I insisted on paying but she wouldn't budge...even on her birthday.
When I got home, my host family and I (well, minus my host father who I've seen once and is constantly working at the Bank of China) went out by the river and took pictures together. When we got back to the apartment I showed them photos from home, and they showed me photos from their recent trip to Australia and New Zealand last summer. We went out to dinner to a Thai restaurant by West Lake....it was so good. Now Jerry is doing homework and I am preparing myself for my final week at Hanggao :(
My grandparents have enjoyed teaching me the Hangzhou dialect. They taught me "mado" which means stupid or foolish guy. Whenever I say it they burst out laughing...and whenever they have relatives or friends over, they ask me to say it for them. They also find my Chairman Mao (Mao Zhushi) bag and wallet hilarious...everytime I put on my bag, which is every morning, they laugh at it. It would be interesting to hear what my grandparent's lives were like during the Mao years...but it is a somewhat touchy subject here so I haven't asked them yet. It is so weird to think that these people have lived through so much historically...China has changed dramatically over the course of their lifetimes.
We have been in China long enough that it really doesn't feel like a foreign country to me anymore. Perhaps that is just because Hangzhou is so modern, but I honestly think that I have adapted to life here. Now that we have been in one place for nearly a month, I feel connected to not just the city of Hangzhou, but to the people. The fact that I have good friends here is just so comforting and I feel like I am a part of something rather than an outsider looking in. I mean, that is not to say that my lighter hair and fair skin do not constantly attract stares 24/7, but you get the idea. Even though I can clearly remember my first day at Hanggao, it feels like I've been here for years. The people I have met in Hangzhou have made the Exchange for me. We have one more week here and I am not looking forward to the end of it. Time goes by so quickly here and before you know it we will be back at DS.
We then went clothes shopping for a solid 3 hours. Patrick is a clothing fanatic so he took us to all the good stores, and a couple of us made some great purchases. I had to refrain from buying anything, however - my bank account is rather small at the moment and I'd prefer to not come home bankrupt. Money sure does go fast here! Hangzhou is very cosmopolitan and fashionable so it is a great city for shopping. Patrick had to leave early because he had sunday classes (considering all grade 3's have classes on saturdays that is technically a 7 day school week for him......torture). We walked to West Lake and enjoyed the scenery, although the Broken Bridge was literally covered with people completely. West Lake in general, though gorgeous, is so crowded that it is sometimes hard to fully enjoy it. The weather was fantastic...probably high 60's and very sunny...sure beats Massachusetts. Emily and Cady were picked up by Emily's host mother, and Ella, Drew, and I took a taxi back to KTV, which is close to Ella's apartment and where Drew's bike was. Ella handed me a 20 yuan bill and gave the taxi driver Jerry's address...I insisted on paying but she wouldn't budge...even on her birthday.
When I got home, my host family and I (well, minus my host father who I've seen once and is constantly working at the Bank of China) went out by the river and took pictures together. When we got back to the apartment I showed them photos from home, and they showed me photos from their recent trip to Australia and New Zealand last summer. We went out to dinner to a Thai restaurant by West Lake....it was so good. Now Jerry is doing homework and I am preparing myself for my final week at Hanggao :(
My grandparents have enjoyed teaching me the Hangzhou dialect. They taught me "mado" which means stupid or foolish guy. Whenever I say it they burst out laughing...and whenever they have relatives or friends over, they ask me to say it for them. They also find my Chairman Mao (Mao Zhushi) bag and wallet hilarious...everytime I put on my bag, which is every morning, they laugh at it. It would be interesting to hear what my grandparent's lives were like during the Mao years...but it is a somewhat touchy subject here so I haven't asked them yet. It is so weird to think that these people have lived through so much historically...China has changed dramatically over the course of their lifetimes.
We have been in China long enough that it really doesn't feel like a foreign country to me anymore. Perhaps that is just because Hangzhou is so modern, but I honestly think that I have adapted to life here. Now that we have been in one place for nearly a month, I feel connected to not just the city of Hangzhou, but to the people. The fact that I have good friends here is just so comforting and I feel like I am a part of something rather than an outsider looking in. I mean, that is not to say that my lighter hair and fair skin do not constantly attract stares 24/7, but you get the idea. Even though I can clearly remember my first day at Hanggao, it feels like I've been here for years. The people I have met in Hangzhou have made the Exchange for me. We have one more week here and I am not looking forward to the end of it. Time goes by so quickly here and before you know it we will be back at DS.
Again, Happy Easter to everyone back home!
No comments:
Post a Comment