We did quick introductions and then got in with the agenda of the meeting. One thing that you may not know if you don't work in academia is that meetings with academics are PAINFUL!!! They are LONG, Arduous, and full of completely out of place personal and overly specific questions that drag the process on and on. So the first two hours were MIGHTY painful...but at noon we were released to go have a 'banquet' in the Princess Dining Hall (meaning...the girls dorm).
The banquet was really nice and gave me a chance to get to know some of the other faculty. The food was pretty good (although I think I'm going to lose weight purely from the fact that everything is eaten here with chopsticks and everyone knows I cannot master chopsticks to save my life). I 'ate' pretty much the whole time but ending up consuming a very small tiny little portion of rice and a few other little bites of stuff (oh and I did get a chance to try the smoked peking duck...mmmm!) So the banquet overall was delicious and an awesome opportunity to get to know each other.
After the banquet we took a campus tour. I was grateful for the chance to get on my feet again and get my blood pumping...and also to 'try' to figure out where things are on this campus. I learned a few important pieces of information (like where the passport photo place is) and had fun getting to know the others in the group. I also met a guy who asked if I wanted to be his roommate in the apartments. This I need to think on for awhile. The apartments are SOOOO nice. They are huge! They have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, a huge living room with t.v. and couches and chairs, and a kitchen! A glorious kitchen! But you also have to pay...the rent is dirt cheap $150 a month. But here's the kicker. You have to master the process of getting your own water and paying your own electricity...this alone may lead me to stay in my little room which is free. I don't know...I'll have to think about it.
After the banquet some of the people who have been here for awhile asked everyone if they wanted to go out...umm...yeah, can't turn down that opportunity. I ended up meeting up with Claire (who has taught here for 3 years and speaks Chinese wonderfully), her husband John (who works for a computer company and speaks Chinese wonderfully), Rob (who is pretty darn good at Chinese), and Laurent (my French next door neighbor in the guesthouse) and Hamilton (potential roommate). We ventured down a part of town I hadn't been too yet to one of their favorite places. Claire and John speak Chinese so well! The place was packed but they were able to talk to everyone and arrange an agreement to sit at a small table for awhile and then move to a larger table once it opened up. They also ordered for everyone...and just kept ordering and ordering. That's the thing I need to get used to here. People don't just order one dish for themselves, they order TONS of dishes and everyone shares everything (which is great). The dishes that I liked were Char (meat on a stick...can't go wrong), a chicken with cumin and tons of great spices on it, spicy green beans with ridiculously amazing peppers, noodles of sorts, pickles in a spicy olive oil sort of thing, edemame (done right), nan, and several other dishes I know I'm forgetting. We also ordered several large beers and all of us ate and drank until we were stuffed.
After while several at the table felt like more beer...and felt that Gary should do the ordering. O.k., here we go. No time like the present to learn how to do this right. They first coached me through something that is a little different in Chinese restaurants...you have to basically turn and yell FUYAR at the waiters while waiving your hands to get their attention. Apparently Fuyar means waiter (not to be confused with FUBAR which I thought it was initially). After getting the waiters attention I tried my best, san ping peegio! Holding up three fingers I think helped...but the end result...three beers!!! Exactly what the table had ordered! Success!!!!!!
It was so great to be amongst what felt like friends and to talk and get to know one another...I do so miss that from back home. Throughout the night I learned that Claire and John both studied Chinese for YEARS and still feel like they don't speak it well...sounded good to me! Rob has also studied it hard. (Now I don't feel so bad...people back home often tell me...WHAT! YOU DIDN'T EVEN LEARN THE LANGUAGE!!! It is SOOO HARD. You have no idea until you get here and you know the word for something and nobody understands you because even though it is one word there are three different parts to the word that cannot be said in the wrong way. Your tongue has to be in the right position for all different combinations of sounds and the tones completely change the meanings of the words. So for those of you that think it is so easy...come here for a day and you will see that all your 'Chinese' is wrong and useless. Even the simplest word like Thank you (xie xie), most Americans think they know. But everyone pronounces it wrong. Anyways...the language is rough! It is hard and frustrating because you want to learn...but it is just impossible unless you can devote YEARS to it.
Apparently that was a sidebar. Dinner was great (and honestly we got all of that for like $4 a person). Afterward we all stopped at the Merry Mart on a Saturday night and this is what we found.
Off to bed, tomorrow is another day.
Zaijian,
Gary
What?? You didn't learn the language first?!? I thought you were a pro!
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