Lets just say I could get use to this all to easily!

I had two days off this week for the school track meet. I love the fact that the school only tells the teachers of these days off, two days before. Really vacation time just isn’t important to these people obviously. I called Bonnie and asked if she would like to meet for lunch Wednesday, she agreed and suggested inviting Brad and Kelly.

I meet up with them Wednesday for lunch and had a splendid time. I must admit our combined Chinese was horrible okay worse than horrible. Brad and Kelly have been here 8 months and still don’t speak it. So part of me really just wants to give up now. They’ve managed life in China just fine, I know that is not the road I want to take but giving up is just so easy. Anyway back to lunch. Bonnie fortunatly knew some food words and it all seemed to work out in the end, tons of great food arrived and we dug in.

After lunch Brad left to teach a class and the three of us girls went out to explore the city. There is tons to do in Weifang I discovered. They both had a list of places they want to go and things to see. So new goal, stop hiding out in my apartment and get out and see the city.

First new place of the list was the Pets market. Bonnie had been before and led the way, okay, I’m not an animal fan and I even got depressed.

A flea market Pet's Mart

Not your average pet selection.

 

 

 

 

 

Bonnie with the...um...oh yeah they are suppose to be rabbits.

The most horrifying of all the Squirrel.

 

 The condition of the Squirrels were the most horrifying of all. To ease my pain I just told myself the squirrels where on some type of speed to make them hyper for customers. Although in all honesty I just think they have gone clinically insane with their living conditions and have lost it! Can you blame them? Look at the size of those cages they are in. The only reason the chipmunks don’t revolt as bad as them is that their cages are even smaller and they can’t even jump!

 

Okay enough with the depressing Pet’s Ally, I’ve already decided to skip the Weifang zoo. Kelly says these conditions are just thrust upon the few exotic animals unlucky enough to land here. The bears sit in bathtub of water in a cement cell all day and the other cages show no more imagination. So skip the zoo what’s next on the list?

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking the river path and ended at a western style coffee shop in the bookstore. We chatted for another hour and came up with plan! So turns out there is a fair number of Westerners in Weifang we just don’t see each other much since we all inhabit various corners of the city. We’ve decided to form a club. We are going to set up a standing dinner date for the 1st Monday of every month. If we happen upon in Westerner we should invite them to join us. From there we can start planning trips around the city or the adjoining areas. We are hoping that pooling our resources and knowledge of our own areas we will all benefit from a more active lifestyle.

 

I know Dad hanging with Westerners is not going to improve my Chinese but at this point going stark crazy in my apartment doesn’t seem to be improving it either.

 

 

 

 

My first batch of non-microwave popcorn!

Yes, I’m learning to relish the little accomplishments in my life. I blame it on the frustration Chinese is giving me.  This is my first batch of popcorn ever to be made with out a microwave or a Whirly-Pop, and I didn’t even burn it. Fortunate for my waist the butter here is terrible and so I will just have to go with unbuttered, salted popcorn.

My ohh so busy life...

One of the definite perks of Chinese Internet is that you can find any media easily and for free. Although it blocks some sites there are no copyright laws so movies and TV shows abound! Youku unlike YouTube doesn’t piece episodes or movies. Don’t get me started on the wonders of Baidu, just about any movie you could imagine. (the Chinese equivalent of Google)

So as pathatic as the following is, its a comfortable life I’ve settled into.

NCIS: Seasons 1-7

Numbers: Seasons 1-6

Army Wives: Seasons 1-3

The Big Bang Theory: Seasons 1-3

I’ve learned I just have to wait 36 hours and the new episode is uploaded!

Bones: Season 5

Castle: Season 2

Glee: Season 1

So I can’t seem to shake the respiratory part of this flu, which is the reason for all the hype I’m guessing. Atleast the coughs change it up daily so no two days have been the same, seal, dry, green stuff, don’t know what stuff, etc.

One thing stays consistent, I’m dead. No other way to put it, I’m worse than a zombie, I have no idea what gets me out of the bed in the morning. I must look as bad as I feel, the look on Wendy’s face when she saw me this week would have scared me half to death if I wasn’t already there. What a way to greet a good friend fresh from her wedding. I tried to keep the conversation light but when you feel like me you really just wish the world would stop so you can crawl back under the covers and never come out.

So here’s the topper, four days past the fever and still feeling lethargic and now my Door Phone is on the blink. So for all those fortunate people who live in homes and not apartments. I live on the fourth floor with the door in a locked stairwell. In order to receive visitors they must buzz up and be let in. So what do you do when your phone doesn’t work,

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!

 Option 1 – book it down 3 & 1/2 flights of stairs to see who it is only to be disappointed that it is yet another group of chatty students from Adam or Dantzelle’s classes wishing me a speedy recover, THANKS FOR THE JOG!! Oh did I mention the 3 & 1/2 flights you must now drag yourself up.

Option 2-  yell out the kitchen window and pray they know enough English to get the hint you are not coming down 3 & 1/2 flights of stairs just to see who it is, mind you the screen is locked so you can’t even lean out the window dangerously to get a peek before you shout.

or Option 3 which seems to be the option of  choice – ignore the broken phone altogether and leave the water guy standing at the door step with the elixir of life. Yes this third option is king until you need H2O.

Once I realized who it was I booked it down but too late, an irritated water boy had already left. I’m not going to lie if I student hadn’t been mopping the stairs I would have sat right there on the first step and cried myself to sleep! I explained the predicament to the student who thank goodness was Dantzelle’s student and she said she would watch for the water boy when he came back.  Back up the stairs I called James and explained the predicament and got the water resent.

My thirst will be quenched I have water. Wendy was kind enough at lunch to offer to grocery shop for me although was not able to find any herbal ginger teas for the congestions. So I guess it is Lemon and honey for the weekend.  One miracle I would like to thank my Heavenly Father for is that Wendy ran into the British Bonnie at the grocery store who helped her find Gatorade for me. So I won’t wash all my electrolytes away.

Okay quick update. What sick Murphy’s law states that when they send some one to look at a broken phone it decides to work? NOT FAIR. It has been on the blink for a few days and low and behold it decides to work just now!!!!!! I give up.

Great, I’m choking up just writing. I hate crying!!! I’d better make this quick I have to run to make up a class anyway. Honeymoon over. I’m tired, still not altogether feeling well, frustrated and lonely. It was bound to hit eventually. I think I did pretty well myself. It has been over a month. Ahh this blog has been helpful. Just writing makes my mood lighten and brings me closer to all of you. I could sure use a good hug from Mom though, nothing really beats that, wait sorry a hug from Dad, love you Mom, you know that.

I hope you all are doing well. Better run got to hang a load to dry before I head to class oh and grab something to eat, still keep forgetting that one since I’ve been sick. Wow, no one ever told me living on your own was so much work!! Maybe a husband doesn’t sound that bad? He is just there to do chores right.

I always forget how hard it hits. That is probably for the best if I remembered it would be harder to leave in the first place. But this too shall pass!

This may seem like an odd post but it is something I feel needs to be noted. I noticed the following dilimma in Argentina, I had thought I had learned my lesson there but apparently not.

This is 3 days!

 Americans some how produce an abundance of waste. It is just part of our culture. We grow up in a culture of  to-go, dispensable, no clean-up, no-hassle products. In Argentina my family of seven had a kitchen trash can the size of your average bathroom can. In the States, most families fill a kitchen trash on average once a day, in Argentina it would take 2 to 3 days to fill. Karri ( American sister in Argentina) and I had a mini trash in our bedroom which we some how managed to fill daily. We never could figure out what we were throwing away? We just always produced trash.

So China seems to be the same. The trash out put here is extremely lower than Americas yet I am still managing an American amount. People here reuse EVERYTHING! Every scrap of paper is used and reused and reused, no joke. I feel guilty at times but just don’t know how to reuse like non Americans.

I’m not saying Americans don’t recycle it just seems like outside the US they don’t have as much to throw away. I think a lot comes down to packaging. Why wrap when you can just carry?  And why two boxes when one will work if you have your cloth grocery bag?

So this year’s goal, decrease my trash output and learn to reuse as much as possible.

So this week I have learned a few valuable lessons as usual. The most important is what Single means in China. It has two meanings to be exact, if you are single you must be 1) Lonely and in need of constant visiting and 2) Underfeed and in need of food!

I really must take a look at that bio the school put up because I’m really beginning to feel that my marital status of SINGLE is somehow bolded, underlined with a flashing Vegas lights border. Every student in school seems to know I’m single and wants to take pity on me. Let me just set the record straight…I AM SINGLE, HAPPY AND DARN WELL PLAN TO STAY THAT WAY FOR A GOOD MANY YEARS!!!

As for the Chinese definition the friendly students here plan to rectify the two injustices caused by my single status. Not only do my students come and visit me more than my anti-social and hermit loving self likes, but all of Adam and Dantzelle’s students ring up to my room first and visit me before going to see their teachers. If I am not home they voice their concerns to Dantzelle asking if I am lonely. Again let me set the record straight, Skype has done wonders for those living abroad. I know, I probably spend more time online in a week here than I did in half a year back home.

As for the second definition, well I guess I should be thrilled to have people offer to cook for me, goodness knows I hate cooking for myself. I’ve had three students now offer to come cook dinner for me some time. Early this week Matinda had offered to cook dinner for me tonight which I had forgotten about. When she mentioned this to Dantzelle, Dantzelle jokingly asked why she didn’t cook dinner for her, mind you Matinda is her student not mine. Matinda replied she’s single you have Adam. So what makes Matinda’s single status any different from mine or any of the other SINGLE students who have offered to cook for me I’m still trying to figure out.

To top off the apparent food crisis,  this evening I invited a few students over to chat. [This was the first group of girls I've  invited over and not just agreed after they asked to come.] Anyway I told them in class I had a ton of pears to eat through and I hoped they would take some off my hands when they came over. I hope my face didn’t display the horror I felt when I say all the groceries they were lugging up the stairs to see me. There was enough fruit to feed the entire Chinese Army I think.

I love Bananas but really they go bad so quickly here.

 In class they had asked my favorite fruits and drinks but I just figured it was curiosity as our topic today was home and interiors. Nope, they took notes alright and then provided me with a year supply of fruit! Yes I know perishables are not the way to go for food storage. So here I was hoping to pan off fruit on them and they just restocked me with more options. Oh and to top it off, they rushed off to a night class before I could give them any pears! So I did the only thing I could think of and sent half down to Adam and Dantzelle.

 Oh the ins and outs of being single in China! 

When we were out to dinner tonight Matinda did ask if I was planning on getting a boyfriend soon. Maybe I’m wrong and maybe this is one of the reasons I’ve never had a boyfriend but I didn’t know you were suppose to PLAN on having a boyfriend. Whoops let me just go get my planner, humm do you think the second Thursday in November would be a good time to pencil one in?

After a restless evening of nightmares of not catching my trains I finally gave up and got up. I started out extra early only to discover the buses don’t run before 6:30am so there is no point in rushing out to meet the bus at 5:45. You can leave at 6:10 and still get a taxi to the train station in plenty of time.

The nice thing about sticking out like a sore thumb is anyone who wants to practice their English is more than willing to befriend you and make sure you get from point A to point B. A rather talkative gentleman insisted I sit with him for the train ride over to Qingdao. I have to admit I’m one of those travelers that as soon as my bum hits the seat my ear phones go in and my Kindle gets switched on. I have been blessed not to get motion sickness and have always found trips the perfect reading time. So obviously a chatty neighbor was not my idea of a pleasant ride. I was never rude but did manage to convey my desire to read.

Once off the train I came to a T, East Exit/West Exit after a moment of panic I decided to go for the East and back track if I had to. To my relief that was the correct choice. On to the ticket window. Things went even smoother than yesterday much to my relief and the ticket back was only ¥14 or $2. but to be fair this train was three hours long rather than the ¥29 which only takes 2 hours.

The 304 bus to church was going to be the hardest part as it was a 45min ride and I had no landmarks to signal the stop was coming up. Just as everything else worked out before the kind ticket attendant asked where I was headed, I showed her the card with the stop and in English she told me she would tell me when to get off. She was even nice enough to count down the stops for me 22 from the start!

The members were a little surprised to see me as they knew the rest of the crew was sick. I got the usual ‘you’re so brave’ line although I really don’t get it. I’m gonna have to get use to doing things on my own eventually so why not start now?

Victoria invited back to her apartment for dinner and gave me tons of great ideas for my classes this week. I also got a whole slew of medicine to take back which I desperately needed. It wasn’t until I had a splitting headache this morning did I realize I hadn’t brought anything with me to China, big mistake. So outfitted to open my own pharmacy I went to the bus stop to start the journey home.  

I jumped on the 202 and headed back. Time always seems to drag when you are by yourself and weary of missing your stop. Finally I leaned over to a young man next to me and pointed to the stop I was looking for on my trusty 3×5 card. He shook his head, which I hoped he was referring to the current stop. I kept and eye out for possible landmarks and finally caught sight of the ocean and the lighthouse that I had passed walking to catch the 304. So now I know when to look up! So next time will not be as troublesome.

Getting to the right  platform turned out to be a piece of cake as all the waiting rooms are labeled in both Characters and English. Lucky for me the train was boarding when I reached the waiting room so I was able to find my seat 15min before the train was scheduled to leave. The ride back was long but at least the train wasn’t that full. I wondered how an hour trip could be dragged out to three hours but soon realized. This train stops at every station between Qingdao and Weifang, and waits at each station for about 10min. So 3hours later I got back to Weifang and headed to the bus stop. I then discovered that the buses I could take back to campus all stop by 6:00pm. So Taxi again!

So finally home and happy to be so. My Monday schedule is absolutely wonderful! I only have one class and it doesn’t begin until 2:30! I fully intend to sleep in.

May I just begin by saying how grateful I am that by the time my mother reads  this post I’ll be tucked into bed sound a sleep, or at least the eye shade will be on the the ear plugs in. And just to be fair I apologize but I will be up and gone in the morning before you get a chance to skype me to remind me I promised not to do anything stupid!

Weifang Train Station

That said let me brag! I bought my first train ticket today all by myself. Okay to be fair Adam bought the ticket, I just went to the Train Station alone and gave the lady a 3×5 card with all the necessary information which Adam had kindly written out for me. But hey if I stood in line gave my ever so popular deer in the headlights look, paid for and received the ticket with no one else present I think it counts!

Adam's Note & MY Ticket

Qingdao 青岛 to Weifang 维坊