Back to the grind

So the midterm excursion is over, and now it's back to the grind.  My Chinese has been pretty good these last few days, I find myself using words I didn't know I knew.  I'm not really using the grammar I'm learning in everyday speech, but I'm sure that day will come.  Also, reading has been easier; I think the new textbook is throwing softballs. 

I may learn to speak this language.  I'm still pretty skeptical about whether I'll be able to learn to read it.  I still can't look at an ad or a sign and immediately know what it says; I'm still seeing shapes rather than words.  Reading is going to take a while. 

I will be going to the XiHu Starbucks again tonight with E to do homework.  I have to remember to wear pants (mosquitoes) and to sit upstairs (quiet).  Apparently this week is supposed to be the hottest week of the summer.... at least that's what I understood. 

Today at lunch we went to the family-style cafeteria, where we order a bunch of food and put it on a lazy susan.  We sat with people we don't often sit with, and I was a little surprised at the conversation.  It was all in Chinese, so who knows if I understood correctly, or if people said what they intended, but basically someone was asserting that addiction was a choice, and not an illness.  Everyone else at the table jumped right into our pidgin Chinese discussion, but I just sat quietly and ate.  I don't know the Chinese words for "The goal of medicine is not to assign blame, you blame-a-saurus"  so I just kept my mouth shut.  The young people like to debate. 

Blood pressure is 131/83.  Post-prandial glucose 154, and that's after having rice for lunch, with a small cup of orange pop.   Sheesh,  do I even have diabetes?  I wonder if I'm even still fat....

Last night X took me out to eat "dragon shrimp" which turns out to be crawfish.  I asked for medium spicey, not too salty.  I don't usually eat things that come out of fresh water, but I'm not opposed to it either.  After a few minutes, I realized I had eaten double what X had eaten.  If the Spanish teaching doesn't work out, I think I can give classes on how to shell seafood.  Anyway, the crawfish were good, the sauce was tasty.  I was disappointed there weren't more, and that they weren't a little spicier, but I don't really need to eat a high crawfish diet.  I told X that I had a rule, that after eating spicy, we must go have ice cream.  He likes that rule. 

In the restaurant, X had said he thought the sauce was hot, I told him I didn't think it was that hot.  It's not that I necessarily enjoy spicy-hot... I mean, I do enjoy it, but I'm not a hotter-the-better type of guy.  However, I really think I've been desensitized to spicy hot.  I remember as a kid I used to think Tabasco sauce was liquid fire... now I use it to clean my contacts.  

But whatever.  As we walked out of the restaurant, I told X that my mouth was not hot, but my lips were still feeling a little spicy.  X said he felt the same.  What kind of spice is it when your face is feeling it but your tongue is not?   Then X said, oh the river that those crawfish came out of is a dirty place.  Now, I imagine that crawfish thrive in places where there is a lot of sediment in the water, but I really don't need to eat pollution.  Do you?   So why did we eat those crawfish, I asked?  X laughed and said, because the flavor is good.  True enough. 

Anyway, that's besides the point.  We went to a bakery; I ordered what ended up to be a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of some canned fruit; X had some shaved ice with a creamy red topping and more canned fruit.  The bakery had swings for seats.

When we got back, we decided to call for a new water jug.  X dialed and then handed me the phone.  They said, hello?  and I said "Water, drank completely.  Another?"  I managed to tell them our building and room number.  They promised to be here in a few minutes.  A few minutes became 20, and X called again, just before leaving for the night.  He had a karaoke party to go to, and apparently in China, karaoke lasts until dawn.  Not kidding. 

So I told him to hit the road, and the sweaty water guy came up and plopped a new jug onto our dispenser.  And the water started pouring out onto the floor. 

We caught some of the water in some empty bottles I keep for the chilling water in the fridge, and then sweaty guy took the jug off and then said he'd be back with a new dispenser.  Because obviously, there's a problem with the dispenser. 

He was back ten minutes later (remember, I live on the fourth floor, no elevator) with a new dispenser, and when he plopped the jug on, the water started pouring out onto the floor.  Glug, glug, glug...   He didn't notice at first, I pointed it out to him. 

He took the jug off again and set it down and said to me, maybe it's the jug.  OH, YA THINK? 

So he left with the broken jug, and I went and got a couple of mops and cleaned our tile floor with the drinking water than had spilled.  Another water guy came a few minutes later, this time with a new bottle, and said, ooh, this place is so clean....

*******

So one of X's friends is a funny guy, funny because he does funny things, says what's on his mind.  I like him a lot.  But I think Americans are funnier than Chinese people, culturally speaking.  Whenever an insect or animal comes up in conversation, I always ask, oh, is it good to eat?  Sidesplitting laugher.  I also tease my teachers, pretending to mishear what they say, accusing them of something, offering advice, and then not understanding when they try to explain.  It's a gag, but they are suckers for it. 

One teacher said she liked to eat pumpkin seeds, and I asked, what?  You like to eat socks?  (in Chinese, pumpkin seeds rhymes with socks).  Are they good to eat?  Do you eat shoes as well?  Me, I like to eat food.  Would you like to try some food?  Do not eat my socks!  Careful, she will eat your socks!

Inevitably, there's an explanation about pumpkin seeds being small, crunchy seeds, and I look at them confused and say, small crunchy socks?  What? 

After a while, one teacher said to me, I think you understand what I'm saying, I think you're saying those things on purpose.   Um... sorry, I say, I hear, cannot understand.  Uproarious laughter. 

As you all know, I'm uncomfortable being the center of attention, so I only let the gag run for about ten minutes or so.