It has been a while

I have been having some problems with access to the internet lately. There has been a crackdown on blogs and other types of sites. I am not even sure if this will end up being posted. But here is a brief description of what I've been up to.

I went to KTV with Cindy, Bryne, and Cindy's husband who I named Brian. He is one of the few Chinese people I have come across that has no English name. His Chinese name begins with a 'B' so I told him his English name could be Brian if he'd like. He seems to like it. Let me back up for a second here. KTV is what they call Karaoke. I found a large street in my district that is packed with KTV places. Brian is a legit movie star. We were interrupted several times by workers who wanted a picture and an autograph from this guy. Crazy stuff. They thought Bryne and I were movie stars by association, and I even signed this guy’s paper when he asked for an autograph. I signed it, Nicholas Cage. This was quite the luxurious experience with beer, fruit, and various other snacks abounding. I sang Sounds of Silence for the first time and I think it might be my new go to song for KTV. On a side note, I was extremely lucky to have Bryne and I assigned to the same team. We both love karaoke and this has proved to be very valuable as KTV is one of the most popular evening activities in China. I have told you about the format of karaoke here in China, with KTV having private rooms for groups to sing in. I was talking with Cindy and she said that about a decade ago karaoke was in large groups where there was one screen and one player for an entire bar. She claims that this led to fights between people over who was next and more importantly (and probable) fighting over women. So this inspired a governmental mandate or something that changed the format of karaoke in China. Wow, I have just written a hell of a lot about karaoke. We'll take a break from it for a moment because I am sick of writing the word.

I need to address another issue before I can move on; The World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Wow, WOW!! I was able to watch all of the World Series games on the internet before my classes and for that I am thankful to Larry Gast, the internet, and Al Gore. Wow. I was ecstatic and going nuts inside but I suffered from some sort of paralysis. I was frozen in awe and had to immediately check the internet to see if what I had viewed actually took place. Sure enough it did! I will stay in China if my being here guarantees the Cards a World Series ring. I will have to research the connection before my final decision is made. Wow! I was also able to watch the parade and subsequent rally on the internet thanks to Cynthia and Garry Seltzer. I was very jealous of all my friends for being able to attend the final game/rally and parade. Save some memorabilia and merchandise for me.

Friday was Kevin's (from NY) birthday and we celebrated by going to the local club which was cool. Saturday we went to a park way out on the other side of the city. It was beautiful. The skies were clear of smog and the sun was shining brightly on the changing leaves. There were many small temples and convents located on the mountain (there are many mountains on the west side of the city). We took a chair lift to the top of the main mountain and the view of Beijing was awesome. At the same time it was kind of sad because you could see the smog cloud that envelops the city. The fall colors were beautiful! I have many pictures that I'll have to post sometime. At the top of the mountain they had a summer toboggan run. It is basically a metal slide that you go down on a sled that has wheels on the bottom. It was a blast! So fun we did it twice. They also had a zip line that was strung about 1000 feet across a valley. That was also very cool, but it was so fast that it was hard to take in all the stunning scenery from that awesome vantage point. We just held on for our dear lives as we zoomed across the valley while striking different poses ala Peter Pan or Superman. The whole day was capped by a large meal at a famous Peking Duck restaurant.

Earlier this week I attended my first Chinese class. I will be taking classes at Capital Mandarin. The school is a whole lot like Berlitz. I will be in a class with Bryne and Kevin as we are all starting at the same level. Because we are starting our own group we will be able to set up our own schedule to work around our teaching schedules. I am really excited to get started. I feel that it has taken a long time for me to find a good program but now that I have I am super psyched to devote myself to studying. This language is so hard but learning it, even a little more than I know now, will make everything in my life a little easier. Communication difficulties are some of the most stressful and frustrating things I have to deal with on a daily basis. It will definitely help with getting to know the culture a little better now. One example of this is the Chinese word for quickly or extremely fast. The literal translation of the word in Chinese is 'on a horse'. Interesting stuff for an anthropology nerd like me.

Hopefully access to the internet will be more consistent in the future. I have had real problems with everything from this blog to my email. I have five days off coming up this week. I plan on traveling to Hubei and going to see the Wall too. Hopefully when I get back I'll be able to post something. Take care. D'sai Jien