Live from Blue Sky

Today was another beautiful day. It actually didn't rain, and the humidity was quite bearable. I taught a couple classes, and then came home at lunch-time, like every Tuesday.

I decided to take bus 231 and ride to Wal-mart, which is always a mini-adventure. When I got off the bus, there was a China Post, which is my bank here. It's actually difficult to find a China Post that will give you your money from your account, but this one did, so I took the chance.

It wasn't crowded at all. The lady withdrew money from my account and held onto it while I signed the receipt. I always just sign my English name, but this woman wasn't satisfied. In Chinese, she insisted that I sign my Chinese name in Chinese. I told her I didn't have a Chinese name. She insisted I did, and pointed to two characters on the printed receipt, which roughly sounds like, "Lao La."

The woman was slightly exasperated and wasn't going to give me my money. She called the bank guard over, who explained the same thing to me in Chinese. So, squinting at the incredibly tiny and smudged print, I tried my best to imitate the characters of my newly discovered Chinese name. I also tried my best to write the character strokes in the proper order. If they wanted me to write in Chinese, I wanted it to be quality. The guard was satisfied and assured me, "good, good." I, Lao La, was finally permitted to carry my kuai out of China Post. I had passed the test.

Then at Wal-mart I stopped to examine the unique specials on display. My favorite was a special on mosquito netting for your bed. It's that time of year again, folks! Are you tired of your old mosquito netting? Now for a limited time only, you can buy a beautiful set designed to look like hand-made lace! And it comes in a variety of colors--bright yellow, purple, and red, of course, to match any decor!

After examining the high-quality mosquito netting, I found a little piece of frozen chicken. I put it in a bag, and took it to the three ladies manning the scale. (Every job has about three people). I glanced at the scale to see how much it cost, and was slightly surprised because it was more expensive than usual. Another lady said to the other lady, "Oh, the foreigner doesn't understand." Then she looked at me and said, "Do you understand what we're saying?" I don't think she expected an answer. But I replied in my best Chinese, "Yes, I understand what you're saying." They all looked surprised, but I didn't wait around for them to ask me any other questions. I wanted to leave them under the illusion that I had amazing Chinese and was entirely fluent. :)

Anyway, I am indeed understanding more Chinese these days, and can communicate slightly better. I've been studying and practicing a lot more, which helps, of course!

In other news, a girl at the Blue Sky radio station has been asking my teammates and me to be on the Blue Sky radio station, which is blasted across the campus on loudspeakers to the 40,000 students. Jonathan took one for the team, and agreed to be on the station. Unfortunately I wasn't there to hear it, but I heard it was amazing and watched a video Jodi filmed. We listened to the part where students can call in and ask him questions. Only one student called, and it was one of his students "Jessica." Here is the conversation broadcast over the campus:

"Hello, Mr. Jonathan! This is your student, Jessica. Do you remember me?"

"Yes, Jessica. Hello."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jonathan, but I did not go to your class today. I'm very sorry."

"That's okay, Jessica, no big deal."

"I wish you happy everyday!"

"Thank you."

"I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you, too."

The End.

And now I leave you with a little video Jodi took on the city bus. These are the roads at their emptiest and calmest. Enjoy the ride and the sights.