Last night I had my first Chinese dream. I was dreaming about the Sociology class I had to take last spring. It was a terrible class. Anyway, the teacher was lecturing in Chinese. I don't remember what she was saying, but it occurred to me that I didn't know she spoke Chinese. And then it occurred to me that if my teachers really lectured in Chinese, I would probably have an amazing vocabulary. So I guess a bit later I realized I was dreaming. It was bizarre. It's exciting, though, because dreaming in the language is supposed to mean something. It doesn't really seem to mean much these days, but, interestingly, her Chinese in the dream was better than mine in real life. Doesn't that suck?

Saturday I went and played some laser-tag for a friend's birthday. It was a lot of fun, though the equipment sort of went crazy the second round. I have to say that if I played that game a couple times a week, I would probably be pretty fit. I exercised muscles in my legs that I haven't even moved in months. I'm sore...

Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, I will get to try my first Beijing Noodles. They are famous, but apparently kind of hard to find, so I'm doing it with some Americans who know a place tomorrow.

T

I'm still standing.

Yesterday I went downtown to the Ancient Observatory. It's pretty cool. There are all these old astronomical tools there, but they are unfortunately gated off so people like me cannot play with them. There are some cool sundials there, though, that are pretty accurate.

Last Saturday I attended a traditional Chinese story-telling competition which was supposed to in some way welcome the Olympic games. I don't get it either. Anyway, it was pretty cool. Afterward, being pretty much the only white person in the audience, I was interviewed by a local tv reporter who wanted to know what the Other thinks about Chinese story-telling. I said it was interesting and that I was surprised at how well the Americans and the Canadian who participated spoke Chinese. They were pretty inspirational as far as language learning. It was a good experience overall and in the process I was able to secure a contact with a woman who works for a tv station in China and is a friend-of-a-friend.

I explained to my parents over the phone what the process is for clothes-washing here. I guess it never occurred to me to tell anyone about it until now. We wash in the washer, but it's a second-world washer. You fill it up with a hose, add detergent and clothes, then turn a dial. It agitates for about 15 minutes. Then you turn a switch and it drains the water. Refill the tub with clean water, let it agitate again (this is the rinse cycle). Repeat if necessary to get the soap out. Then, you're left with clothes sitting in water. Drain the tub. Put them into the attached spin dryer. Really, it's a big salad spinner for clothes. Do that for two sets of 5 minutes each (in small batches). Then hang everything up on the drying rods that every apartment includes. Ours happen to be inside, but some are on the attached but not enclosed balconies. This may require a video. There are many things I am realizing in my life that people would probably go, "Wait, you do what?" and I don't think to tell about them.

Things are generally well, but I admit that I feel a bit burnt out on being a student. And I'm quite primed for a return home.

T

Yesterday began China's three days of national mourning for the people killed in the earthquake in Sichuan. It was weird, because traffic stopped completely, everyone stayed still and honked their horns and set off sirens and whatnot for a couple minutes. It was really eerie to listen to from the tenth floor. Flags are at half mast and all that goes with national mourning.

Last weekend I met a woman from Wuhan who is like-minded. She works for a tv station there and does some other work independently on the side. It was good to pick her brain.

If anyone wants anything in particular from China, let me know now so that I can have it taken care of in the next couple weeks. I'm leaving here on the 17th of June and arriving home on the 18th. Overnight in Los Angeles...

T

There was an earthquake in Sichuan province. It's many hundred miles away. I didn't feel it, but some people in Beijing did.

Many thousands are dead down in the south. This is a grand opportunity for the PRC to look heroic, and they are taking it. I would too, if I were them. Anyway, this is a moment in history to pray for the people of China. The damage, as I understand it, is intense.

In personal news, I'm really kind of burning out. The time is flying, but I'm so ready to finish my work here and have a breather. The professor has taken his books off the shelf, and I think he is either beginning to pack, or intent on making an enormous mess. Either way, though, he is changing the scenery, and I'm afraid I should look in to doing the same soon.

T

Here's what Shanghai looks like!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20413&l=32af6&id=573182167

Enjoy living vicariously through my camera.

T

Here's what I did this weekend in pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20371&l=801af&id=573182167

I hung out with some Chinese guys this weekend. We went to an old village and spent the night there. It rained, but not enough to keep us inside. The food was not the best, but it was totally survivable. We hiked around a bunch of trails and that night we played spoons. Then we ordered an entire roasted sheep for a late night snack. It was small, and it was an incredibly carnivorous thing to do.

This morning we left that place and went to a scenic spot to climb a mountain. The drive in the van there was treacherous, but the driver didn't actually succeed in killing us, and we arrived intact. Then we spent a while climbing the mountain by way of stone steps that had been laid out. The chair-lift wasn't on when we got there. Eventually I decided that the day before's hike plus what I'd already done equalled enough, so I stopped before the summit and climbed back down the silly thing. After a while, everyone got back, and we came back to the big city.

If you'll note in the pictures of the mountains, the sky was blue. Weird.

T

Yesterday was too unusual for paragraphs.

-Went to sleep after 1 a.m.
-Got up at 6:30
-Class until 11:35
-Biked to the subway
-Ate a sandwich (bought on the street) while waiting on the platform for the train
-Received a call from the maid that she couldn't get in the apartment door to clean
-Text her that she could just leave if she couldn't get in, she got in eventually
-Rode to the opposite side of BJ to teach a class on American culture
-The PPT on my iPod took about 5 tries to work on the school computer
-Taught the class
-Was escorted to the subway by one of the students, had a nice conversation with him
-On the ride back got a couple texts and a call that my bunnies were sick, nigh unto death
-Called the Professor, but my phone minutes ran out
-Got home (around 4:30) to see the bunnies lying lifelessly on towels on the floor
-Searched the internet about bunny problems, discovered that they had Gastrointestinal Stasis, which means they just stopped digesting
-Spent an hour massaging their tummies in order to prompt movement
-Left to buy proper bunny pellets (back on the side of town where I taught the class) with Cowboy
-Got a call that the black bunny, "Dub" had died
-Got off the subway early, knowing that there was no use buying food for dead rabbits
-Went to Subway and ate a sandwich for dinner (around 7)
-Left Subway to go to Jennie Lu's, which is the import grocery store, because Cowboy wanted candy
-At Jennie Lu's realized that Cowboy left his book bag (murse) at Subway
-Returned to Subway, collected the bag
-Took the subway home, on the way the Professor informed me that he had taken care of all things bunny in our house, and that there would be nothing left when I returned
-I got home and collapsed into bed, asleep around 12

T

I forgot to mention that last week I got a haircut. On the sidewalk by my house. By an old-ish man. It was pretty exciting. My hair just blew away in little hair bunnies down the sidewalk in the wind. You're welcome, Beijing.

Last night we went and watched Iron Man in a movie theater here in Shanghai. It was probably the most preposterous thing I've ever seen, a truly ridiculous movie. I laughed at the wrong moments. I just don't know how they got the guy from Crash to be in it. I think he's a good actor. Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey, Jr. were also involved, so take that for what it's worth.

T

Shanghai: Pearl of the Orient or Whore of the East? Both, probably.
(Shang4 like "song" with a "sh", and hai3 like "hi")

I arrived in Shanghai (上海) this morning around 7:30. Actually, my train arrived, and so I got off it. The ride was uneventful, though I did finally put the video function of my iPod to use. I watched an episode of the American version of "The Office" along with a short film from the Sundance Channel an episode of some show called "Aliens Among Us" and another show called "I Bet You." I've never seen these shows before (except "The Office") and they were both so-so. They made me laugh a few times, though. Unfortunately, I'd seen that episode of "The Office" before... when the people were British and original. I distinctly recall that being in the BBC version's first season.

Anyway, Shanghai is beautiful. It is much more polished than Beijing. The streets are wide, but so are the sidewalks. There is a metropolitan air about the city that Beijing is definitely lacking. Public parks here are beautifully manicured, thanks in no small part to the time of the year. I went up in a tall building and saw a breathtaking view of the city. The People's Square and Park are lovely right now, and the fountain in the square was on when we went by. I've seen the Pearl building from a distance today, and I must admit, I'm less than smitten. It looks kind of tacky to me. Sorry, Shanghai, but it's pink! Why would you do that? On the other hand, the variety of architecture here is pretty amazing. The city has been colonized (or, as they prefer, "influenced") by the French, and it shows in places like the French Concession neighborhood and several churches. The influence of trade with the West is gleaming from the facade of each and every skyscraper, even the ones with hideous tops that look like pagodas or pineapples.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Jade Buddha temple and maybe see the Pearl up-close-er.

Sidebar: Shanghai people speak Chinese like it's a language made of words. As in, I understand my taxi drivers. God bless them and use them to teach the Beijngers how to enunciate. I promise, I haven't heard a single driver yell, "Shemar di-fanr?" Which, in reality should be "Shen ma di fang?" It's refreshing.

Not so refreshing: the people here are all trying to hock Rolexes and Louis Vuitton bags on the streets. I'm not in the least bit interested. I did, however, buy a couple of T-shirts for a combined $5.72. One of them has Mao's mug on it. You know I had to do it.

T