No Naptime

Food.
Gregory insisted on making me liver for lunch.  Somehow I found myself on Bus #30 for downtown Chengdu with Charles instead.  Charles is the AP World History and pre-AP econ teacher from Texas.  He had mentioned yesterday afternoon that we (meaning all three) should grab a meal together.  I'm am a proactive person when it comes to socializing so I texted him in the morning asking if he wanted to play tourist.  We set off for Charles's favorite restaurant which happened to be the one I ate at with Sarah on Monday.  We walked in and grabbed beer, which apparently one does before sitting down--or at least if that one is Charles.  However, we were stopped from sitting down by many waving hands of waitresses.  Apparently, or so we we guessed, the restaurant was reserved for a party.

I asked the waitresses in awkward gestures if there was another place to eat and she just looked at me blankly.  I mean, I thought I was good at charades.  In the end, it did not matter, as one waitress grabbed the two beers and beckoned us to follow her...down the street...past a few stores...underneath a gate...up a flight of stairs and into a bar-type room.  She produced a menu and we assumed that this was where we could eat, and we were right!  I ordered the dumpling dish and the spicy-beef(?) dish as Charles had yet to sample them and Charles ordered shrimp and cabbage.

I decided to be adventurous and look for a bathroom and this time my gestures were rewarded.  I promise I don't usually blog about bathrooms, but this one was quite a shock.  I opened a stall door to find a toilet flat on the floor, like part of the floor, like not really a toilet.  There was a hole and a flush button, and it was white, but the 'seat' was grooved for shoes.  My heart sank a little at the thought of ever needing to use this #2 style.  There was toilet paper in this one, but the idea of squatting indoors was hard to stomach.  I will try my best never to use such a toilet for such a purpose.  As always, we'll see.

Back in the "restaurant" Charles and I got better acquainted.  He has taught before under at least 4 principals.  He's been to Korea in the '70s and it is his New Zealand.  (I talk about New Zealand far too much, especially when reminded of it like I am when traveling).  He is very American with his mannerisms and large gut, which really sticks out a lot to me being in skinny China.  He does look the part of a teacher though, much more than I.  Then the food began to arrive and our conversation gave way to flavor appreciation.

This was a feast to rival the first.  I already felt better with chopsticks and my spicy tolerance though the Sichuan pepper that ended up in my mouth was a mistake.  The beef was better than remembered, the dumplings seemed to be better seasoned, and the cabbage was delicious.  The beer proved to be a nice pairing.  The shrimp were scary, but only because I don't usually (if ever) eat them.  However, these shrimp looked to be breaded, fried, and covered in sweet-looking sauce.  So being the bold eater that I'm quickly becoming, I decided that this would be the end of not eating shrimp.  I chopstick-ed one into my mouth and got a wonderful surprise.  Underneath the breading was...bacon.  Turns out if shrimp is wrapped in bacon, covered with batter, fried, and smothered in a tangy-sweet sauce, it's pretty irresistible.  All my years of avoiding shrimp seemed to do this taste even more justice.  I ended the meal a tad too full but after my scant eatings of the day prior, I was overdue for food.  Charles treated me, which was nice of him but not necessary.  The teachers all do make much more than I and seem to think that they should take me under their wing.  I suppose I am the intern.  I don't mind too much, especially as food is so cheap, but I'll have to pay him back somehow.

We ventured onwards, back on the bus, and found a park.  It was beautiful and full of Chinese characters.  An old man was practicing Tai Chi in the park to the tunes of a Chinese Erhu, the two-stringed fiddle that old Chinese Americans play in NYC subways and such.  I could not locate the source of the music from where Charles and I were digesting (sitting), and it may have been recorded.  Next to us was more modern music that an ederly couple decided was two-stepable.  The man never showed a smile and was very good and not making eye contact with me during their thirty plus minutes of dancing the same steps, over and over.  The woman, however, caught eyes with me and smiled.  Her face was light up with glee.  The two of them attracted a bit of attention, but Charles and I may have received more for being white.  The park had a stillness--the kind from a deep yogi breath.  Sitting at our bench brought me breathing deeper than I had since the mad rush to China.  Charles, on the other hand, was sneezing over-and-over.  Something got him started and he continued the whole day.  Poor guy.  But he was still willing to continue our adventure!

We left the park and got back on the bus and headed to Tifanu Square, the heart of Chengdu, where Chairman Mao ever-watches with a stiff-arm (or salute, one of the two).  I did not bring a camera again.  (I feel very exposed when walking around as I am quite the minority so it's hard to want to further label myself as foreign.)  We wondered over to a museum, where Charles treated me again.  Perhaps because he is old enough to be my father? I'm not sure, but I was grateful, especially because I was quickly learning that Charles needs to sit down frequently.  Thus, we did not see much at all of the museum and I would have felt it a waste of money.  The Science and Technology museum was full of gadgets, singing robots, and more, including a small tiny exhibit on green houses.  Most exhibits were in Chinese, but some had translations, which was a pleasant surprise.

But we mostly sat.  We sat on the 1st floor, on the 2nd, and finally on the 3rd.  Then we left to find a seat...at Starbucks.  Charles, who had mentioned many times that he has full, ordered a mocha and a slice of cake while we sat.  I was understandably confused, but patient.  Especially because I was sorta kinda maybe responsible for Charles' pace--I ordered far too much delicious food and both were stuffed!  Thanks to him, I also now know how to navigate bus #30.

Charles is great company.  He is willing to explore, willing to hang with someone far younger than he, and treats me like a fellow teacher, even with his understanding of my nonexistent teaching experience.  Gregory, while a friendly host (especially now that I understand a bit more of how Russians treat guests: very well), does not have the same appetite to explore, perhaps because he has been here before.  So I was grateful for Charles's company today.

We returned home and parted ways.  Gregory was kind enough to leave my some liver on the stove.  I graciously ate the portion while fighting my gag reflex with each bite.  I tried to figure out why this reaction kept coming, but it's liver and it's slimy and it smells strange.  Shrimp trumps liver, hands down.  I guess I'll have to work on the liver part of my palette.  Of course at the rate of rapid expansion I'm going, my palette might explode...tomorrow.  I feel it's best to try to take things slow here on the food front for now,.  Especially as I keep burping liver while writing.

A few notes from the day:

Chengdu is polluted.  This was explained to me before I arrived.  My first two days had decent weather.  Today the fog or smog was thick, especially downtown.  Charles says that 330 days of the year are cloudy as in full clouds, not partly-cloudy clouds.  Perhaps the sunshine I saw yesterday should not have been wasted.  Chengdu does rank up there in cities with the least sunshine.  The water at the calm park smelled...like the Chicago river, so not great.  But for all the talk about Chengdu being polluted it's not too bad, minus some smells.  Trash is always being cleaned up, which makes for very clean streets and parks.  But I will miss sunsets.  The haze just gets darker and darker and then it's night.  Of course this could be a blessing as pressure to train out of the city and see more of China.  Though I'm afraid I'll need some more Chinese under my belt before I feel ready to do so.

Finally, Chengdu has Chinese traffic.  Think NYC traffic.  Then take out the bright yellow taxis and add in bicycles/motorbikes/scooter lanes.  Then add thousands of buses and some cars.  Then put in oddly colored taxis.  Now add illegal bike-taxis (modern rickshaws) and you almost have the picture of Chengdu traffic.  Don't forget to add in the state of the art lights with timers while green/red, which gives one a false sense of comfort.  Finally, take out traffic rules.  Have cars go the wrong way in streets.  Put bikes in everywhere, regardless of the lanes.  Have buses stuck in intersections while cars mill about.  Have cars breakdown here and there, and then add pedestrians who walk like New Yorkers.  Even on the bus ride home today, I had a few scares, certain we were going to kill pedestrians and that cars were going to drive right through us.  But somehow, I only saw one minor accident: a bicyclist hit a car, no damage.  So in all the chaos, there is somehow harmony.  It begins to look more like a wild dance or a circus act.  I must be cautions though.  I'd like to leave this place with all body parts I entered with.

I suppose tomorrow I should really start thinking about my lesson plan.  But the good news is I haven't napped!  I've been up since 6:00, which doesn't make any sense.  Since 6:00 am was my 5:00pm four days ago (five days ago? gah--I've already lost track).  Meh.

Oh and, Happy Birthday to my brother.