quiet cab, huh...

Earlier this evening I took a new Chengdu cab. They are sleek and shiny and more expensive. At a red light, I noticed that the inside of the cab was silent, a large difference from the older models.

I'm pretty sure the driver noticed me notice the silence of the cab. Immediately, we were deep in a silence contest. Having practiced mightily in my youth against stiff competition at MacKenna's Restaurant, I was prepared. The red light must have lasted 30-60 seconds, tops.

It was quiet.

Sure, I heard noise coming through the open passenger window, but inside the cab I could have heard a kuai fall.

Right before the light turned green, I turned my head slightly, making a slight rustle with my hair against the seat. It was finished. I had lost.

A half-step later, the driver shifted his hand on the steering wheel, and the silence was officially over. A few moments passed, as we settled back into the noise, then he let go of the clutch and we moved on.

what the f.

Let's get the facts straight.

1. It's October 8th.
2. I live in the desert...supposedly.
3. Some people still argue that global warming is a myth.

Yeah, it's snowing right now. Freaking my stuff out pretty bad. Not quite prepared for this type of weather, considering the time of year that I thought I had signed on for.

I'm pretty pissed I washed my camera. And that Li Fengyang and Hu Yanqin's are out of batteries.

Use your imagination:
A wet street surrounded by monotone beige buildings. Thick snowflakes fall, then melt on the ground, making it indistinguishable from rain, other than the fact that it's difficult to see 200 yards away. No one looks any different, clothing wise...they treat it like visible rain. I, meanwhile, have on every sweatshirt I own and my slicker. Not too shabby, albeit I look like the Michelin man.

I'm still in shock.

Life is amazing. Thanks global warming!

snazzy tracksuit

In addition to being trained in the illustrious art of volleyball, I have been given, along with everyone else, a tracksuit, a basketball uniform, and sweet kicks.

Here is a picture of me modeling my tracksuit, in the bad-ass way that I model.

Here's Xiao Long and Hu Yanqin in theirs. Not as bad-ass, but pretty sweet.












Please, please pick up on the self-deprecating sarcasm here.

volleyball

During the past few weeks, all the da weis (or workgroups) in the city have been practicing. For what, you ask? Sports Day. Oh yes. To begin the National Holiday, the city of Yanchi holds a sport day. There is basketball, pingpong, running, and of course, volleyball.

I was given the option of volleyball or basketball. Lord knows I wasn't going to play basketball after spraining my ankle, even though I'm probably better at basketball (which means I'm horrifically bad at volleyball). So I went down and met my teammates. We had 2 practices every day, and it was like being back in elementary school.

Kids, excuse me, adults were running all over the place. They would sit out when they got tired. Some of them complained while we were warming up. My favorite was when the men would smoke in the middle of a scrimmage. It was clear that I, as the American, was taking this competition must more seriously than anyone else.

Not that I'm competitive or anything...wink.

The pinnacle of my frustration came when our da wei's basketball team came over and challenged us to a game. Now at this point, I will say that many of our good players weren't at this practice. So we were playing, and not listening to each other, and one man was running around into everyone else's space. We lost 2-1. I was pissed.

But I let that rage go, and realized that I just need to try my best, and do the best that I could.

The contest was supposed to be held last Friday, but was postponed due to rain for tomorrow. Let's hope my team brings their A game. I know I will.

dryclean only

Well, I was wasted, as I am apt to be on a Sunday afternoon, and had spilled something down the front of my Mayhew hoodie. That is alright. I can deal with that. But in washing the said sweatshirt, I left my digital camera in the pocket.

The camera came out spotless...and non-functional. This before my week of vacation where I was going to visit the legendary Xixia Tombs. Frustration abounded. Luckily, I returned from my trip and the thing would turn on, even if the buttons wouldn't work. If there's some way to get past the date/time setup, I should be in business, just unable to browse my pictures on the camera.

Here are some descriptions of pictures I wanted to take.

• The view from the top of Chuangsi Ta, demonstrating that Yinchuan looks like every other Chinese city. Worn out apartment buildings and offices spread out before you like, well, every other Chinese city.
• A bus driver smoking as he drives, with a do not smoke sign directly over his head.
• Evidence that the dogs in Yinchuan eat a ton of corn, and do not effectively chew it. (Maybe not a picture on this one...but I saw these little presents every where in the city.)
• Yinchuan does not only have the first waterslide park (admittedly defunct) I've seen in China, but also the only mini-golf course I've seen. I would have played a round, but where's the fun of playing without friends?
• A picture of the best pizza place in China...Robin's Pizza. Imported mozzerella, imported meats. It was real pizza, not the kind you can get at a buffet in China. Pretty impressive for Yinchuan, if you ask me.

But now I've entered into my last week here in Ningxia, and it's certainly bittersweet. I'm ready to go home, but also I've hit my stride here. I'm comfortable, I have friends, my alcohol tolerance is through the roof...life is good.