swimming

so, have you been swimming in china? well, i went to a pool that is known in this province. the province of Shanxi. where the nationals or provincial trials were held. i did a lot of swimming with various local teachers in jincheng. so.. points that are different than those at home in canada.

there is a little snack bar at the side of the pool. people don't wear their towels into the pool area. they just bear it cold until they hit the shower. there are spit buckets at the side of the pool, lined up perhaps 7 buckets per length. must wear bathing caps, which is sooo positive and good i think. hahaha.. my english. the kiddie pool is all yellow and warm. gross, i thought the whole time.

now, for the strangest part. the locker room. changing out and into my clothes, i felt all iffy. everyone here has learned at a young age that nudity is fine with your own sex group. i guess, that's okay. but then, we hit the showers. and then, at that time, i'm happy not to have my glasses on, 'cause ladies not only wash up in the nude as they should, i guess.. but to my own surprise, my own witness, my lovely local coworker, asks me if i want my back scrubbed. at that point, after all the months of coaxing myself to understand, accept, and take on, breathe in the culture, that is where i draw the line. i will not have anyone, not even my best friend, probably not my hot lover, to scrub me down. jesus christ. with a rag. i had to let that go, express that. remember that. no scrubbing cathy.

oh yeah, i had to take my.. piercing out. i don't want the shock over a belly ring. i saw 2 ladies with tattoos on the leg and on the back, but i didn't want to risk it. dresswise, perhaps i should write more about that later? basically, in the smaller cities, it's unheard of two wear skimpy stuff/more revealing stuff unless you work as a hostess in a ktv (karaoke lounge). whatever you like, it's better to where it in the city.. but yeah.. there's a lot to it. i will write more about it another day.

taiyuan

hey! so i'm in taiyuan now. i've been here for 3 weeks. i just got regular internet in my office in the last week. before that, i had this superslow computer that made me cry when trying to do my usual to sending an email to important people. took 1.5 hours.

well, so far. at the beginning, i was very "shocked." i guess, i did have some expectations before coming here. i didn't plan everything out, but i had some idea that i would have the same reception as i did in jincheng. the local teachers at a middle/high school ain't to free here to chill with me, or even chat with me. i do have my own office, ie, i don't meet anyone new really. the net i have is just in my office. i guess i could ask for it to be installed at home, but that would cost me.. and personally i know it would waste a lot of my time not going out there to visit the city. everyone is friendly but have no time for me.

so the students at a middle/high school are younger than the college students i had at the last school. i guess my activities with them are a bit more limited, ie. drinking. not that i should. well.. last week, i decided that i would never drink. well, of course, that cannot be done.. so, i settled with that i would think twice about it. i went out to dinner with richard (he visited) and friends. we drank, and of course, chinese liquor goes down easy, but leaves to crying throughout the night. the next day i was supposed to hang with the senior 1/1st year students bike riding to the park, lunch and shopping. i could only do the bike riding to the park and visit in the park. one of the students had to haul me behind her home. apparently i was green. i just told them that i had bad food at the resto, spicy, which it was. but yeah, i learnt it the hard way.. drinking (and not being sober) leaves you to shit. hahaha... sorry.. leaves you out of good sober time, especially the next day.

i did get to walk around. taiyuan in 2003, was coined as being one of the most polluted in the world. since, then coal mines had been closed. i felt it biking to the park. of course.. while feeling awesome that it was my first trip on a bike in china, in asia! i felt the heavy musty air.

oh yeah.. so biking. it's liberating.. you just follow people. of course, you have to get used to thec constant honking here, but it's awesome. i just am not brave to go biking anywhere by myself. and it's a pity that winter is coming. i wonder what north chinese people do in that case, since biking is the thing in asia. probably bike.

so did i talk about honking before? if you travel to china, get used to the constant honking. people here honk for the reason of "i'm coming through," not really for "you, get out of my way." i'm totally almost desensitized to it here. that may be dangerous when i get back home, whenever that is.